How to protect warranty on your car

A manufacturer will warrant their products against faulty manufacture or materials for a defined period of time and in some cases with a mileage limitation. There are steps as a customer you need to take to ensure this warranty is valid.

So, what do you need to do?

The customer has a responsibility to ensure they take reasonable care of the vehicle and have it maintained in line with manufacturer schedules. The recommended mileage intervals and time can differ widely between manufacturers and models so customers must consult their vehicle handbooks for vehicle specific information.

Distance first, time first? 

A common misunderstanding is that a vehicle does not need to be serviced until it reaches the specified mileage recommended by the manufacturer, for example 20,000km or 12 months and the customer drives to 20,000km and presents the vehicle for its first service at 18 months Unfortunately, this is not acceptable practice. If the interval states mileage or time the car must be serviced by whichever criteria is reached first.

Genuine Parts?

Today’s vehicles operate at tighter tolerances and higher speeds than older models. The use of correct genuine parts and particularly the correct oil is very important. Poor quality oil can lead directly to engine or component failure. This would not be covered by any manufacturer warranty. This cannot be stressed strongly enough, a complete service history is essential for the warranty to be covered by the manufacturer.

When's best to report a problem?

If a customer notices a problem with the vehicle they should immediately notify their local dealer and have the necessary work carried out as soon as possible. The work must be done within a reasonable time period. Within a warranty period, it would not be acceptable for a customer to notify the dealer of a problem and then turn up some months after to have the problem examined. The reason for this is there may be deterioration in the condition and the repair would be more extensive than if it was attended to when first noticed and also the warranty period may have elapsed.

In situations where a problem has been identified towards the end of the warranty period manufacturers will allow a short period for repairs to be carried out after the warranty period has expired. In such instances the problem must have been reported within the warranty period for this to apply.

The customer needs to have the car maintained in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations, take reasonable care of the vehicle, and notify any issues with their vehicle to a dealer as soon as possible.

Please contact our team for more information on Ford warranties, or take a look at Ford Scheduled Service.