5-year warranty is a boon, not a gimmick

I HAVE a different opinion from letter writer Khoo Kok Heong regarding the five-year warranty provided when you buy a new car.

Khoo wrote on May 29 that “... many new car buyers must have realised by now that the five-year warranty is more of a bane than a boon” (online at bit.ly/star_warranty).

He also said the cost of parts and services under the warranty period provided by authorised workshops is exorbitant. I was confused by that: Why should one pay for parts and repairs done under warranty? Perhaps he was wrongly billed, in which case he should ask for a refund.

As far as I know, if the parts under warranty claim are faulty due to factory manufacturing defects, then the parts will be replaced 100% free. The car owner need not pay anything for the replaced parts or the labour required to fix them.

However, the warranty does not cover parts like perishable rubber goods, hoses, tyres and rims and also anything damaged by wrong usage, abuse or accidents. (FYI, air and oil filters and coolants are also not covered by the warranty.)

I can testify to how useful the five-year warranty is. In the third year after I bought it, I had to send my car to the workshop to deal with water leaks from both sides of the passenger door. The authorised workshop in USJ-Subang Jaya, Selangor, fixed the leaks, no questions asked. And I was told there was no charge as the problem was covered by the warranty.

A few months later I sent the car back to the workshop to attend to a knocking sound that was heard whenever the car was driven over a hump or bump. The car was taken for a road test to identify the fault; when the foreman returned, he told me it was the “front arm” which needed to be wholly replaced.

Once again, I was told that it would fixed for free as the car was still under warranty.

This is why, unlike Khoo, I believe the five-year warranty for new cars is a boon.

Note that all parts not covered by the warranty are chargeable, as is the labour required to fix them. And maybe parts are more expensive at service centres because they guarantee that they are 100% genuine.

Also, you can tell the service representative that you would like to have any remaining engine oil and faulty parts returned to you when you pick up the car. You will find everything placed inside the car for you so you will know exactly what has been done.

LAU BING

Subang Jaya, Selangor