Feb 10, 2020
It’s servicing time, and the question on everyone’s lips is, ‘Do you have to have your car serviced by a dealership to keep your new car warranty?’ For warranty purposes, you don’t have to have your car serviced by a franchised dealership, however, it can affect your car finance agreement, and this is up to you to check!
If you have recently purchased a new car and your salesperson has told you that you must get your car serviced at the dealership, this is not the case. EU legislation requires all car manufacturers to offer a minimum of two-year unlimited mileage new car warranty on all their new cars, regardless of whether the owner has changed.
The EU block exemption legislation has been around for some time now, and it means a manufacturer cannot force a buyer to have their car serviced by their official dealership. They also cannot refuse to honour your car’s warranty simply because you have had your car serviced elsewhere. Manufacturers can set a servicing schedule which must be adhered to.
Now that the UK has left the EU, there is a small possibility that the British government could eventually overturn the above-mentioned Block Exemption, but this is not very likely.
Many manufacturers offer new car warranty terms that are longer than the minimum two-year period and you are responsible for checking if the warranty provider changes during the warranty period as terms and conditions can differ.
You have the right to take your car to any licenced garage or mechanic for servicing, so long as the servicing is carried out per the manufacturer’s schedule. This means servicing must be undertaken on time and must use any genuine parts or lubricants specified by the manufacturer.
If you do decide to get your car serviced somewhere other than the dealership, you do need to ensure they are reputable. Keep the invoices for all work done so that you have proof the car has been serviced according to schedule.
Your car manufacturer has the right to insist that any repair work done under warranty is undertaken by their official dealerships, as they are paying for the work.
If it’s time to get your car serviced and want to find a reputable garage or mechanic to carry out your work, get a quote from mycarneedsa.com today!
