I have a Fiat Doblo which is in its 3rd year (and therefore the 3rd year dealer warranty), it's done 43k miles and last week the timing belt went and did quite a bit of damage to the engine. It was towed to a major Fiat dealership for repairs. That was 8 days ago. I was told today that although FiatCare have no problem with the service book and its 12k, 24k and 36k service stamps, they are saying no to covering the repairs because the 36k service Invoice didn't have the mileage and registration number written on it. The Fiat dealership told me to go back to the servicing garage (non-Fiat but VAT registered and using Fiat parts), to come up with a better invoice, so that it could be resubmitted to FiatCare. This I have done (the amended invoice now shows mileage and reg number). I am now waiting the outcome. Can anyone give me advice as to what I should do if they still wont honour the warranty. Surely, I have kept to my side of the deal in order to keep its warranty valid. Also, is it reasonable to be kept waiting 8 days before I was told this? thanks.

If they dont honour it contact the third party warranty company,not the dealer its out of their control.

Update: FiatCare rejected the new amended invoice (showing mileage and number plate), they then said it needs to show my name/address and list all the parts (filters etc) used. Took this back to the servicing garage and they said the invoice should be adequate. They said get FiatCare to phone them and they would verify the invoice and all work done. Went back to FiatCare with this offer of assistance but the person I spoke to said they don't phone independant outside garages! Instead they suggested the garage fax through the fiat invoices for the parts used in my service. It seems that each time I go back to them they are asking for more and more and well above what's required under the terms of the warranty. I've done everything according to the book on this one. The garage have said they will go through their records and fax the parts invoices to FiatCare. I await the outcome but I've got a funny feeling they're going to reject this as well. It's pretty worrying because the Fiat dealership (where the car is presently) say it will cost £1650 to repair. Is there some kind of warranty onbudsman or trade organisation that I can take this to if they still wont honour it. What can I do?

All car makers are stamping down hard on warranty claims,not genuine ones but fraudelent ones...NOT SAYING YOURS OK!
Look at it from their point of view....they need 100% concrete proof this is a genuine claim,provide them with everything they require,stay calm & hopefully you should get the result you are looking for.Good luck

BEWARE!!!!

KHARMA!!!! it affects stuff like this.

be nice to them, well I mean phone up with a good attitude, if they want to play games play them, AND WIN!!!


its probably more of a minor technicallity where they can't do it with bits of paper work missing (well just not filled in at the time, its not major) so now its there, they will maybe kick a fuss. but keep it calm and you should be fine!!

Mitchell has made a good point, effectively the warranty is an insurance policy, and there IS an insurance ombudsman. Its worth a try to contact.

The 3rd year warranty is a load of naff to be honest, it doesn't cover a lot but they've already said they should cover you for this.

Best thing to do is go along with it, it is an outside company and they do need to know that the 3rd party garage that did the work for you used the right stuff and they are proper people

Just keep chasing things up, be nice, give them what they need... It isn't want you want to be doing right now but it's better than paying out over a grand

Let us know how you get on... oooh and pop down to the Doblo section so we can welcome you down there

update:
after 15 days and giving Fiatcare all they asked for re invoices, they still reject the repair being done under warranty. They say they sent all the info to Fiat UK who have rejected it. The main sticking point now being that there is no mention on the invoice, whether the timing belt was checked (should a timing belt be checked at 43,000? i don't know). One sentence on an invoice stands between me and the warranty being honoured!
I phoned Fiat UK in order to take this further, the person I spoke to has 'opened a case' to deal with my complaint. I was told I should hear from someone within 2 weeks.
Pity, because I really liked the Doblo, and I would have carried on buying Fiats, but after this they've lost my custom. Has anyone else had this problem with Fiat Care and the 3rd year dealer warranty

Try dealing with Ford 'customer care'.....despite being in black & white (in their own publications) they still refuse,even any kind of goodwill.

basically dealer customer service is bad no matter what you buy, its just another reason (as if you need one) to never buy a car under dealer warranty, especially a new one.

Does it state the timing belt is inspected on a Fiat Authorised garage invoice at 36K miles if it doesn't they they can't ask for it from a 3rd party garage. It does state in the service literature that it should be inspected. Also you don't need to use Fiat parts, only parts of equal quality. There is actually a quality process for this on pattern parts to confirm they meet manufacturers specifications.

Huyundai offers a five year unlimited warranty, and I've just read in today's Telegraph that Kia is to introduce a transferable seven, yes seven, year warranty - with something like an 80,000 mile limit.

If this is so then Fiat, and the rest, will have to buck their ideas up. The Koreans are beginning to offer really desirable cars. Expect Fiat five year warranties pretty soon I reckon - or people will just stop buying.

Who needs the hassle

Ulpian said:

Huyundai offers a five year unlimited warranty, and I've just read in today's Telegraph that Kia is to introduce a transferable seven, yes seven, year warranty - with something like an 80,000 mile limit.

If this is so then Fiat, and the rest, will have to buck their ideas up. The Koreans are beginning to offer really desirable cars. Expect Fiat five year warranties pretty soon I reckon - or people will just stop buying.

Who needs the hassle

Click to expand...

So did Daewoo & look what happened to them! Warranty costs caught up with them.You have to look at the whole picture.....Hyundai & Kia are made in countries where labour is cheap therefore they can afford to 'set aside' a certain amount to cover this 5 year warranty on each car & retain a basic cheap initial cost price,doesn't make them any more reliable than any other car its just they can cover cost of future repair/labour costs.Also check the small print on these warranties!
Another point is dealers survive mainly on 'retail' work,warranty work is poorly paid so dont expect too many dealers queueing up to take over kia etc

update;
I've not heard back from Fiat UK since registering my complaint with them, now the problem is with Park's (of East Kilbride) the Fiat franchise dealer, where the car is being repaired. I told them to go ahead with the repair anyway (the warranty is now a seperate issue), that was on Sept 29. On that day Park's said they'd order the parts and start the work. Now, 13 days later and the car is still at Park's and still awaiting some of the parts. It's now been off the road for 22 days. as it's a private hire taxi it also means I havent had any income for those 22 days. When I asked the Park's person is it normal to wait this long for parts, he said they had a 'problem last week with their ordering system' . What should I be doing at this stage? Who can I complain to? Are they liable for my loss of earnings because of their problems? Are Fiat UK ultimately responsible for the behaviour of a Fiat franchise dealer?

it's not surprising I'm having problems. I see that of the 35 car manufacturers, Fiat come bottom when it comes to warranty, have a look ; www.whatcar.com/noncar/13966112112.jpg

Sorry to hear about this. Certainly keep on top of the thing about the parts, keep ringing them up asking if the parts have come in etc. etc. and hopefully get them in soon.

Keep us updated

mitchell said:

it's not surprising I'm having problems. I see that of the 35 car manufacturers, Fiat come bottom when it comes to warranty, have a look ; www.whatcar.com/noncar/13966112112.jpg

Click to expand...

I dont understand that chart,Ford only offer 1 year manufacturer warranty yet come ahead of Fiat?

Sounds bit childish if you ask me.

Could you not request a meeting with manager & discuss your problems face to face?

I had already done that twice. This is why it took six months over the window problems. They kept telling my there on order.
The dealer went bust less than 12 months after. They got bought by a new franchise which are much better.
Childish i think not. I take it you condone their actions then.

Ask to speak to the service manager.
Express your concerns.
Ask to see proof that the part(s)have been ordered.
Not happy with the service? Log a complaint with Fiat customer services who DO contact the dealer & demand a explanation,expected date of repair etc.

(why delete your post?)