Stupid question re warranty

bairn7

I have an Alfa Romeo Giulietta and, living in Scotland, only have one dealer which is over 100 miles away. There is a clunk at the passenger front wheel when I go over bumps so I want to get it looked at.

I'm going to take it to a local garage for an initial inspection but my question is two-fold:

1. If it were the springs, would this likely be covered under manufacturers warranty? c12000 miles on the clock and just over 1 year old.

2. If I needed work done under warranty, I assume that this would have to be done through a dealership? I know I can get the car serviced/repaired elsewhere and not invalidate the warranty but if the repair is under warranty, can this also be done elsewhere?

Thanks!

jlemaitre

Have you put your hand into the front arches and felt round the damper/strut cups? If you have a snapped coil you'll be able to feel it, and likely be able to pick out the snapped coil.

Of course you or and other drivers of the car would have heard it snap anyway.

The above requires no garage inspection.

david_a

1. Very unlikely. Although the dealership will want to inspect it to confirm.

2. The vehicle would need to go to a dealership for authorisation of any warranty work.

!!!8220;Of course you or and other drivers of the car would have heard it snap anyway.!!!8221; You would be surprised how many go even when the car is stationary. I have heard a couple myself on cars parked on a forecourt.

eschaton

bairn7 wrote: »

but if the repair is under warranty, can this also be done elsewhere?

Thanks!

No .

flashg67

You can have the repair done elsewhere, it's your car after all, if you're prepared to pay for the repair. You do run the risk of voiding the warranty in relation to any other later related faults though. Depending on cost, it may be worth weighing up the cost of a 200 mile drive & a day off work etc, especially as it may mean 2 visits - 1 to assess, 1 to repair

markudman

Nobody knows what is wrong until someone has looked at it, drop link coil spring, loose caliper ETC ETC
You may be able to get it checked free at your local *hit fit, but they will tell it needs everything, but the point will be, if its safe to drive, if you go on a Sunday they will not be able to get parts that day, so lie a little less. and will ask you to book it in the next day.

JP1978

Why not call the dealer, or the head office and ask if they would allow, say a Fiat dealer to look at the car (if one is closer), or if the dealer is part of a group (say Western or Lookers) that another brands dealer could be used for an initial inspection, again assuming that there is one closer?

bairn7

Thanks for the responses. The only dealer in scotland is Arnold Clark in Glasgow. Arnold Clark has dealerships throughout the Scotland (although not Alfa). I'm not sure how it works. Is it likely that they would let another AC dealership look at the car for the purposes of determining whether there is an issue and whether it could be fixed under warranty? Is it common to do such a thing?

System

If its a chain they usually will allow another dealership within the chain to not only look at it but repair it. The Alfa dealer would supply the parts to the local dealership and they'd do whatever internal paperwork was required and sort it out between themselves.

Any clunk going over bumps is a bad thing so you need to have it looked at sooner than later even if only to confirm its still safe to drive.

dld2s

I dont know if they still do and if it's close to you? but Arnold Clark Springburn (Glasgow Fiat) used to sell Alfa Romeo

rob7475

Did the car come with breakdown cover (many new cars do)? If so, you could could look into the terms of that as it may include towing to your nearest Alfa dealer.