Dealerships and Warranty

[Amaroo Park]

Having read the Franchise Dealer thread I was not sure with some of you are aware of a couple of things.

Dealerships tend to like to hold a gun to the head of new car owners by saying that your car must be serviced there sao as not to void new car warranty. Commpletely wrong but there are some things you should be aware of.

When the dealer puts in the additives in your car in the engine and the fuel tank be aware that the majority of manufacturers have a little passage in the owners hand book which says "Additves are not recommended and can if component faliure occurs void warranty". If engine oil system flush is used and a week later the engine spins a bearing well you could be introuble. Most manufactures will do annalys of the oil and if any sign of flush is found you will be asked to foot the whole bill. So don't let them use any additives the can cause problems with warranty and they really do not work at all.

If you have an issue with your car and it is out of warranty or it is a dicy call, such as they try to throw bac driver abuse or lack of maintenance. The rep from the manufacturer will ask the dealer to check the service history and see how many services have been carried out by franchise dealerships. Now I know for a fact that if some sevices have been done by an independant then in most cases they will decline the job or do a part payment ie' They pay for parts and you pay for the labour.

Make sure that the dealership is using geunine manufactures parts. Some Franchise dealerships fit non genuine parts and don't tell the client. Ok you may have no problem with the parts but if they fail then you have no warranty on them and on the damage that they can cause your car. Make sure when you get the car that all that the parts are geunuine and if they are not, Ask why they fitted non genuine parts without you knowlage.

This may make sence or not, it is just observations I have from the inside looking out over the years of working in dealerships. Oh and 1 last thing. The fine print you sign at the bottom fo the repair order when you drop the car in. It has a couple of interesting lines. The first being "We will car out any reapirs that we see neccesary to make the car road worthy" Basically what that means is that in most cases they really don't have to ring and seek your approval on the work being done or additional work. The 2nd is "We take all care but no responsability with the vehicle and its contents".

Happy Motoring