Guarantee of quality
The latest upstart in the South African auto industry is the Malaysian-manufactured Proton. These new vehicles are solidly built and laden with tech and Proton is so confident in their product that they offer a very comprehensive warranty.
Related: Everything that you need to know about the Proton X50
We spent some time reading through the T&Cs and found that there are a number of exclusions that you may want to be aware of.
The Warranty
Proton South Africa warrants that the X50 will be free of defects for a period of 5 years and unlimited kilometres. However, there are some exclusions after a 36-month period or 100 000 km such as failure of the following:
- Engine
High Tension leads / cables, all cables including wiring harness, all hoses and tubes, clamps & clips, engine mountings, oil pan, piston rings, oil seals, core plugs, breathers, turbocharger assembly, sensors and bearings.
- Transmission
Manual transmission - All cables & rubber bushes, gearbox mountings and bearings. Automatic Transmission - All cables (including wiring harness), pipes, hoses, mountings, rubber bushes, sensors and bearings. Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) - All cables including wiring harness, pipes, hoses, mountings, rubber bushes, sensors, bearings and CVT belt.
- Drive Train
All clips, rubber boots and mountings.
- Cooling system
All hoses, clamps, clips and radiator cap.
- Fuel System
All hoses, cables, clips, fuel lines, gaskets, and relays.
- Front & Rear Suspension
All pipes and hoses, shock absorbers, struts, upper & lower control arms and bushes.
- Steering System
All pipes and hoses, clips, rubber boots, rack & pinion, steering rack bush and control link.
- Brake System
All pipes, hoses, disc rotors, brake drums, front hubs, parking brake system (including linkages) and all cables.
- Electrical System
All cables, relays, horn, headlamp adjustment mechanism, remote control, alarm system and reverse distance system.
- Air Conditioner System
Bearing, seals, pulleys, hoses, cables and switches.
- Body Interior
Supplementary Restraint System (SRS), all cables, soft trim items and bright metal & trims.
- Body Exterior
All cables, soft trim items and bright metal & trims and discoloration - paint work.
- Audio Visual & Navigation Systems
Audio system, DVD, GPS and camera.
WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY
- Vehicles that have not undergone the periodical service maintenance as specified in the Service Booklet.
- Any service carried out by non-authorised Proton dealerships or service centres.
- Repairs and adjustments caused by improper maintenance or lack of required service maintenance against those specified in the service booklet, Proton owner's manual and Proton workshop manuals.
- Repairs and adjustments caused by misuse (i.e. racing, overloading vehicle operation and handling against proper use), accident, negligence, modification, alteration, tampering, disconnection of wiring or components, and improper adjustments or repairs.
- Repairs and adjustments caused by use of any non-genuine parts, lubricants or additives that are not approved by Proton.
- The replacement of wear and tear parts under normal periodic service maintenance such as spark plugs, timing belts (including front end auxiliary drive belts), wiper blades, brake lining and pads, clutches, light bulbs, fuses, filters, refrigerant gas, receiver drier, lubricants and fluids are not covered when they are replaced as a maintenance service ordinarily required with vehicle use, except in cases where these parts are replaced as a result of a clearly discernible defect in material or workmanship.
- The labour, parts and/or lubricant costs of service maintenance such as diagnostic check, engine tune up, cooling system and fuel system cleaning, carbon and sludge removal, inspection and adjustment of brake, clutch, timing belt, front end auxiliary drive belt and linkage of various parts, wheel alignment, wheel balancing, tyre rotation, light bulb and highlight adjustment and other similar service maintenance ordinarily associated with vehicle use.
- Any cosmetic or surface corrosion caused by stone chips or scratches in the paint, wear and tear or normal deterioration such as discoloration, fading, deformation or blurring.
- Damage or surface corrosion from the environment such as acid rain, airborne fall-out chemicals reaction for instance seawater influences along the coast, tree sap, salt, hail, windstorms, lightning, floods, bird droppings, industrial emission, industrial dust deposits, pollen and other acts of God.
- Unauthorised alteration, disruption or change to the vehicle's odometer that may cause the vehicle's mileage reading to be inaccurate or may not be ascertained.
- Any damage to glass such as breakage, scratches, edge finish chipping or optical distortion due to anything other than defect in material or workmanship or is conclusively proven to be due to manufacturing defect.
- Incidental and consequential damages including but not limited to telephone calls, taxi or car rental charges, vehicle towing, fuel, hotel bills, loss of time, and inconvenience or commercial loss.
- Defects resulting from the distributor's improper storage arrangement, absence of proper maintenance and general services, and defects discovered after you had inspected and acknowledged receipt of your new vehicle during process of delivery.
- Defect in equipment, devices and accessories other than those specified and fixed to the vehicle by Proton, and any new defects resulted from the use of such unspecified equipment, devices and accessories.
- Any changes occurring to your vehicle over a period of time under normal use such as slight irregularities not recognised as affecting quality or function of the vehicle or part, functional phenomena, and defects appearing only under particular or irregular operations. Note: Typical examples of "slight irregularities not recognised as affecting quality or function of the vehicle or part functional phenomena" are as follows:
- Leakage of oil or other fluids near oil seals, packing and joints too slight to affect a decrease in the specified amount of fluid
- Slight noise or negligible vibration not affecting vehicle operation or function of components
