Car Warranty Wear & Tear. What Does It Mean?
New Car Warranty
New cars always come with a manufacturer’s warranty that commonly lasts for three years. A few manufacturers offer longer periods but the cover often diminishes as the car ages and mileage increases. So, even if you have a Kia with an advertised ‘7-year warranty’ it’s important to check out the ‘small print’ to avoid any nasty surprises.
Warranty Wear And Tear
To quote from the Kia policy documents they don't cover: “Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage.”
Interestingly, you must also have your Kia inspected by a Kia dealer at regular intervals and any repairs have to be carried-out by an “authorised Kia dealer” to retain the full validity of the cover.
Some might see the much promoted 7-year warranty as a marketing ploy to retain repair work for Kia dealers!
Original Manufacturer Warranties
With an original manufacturer’s new car warranty the majority of the car is covered against failure and faults and they will be rectified, free of charge, by a dealer. There are some parts that won’t be covered that are often termed service, frictional, consumable, disposable or wearing parts, although, with a new car these will also be replaced if they fail due to incorrect fitment in the early part of a car’s life.
Otherwise, parts such as brake pads, clutch plates, wiper blades, exhausts, batteries, wheels and tyres will never be included in a warranty. However, many other components, some major, can fail after your warranty expires, particularly due to “wear” and leave a severe hole in your finances.
So, after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired, usually after 3 years, you’ll be on your own, with the potential of huge bills to pay if something serious fails and with today’s sophisticated cars and high garage labour rates that can happen all too frequently.
Extended Warranty Wear and Tear
Many extended car warranties, including most manufacturer plans, include a clause in their terms and conditions which specifically excludes warranty claims deemed to be caused by wear and tear.
In response to customer feedback regarding this clause, several of the UK's leading extended warranty providers now incorporate car warranty protection for wear and tear-related damage into their cover.
That said, you still need to carefully check each warranty policy for conditions relating to wear and tear before you buy.
There are few different definitions of wear and tear: premature wear, gradual deterioration, general wear and tear, usual deterioration and normal wear are types of wear and tear that will all be covered by the best extended warranties. If you are unsure of precisely what would be covered, contact the company directly to check so you know exactly where you stand before you make your choice.
Read more - the UK's most comprehensive Car Warranty Guide
MotorEasy Wear and Tear
MotorEasy want to make motoring as simple as possible so offer a quick health check to make sure there is nothing pre existing before you take out your plan. Following this we add wear and tear protection to your warranty from Day 1.
If anything's found to be wrong at the health check it must be repaired (at our discounted rate) before your wear and tear cover can start.
You do not have to have a health check, but this means the wear and tear cover will start after 90 days.
Take a look at what is included in our wear and tear cover in your plan documents which are in your account area or here.
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