How Does Warranty Work for Distant Owners?

rgaus · 01-29-2008, 03:39 AM

I may have missed this in some other threads, but has anyone heard how they will handle warranty problems for owners who live distant from the nearest dealership? Thanks!

MrVvrroomm · 01-29-2008, 04:28 AM

You'll have a long drive for warranty work.

My wife just had her MINI in for service. We live 10 miles away. She was talking to a woman from Bismarck, ND. It's an event when she has to take her car in for service/warranty.

bob/cathy · 01-29-2008, 06:10 AM

We will be 300 mi. away at least.Have a local guy that does forein car work.Thoe he hasn't seen a fortwo,he may be able to help on anything we can't do ourselvesOf coarse,if the tranny craps out,it will mean renting a u haul.
We had two 69,911 Porsches,sold them befor we moved out West.Had no trouble finding people that knew about them and could work on them.Think they enjoyed it,in fact.

**SmartCard** · 01-29-2008, 06:17 AM

It might be asking too much, but hopefully smart would do what MINI does, if your car is undrivable and under warranty, they send a flatbed to pick it up. When the repair is done, they then send a driver down to pick you up!

**Old smart** · 01-29-2008, 06:18 AM

Here is a place where the dealer representatives within this group could help. What is smartUSA's policy on routine service (not warranty work) being carried out at a non-smart location? Will non-smart service locations have access to OEM smart parts? Do smarts require a unique OBDII analyzer?

bob/cathy · 01-29-2008, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmartCard

It might be asking too much, but hopefully smart would do what MINI does, if your car is undrivable and under warranty, they send a flatbed to pick it up. When the repair is done, they then send a driver down to pick you up!

Our 68 VW auto stick shift,stopped working on our honey moon.VW sent a truck,repaired it,and brought it back.But we weren't 300 mi. from the dealer. So it could happen.

Carnut · 01-29-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgaus

I may have missed this in some other threads, but has anyone heard how they will handle warranty problems for owners who live distant from the nearest dealership? Thanks!

Penske roadside assistance is included during the warranty period. They are nationwide and would then tow the vehicle to the nearest authorized smart Center. (Of course I am basing this on information stated by PAG publicly)

rgaus · 01-29-2008, 01:20 PM

If that can be confirmed, that's great news. Opens up the whole country for this little guy. Most appropriate. Hope this is true. Thanks for your entry.

Ron Gaus, asmartcar.com

rgaus · 01-29-2008, 06:04 PM

(I posted this once, but it disappeared. I probably screwed up.)

Spoke with the folks on the smartUSA toll free number today and asked them the following two questions regarding the manufacturer's warranty.

1) If an owner buys a smart from his local dealer and is on vacation during a warranty period breakdown, what happens next? After consulting with her offline expert, she responded that the car would be towed back to the nearest dealer under the manufacturer's warranty. No charge to the owner.

2) If a buyer purchases a car from the nearest dealer, but the dealer is 200 miles from the buyer's home, what happens if there is a warranty breakdown. After checking with her expert, she responded that in this case, the manufacturer's warranty would NOT cover the towing to the nearest dealer. However, she said, the buyer could buy an extended warranty coverage that may cover a part or all of that tow, depending upon the distance. Since each dealership chooses their own extended warranty company, there is no universal answer to this question. Penske does not dictate which extended warranty companies to use. It would seem unlikely that even an extended warranty company would offer towing of more than a set number of miles. The rest would be at the cost of the owner.

If anyone has conflicting information to this, please chime in with your input, especially any dealer reps that may have more specific information. Thanks.

Ron Gaus, asmartcar.com

**Old smart** · 01-29-2008, 06:34 PM

Ron,

At this point I wouldn't expect the "dealer reps" on this site to put forth anything. It is becoming apparent to me that they are here to lurk and monitor, but not to participate. They, who are in a position to add immensly to the knowledge base, haven't done a damn thing. They may have been issued a gag order. I am now thinking that they are more of a detriment to the site than an asset.