Service - Warranty

[AndrewSchofield]

Hi,

Does anyone know if we HAVE to have our car serviced by a franchise of the manufacturer to preserve the warranty? Is this standard with all warranties or does this depend on the terms of each warranty? I assume we HAVE to have it serviced at the stated service intervals, but can we use independant garages and not affect the warranty?

If it makes a difference, its a Kia and we have their 7 year warranty. The car is an '11 plate.

I think i've been told in the past that as long at is serviced by a proffessional mechanic (ie, not a DIY service) and that any replacement parts used are genuine parts the warranty wont be affected - but i'm not sure how true that is?

If anyone can advise i'd be most grateful.

 

[kbdiy]

I recall several years ago when I had company cars they were serviced at an independent but am not sure how they dealt with warranty issues. My thoughts these days are that it's easier to get warranty work done if it's serviced by a main dealer as there are no issues with claims under warranty etc - it just gets done.
Maybe that is a more expensive route but less hassle in the long run.

Easiest answer might be to talk to Kia and ask the question rather than rely anecdotal evidence on here to be honest?

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Thanks.

Only problem is, will Kia be happy to tell me that I CAN go elsewhere for the service when they'd obviously much rather I went to them?

 

[Burnerman]

Long warranties are all about insurance claiming really - and believe me, Kia are right up there with the 'don't shell out unless we have to' brigade.
They are also notorious for stating that certain parts (not under warranty, naturally), need sorting at your expense.
Its vital that the service booklet is stamped up by a registered garage, on time, on mileage and the work is done using genuine parts.....but it can be done. Kia will try to claim from that other garage if the car fails due to 'inappropriate work'.
Looking at the small print, its the obvious things that rarely fail that are covered.....brakes, clutches, wheel bearings, drive belts -you've no chance.
Here's an example - Sorento on an 07 plate. The engine kept cutting out due to the paint inside the fuel tank flaking off and blocking the filters.
Kia claimed an isolated incident, but its splashed all over the internet. The result was, Kia paid for the new tank, but the labour was costed by the customer. Now that makes no sense!
John

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Thanks John,

And this is why I'm not keen to trust what Kia tell me about who can do the service - when we bought the car, we were told that Kia are excellent when it comes to warranty claims as they don't want bad press on their 7-year warranty - and yet your experience seems to suggest that's rubbish!! We were also warned though that it doesn't cover 'wear and tear' and as the car gets older, more and more things come under 'wear and tear' so that towards the end of the 7-year warranty, hardly anything is actually covered!

Maybe i'm worrying too much about the warranty and instead should just go for the cheapest service and expect to bear repair costs if anything goes wrong in the future...

I never really bank on warranties, we had a warranty on a LR Freelander and after two months, took it back to the dealer with a fault. They wanted £75 an hour to look at it and until they found out what the problem was they couldn't tell us whether the warranty would cover it or not. Unsurprisingly, they could find nothing wrong and wanted £225+vat to tell us they couldn't find anything wrong. We got them to halve that bill but still best part of £150 for nothing (eventually got the fault fixed when it broke down and the RAC fixed it for us at the roadside). That said, had numerous problems with my new Fiesta in the first three years and every time, Ford sorted that without question...

 

[Doug99]

If you have the car serviced by an independent garage, you need to ensure they follow the manufacturer service schedule, use genuine parts (or of an equal quality) and remember to retain all part receipts and service work sheets.

 

[Burnerman]

Although I'm not a huge fan of the make, I am happy to say that generally they are well sorted and therefore pretty reliable.
I look after a Picanto, Cee'd, Sorento and a Sportage for people and find them easy enough to work on - and none of them have had emission problems come MOT time.
Looking at the vehicles, they are really just rebadged Hyundai - which can't be bad!
I hope you enjoy your Kia!
John

 

[AlanE]

Copied from another site:

Many people still think that they have to use the main dealer to service their car to keep up the warranty in the first few years and some dealers still tell their customers that this is the case, in fact they are breaking the law by telling you this.

In October 2003 `Block exemption regulations 1400/2002` came into force making it illegal for dealers to use this restrictive practice on any make of car. This was updated by Regulation 330/2010.

Now motorists can use any garage of their choice to service their car without invalidating the manufacturers warranty.

The only stipulations are that the service is in accordance with the vehicle Assemblers servicing schedules and is recorded. The parts used must be of an equivalent quality to the component used for the assembly of the vehicle… this does not mean that only parts obtained from the dealer must be used but they must be the same quality or better.

 

[Burnerman]

If there are any warranty issues, then the definition of 'suitable replacement parts' comes into play.....Is a genuine Kia oil filter better than a Mehr or a Wix for example?
You can bet your life the lawyers would have a field day!
Personally if its a far East vehicle with warranty that comes my way, then its Blueprint stuff for me.
John