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General Is the warranty worth keeping?

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General Is the warranty worth keeping?

SB1500

SB1500

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Hi guys, something I've wondered about new cars...

Is it worth maintaining the cars warranty?

To be honest, it seems to me that it's not worth the paper it's written on. So much is excluded, didn't one guy on here with a faulty gear box get denied any remedy as the dealer told him due to the nature of the clutch inside (likely being the problem) they wouldn't cover it as it's a wear and tear part?! :bang:

I had this idea that when I get my new Panda (in a few millenniums from now) that I'd just service it myself from day one - using genuine or better parts. Screw their servicing!

I mean, has anybody on here ever been saved, and I mean, really saved from a serious or catastrophic problem that otherwise they'd have had a 1 tonne piece of scrap metal on their drive due to the warranty?

Sorry if I sound like an idiot, but I just figured that firstly anything 'dangerous' is covered by recalls regardless. And that there might be some sort of EU law or such that covers you when they turn around and say "We don't care if the engine fell apart, you didn't get your first service from us.." to sort of make them sort it, as honestly, I'm sure correct self-servicing can't really be made out in a court to have damaged the car?!

And also, after 1 year isn't the Fiat warranty over and it just then a dealer warranty? Anybody able to sum up the true difference?

Thanks FF!
 
In order to maintain the warranty the car has to be serviced every 12 months at a fiat dealership,back in 2010 I bought my wife a punto evo for Christmas and because we have private plates saving thousands on a pre registered car seemed to be a good idea,the down side was it had to go for a service at 1500 miles, the dealer quoted £237 ,I said I know we have a private plate but we're not made of money it's done less than 2,000 miles so he went away to consult the manager ,came back and said due to the very low mileage we can do what we call a short service,I said what's that and he said a oil and filter change costing £187 !!! So you have to take into account how much money you are going to have to spend on servicing against the cost of something going wrong ,as each service will be more expensive than the last.
 
Hi.
I'm sure I read something a few years back that a ruling was passed in some court that to maintain the manufacturers warranty servicing can be done in any reputable garage, not just in the franchised dealership.
 
SB1500 said:
Hi guys, something I've wondered about new cars...

Is it worth maintaining the cars warranty?

To be honest, it seems to me that it's not worth the paper it's written on. So much is excluded, didn't one guy on here with a faulty gear box get denied any remedy as the dealer told him due to the nature of the clutch inside (likely being the problem) they wouldn't cover it as it's a wear and tear part?! :bang:

I had this idea that when I get my new Panda (in a few millenniums from now) that I'd just service it myself from day one - using genuine or better parts. Screw their servicing!

I mean, has anybody on here ever been saved, and I mean, really saved from a serious or catastrophic problem that otherwise they'd have had a 1 tonne piece of scrap metal on their drive due to the warranty?

Sorry if I sound like an idiot, but I just figured that firstly anything 'dangerous' is covered by recalls regardless. And that there might be some sort of EU law or such that covers you when they turn around and say "We don't care if the engine fell apart, you didn't get your first service from us.." to sort of make them sort it, as honestly, I'm sure correct self-servicing can't really be made out in a court to have damaged the car?!

And also, after 1 year isn't the Fiat warranty over and it just then a dealer warranty? Anybody able to sum up the true difference?

Thanks FF!
Click to expand...

Firstly the Fiat warranty is 2 years manufacturer then a 1 year "dealer" warranty. It's far from industry leading but coverage isn't dramatically different to other marques. I don't recognise the gearbox issue you mention as this should be covered by warranty - was it perhaps a dual mass flywheel which is regarded as a consumable, being part of the clutch assembly.

What you're proposing though is self-servicing rather than servicing through a non-franchised garage. Remember, you are an enthusiastic amateur, not a qualified mechanic. So, should any issues arise, you would have difficulty in demonstrating that you were sufficiently competent to follow the vehicle servicing requirements.

Whether a warranty is worth having depends on your attitude towards risk and your ability to fund any repairs versus savings in servicing costs. Reducing the part exchange value your car by not having a stamped service book and possibly voiding the terms of your finance agreement may also sway that decision.
 
There's also "out of warranty good will".
Many dealers will help with repairs of faults outside the warranty if they feel you're a good customer.
So by buying and servicing your car from one dealer/chain could save you down the line as they'd be more eager to help you out.

Servicing prices vary for dealer to dealer.
All ours go of the basic standard service, around £130 a year each for oil and oil filter change, various checks and important book stamp.

If/when anything else shows up on this service, like brake pad/disc wear, tyres etc, I do them myself and if the schedule says it's due air filter, plugs etc, I do that myself as well after the basic service.

So I get fully stamped up books for basic outlay and no cars suffer in the process!
 
Last edited:
Well, I'm not sure about where you guys are from, but I would never take a brand new car to an independent mechanic where I live. They're pigs, and butchers and don't take pride in their work.

That's why I'd rather do it myself, as the owner of the car actually cares about doing work right, and with price.

Though I do accept all the views on keeping the dealer happy by using them etc
 
The warranty conditions also vary by region. The only way to keep the warranty in Turkey is to have it services by the authorised dealer. That being said, it may be worth keeping intact depending on the circumstances. For example:

My car has a convoluted history which I may write up in another topic some day. That being said, Panda of this generation (2012 onward) are quite rare here so breaker yards are highly unlikely to have any parts, as are independent parts shops. The 4x4 is even more of a unicorn here, and the rear differential can basically only be bought from Fiat if anything goes wrong, and it's cripplingly expensive. Under these circumstances, I've opted to extend my warranty to 5 years as a form of pre-emptive insurance. The 4th year already paid for itself when the heater core fan failed (and was replaced together with the heater core since it's a single unit in the parts catalogue). When the day comes, I might still take it to Fiat for servicing outside of the warranty because independent mechanics in these parts are basically incompetent with anything newer than a 1992 Tempra.
 
The used Panda that I'll have on the 27th is coming with a years warranty, It'll be serviced prior to collection and then after the year is up I will service it myself. I doubt I'd do mate than 4500 miles in the year anyway.
 
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