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What happens after your van warranty runs out?

Date: 01.12.2009

What happens after your van warranty runs out?

It is often the case that once a van gets past three or four years old things can start to go wrong. Mechanical friction parts in a van are not built to last for long periods of time meaning that vans often need to have parts changed in order to keep them running smoothly. When you buy a new van it may come with a warranty or you should be able to buy one that covers the repair and replacement of mechanical parts for the vehicle.

These warranties will often last for a certain period of time; somewhere between two and three years. During this time any fault that appears with the van will be fixed free of charge or for a nominal cost depending on the terms and conditions of the warranty. This system seems to work well for both the buyers and the car manufacturers as the buyers get peace of mind that the van or truck will be in good working order for a number of years and the manufacturers know that there should be limited problems with their vehicles during this period and therefore are happy to have the vehicles repaired to maintain their reputation. However many manufacturers will not offer the provision of a hire van or rental truck to thier customers. This results in the owner having to absorb the rental van fees.

However, what do you do when the warranty expires and you are left with a relatively young van and a large repair bill. Luckily the reliability of most makes of trucks has dramatically improved meaning that they are less likely to breakdown. This is despite the huge advances in technology, which have made today’s vans vastly more technical than they used to be. In the 1960’s a truckwould typically only manage around sixty thousand miles before it needed a complete engine overhaul. Nowadays vans can reach the two hundred thousand mile mark before requiring this kind of treatment. However on the other hand when today’s vehicles do need fixing they can cost considerably more than they used to.

Longer warranties have been offered to combat this problem with some manufacturers offering three, five or even seven year warranties to encourage drivers to buy their vehicles. In comparison the same manufacturers were offering warranties that lasted only twelve months back in the 1980’s. It is a fact that vans will start to go wrong at some point in their working life. This is often because they are made up of a collection of components sourced from different suppliers. When something does go wrong and the van is no longer covered under warranty then the manufacturer is not obliged to fix it or help with the cost of repair.

If the van experiences a fault shortly after the warranty expires it is worth asking your garage to submit a post-warranty claim. This is sent to the manufacturer who then will decide whether to contribute to the cost of the repairs out of goodwill. There is no guarantee this will happen so it is worth considering extending the length of your warranty when you buy your van. The other solution is to sell the vehicle once it has reached a certain age and is no longer covered by a warranty. Looking around for a good reputable garage, which charges fair prices will help keep costs down if you do need to pay for repairs. If your van has been in accident you can contact your motor insurance for help but if there is a technical or mechanical fault only a warranty will help pay the costs and often will not cover the van hire or truck rental fees.