Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ?

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Wed 19 May 2010 21:01
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - 3point14

I've been out of the country for years so I'm not clued up on warranties offered on new UK supplied cars. I've gone back through this site and I want to ask a couple of questions.

Are the warranties split ? being 12 months from the manufacturer or dealer and then an extended warranty with different clauses ?

Some offer 3 years, some 5 and Kia 7 I think. If I bought any of these cars, am I trapped in main dealer rip off charging for servicing the car or can I go to an independent and have the full warranty honoured if something goes wrong ?

I always get my vehicles serviced. Overseas it costs peanuts so it is always at the main dealer. I understand that the cost in the UK can make your eyes bleed ! If it was a little more expensive then fine but not with hourly rates of £100 or anything daft like that.

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Wed 19 May 2010 22:14
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - Avant

Broadly, you can use other garages as long as they service the car according to the manufacturer's requirements.

Click on Ask Honest John at the top of the page and go to FAQ no. 66. It's all there for you.

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Wed 19 May 2010 22:19
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - 3point14

Cheers for that. Reading back through the threads it was these longer warranties which had been highlighted.

On a small motor, doing 12k a year, what would be the usual service costs and how much extra would a main dealer cost, if you know ?

Hardly material if £150 versus £175/200 but a different picture if £150 versus £500.

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Thu 20 May 2010 00:32
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - primeradriver

I think one thing you have to bear in mind is that dealer-backed warranties have more get-outs than manufacturer ones. So, for example you are much less likely to get goodwill from a dealer network than the manufacturer, so Ford's one year warranty plus 2 year dealer cover can be problematic.

So I don't think it's necessarily a case of the longer warranties posing more of a problem, although seven years of "neglect" might be easier to justify than three.

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Thu 20 May 2010 01:20
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - 3point14

I think one thing you have to bear in mind is that dealer-backed warranties have more get-outs than manufacturer ones. So, for example you are much less likely to get goodwill from a dealer network than the manufacturer, so Ford's one year warranty plus 2 year dealer cover can be problematic.

So I don't think it's necessarily a case of the longer warranties posing more of a problem, although seven years of "neglect" might be easier to justify than three.

I think I would be invoking the need for the defunct part to last a reasonable time. If my gearbox fails after 3 years and 30k I will be arguing that it was either defective from manufacture or they can give me a new one. I cannot accept that a 2010 gearbox will only last 3 years.

I have a little inside knowledge on that as in the the late 1980s I worked for Honda at Swindon and on their new gearbox manufacturing line, largely on testing. The idea of 3 years was laughable even then.

I'm probably going to use main dealers if I can find a decent one and pay what I hope is a little extra. If they want to extract the urine, then I will have to reconsider. I certainly would not be buying a new gearbox after only 3 years.

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Thu 20 May 2010 16:46
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - Roly93

In theory you can use any competent grarge provided they adhere to the manufacturer service requirements and use approved parts. However in reality, if you were to go down this route and have a major warranty claim or a 'just out of warranty' claim, I think you would not get one bit of co-operation from the main dealer.

Its okay for the EU to make up rules like this but they dont work in the real world, as opposed to the world of Euro MPs expense accounts !

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Thu 20 May 2010 22:49
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - 3point14

I just spoke to a Hyundai dealer today and when merely asked about warranties he voluntarily gave up that I could have it serviced at a non main dealer as long as it was VAt registered and Hyundai parts were used etc. Perhaps a few more conditions but i did not have top push him on that at all. That said, the numbers he came up with for servicing were hardly massive, a couple of hundred here and there.

All in all, I had a very good chat with them and I was very impressed.

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Fri 21 May 2010 21:14
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - Glenn 42

I know it costs more, but if you buy a car under warranty, as I have done in the past, I'd still entrust it to the franchised dealer as they have the expertise and should they do something wrong, you have more comeback with them than an independent. Also come resale time, the dealer will look more favourably on you as you have used their garage for servicing. Somehow suppose you get your Ford Focus serviced by an independent and you're not too clued up about servicing, who's to say they are using Ford approved parts and not cheap ones from China? At least the dealer will use Ford approved parts.

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Sat 22 May 2010 13:14
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - davmal

I would take issue with the notion that Main dealer "technicians" have any more expertise than a good independent.

I have the feeling that many times on this and other fora that main dealer misdiagnosis has cost unnecessary time and money for defect non-rectification, particularly where your standard manufacturers fault code algorithm dogmatism takes over and a true understanding of how a system works is absent. Engine management , turbo, common rail technology and EGR based problems spring to mind.

Add into that main dealers may have a vested interest ( they need frachise goodwill from the manufacturer) in not fully divulging particular make/ model inherent defects, and are notorious for masking, hiding or denying problems; some Mazda owners may be particularly familiar with this.

The key with independent servicing is that they are VAT registered. A word of mouth approval is a good starting point and be specific with your requirements. Get a written undertaking or quote stating the use of OEM parts. Who is to say that an unscrupulous main dealer will not use cheap oil, coolant, brake fluid etc and charge premium brand prices?

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Sat 22 May 2010 12:15
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - Doc

I just spoke to a Hyundai dealer today and when merely asked about warranties he voluntarily gave up that I could have it serviced at a non main dealer as long as it was VAT registered and Hyundai parts were used etc.

This is correct for most cars.

There is no mystery to car servicing, and certainly for a 1st service which usually only involves an oil and filter change, a competent DIYer could easily carry out this work.

Check your handbook for the service shedule and see how little is actually done at a routine service. I use a trusted independent garage during the warranty period (I supply the genuine parts and oils) and therefore avoid the expense of main dealer glossy showrooms and free coffee machines.

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Sat 22 May 2010 14:49
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - johnny

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I've always figured that once a main dealer technician becomes any good, they'd be tempted to clear off and start their own independent business anyway.

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Mon 24 May 2010 02:40
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - primeradriver
The only time I've had to go back again and again to get a simple fault fixed and refixed was with a main dealer. That was on a wheel bearing on a very conventionally-engineered car (a Hyundai, you can't get much more mundane than that).

My local indie is cheap, honest, doesn't inflate costs and seems to get the diagnosis right first time. Where he's not sure he refers me to someone who does. I think there is a tendency among main dealers to "give it a go", regardless of whether they can fix the problem or not.

And because he's independent, he has a good idea where it's OK to save money on pattern parts and where it's best to go with OE components.

Tried both, would go indie every time. It's why I am not even sure I'd be interested in a car under warranty.
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Sat 22 May 2010 18:18
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - Leif

If the warranty is three years, and you do not do huge mileage, then chances are that servicing would not be expensive anyway during those first three years, assuming you do not buy a premium brand. And the main dealer has the advantage that they get notified of any issues and recalls, so they can fix those during the service.

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Sun 23 May 2010 11:22
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - colinh
Agree. Just did a quick check of my last 7 years accounts, and servicing is less than 2% of all motoring costs. Saving 50 quid a year wouldn't register
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Tue 25 May 2010 23:42
Warranties - - do you have to use main dealer servicing ? - Glenn 42

I agree with Leif, it's likely the servicing pattern would mean only one of the three services is likely to be major and the other two little more than oil changes. Some warranties might include the first service for free, so this helps. However, out of warranty, and with more expensive makes, the independents can significantly undercut the main dealer.

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