Warranty

I bought our Hyundai iX35 brand new from a Hyundai dealership in 2015. We have had it serviced by them regularly. It has done 104,000km.

I took the car to the dealership because the engine had started to become noisy. I was told the oil was low and to monitor it. I noticed it was going through an inordinate amount of oil. It has no leaks and is not blowing smoke.

I took it back to the dealership and have been told the engine has "internal fuel usage, excessive ring clearance causing oil to burn, and will require engine bottom end replacement to rectify".

Should this be expected of a car only six-and-a-half years old?

My 2018 Ford Focus Trend Hatch has done 62,000km and has lost compression in the fourth cylinder which I understand means engine replacement. The car has been fully serviced by Ford since its purchase. It is clearly out of warranty, however I want an opinion as to whether I could still be covered by consumer law given the low kilometres and history of service. Ford also wants to charge me $3500 just to determine what is wrong - I am awaiting a hearing at VCAT.

One of Australia's most hotly anticipated electric vehicle brands has come under fire from some fans and customers after revealing a new-car warranty that stretches just 160,000kms and servicing costs on-par with some internal combustion vehicles.BYD - or

​You might think that when a brand offers a capped-price servicing plan, you, as the customer, will get a good deal when it comes to maintenance costs. Thankfully, that's now the case for Volvo Cars Australia.In short, Volvo had one of the most expensive service setups in the Australian market, capped pricing or no, but that's pleasingly changed - significantly so.The company now offers two levels of capped-price service plans, as buyers can opt for a three-year/45,000km or five-year/75,000km plan.See the table below to see how each of the different models stacks up. You'll find that they're consistently priced.As is the standard for the premium brands, Volvo offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

The Australian arm of French brand Renault backs every one of its models with a capped-price servicing plan, which it calls Renault Capped Price Servicing.

Skoda Australia backs every model in its entire range with a capped price servicing plan which spans six years or 90,000km. Service intervals for all models are 12 months/15,000km.

French manufacturer Peugeot may not have its own in-house local representation in Australia, but the company’s local distributor, Inchcape, has seen to it that customers are getting a decent deal.As such, there is a capped-price servicing plan for all Peugeot models, from the pint-sized 208 city hatchback to the family focused 5008 seven-seat SUV. It also covers models no longer on sale here, including the 4008 (a Mitsubishi ASX in make-up). The intervals for servicing differs somewhat between models, with some models due for maintenance every 12 months/15,000km, while others have slightly lengthier distance gaps (12 months/20,000km).As for servicing costs, the French brand hasn’t necessarily managed to get it down to where it should be - on average, Peugeot models are more expensive to maintain than pretty much any other brand, be it from Europe or elsewhere.The brand does back its models with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, though, which puts it in the mix among a lot of its mainstream contemporaries.See the table below for all the important details for Peugeot capped price servicing across each of the brand’s models sold in Australia.

Mercedes-Benz Australia offers its customers a three-year capped-price servicing, which covers all models - from the entry-level A-Class all the way up to those thumping Mercedes-AMG models

In early 2020, Japanese luxury brand Lexus joined the rest of the developed automotive world by finally announcing a form of capped-price servicing for its model range.When the brand’s Encore ownership program was updated, Lexus finally added a level of assured price servicing to its ownership program for all models sold from January 1, 2020.The Lexus Capped Price Servicing plan spans a three-year duration for all models in the range, bar electric versions of the UX SUV.Most models in the range require servicing every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first - except for the Toyota LandCruiser-based Lexus LX SUV, which needs maintenance every six months/10,000km. It is considerably more expensive to own than the other vehicles in the range as a result.Aside from one model, prices are set at between $495 and $595 per maintenance visit - see the table below for more detailed information model-by-model.The company offers owners a loan car, and in some instances even offers a pick-up and delivery service of your car when it comes time for maintenance.Lexus still betters some of its competitors with a slightly longer duration for its warranty plan, which spans five years with unlimited kilometres. 

Jeep's Australian arm offers a capped price servicing program for all of its current models, which forms part of its There & Back Guarantee program.