[The Ignis]

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.

A disappointing response from Suzuki. The issue concerns those coming towards the end of the three year warranty. If, for some reason, your last service was beyond the 2nd year anniversary you may need to service the car early to continue warranty cover, or accept a gap in cover until the car is serviced. In the latter case you may be classed as lapsed so there may be a further month warranty gap after servicing.

I’m not sure I understand the logic in the dealers example. I would have thought that the aim was to get the car serviced as close as possible to the 3 year anniversary. Having got over the initial hurdle, there should be no issue in future years as long as the car is serviced within 250 miles / 14 days of the scheduled requirement.

 

[The Ignis]

A disappointing response from Suzuki. The issue concerns those coming towards the end of the three year warranty. If, for some reason, your last service was beyond the 2nd year anniversary you may need to service the car early to continue warranty cover, or accept a gap in cover until the car is serviced. In the latter case you may be classed as lapsed so there may be a further month warranty gap after servicing.

I’m not sure I understand the logic in the dealers example. I would have thought that the aim was to get the car serviced as close as possible to the 3 year anniversary. Having got over the initial hurdle, there should be no issue in future years as long as the car is serviced within 250 miles / 14 days of the scheduled requirement.

Thinking a bit more about this one........... If you serviced the car say three months early to coincide with the three year anniversary - you would have "wasted" 3/12 of your last service cost= £60. A decent monthly warranty from the likes of MotorEasy would cost around £100+ for a three month period. So in terms of economics, it's much cheaper to service the car early and have unbroken warranty cover. Annoying but if you have value for an extended type warranty, £60 isn't too bad.

 

[decro125]

The Ignis earlier mentioned that in UK and EC countries you can use non franchised dealers to carry out servicing without warranty implications.
Please be aware if you purchase a car using a PCP deal check the small print in the agreement. If you choose to return the car at the end of the term rather than pay the "balloon" some companies make a charge if the car has not been main dealer serviced. My grandaughter was warned of this when she recently got a new Audi.

 

[The Ignis]

The Ignis earlier mentioned that in UK and EC countries you can use non franchised dealers to carry out servicing without warranty implications.
Please be aware if you purchase a car using a PCP deal check the small print in the agreement. If you choose to return the car at the end of the term rather than pay the "balloon" some companies make a charge if the car has not been main dealer serviced. My grandaughter was warned of this when she recently got a new Audi.

Very true - a good point raised. You don’t actually own a vehicle on PCP until the ballon payment is made. Therefore the owner who supplies the car is able to lay down any conditions he wishes in terms of care of the car. The regulations only apply to new car warranties. The provider can impose any conditions he wishes on extended warranties, purchased warranties and service initiated warranties.

 

[JazzTM]

Thinking a bit more about this one........... If you serviced the car say three months early to coincide with the three year anniversary - you would have "wasted" 3/12 of your last service cost= £60. A decent monthly warranty from the likes of MotorEasy would cost around £100+ for a three month period. So in terms of economics, it's much cheaper to service the car early and have unbroken warranty cover. Annoying but if you have value for an extended type warranty, £60 isn't too bad.

I have been back to the original Suzuki dealer where the Service manager told me my plan only provided oil change services. Fortunately there was no sign of him and the chap I saw confirmed that servicing under the service plan was to Suzuki specifications and perfectly acceptable for the warranty. I had already decided to have the service early to benefit from the seven year warranty so my Ignis is now booked in for June just before the manufacturer warranty expires. It is annoying that Suzuki have not offered any other solution to get continuous cover but at least I am saving £5/600 by not having to pay for an extended warranty which I had planned on doing.

 

[The Ignis]

I have been back to the original Suzuki dealer where the Service manager told me my plan only provided oil change services. Fortunately there was no sign of him and the chap I saw confirmed that servicing under the service plan was to Suzuki specifications and perfectly acceptable for the warranty. I had already decided to have the service early to benefit from the seven year warranty so my Ignis is now booked in for June just before the manufacturer warranty expires. It is annoying that Suzuki have not offered any other solution to get continuous cover but at least I am saving £5/600 by not having to pay for an extended warranty which I had planned on doing.

Annoying but as for the next few years the savings against purchasing a warranty are very significant and your service, MOT and warranty renewal will now align.

 

[REDIGNIS]

Annoying but as for the next few years the savings against purchasing a warranty are very significant and your service, MOT and warranty renewal will now align.

Youll be saving £218 per year which is what the Suzuki extended warranty costs without breakdown cover.

 

[gloucester]

Based on what's noted above I've taken out Personal Cover with AutoAid, and my car is being serviced on Friday - I've checked they'll provide the extended warranty.

 

[Bro1]

I was with AutoAid previously and the only time I required them, they sent the breakdown vehicle to a village 25 miles away. Since then have been with Green Flag who are very reasonable.

 

[The Ignis]

I was with AutoAid previously and the only time I required them, they sent the breakdown vehicle to a village 25 miles away. Since then have been with Green Flag who are very reasonable.

It's always difficult to draw a conclusion based on a single data point. AutoAid are in the top 4 "Best Breakdown Providers for 2023" recently published by Which? I and other family members have subscribed to AutoAid and Gem for a number of years and on the rare occasions that they've been used - there's been no issue. At one time it was necessary to recover incurred costs from the breakdown service. This was certainly a negative but the service is now on a no charge basis.

 

[HECTOR]

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.

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.

Hello...................see my posted response today on "European Breakdown Cover" re limited LITE cover.