Which car warranty is best?

By Roger Houghton 

This is a tricky one as “it is all in the fine print” in a warranty. What may look appealing in terms of the length of the warranty – with some now offered providing coverage up to seven years or 200 000 kilometres – may have some stipulations one finds only in the fine print. And they vary from make to make.

Among the stipulations could be limits on replacement batteries, as these components only last about three years these days, and accessories that are not part of the car’s original specification. Wear-and-tear items such as fan belts, clutches, brake pads and tyres are generally excluded, although they may be part of full maintenance programmes.

Then, probably most important, is the fact that a car must be serviced at the specified intervals by a franchised dealer to maintain a factory warranty.

These days, there are also a myriad of warranties and extended warranties offered on new and used vehicles by service providers, not necessarily linked to the manufacturer or distributor of a particular brand of vehicle - and here it could prove difficult getting faults put right, as the dealer may not have benefited from the transaction when the policy was sold.

Probably most important is the standing of the brand and the selling dealer in terms of getting assistance when a claim on a warranty is required. Here it is probably best to look at long-established brands and dealers. The larger the dealer network is a convenience factor one should consider, as it is no good sitting with a warranty problem in a town that is far from a franchised dealer for that brand.

So, to sum up, it is a good idea to go through the terms of the vehicle warranty – including reading all the fine print! – before signing on the dotted line to buy a new car. You should, at least, make sure you have read through and understand the list of warranty exclusion items, or they could come back to bite you!

However, remember that when you have a warranty problem you can always call on the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa for help. Contact details are:

Website: www.miosa.co.za  E-mail: info@miosa.co.za   Fax: 086-630-6141