Mechanical

There is considerable confusion among car owners about their servicing requirements, especially regarding what is required for them to maintain their new car warranty. We get asked this question a lot in general conversation.

The short answer is that, for warranty purposes, you don’t have to have your car serviced by a franchised dealership.

Servicing and your new car warranty

EU legislation requires all car manufacturers to offer a minimum two-year unlimited mileage new car warranty on all their new cars (from date of registration), regardless of any change of ownership.

Under EU Block Exemption legislation, which has been around for many years now, a manufacturer cannot force a buyer to have their car serviced by their official dealership network, and cannot refuse to honour a new car warranty simply because a car has been serviced elsewhere. However, a manufacturer does have the right to set a servicing schedule which must be adhered to.

New car warranty and servicing – your rights and responsibilities

As a car owner, you have the right to take your car to any licenced garage or mechanic for servicing, but you must ensure that the servicing is carried out exactly as per the manufacturer’s servicing schedule.

This means servicing must be undertaken on time and must use any genuine parts or lubricants specified by the manufacturer.

Always make sure you keep our detailed invoices and receipts for all work done so you have proof that the car has been serviced according to schedule.

If your car requires repair work under its new car warranty, the manufacturer has the right to insist that this work is undertaken by its official dealerships. This is entirely fair, since the manufacturer – rather than you – is paying for this work.

Basically, a good rule to remember is that if you’re paying for the work, you have the right to choose who does the work.