What Car Warranties Mean

Author: Chris Nickson

We love our new cars, and we should, since we spend so much money on them. It doesn't matter if it's something cheap or an expensive BMW, we treasure it. We wash and polish them, and fret over every little ding and rattle. We believe we're safe because of the warranty. But are we really?

Whenever you buy a new car, it comes with a warranty. This is known as the manufacturer's warranty, and can run for up to three years. You might also be offered the chance to buy a "dealer-based extended warranty," which covers you for a longer period of time. That sounds good, but be careful - they often contain limitations on such things as mileage. Don't sign until you've read through everything carefully, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Warranty Questions

Most of us don't think about it, but consider shopping for warranties as well as price. Why? Well, the simple fact is that what you'll spend after the sale comes to about 40% of what you'll spend on the car over its life, so a good warranty can save you money. Warranties vary tremendously, so you should always discover how long it lasts and what it covers.

With a dealer-based extended warranty, find out when it starts, and exactly what it covers - is it every fault? What happens if you can't get your car serviced exactly according to the approved schedule? If you have an accident and then have your car repaired, does that affect the warranty?

Servicing

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Obviously, your car has to be serviced regularly. But these days you're not forced to have it done at the dealer, as cars are no longer sold with "servicing ties." This means you can have your car serviced anywhere and the new car warranty is still good. The only condition is that it has to be to the manufacturers' recommendations. Since independent garages are usually cheaper than dealers, this could mean a significant savings over the life of a car.

This isn't necessarily the case with the dealer-based warranty that you buy. The restrictions in that might mean you have to have your car serviced by a dealer at the intervals specified in the owner's manual. If you don't conform to that, you could find that the warranty becomes null and void.

Warranty Problems

In the event of a problem with a warranty, contact the manufacturer (the customer helpline number will be in your handbook). In most cases they'll be willing to resolve everything smoothly. If not, contact the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which can act as an arbiter in the situation, although it carries no legal power.

If that doesn't work, contact Trading Standards. As a last resort, contact a solicitor. If you have to take the manufacturer to court over the warranty, it'll be an expensive journey, since your claim won't qualify for the small claims track. If you win, you can claim costs and you might even be able to claim compensation.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Car Purchase Rights Checker lets you bought a faulty car? Find out exactly where you stand legally. Takes 1 minute. Try it now →

25 Comments

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Yus 3 Sep 2019

Hi i ordered a brand new A class from the dealer,which I received in June this year. A few days in to driving, I noticed a rattling noise from the vehicle, appearing to be from the front and then the rear of the vehicle. The car was booked in and the rear number plate was loose and repaired. With the noise in the front, the dealership said that could be the weather and heat could be causing so drive little longer in other weather conditions to see if the noise is still there. The noise remained the same if not worse and I recorded the noise each time I drove it and took it back to the Dealer who then said they had to open the stereo system which they did and found loose wires which they put back. The noise continued and I went back to the dealership, the service manager said that he wasnt sure what to do next and would be a case of opening the whole dash board!! He was concerned and said that there was a risk attached to this as the car has been assembled by machines. This is clearly a manufacture fault its not mechanical or a simple repair job. I contacted the finance company and they sent an independent assessor, who established the noise was coming from an internal component of the passenger door. I booked the car in now for the 3rd time and its been a week I didnt hear anything, until I called the dealership and spoke to the service manager, who said they would now have to open the dash as they could not find any issues with the passenger door. I told them i was not happy that they have to now open the whole dash, practically pulling the car to pieces to find this noise. He told me that finance company will not accept the car back till they have done everything necessary. I advised them that the finance company sent an assessor and based on his assessment, you have tried to fix the issue, which has not been fixed,. I am honestly very annoyed and upset at this whole situation, I have a car that is brand new and I am paying a lot of money for this and I have had nothing but trouble from day one and now being expected to accept the car being pulled apart I am not comfortable nor confident in this vehicle at all. Its not a simple case of repair, I asked them how many dash boards have you opened in the last year and they said not many and further implied that yes there is a risk to this but they will be as careful as possible. What are my rights? I have read that the dealership has to be given reasonable time or 3 chances to repair the fault. Why should I pay for a new car that has given me issues from day one?What can I now do?

ConsumerRightsExpert Editor 7 Mar 2018

Ring them up and ask them! There's no right to a courtesy car in the Consumer Rights Act, you need to check the terms of any warranty to establish whether that's covered.

lisa 6 Mar 2018

Hello I have purchased a Seat Ibiza 1.0 on PCP on 28 November 2017, I received the car on the 1st December. In the middle of February I noticed that the engine was making a funny noise, I telephoned the dealership to ask if I could bring it in to be checked over. They said that I couldnt do that, all cars have to be booked in. They dont open until 8am on a morning and as i start work at that time, 25 miles away, there was no other option (if i were to receive a courtest car too) to wait until 5th March for my car to be booked in. She did however give me a breakdown number just incase. On 4th March I drove to work and the car was making quite terrible noises so I had to telephone the breakdown number that Seat had given me. The AA said that it needed to go into a garage and took me to the nearest one, which incidentially is 27 miles away from my home. They said I was entitled to a courtesy car for two days but I had to go in the AA vehicle and drive a further 30 miles to receive the hire car. I telephoned the Seat dealership where I left my car on Monday to find out what was happening and told that they were looking at it and they would contact me!. Its now day two and I've not heard a thing back from the garage I left my car at, Ive heard nothing from Seat breakdown assistance and I've heard nothing from the Seat dealership I purchased the vehicle from and I presume I'm supposed to return the hire car today. What should I do, what are my rights and where do I go from here? Please could somebody advise.

ConsumerRightsExpert Editor 11 Sep 2017

Ask the dealer what they can do, whether they can give you a deadline and what they propose if they're unable to fix it. That way, you'll know what you're dealing with. If negotiation doesn't work, consider legal action.

San 9 Sep 2017

I bought a brand new Citroen c4 Picasso diesel from a dealership in 2015, recently it developed a fault, when driving above 35 mph it starts to judder.it has had several factory recalls which I was not informed of what was actually corrected and following this juddering fault was told it would be fixed by a software update that Citroen had requested. The fault has not been fixed so a further visit to the dealership this time I insisted a technician ride in the car to witness the problem himself. He agreed it existed and they have had the car for two weeks but are still unable to correct the fault. Citroen have admitted that there are a number of cars with the same fault as mine, how much longer do I let them try to fix it. They have given me a courtesy car but I want my car back.

Clued 3 Aug 2017

Part exchanged my old car and paid over £14k for a new Ford kuga, it has electrical issues ( clock gained 2 hours when I stopped at a garage), paint chip, various brown bits which I am told is oxidisation on the inside of the boot--- on the bumper which is totally covered by the boot door and rust on the exhausts ( normal apparently -- never had the issue on any other car ) dealer is saying they are fixable and he does not have to take it back -- how do I stand given there was a part ex.?It is 3 days old today, they have it to " fix things" --- but I am not. Happy with this

Mags 30 May 2017

We viewed and test drove Nissan Qashqui on 4th March 2017, The car was displaying Service warning light. we were told that this was going to be turned off by the Main Dealer. So we arranged to collect the car and sign finance documents on 11th March 2017. on day of purchase, the Service light was still displayed on the dashboard. It was agreed that we would take the car back the following Saturday and this would be sorted along with some minor cosmetics issues. We arranged for the car to go back on Saturday 18th March, the little paint problems would be sorted and issues with the upholstery that were badly marked and the Service Light. (We had also paid for Diamondbrite package) We left the car at Stoneacre 18/03/2017 and were advised by the manager that he wanted to keep the car until he was 100% happy that all the issues were resolved. I was given a courtesy car.(I was going on holiday on 24/03/2017) I was contacted on 28/03 to inform me that my car would not be ready before i went on holiday, so I would be able to collect it on my return on 31/03. On calling Stoneacre on 31/03 I was informed that my car was not ready and it would be another week. Therefore my car was actually in the garage for 3 weeks. I eventually collected my car on 8th April 2017, But on driving my car home, we had an orange triangle light come up on the dashboard. This light went on and off intermittently. I called Stoneacre on Sunday and was advised by Steve? (Manager) to bring the car back and he would get it sorted. As we had only collected the car on Saturday 8/04 Steve (Manager) stated that he would personally return my car on Monday 10/04 and gave us yet another courtesy car. At 4pm on Monday 10/04 no one had called me about me car so I called Stoneacre to be told that Steve was not in Work - I was put through to the service Manager Darren Fennell - Who was unaware of the problem. I was contacted to collect my car on Friday 14/04. Then on Wednesday 10/05 there was a STOP/START System fault light on the dash board, plus orange triangle and major engine management light. 11/05 I called Stoneacre again, I spoke to Darren Service Manager, and he arranged to collect my car. Again I was given a courtesy car, my car was then returned on Friday 12/05. Now Thursday 25th May STOP/START System fault has come on again, with triangle light and engine management light, but I have also lost power. Car is very sluggish and has no power - Called again spoke to Darren Service Manager, Car is again now in the garage. Been given a courtesy car. Where does now leave me

Ian 14 Mar 2017

I ordered a pre-built car from a main dealer and paid a deposit; the car was on the available list but at another dealer. I was told that I could have the car. A couple of days later the dealer called me and told me that the car I'd ordered shouldn't have been sold to me and had been sold by the other dealer. I was offered an alternative but I don't wan't what is being offered (don't like the colour) I've since found out that the car has been reserved for the dealership I was ordering through but has been reserved for another person, so they've lied to me. I have a signed order and have paid a deposit. What are my options?

sallycat 11 Jan 2017

I had a Ford Zetec Turbo on lease and bought it Mar last year. 3 year warranty is up Mar 2017. Sept 2016 the engine packed up and Ford replaced the engine October, this weekend the car was hard to start and white smoke was coming from the exhaust so took it back to the garage and they told me yesterday it needs a new engine again. While I am not paying for this I have lost complete faith in this car. If it was an insurance job it would be a right off as each replacement would cost approximately £6,000. What are my rights, I want to return the car and either get the money back or get a replacement. I phoned Ford customer relations and was told they don't deal with this and I have to speak to the dealership I bought it from. Any help very gratefully received

ConsumerRightsExpert Editor 24 Nov 2016

It's really worth getting a second opinion from another garage (even if it's a different BMW franchise). You might want to take this to a solicitor, you shouldn't have to pay that much to repair a one year old car that's apparently doing what it was designed for.

BMW X5 23 Nov 2016

I have a BMW X5 it is 1 year old. Last week i drove through a puddle of water no more than 100mm slowly. shortly afterwards the car started to vibrate. I booked in with a dealer and i got a phone call telling me the car had water damage. I explained i hadnt driven it through deep water and was told a bmw x5 is "not designed to drive through puddles" i couldnt believe what i was hearing!@? I said its a 4x4 with high clearance. If id been told this before buying a £65k car i wouldnt have bought it. Today i received a phone call telling me everything including. Diff, DPF, Turbo, gearbox, engine, etc had to be replaced and the estimate was £35k. And do i want them to contact my insurer. I said no. I want an email with a full breakdown and evidence showing whats gone wrong. I received a very short email. stating the above and that it was not designed to go through more than 25cm of water at no more than 3mph. I contacted bmw national directly saying i was thinking of buying an x5 and asked what the design specification was for wading depth they told me 500mm and that an x5 was a great car for off road for all types of surfaces. i have since received an estimate quote from the dealer with a breakdown of parts and labour totalling 33k. it could be more like 40k. no back up no explanation other than driving in water. i have told them that i have never driven through deep water and to show me evidence to the contrary and that the wading depth is 500mm not the 250mm they had told me. Frankly im feeling like im being cheated and that they see this as an opportunity to just go through my insurance, what are my options because i feel and people ive told are disgusted by this situation. its just wrong. i have never genuinely been in deep water and as such this must be a fault?

ConsumerRightsExpert Editor 5 Aug 2016

When did you buy the car?

G Conway 5 Aug 2016

Hi i purched a 151 passet highline demo after a few weeks it had problems with auto hold sticking when sticking in traffic causing car not to move i took it back to my dealer they said it was switched in hand brake auto hold got them changed same problem went back they changed abs unit got car back have the same problem after few days gone back they say they cant find problem but this dangerous as when you are in traffic it moves and stickes the same as you would pull a manull hand break i have got bloon out off abused and accused of pulling my hand break it is back in main dealer they are telling they can not find problem i am afraid to take it back it is a safety issue iam affraid i will get rearended an cause a car crash what will i do buy the way there was a water leak i boot coming in through back wimdow

Ade 11 Jun 2016

Ordered new Audi A3 March 16. Delivery about mid July. We just found out the have upgraded the model which looks nice ,however we learnt today that we will have to pay extra for this? Is this correct? Old order we paid extra for folding mirrors new model the come standard, Not sure what to do

Upset audi 24 Jan 2016

Bought a brand new Audi A5 convertsble. 13months from purchase till now (18months) have had it in garage 5 times with same recurrent fault. Now have no faith and wish new car or exact replacement. Where do I stand and how do I exert pressure on retailer, assuming they wish to attemp, again, to "fix" problem?!

ConsumerRightsExpert Editor 22 Dec 2015

Someone we know actually had this same issue recently and BMW were very fair, in asking only a partial payment. The vehicle in question had however, only done around 50,000 miles; your vehicle has done 160,000 and this may go against any claim as we're not sure what the expected "lifetime" of the engine should be.

KG 21 Dec 2015

Hi, I brought a second hand BMW 1 year ago, the car is just over 4 years old and has done 160k miles. I recently had this serviced and asked about the timing chain as in older version this was an issue. 5 weeks later the said timing chain snapped and means I need a new engine. When I asked about the chain I was told this was not a service item and was a lifetime part that never needed to be changed nor was it an issue with the latest BMW engines. However since it has snapped I have looked about and there is recalls for my car in France and Germany however not in the UK. where do I stand on making BMW replace the engine rather than have to pay for this myself?

ConsumerRightsExpert Editor 4 Nov 2015

New rules suggest that you could have asked for a replacement. Take a look at our: guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015

unhappy nissan owner 3 Nov 2015

Hello. Bought a brand new Qashqai from a Nissan dealer through finance. Received the car on the 5th of October. In two weeks time, it developed a gap on the centre of the dashboard and reported it straight away but had to wait for 3 weeks before Nissan would finally entertain my complaint. Spoke to the manufacturer's case manager and I was denied a car replacement. I was told they've fixed the car and should pick it up from the dealer. What are my rights as a consumer on getting a replacement car? Many thanks.

mike 21 Nov 2014

hi im living in irelad & went to england & purchased a citreon 8 weeks ago. when i saw car on autotrader car has 3 months warranty but now clutch needs to be replaced & dealer is saying that there is no warranty on car as i got a discount. i need to get car fixed here ,& trying to get dealer to go in for half expense, if he will go at all

Ronnie 14 Oct 2014

Hi, I bought a new car on 6th march 2014 renault captur, I have a wind noise, (sounds like it's coming from passenger window), had it booked in at dealer they said it was sorted, but got it back and no different, only door doesn't close first time now so got it booked again, again said they had sorted it and still got wind noise and door still not closing, what are my rights on getting a replacement car?

jb 8 Jul 2014

I have just bought a second hand car (08 plate) from a dealer who told me it had up to three previous owners, when the log book arrived it shows six previous owners. How do I stand legally with this with regards to getting some compensation. They have said they would buy the car back off me but I am not happy with that idea.

Juliec63 6 Jun 2014

Good Morning I have paid a deposit for a brand new vehicle from Landrover, I am supposed to take delivery 2 weeks today, I received a call last night to say they have sold me a car they shouldn't of as it is already sold to somebody else and they have no more until end of August. What are my rights? Thanks

pipi 16 Apr 2014

My Daughter purchased a car 5month ago. The car is a 57 plate. The warrenty only covered the car for 28days. She has had a few problems with the car and now the head gasket has gone. I believe that this is going to cost her quite a bit. Could the dealer who she purchased it from have known that they may have been any problems? are this could have happenend? Could any one help me on this please. Thanks Donna.

tracy 30 Oct 2013

I bought truck two weeks ago the car lot put a used starter in the truck the truck would not start so i was told by the dealer to take it to the shop that fixes thier vehicles. I dropprd it off in the morning and found out it was the battery the car lot refused to pay it and I wa stuck with the bill of $200.00 which I did not have so I had to borrow it just to get my truck back. Is there any thing I can do like make the car lot pay the bill?

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