You DON’T have to service with a main dealer

save on main car dealer service for new car warranty

“Do you have to have your car serviced by a dealership to keep your new car warranty?”

This is a question we hear a LOT. The answer is NO.

Rest assured new car owners, to maintain your new car warranty you don’t have to return to the expensive car dealership’s service centre.

Local service garages ARE cheaper than main dealers

Your main dealer service centre may offer you free-flowing organic water and luxurious chairs but you often pay more for these privileges. We know this first hand after helping a local Mercedes owner. They used the Mercedes online service checker and received a quote for £475 for a major service at their nearby dealership. After falling off their seat in shock, they came to us for the same service and we charged them £180 – a saving of £295!

Your RIGHT to REPAIR (and service)

There is a lot of confusion out there when it comes to servicing a newer car. The reassuring bit is that you don’t need to worry. The law has been pretty clear on allowing car owners to make their own decisions on servicing for many years now.

There are some car dealerships out there who will mislead you into thinking that only they can service your car without affecting the warranty. This is rather naughty as the EU Block Exemption legislation gives you the “Right to Repair.”

No manufacturer can force a buyer to have their car serviced by the official dealership network. They can’t refuse to honour a new car warranty just because the car was serviced somewhere else.  The legislation requires all car manufacturers to offer at least a two-year unlimited mileage new car warranty on all their new cars (from date of registration), regardless of any change of ownership.

One thing that the car manufacturer DOES have the right to do is to set a servicing schedule, which is something that we at Cross Lane Garage avidly adhere to.

The great news is that many manufacturers offer new car warranty terms that are much longer than the minimum two-years. For instance, Kia offers 7 years and Hyundai, Subaru and Toyota offer 5 years. At Cross Lane Garage we can help you maintain your new car warranty with the right service plan for any make and model.

The 6 essentials for new car warranty servicing

So, you now know that you have the right to take your car to any local garage or mechanic for servicing. But to validate your new car warranty you must ensure that your garage, like us, covers the following criteria:

  1. Your garage is VAT registered
  2. It only uses main dealer or manufacturer specified parts and lubricants
  3. They follow your car manufacturer’s service schedule
  4. Your servicing is done within the given dates
  5. Your car’s service book is stamped or your digital service book is updated by the garage
  6. They provide an invoice or receipt for the work done as proof

Car repairs might be the exception

If your car requires repair work under its new car warranty, the manufacturer has the right to insist that this work is undertaken by its official dealerships.  This is entirely fair since the manufacturer is paying for this work, and not you.

Otherwise, if you are paying for the work then YOU have the right to choose who does the work.

Bought an extended warranty?

Car dealers sometimes offer you extended warranties for both a new car and a used car. These are not usually provided by the manufacturer and are really an aftermarket insurance policy. The requirements may be different so with these you may actually be tied to your original dealer for servicing.

In summary, you CAN choose your local garage

  • New Car Warranty Experts – local garages know as much as the main dealers about maintaining your car within warranty guidelines.
  • Save Money – The manufacturer’s parts may cost the same but the labour costs and beefed up profit margins will be substantially lower!
  • Trust – You know your local garage and we always treat you like a person, not a number on their database.
  • Flexibility – As most of us are independent garages we can work around you. We are not restricted by corporate KPIs and processes.
  • We Can Check Your Service History – You don’t need a main dealer to do this, we also have all the tools to check your service history and tell you what your car needs.
  • Every Make & Model – Let’s say you are a 2-car household and want both of your cars serviced at the same place. If your cars are made by different manufacturers then your local garage can complete both services to manufacturer standards. Keeping your new car warranties valid at a fraction of the price.

If your car is one, two or seven years old and needing a service please get in touch. 

We are a service specialist garage in Wakefield and ready to service your car today!

Visit our CONTACT page to find us.

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