AN expert mechanic has revealed a major issue that could lose you your new car’s warranty.
David Long, known as the Car Wizard, took to his YouTube channel to explain how a customer’s brand new car ended up in need of expensive repairs.
Car Wizard David Long explained how this Audi lost its warranty despite being just a year oldYouTube
David explained that the driver had asked him to carry out some repairs on the brakes on their 2023 Audi SQ5 Sportback.
He almost refused to take the car as it should still have been under warranty before he realised the big problem that had left the motorist in the lurch.
The motors whizz said: “No this is not a brand new car review, yes this is a brand new car and it’s broken.
“It’s here for rear brake pads and roters…they were down to almost nothing already.
“I was like ‘No just take it to the dealership, just have them check it out’.
“Then it was revealed that it has 61,000 miles [on the clock].”
This meant the driver was unable to use their warranty for two reasons.
First of all, manufacturer warranties do not cover “consumables” like tyres and brake pads.
It is the driver’s responsibility to keep up to date with maintenance on these, while the warranty is there to cover any mechanical or build quality issues.
Secondly, even if there was a problem that the warranty would cover, the mileage the car had racked up meant that the policy had expired.
Many drivers would be forgiven for assuming that the warranty covers a set number of years, but fewer know that most have a mileage limit.
Standard policies provide cover for the first three years of ownership or the first 60,000 miles of driving, whichever comes sooner.
The average annual mileage for the UK is around 5,500, so most car owners only have to focus on the time limit.
However, if you use your vehicle for lots of long road trips or an extended daily commute, you could see yourself going over the mileage limit within the three years, or even in one like David’s customer did.
Social media commenters were stunned by the revelation.
One wrote: “I’m definitely curious about the condition of the car in 3-4 years from now if it continues getting driven and maintained as it has been.”
Another added: “Does the owner commute like 5 hours a day? 60,000 miles in less than a year is insane.”
And a third said: “Looks like the owner is a travelling professional. I used to be a service technician for a medical equipment company and used to have a large area I covered so I put that kind of mileage on my cars.”
It comes after another mechanic explained why he feels EVs are “dumb” and claimed they never last long enough.
Meanwhile, an expert car cleaner revealed how to give your motor a pro-quality wash at home on a budget.