You can now service your car anywhere, no matter the warranty

Car owners will be happy to learn that South Africa has opened up the repair rules, allowing you to service your car anywhere without jeopardising the warranty.

The Competition Commission of South Africa has rallied against the current rules which force car owners to have their in-warranty service as manufacturer approved dealership.

This has limited choices of motorists for years and led to significant expense and effort as a result.

The Competition Commission also wants to allow for the fitting of non-original parts when that part’s warranty has expired without risking the entire warranty on the car.

They want maintenance and service plans to be unbundled from the price of the car and sold as a separate entity. This is to ensure the customer knows exactly how much a plan costs and is not caught by surprise when making a decision.

This layout would outline all the inclusions and exclusions and average prices so a car owner will never be in the dark about what exactly they are getting themselves into financially.

Although the guidelines were published in February, they are now official and will take effect in July 2021. This means that until then, car owners will still have to abide by previous rules.