SECRET WARRANTIES

What is a "Secret Warranty" ?

Despite the time and effort, Research and Development that goes into designing and developing a car, truck or other vehicle, sometimes the manufacturers don't get it right.

The car is made, released with a fanfare and then it becomes available for purchase in the car showrooms. But, and it is a big "but", things that can go wrong with the car do not emerge until a few thousand of them are out on the roads being driven under normal use.

There can be metal fatigue, hinges don't work properly, the paint mixture or lacquer coating proves to be defective, the electrical loom concealed behind the dashboard overheats and catches on fire, door latches don't work properly, faulty gear shifts, transmission problems ... the list goes on and on.

In many cases you might take your car or truck to a garage to have one of these faults fixed. A good garage will know that there is a recall notice and the work will be done free under a manufacturer's warranty. An unscrupulous garage will see you coming (as the expression goes) and will bill you.

Conscientious manufacturers issue a public recall sometimes, and you would, if an original owner, be notified by the vehicle manufacturer to take your car to the nearest dealer for remedial work. A Secret Warranty is not made public simply because the manufacturers feel it will damage the confidence of their products and affect their liabilities.

The only time they will even admit to this is, if you, the customer, rant and rave enough. They cover themselves by saying they will repair or replace the problem under a number of disguises, such as PIP ( Product Improvement Program ) or " goodwill policy " or " special policies ".

These programs only seem to cover original owners (unless you yell and scream the loudest !)

If they refuse you any compensation, then hit them with the fact that a "secret warranty " is an admission of negligence.

The best way to deal with the service manager is to remain calm and try to work out a compromise or an amicable agreement. If they totally refuse to do anything for you, then take them to Court on the grounds that they failed to compensate you with a claim of a secret warranty that you had no idea even existed.

Are you and your passengers at risk?

This web site lists recalls on a wide variety of vehicles and models from A to Z. Just follow the directions for up-to-date information on your
car / van / truck / SUV.

All you ever need to do is go to this site.