Extended warranty and servicing- dealer or specialist?

[martin j.]

I have the Seat extended warranty and car is due a service soon, can I go away from the dealer to a local VW/AUDI tuner if using OE parts? Was going to ask the dealer but they probably will insist it’s done with them, not good business to let customers walk elsewhere.

 

[Betts-4]

I have the Seat extended warranty and car is due a service soon, can I go away from the dealer to a local VW/AUDI tuner if using OE parts? Was going to ask the dealer but they probably will insist it’s done with them, not good business to let customers walk elsewhere.

I asked this and legally you can go anywhere and even to someone who does not use genuine parts.

To be safe the dealer told me tomensure seat parts are used because the warranty can’t be questioned but it can be done by anyone.

 

[Betts-4]

I asked this and legally you can go anywhere and even to someone who does not use genuine parts.

To be safe the dealer told me tomensure seat parts are used because the warranty can’t be questioned but it can be done by anyone.

I have been toying with what to do because of bad reviews on hear of dealers and cupra’s But at least as above if something goes wrong you have the dealer stamps and the warranty,not much to argue about.

I will be taking out the 2yr service plan which at least is monthly and then after 2 years probably take the 3 yr one out from that point or whatever I’m advised to do

 

[SRGTD]

I have the Seat extended warranty and car is due a service soon, can I go away from the dealer to a local VW/AUDI tuner if using OE parts? Was going to ask the dealer but they probably will insist it’s done with them, not good business to let customers walk elsewhere.

Check out the ‘General Conditions’ section of the Seat Extended Warranty booklet - three pages in from the end of the booklet (link to warranty document below). The first two conditions set out the servicing requirements;

• Servicing must be carried out in accordance with vehicle manufacturer recommendations. Genuine SEAT components, oils and other fluids or components, oils and other fluids of equivalent specification and matching quality must be used. Failure to comply with this condition will result in a warranty claim being rejected.
• Failure to keep your vehicle serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s service schedule will void the warranty. You must keep all servicing receipts and invoices. We will be entitled to check that your vehicle has been serviced regularly and may ask to see these in the unlikely event that the condition of your vehicle does not appear to correspond with your vehicle service schedule.

So, vehicle needs to be serviced in accordance with manufacturer recommendations using genuine Seat parts and Seat spec fluids and all servicing receipts and invoices need to be kept. No specific mention of it needing to be serviced at a Seat dealership. However, if it is serviced by Seat using correct approved parts / fluids, then it should remove any potential issues over legitimate warranty claims being rejected because of incorrect / inadequate servicing.

https://insurewithseat.co.uk/library/pdf/32439_SEAT_Extended Warranty Policy_GDPR_May2018_NAV_v2.pdf

 

[Betts-4]

Check out the ‘General Conditions’ section of the Seat Extended Warranty booklet - three pages in from the end of the booklet (link to warranty document below). The first two conditions set out the servicing requirements;

• Servicing must be carried out in accordance with vehicle manufacturer recommendations. Genuine SEAT components, oils and other fluids or components, oils and other fluids of equivalent specification and matching quality must be used. Failure to comply with this condition will result in a warranty claim being rejected.
• Failure to keep your vehicle serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s service schedule will void the warranty. You must keep all servicing receipts and invoices. We will be entitled to check that your vehicle has been serviced regularly and may ask to see these in the unlikely event that the condition of your vehicle does not appear to correspond with your vehicle service schedule.

So, vehicle needs to be serviced in accordance with manufacturer recommendations using genuine Seat parts and Seat spec fluids and all servicing receipts and invoices need to be kept. No specific mention of it needing to be serviced at a Seat dealership. However, if it is serviced by Seat using correct approved parts / fluids, then it should remove any potential issues over legitimate warranty claims being rejected because of incorrect / inadequate servicing.

https://insurewithseat.co.uk/library/pdf/32439_SEAT_Extended Warranty Policy_GDPR_May2018_NAV_v2.pdf

Is this the factory EW tho,reads likes it’s the one you buy after order.

I have ordered the factory EW which covers you in the exact way the original one does and states that.You can only add this as an option from factory not after delivery etc

 

[Kirky]

Is this the factory EW tho,reads likes it’s the one you buy after order.

I have ordered the factory EW which covers you in the exact way the original one does and states that.You can only add this as an option from factory not after delivery etc

I also got this as at £300 it seemed like a no brainer for 2 extra years of warranty even if selling the car as it should hold a bit of extra resale value.
I think it is possible to buy after through SEAT but the price increase is insane. I have to admit though I never read the T&Cs, I just paid for it at point of sale and checked with SEAT that I had it when the car was delivered.

 

[SRGTD]

Is this the factory EW tho,reads likes it’s the one you buy after order.

I have ordered the factory EW which covers you in the exact way the original one does and states that.You can only add this as an option from factory not after delivery etc

It’s not the extended factory warranty - it’s the Seat-backed warranty that you can purchase when the three year warranty expires. However, whether you purchase the extended factory warranty at time of ordering a new Seat or the extended Seat warranty when the three year factory warranty expires, the same applies to servicing - no requirement for servicing by a Seat dealer, although if using a (reputable) indie, genuine Seat parts and Seat approved fluids should be used and all invoices and receipts kept to keep the warranty valid.

Clearly, less opportunity for Seat to wriggle out of honouring legitimate warranty claims if servicing is carried out by a Seat dealership while a car’s under warranty. Also, as @Sword has said, Seat are unlikely to entertain any form of goodwill once the car’s out of warranty if it’s been serviced outside the Seat dealer network, although since Dieselgate, VAG seem to be much less receptive to goodwill contribution requests.

Also it’s worth bearing in mind that;

• You can extend your Roadside Assistance cover for free once the standard 2 years cover expires if you book your service on line with a Seat dealer; https://www.seat.co.uk/owners/your-seat/warranty-roadside-assistance/roadside-assistance.html
• An independent non-Seat garage won’t have access to software updates to apply to your car - Seat dealer should check and apply these during the service.

At the end of the day, it’s up to the owner to decide where to get their car serviced. If an owner knows of an independent garage with a good reputation and knowledgeable staff that specialises in VAG cars, then they may get better service and better quality work at a lower cost than they would from a Seat dealer, although there will be good and bad examples of both independent and Seat dealers.

 

[martin j.]

Cheers guys, the above was my understanding but I wanted to check, my Honda had to be serviced at the dealer for the extended warranty, it was in the small print-very small- now to compare costs.

 

[RUM4MO]

To be honest, it seems to be only the initial 2 years new car warranty that is a SEAT product, the 3rd year and all dealer bought genuine extended warranty tends to be a SEAT UK product or a dealership group product, and so I'd be playing safe and sticking with SEAT dealership network, legalities don't really come into the equation sometimes when you have a issue and people start playing for time - and all you need is a car on the road ASAP.

Also, I'd question the logic of anyone buying any extended warranty and then wanting to save maybe 15% on servicing costs by taking the car elsewhere, buying a proper stand along 3rd party warranty that allows freedom of where to get all the servicing done must have been the better option, all I'd be doing now is finding out if your local SEAT dealer "price matches" - you might need to use the SEAT UK website for that as I'd not think 100% of SEAT dealers will willingly offer that deal, then get a better price from a local VW Group Indie.

 

[Betts-4]

It’s not the extended factory warranty - it’s the Seat-backed warranty that you can purchase when the three year warranty expires. However, whether you purchase the extended factory warranty at time of ordering a new Seat or the extended Seat warranty when the three year factory warranty expires, the same applies to servicing - no requirement for servicing by a Seat dealer, although if using a (reputable) indie, genuine Seat parts and Seat approved fluids should be used and all invoices and receipts kept to keep the warranty valid.

Clearly, less opportunity for Seat to wriggle out of honouring legitimate warranty claims if servicing is carried out by a Seat dealership while a car’s under warranty. Also, as @Sword has said, Seat are unlikely to entertain any form of goodwill once the car’s out of warranty if it’s been serviced outside the Seat dealer network, although since Dieselgate, VAG seem to be much less receptive to goodwill contribution requests.

Also it’s worth bearing in mind that;

• You can extend your Roadside Assistance cover for free once the standard 2 years cover expires if you book your service on line with a Seat dealer; https://www.seat.co.uk/owners/your-seat/warranty-roadside-assistance/roadside-assistance.html
• An independent non-Seat garage won’t have access to software updates to apply to your car - Seat dealer should check and apply these during the service.

At the end of the day, it’s up to the owner to decide where to get their car serviced. If an owner knows of an independent garage with a good reputation and knowledgeable staff that specialises in VAG cars, then they may get better service and better quality work at a lower cost than they would from a Seat dealer, although there will be good and bad examples of both independent and Seat dealers.

So I did not know about the roadside assistance,do you get this automatic or have to apply ?

I’m going to stick with seat dealership,tbh not that many around me my local is 40 mins away.

Not a fan of them either so may look elsewhere.

Is there somewhere to look where is good to go with accurate reviews or just google ?

 

[RUM4MO]

SEAT used to include roadside assistance, via the AA when you used a dealership for MOTs, do they still do that? Audi gave repair insurance with MOTs, but that required you to stay with the dealership for all service work, though if you dared to get a proper Indie to do the servicing you might still be covered though maybe messed about with time wise if MOT found repairs needed, and the repairs would need to fit neatly into the permitted class.

 

[black_sheep]

SEAT used to include roadside assistance, via the AA when you used a dealership for MOTs, do they still do that? Audi gave repair insurance with MOTs, but that required you to stay with the dealership for all service work, though if you dared to get a proper Indie to do the servicing you might still be covered though maybe messed about with time wise if MOT found repairs needed, and the repairs would need to fit neatly into the permitted class.

I thought that it was 1 year roadside assistance if services were completed by the dealer and the service was booked online (which meant that you could not ring the dealer up to price match vs VAG specialist in the same geographical area), not the MOT - a bit of a con if on longlife variable servicing too. Dealers were also useless at filling in the correct paperwork, so invariably no record was held by the recovery service (RAC at the time I think - not too sure which to be honest as even though I had two marques from VAG, they used different recovery agents).

 

[RUM4MO]

I thought that it was 1 year roadside assistance if services were completed by the dealer and the service was booked online (which meant that you could not ring the dealer up to price match vs VAG specialist in the same geographical area), not the MOT - a bit of a con if on longlife variable servicing too. Dealers were also useless at filling in the correct paperwork, so invariably no record was held by the recovery service (RAC at the time I think - not too sure which to be honest as even though I had two marques from VAG, they used different recovery agents).

I stand corrected there, spot on wrt service booked online only.