New Car Warranties

PabloM

Here's an interesting conundrum - when is a new car warranty not a warranty.
My brother-in-law recently purchased a used Nissan Juke (against my best advice) but it was still within the 3 year warranty period and the dealer confirmed the warranty would transfer.
After about 3 months the battery died.
He contacted the dealer who said " sorry, but the battery isn't covered by the 3 year warranty" so he got one from the RAC.
In the meantime, the Nissan website proudly states that any new Nissan battery fitted by them comes with a 3 year warranty so my brother-in-law took this up with customer services and asked for compensation for the new battery he had had to purchase but they have just said "look at the warranty small print, battery not included".
Begs the question - don't they fit new Nissan batteries in their new cars?
Surprisingly no response yet from Nissan.

forgotmyname

If you went back to the 80's the the battery in your new car maybe well over a year old. These days its more likely to be manufactured very recently.

So yes they fit new batteries to new cars, but the car in question was not new. It was used and the previous owner may have abused the battery.

thescouselander

I agree, it makes no sense. How can the same battery come with a 3 year warranty when bought individually but not when bought as part of a car? Ridiculous.

forgotmyname

Same way the accessory shops sell you the same battery with a 1,2,3 or 5 year warranty. Same battery but pay a bit extra and the warranty is longer.

The battery wont last any longer, but they hope you dont claim for a replacement.

Or the 3 year warranted battery was an upgrade option. With my car they fitted a smaller battery as standard and offered what i would say is the correct size as an optional upgrade.

pinkteapot

Maybe the new car warranty doesn't cover the battery because the manufacturer doesn't know how long the car will sit around in a showroom after manufacture before someone buys it. Not all new cars are ordered, built then driven straight away. But when a new battery is fitted to a car, it's a new battery and will almost always start being used straight away.

We just got a new Skoda and it has a three year warranty, but all of the following are only warrantied for six months:

Wear and tear components will only be considered under the terms of the warranty for the first of six months or 6,500 miles. These include, but are not limited to brake linings and disc pads, clutch release bearings, clutch pressure plates and centre plates, tyres, wiper blades, seat and backrest covers, floor coverings, spark plugs, batteries for key fobs and alarms, light bulbs and shock absorbers.

I would say that Nissan's new car warranty is pretty standard. Their warranty on replacement batteries seems very good to me so I'd just take that as a selling point for their batteries...

Car_54

Apart from anything else, the OP is comparing the battery warranty available today with the car warranty in place months or years ago when the car was new. Did Nissan batteries have a 3-year warranty back then?

pinkteapot

And the fact the car was bought second hand has absolutely nothing to do with the story. Nissan have no problem with the fact the warranty passed to a second owner. All they've said is that the original new car warranty that's still on the car didn't cover the battery (or doesn't cover it after this long). They'd have said the same to the first owner if they'd tried to get the battery replaced under warranty.

Iceweasel

Surprisingly if one buys a BMW 'Approved Used Car' which could be 4, 5 or more years old and likely still on it's original AGM battery, the warranty given clearly states that batteries are included.

So not all manufacturers treat them the same.

Turn_to_Grey

Nissan fitted Fiamm batteries as original equipment, I believe Nissan didn't actually make batteries.

PabloM

Varied and interesting responses - thank you all.
I have heard stories, however, of other brands such as BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar, where they will cover the original battery in accordance with their standard warranty without question.
I understand fully that brake pads, wipers and the like can't be covered as they are dependant upon individual use/abuse, but a battery surely should be fit for purpose ie everyday use of powering whatever is used.
And if a car is standing on a forecourt waiting to be sold then surely the vendor has a duty to ensure it is maintained in that period, not just the battery, but standing still for a long period of time can, for instance, cause the brakes to seize and rubber hoses/seals to perish.
But I still find it surprising that a manufacturer can boast about a no quibble 3 year warranty for a battery but not if you buy a new car.