Warranty

​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.

Audi Australia offers customers a capped price servicing plan that it labels the Audi Genuine Care Service Plan.

Alfa Romeo is the latest premium brand to increase its warranty term to five years in a bid to improve its standing with customers.The Italian carmaker, owned by global giant Stellantis, previously offered a three-year/150,000km term in Australia, but has

My friend purchased a 2009 Kia Carnival for $11,000 plus $867 for a warranty. In three months the car’s motor ceased working and now she is looking at a $7000 replacement motor. She had the car serviced before she left the car dealer. She had a mechanic visit her a month ago when she noticed coolant was disappearing but not leaking on the ground. He recommended a flush at the next service. A mechanic has since looked at the vehicle and stated that the radiator is blocked.

This blocked radiator is not covered by insurance unless it was fractured, leaking or cracked. The car had only done 174,000 Kms when purchased. It has had two previous owners, the previous owner doing his own service on the vehicle. My friend is distraught. She has six children and used all her savings to purchase what she thought was a decent safe vehicle to transport her family in. Please can you advise or support this person?