Warranties Continue to Confuse Motorists

A national survey has found that many motorists wrongly believe they have to take their car to a manufacturer’s franchised dealership for servicing. Hi-Q conducted a nation-wide survey of over 400 motorists to question just what people understand about their warranty.

Only 30 per cent of people believed their warranty would be valid if they took their car to a garage other than the manufacturer’s dealer. 38 per cent believed their warranty would be broken if they took the car to an alternative independent garage and 32 per cent didn’t know either way.

Nearly all of the 2.5 million new cars sold last year do not have to be serviced at a franchised dealer in order to maintain a valid warranty.

Servicing at a franchised dealer can often cost nearly twice as much as servicing at a non-franchised garage. The company behind the survey believes confusion is leading to many motorists being ripped off when it comes to servicing. “We’re calling on motorists to check the small print of their warranty or to ask at the time of purchase about where the car can be serviced,” said Nikki McCluney, Hi-Q’s Marketing Manager.

“We believe that many motorists will be highly surprised to find that there is absolutely no need for them to take the vehicle to the manufacturer’s dealer and absolutely no need for them to pay nearly twice as much for the privilege.”

The survey also asked motorists if they believed their car would be worth less money if they did not take it to the manufacturer’s dealer for servicing. A third of people said yes, it would be worth less money. 42 per cent believed it wouldn’t be worth less money and 26 per cent didn’t know.

Hi-Q is now calling for manufacturers to be more open about their warranty. “It would appear that an open and honest policy regarding warranties is sadly lacking,” said Nikki McCluney. “Consumers are confused and in many cases are spending money unnecessarily.”