Car service reality check - Warranty cover

rubble2

My car (kia, so 7 year warranty) is due its annual service. Because of health issues it has only been driven about 500 miles since last service.

The car is entering it's last year under warranty cover and I am considering changing cars in the coming months.

Dealer is quoting just shy of £300 for service to maintain warranty but I kind of resent forking out that much given how few miles it has covered last year.

So to get to the question, do I bite the bullet and pay dealer prices to keep the warranty valid for last year bearing in mind I won't be keeping it much longer and will the lack of the final year warranty make a significant difference to the value? - I would get it serviced at a trusted local garage.

Thanks

Mildly_Miffed

If the car is serviced by a VAT registered garage, using OE quality parts and fluids, to the manufacturer's service specification, the warranty cannot be voided legally. BUT… any claim would become a more protracted affair, and any post-warranty goodwill would be out of the question.

What would the local garage charge for the service? £200 instead of £300? £150 instead of £300?

So you'd be talking about a £100-150 difference… It doesn't take much of a warranty claim, or much of a difference in sale price, to negate that.

born_again

So long as your local dealer follows the rules.

https://www.kia.com/uk/owners/faqs/warranty/

No – However, we think your Kia dealer is the place to go for servicing and maintenance. That’s because no-one else knows our cars like they do, and they will only use genuine Kia parts and Kia approved lubricants. Also your car will be checked for any service campaigns, modifications or improvements that need to be performed.

But, provided servicing and non-warranty repairs are carried out properly using genuine Kia parts or parts of equivalent quality you can use an independent repairer without affecting your vehicle warranty.

If your Kia car is not serviced by a Kia dealer or Authorised repairer we recommend:

• The garage completing the service is VAT registered.

• The service must be carried out correctly as detailed in the owner’s manual.

• Only genuine Kia parts and lubricants as recommended by Kia or equivalent quality must be used.

• The part numbers used should be detailed on the service invoice.

• The oil type and grade used should be detailed on the service invoice.

• Service records in the warranty booklet must be stamped and dated.

Please note: Kia UK do not maintain a centralised service record database, if the service record booklet for your car is incomplete you should contact the dealer that carried out the work or the previous owner (if applicable)

But £300 is not bad for main dealer prices.

Low usage is actually worse for the car.

Lorian

If it's 6th service on a Sportage it's good price. If it's a picanto maybe not so much.

ididgetwhereiamtoday

I wouldn’t bother.
My 5 year old eniro is nearly due it’s 60000 mile service and the price quoted is £450. Brake fluid would be an extra £70. It needs a new set of tyres which will cost around £500.
Im seriously considering not getting it serviced and taking my chances regarding voiding the warranty. I will obviously get a new set of tyres when the MOT is due and what’s needed for the MOT as safety is paramount.
£450 for servicing an EV is just extortion. You are basically paying for the warranty.

Mildly_Miffed

"I will obviously get a new set of tyres when the MOT is due and what’s needed for the MOT as safety is paramount"

The MOT standard for tyres is the same as the legal bare minimum. If the test is failed on tyres, go and thank the tester because he's just saved you from three points.

Checking tyres yourself takes a minute or two once a week.

Remember - the MOT is a bare legal minimum standard, not a once-a-year highpoint to be aimed at. A fail means you've already been driving around in a car in too poor condition to be allowed on the roads.

Bigphil1474

OP, I would have thought that selling a car with FSH and a year warranty left on it is gonna make that £300 worthwhile, and as above, it's not gonna actually be the whole £300. I'd actually be less likely to go through the dealer for a service if I was going to keep it rather than sell on.

Merlin139

Get it serviced at your local trusted garage. Get them to provide an invoice that shows they have done what was required for the appropriate service, not forgetting the stamp in the service history book. That way you are covered from the warranty point of view.

If you are looking to trade it in then its the stamp in the book that counts. Selling it privately then the stamps and receipts are what matters.

Where the service was done and what was carried out only really becomes a problem if you want to get work carried out under the warranty.

I purchased a 3 year old 2nd hand KIA Sportage from a KIA dealer. After buying it I realised the service history was not from KIA but a garage local to where the car had been for the 3 years.

When I required work carried out under warranty all of this came up. A one point we believed the head gasket might have gone. Due to the 3 services not being carried out by a KIA garage I was told that I would be limited to £1500 worth of warranty work unless I could prove what had been carried out by the servicing garage.

Thankfully I did not need to do all the investigation work as it was not as bad as we suspected.

Stateofart

Just pay it and preserve your warranty. You want to roll the dice over an £100 saving, if that?

Herzlos

Super low mileage cars need serviced more, and it not being serviced will give them an out for any warranty issues. It'll also reduce the trade-in value of the car.

Run a quote with full and partial service history somewhere like webuyanycar and see if it makes any difference.