Keeping Car warranty valid

davidscot

I have just had to pay £200 to my local main dealership for my car's routine yearly service. I have been told I have to use this dealership and it's service costs to keep the warranty provided with my new car valid.
I feel this makes me tied to the dealership and they can charge anything they like, when making a query about the costs of servicing they say 'oh but we only use genuine parts etc etc'
Has anyone else been in similar situation and is there anyway round this having to use a main dealership.

alanobrien

davidscot wrote: »

I have just had to pay £200 to my local main dealership for my car's routine yearly service. I have been told I have to use this dealership and it's service costs to keep the warranty provided with my new car valid.
I feel this makes me tied to the dealership and they can charge anything they like, when making a query about the costs of servicing they say 'oh but we only use genuine parts etc etc'
Has anyone else been in similar situation and is there anyway round this having to use a main dealership.

To my knowledge you do not have to use a main dealership.
The service must be done with geniune parts to the manufacturers specifications but that is all. I have always gone with local garages after the first initial main dealer service due to cost. Never had a problem with warrenty and have had the odd thing repaced under it in the past.

davidscot

Not what I was told today at dealership, obviously they would say that to keep me going there.Maybe be worth it contacting the manufacturers-Nissan-to see what they say regards warranty.

brazilianwax

Alan is right. As long as you can prove that genuine parts were used, in accordance with those required by the manufacturer, and the garage used is VAT registered, then your warranty should stand under European law.

My car has to be serviced every 6 months/4,500 miles (at £200/£400 a time) and is stll within warranty. However, because the expensive service needs to be done by specialists, the servicing is done at the dealership (and will be for another 2 years or so).

:eek: :eek:

alanobrien

davidscot wrote: »

Not what I was told today at dealership, obviously they would say that to keep me going there.Maybe be worth it contacting the manufacturers-Nissan-to see what they say regards warranty.

We have had three Nissans - lets be kind.....they appear to be misleading you !

davidscot

The problem with that is, how do you know genuine parts were used in the service if you dont know where to look.Might be a bit risky if you do need to take car in for repair under warranty. Also Nissan have different levels of servicing P1-P2 etc so how would those be affected.

brazilianwax

You'd need the garage to give you receipts for the parts. I'm guessing the VAT registered bit means that if it were ever found that generic parts had been used, you'd have some comeback.

It's the reason I don't risk it, TBH.

alanobrien

davidscot wrote: »

The problem with that is, how do you know genuine parts were used in the service if you dont know where to look.Might be a bit risky if you do need to take car in for repair under warranty. Also Nissan have different levels of servicing P1-P2 etc so how would those be affected.

The required level of service is clearly stated in the service book so all they have to do is follow the book use genuine parts and stamp it.

crazy_chick_573

they are lying to you. the warranty and service are completely different things and neither has relevance to each other. just make sure you go to a decent garage

brazilianwax

crazy_chick_573 wrote: »

they are lying to you. the warranty and service are completely different things and neither has relevance to each other. just make sure you go to a decent garage

That's not true. If you don't service the car in line with the warranty requirements, the warranty is void.

So they are, for the length of the warranty, inextricably linked.

crazy_chick_573

normally you don't have to have the car serviced with the people who provide the warranty. in mine and i'm sure most peoples you don't