[The Ignis]

Interesting point. It's not clear but I'm guessing that the last service would need to be the correct one in the schedule. Cars that have service gaps etc need to have an "official health check" before entering the warranty scheme and any defects found would need to be remedied. No doubt that there would be a charge for the health check.

 

[gloucester]

The conditions seem quite clear to me - and there are several statements - my highlighting:

SUMMARY OF COVER
IMPORTANT: if you fail to have the covered vehicle serviced
correctly in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications
during the Period of Service Activated Warranty, or you are
unable to produce proof of such servicing if we request it, then
this may invalidate the Service Activated Warranty or we will
not pay all or any part of a claim you make
...
HOW THIS SERVICE ACTIVATED WARRANTY WORKS
Upon completion of the last scheduled service with a Suzuki
Dealer/Service Centre and subject to any rectification work
to any component identified and carried out, we will provide
you with an additional 12-month warranty.
...
SERVICING REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR SUZUKI
Servicing must be carried out in accordance with vehicle
manufacturer recommendations. Genuine Suzuki parts must be
used. Oils and other fluids must be of correct specification and
supplied by a Suzuki Dealer/Service Centre.
...
Please ensure that the Suzuki Dealer/Service Centre completes
the service record for the covered vehicle and that you keep all
service receipts as proof of servicing.
...
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The Suzuki Service Activated Warranty is a warranty which,
subject to these terms, is activated on completion of the last
scheduled service by a Suzuki Dealer/Service Centre. By
maintaining the vehicle’s recommended service schedule,
customers can gain an additional 12-months or 9,000/12,500*
miles (whichever occurs first) Service Activated Warranty
from the date of each service, until the 7-year/100,000 miles
(whichever occurs first) limit is reached
...

 

[MJG]

Unless I'm reading it wrong the new Suzuki extended warranty only requires the car to have "a service" so I could have a "minor" service carried out even though the car was due a "major" service or had not been serviced for several years.

I’d be surprised if that flew if you tried to make a claim tbh. M

 

[decro125]

I agree i wouldn't want to put it to the test.
However, the terms and conditions appear to contradict the the "headline" print on the Suzuki website.
The terms and conditions mention maintaining the service schedule which is normal for any warranty yet the "headline" quote says "No service history, no problem.Even if your Suzuki does not have a full service history, you're still eligible for the warranty.
The extended warranty can only help resale values and could prove a bonus for owners selling privately.

 

[JazzTM]

Interesting point. It's not clear but I'm guessing that the last service would need to be the correct one in the schedule. Cars that have service gaps etc need to have an "official health check" before entering the warranty scheme and any defects found would need to be remedied. No doubt that there would be a charge for the health check.

One of the benefits of the dealer service plan is a complimentary health check on every visit so hopefully that would suffice for the purposes of the warranty. Having said that there's also a free warranty checkover before any manufacturer warranty expires which should serve the same purpose.

 

[JazzTM]

The AA Lite breakdown cover which Suzuki, at present, give with a service provides very limited cover. It will only recover a car to a dealer up to 10 miles distance for instance. I bought Start Rescue comprehensive cover for about £30 a year which is a lot cheaper than upgrading the AA Lite cover plus Start Rescue consistently get higher customer reviews than most competitors including AA and RAC.
I do like the idea of the service activated warranty and Suzuki dealer servicing seems cheaper than most makes in my experience.

Thanks for that, I'll have a look at Start Rescue as in the last two years I've had to pay the AA £50 each time to upgrade from the basic complimentary cover to full cover.

 

[JazzTM]

The conditions seem quite clear to me - and there are several statements - my highlighting:

SUMMARY OF COVER
IMPORTANT: if you fail to have the covered vehicle serviced
correctly in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications
during the Period of Service Activated Warranty, or you are
unable to produce proof of such servicing if we request it, then
this may invalidate the Service Activated Warranty or we will
not pay all or any part of a claim you make
...
HOW THIS SERVICE ACTIVATED WARRANTY WORKS
Upon completion of the last scheduled service with a Suzuki
Dealer/Service Centre and subject to any rectification work
to any component identified and carried out, we will provide
you with an additional 12-month warranty.
...
SERVICING REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR SUZUKI
Servicing must be carried out in accordance with vehicle
manufacturer recommendations. Genuine Suzuki parts must be
used. Oils and other fluids must be of correct specification and
supplied by a Suzuki Dealer/Service Centre.
...
Please ensure that the Suzuki Dealer/Service Centre completes
the service record for the covered vehicle and that you keep all
service receipts as proof of servicing.
...
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The Suzuki Service Activated Warranty is a warranty which,
subject to these terms, is activated on completion of the last
scheduled service by a Suzuki Dealer/Service Centre. By
maintaining the vehicle’s recommended service schedule,
customers can gain an additional 12-months or 9,000/12,500*
miles (whichever occurs first) Service Activated Warranty
from the date of each service, until the 7-year/100,000 miles
(whichever occurs first) limit is reached
...

Thanks for your various replies and attachments in response to my post. I'm sorry I didn't post as much information as you would have liked but I was conscious of the length of my post. Sometimes if one is too lengthy it can be a bit of a turn off so I just tried to include enough to get opinions on the level of service needed and whether the service plan one was sufficient. The car car does have a full Suzuki service history with them carried out at the correct intervals.

I had seen some of the web pages you've attached and am now working my way through the rest. I do think I need to go back to Suzuki, either dealer or customer services to get precise details regarding the service required as I feel that at £399 the service should be more than sufficient.

 

[JazzTM]

As I was in the area I called into another of the dealerships in the group to which my usual dealer belongs. Fortunately I got to chat to someone who appeared knowledgeable about both the 7 year warranty and service plans. Apparently there used to be a service plan offered which was oil change only and he thought the service manager I spoke to last week might have assumed that was what I had. He did confirm that my service plan, although provided by the dealer, was at Suzuki standard pricing. As such it offers the same specification required by Suzuki and is perfectly acceptable for warranty purposes. He did suggest that I forget about the warranty and service for now, have the MOT in June followed by the service in August which will then entitle me to the warranty, the only issue being the gap in cover.

Thank you to all who have commented on my original post and supplied further information.

 

[Ignis1953]

I bought my Ignis with a 12 month Suzuki extended warranty (comprehensive) which will be fine but is nothing as good as the new Service Initiated Warranty. The extended warranty doesn't cover, handbrake cables, exhaust, clutch, rubber gaiters, coolant hoses to name a few. Biggest worry is that it doesn't cover failures resulting from overheating. So the new SIW is a big step forward if you use the Suzuki dealer for servicing. It's not as good as the 7 year schemes from the likes of Kia and MG.

Other than warranties that come with a car, in the last 25 years I've never purchased a warranty and I've always had cars well serviced and maintained by an independent garage and never the dealer except warranty claims. I've kept detailed records of actual maintenance costs vs dealer costs for the same jobs, cost of failures which would otherwise be covered by some sort of warranty and avoided costs of warranties. Aggregate savings in 2023 money is well over £8000 which would more than cover any eventuality.

In terms of breakdown cover , I pay around £65yr for self and wife, any car to Home - AutoAid Breakdown. This included roadside assist, home start, relay, trailers and accommodation. On the odd occasion I've used the service over 20 years or so, it's been excellent!

Obviously my take on high quality minimum cost car ownership, others may think differently. Not for the risk averse.

 

[gloucester]

...
I bought my Ignis with a 12 month Suzuki extended warranty (comprehensive) which will be fine but is nothing as good as the new Service Initiated Warranty. The extended warranty doesn't cover, handbrake cables, exhaust, clutch, rubber gaiters, coolant hoses to name a few. Biggest worry is that it doesn't cover failures resulting from overheating. So the new SIW is a big step forward if you use the Suzuki dealer for servicing.
...

Sorry but I think you've read the T+Cs wrongly.

The Service Activated Warranty does NOT cover (from your listing):

handbrake cables, exhaust, ["worn/warped"] clutch, ... coolant hoses ["pipes and hoses"]

It appears it DOES cover (from your listing):

rubber gaiters, [if not coming under the "normal wear and tear" designation]

The relevant clause reads - and note the "Other than:" wording there:

COVERED COMPONENTS
Electrical and mechanical factory-fitted components are covered
against electrical or mechanical failure;
Other than:
● Filters, fuses, spark plugs, worn/warped clutches, brake
shoes, pads, drums, discs and cables, oil, fluids, coolant,
wiper blades and arms, drive belts (except camshaft drive
belt, provided it has been replaced in accordance with the
manufacturer’s specification), pipes and hoses, lamps and
bulbs, fuses, high tension leads, wheels and tyres, batteries
and exhaust systems. Infortainment [sic] systems.
● General oil leaks (except where the removal of the engine or
gearbox is necessary in order to rectify the oil leak).
● Bodywork of any kind, sheet metal, body panels, bodywork
or glass sealants or bondings, paintwork, glass and mirrors
(except in the case where they suffer an electrical or
mechanical failure), upholstery, carpets, interior and
exterior trim, all weather strips and seals, channels and
guides, locks, hinges, handles, check straps, antenna and
cosmetic items. For the avoidance of doubt, the general
corrosion warranty will remain in place.
● Parts not approved by or equivalent in quality or design to
parts supplied by Suzuki.
● Damage or defects as a result of consequential damage
caused by non-Suzuki genuine accessories or special
equipment.
● Parts replaced under normal maintenance procedures or
replaced as a result of normal wear and tear, adjustments,
reprogramming or loading of software.
● Covered components with existing defect at time of policy
commencement.

There is admittedly no mention of overheating.

 

[gloucester]

...
It's not as good as the 7 year schemes from the likes of Kia and MG.
...

I've been looking into the (too good to be true?) MG car warranty since the MG4 is on my new car short list (though not until they improve the specification).

It's certainly NOT a comprehensive seven year warranty as touted - and I'd suggest it's actually being badly mis-sold! I've attached the full document but here's the list of "Warranty Exceptions" and as you can see some of these are seriously lacking in duration - in fact worse than many cars with a more comprehensive standard three year warranty:

 

[gloucester]

...
It's not as good as the 7 year schemes from the likes of Kia and MG.
...

I thought I might as well check up on the Kia warranty while we're debating it - I've used Terms and Exclusions: Kia 7 Year Warranty | Kia UK

This does seem to be more comprehensive with a much shorter list of exceptions:

What’s covered by the basic warranty?

Kia covers the components of a new Kia car for unlimited mileage up to 36 months, and for 100,000 miles between 37 and 84 months, from the date of first registration.

Exceptions to this are:

The 12V and 48V batteries - these are covered for 24 months

The eCall battery – this is covered for 36 months

The air conditioning refrigerant charge - this is also covered for 24 months

Wheel balance and steering alignment - are covered for the first 1000 miles or one month

Cracks in the exterior glass - are covered for the first 1000 miles or three months

...

Audio and navigation units

The original audio and navigation units are covered for 36 months or 60,000 miles from the date of first registration, whichever comes first.

Rio Pulse Special Edition Model

The vinyl decal on the roof, tailgate spoiler, front bumper fog lamp surrounds, side skirts and mirror caps are limited to a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty from the registration date.

Paint

The paint is covered for 60 months or 100,000 miles from the date of first registration, whichever comes first. You’ll find specific exclusions to this below.

It goes on at length but those appear to be the specific exclusions.

That appears to me to be a lot better than MG's version?

 

[gloucester]

...
In terms of breakdown cover , I pay around £65yr for self and wife, any car to Home - AutoAid Breakdown. This included roadside assist, home start, relay, trailers and accommodation. On the odd occasion I've used the service over 20 years or so, it's been excellent!
...

Thanks - haven't seen that before - I've bookmarked it for potential future use! It would cover the motorbike too which I presently have separately with rather too basic cover for my liking!

 

[Ignis1953]

I've been looking into the (too good to be true?) MG car warranty since the MG4 is on my new car short list (though not until they improve the specification).

It's certainly NOT a comprehensive seven year warranty as touted - and I'd suggest it's actually being badly mis-sold! I've attached the full document but here's the list of "Warranty Exceptions" and as you can see some of these are seriously lacking in duration - in fact worse than many cars with a more comprehensive standard three year warranty:

View attachment 110959

I take your point about MG. My brother has an MG HS and waxes lyrical about his dealer service and the wonderful warranty. He obviously needs to check out the warranty more thoroughly!!

 

[Ignis1953]

I thought I might as well check up on the Kia warranty while we're debating it - I've used Terms and Exclusions: Kia 7 Year Warranty | Kia UK

This does seem to be more comprehensive with a much shorter list of exceptions:

What’s covered by the basic warranty?

Kia covers the components of a new Kia car for unlimited mileage up to 36 months, and for 100,000 miles between 37 and 84 months, from the date of first registration.

Exceptions to this are:

The 12V and 48V batteries - these are covered for 24 months

The eCall battery – this is covered for 36 months

The air conditioning refrigerant charge - this is also covered for 24 months

Wheel balance and steering alignment - are covered for the first 1000 miles or one month

Cracks in the exterior glass - are covered for the first 1000 miles or three months

...

Audio and navigation units

The original audio and navigation units are covered for 36 months or 60,000 miles from the date of first registration, whichever comes first.

Rio Pulse Special Edition Model

The vinyl decal on the roof, tailgate spoiler, front bumper fog lamp surrounds, side skirts and mirror caps are limited to a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty from the registration date.

Paint

The paint is covered for 60 months or 100,000 miles from the date of first registration, whichever comes first. You’ll find specific exclusions to this below.

It goes on at length but those appear to be the specific exclusions.

That appears to me to be a lot better than MG's version?

The comments regarding the Kia warranty are from personal experience. I bought a Picanto 1.2 from a deceased estate. It didn’t have a service book and I learnt that Kia don’t have a centralised vehicle history system so I had no clue about previous service history. Servicing thereafter was by an independent garage. On a couple of occasions I took the car to different Kia dealers for warranty work fully expecting the car to be rejected for.servicing shortcomings. The dealers were only interested that the car had a documented service in the last 12 months and their conditions state that there is no requirement that servicing be done by Kia. Absolutely no quibble and talking to the dealer it was obvious that they rarely refused to do warranty work and the exceptions were what were obviously limited life parts such as brake pads.

 

[The Ignis]

Thanks - haven't seen that before - I've bookmarked it for potential future use! It would cover the motorbike too which I presently have separately with rather too basic cover for my liking!

I can thoroughly recommend AutoAid - I've been with them for years as have other family members. They rate higher than the AA, RAC and Green Flag on Trustpilot and for the same level of cover are around a third of the price.

 

[The Ignis]

I bought my Ignis with a 12 month Suzuki extended warranty (comprehensive) which will be fine but is nothing as good as the new Service Initiated Warranty. The extended warranty doesn't cover, handbrake cables, exhaust, clutch, rubber gaiters, coolant hoses to name a few. Biggest worry is that it doesn't cover failures resulting from overheating. So the new SIW is a big step forward if you use the Suzuki dealer for servicing. It's not as good as the 7 year schemes from the likes of Kia and MG.

Other than warranties that come with a car, in the last 25 years I've never purchased a warranty and I've always had cars well serviced and maintained by an independent garage and never the dealer except warranty claims. I've kept detailed records of actual maintenance costs vs dealer costs for the same jobs, cost of failures which would otherwise be covered by some sort of warranty and avoided costs of warranties. Aggregate savings in 2023 money is well over £8000 which would more than cover any eventuality.

In terms of breakdown cover , I pay around £65yr for self and wife, any car to Home - AutoAid Breakdown. This included roadside assist, home start, relay, trailers and accommodation. On the odd occasion I've used the service over 20 years or so, it's been excellent!

Obviously my take on high quality minimum cost car ownership, others may think differently. Not for the risk averse.

Using quality materials and following manufacturers schedules - the above is an excellent way of limiting motoring costs. Remember that in the UK (and Europe) that legislation allows you to use non-franchised garages and OE equivalent parts to maintain vehicles without affecting the manufacturers new car warranty.

 

[The Ignis]

As I was in the area I called into another of the dealerships in the group to which my usual dealer belongs. Fortunately I got to chat to someone who appeared knowledgeable about both the 7 year warranty and service plans. Apparently there used to be a service plan offered which was oil change only and he thought the service manager I spoke to last week might have assumed that was what I had. He did confirm that my service plan, although provided by the dealer, was at Suzuki standard pricing. As such it offers the same specification required by Suzuki and is perfectly acceptable for warranty purposes. He did suggest that I forget about the warranty and service for now, have the MOT in June followed by the service in August which will then entitle me to the warranty, the only issue being the gap in cover.

Thank you to all who have commented on my original post and supplied further information.

Suzuki need to think this one through. Many owners of Suzuki vehicles will be out of step with servicing when the vehicle is three years old and it's neither fair or logical that there should be a warranty gap until the next service. If the vehicle has been serviced to schedule then the service initiated warranty should commence when the normal 3yr warranty expires. At the next scheduled service, the warranty should be renewed for a further 12 months (subject to the vehicle being serviced before 12 months if annual mileage exceeds 12500 miles).

 

[JazzTM]

Suzuki need to think this one through. Many owners of Suzuki vehicles will be out of step with servicing when the vehicle is three years old and it's neither fair or logical that there should be a warranty gap until the next service. If the vehicle has been serviced to schedule then the service initiated warranty should commence when the normal 3yr warranty expires. At the next scheduled service, the warranty should be renewed for a further 12 months (subject to the vehicle being serviced before 12 months if annual mileage exceeds 12500 miles).

I have emailed Suzuki customer services drawing their attention to this issue and asking if they have a solution to fit my circumstances. I will post again once I have their response.

 

[JazzTM]

Suzuki customer services replied almost by return to my email and also quickly to a follow up enquiry I sent. Unfortunately there is no way to extend the warranty to bridge the gap between the original warranty running out and the service falling due. The only way round it is to have the service done before the warranty expires. The example I was given was that if the service was done two weeks before the warranty end date you would then get two weeks of original warranty followed by 50 weeks of the service activated warranty.