Warranty issues on imported cars

HELPDESK:Answering all your motoring queries

From DB: I purchased my Ford Mondeo new in 2008 in the UK but have always had it serviced here in Ireland. Recently the bonnet wouldn’t close and I had to get a mechanic to fix it (the cable was corroded and frayed).

When I mentioned it at my next service, I was told that I would have to pay for the cable change but if Ford in Cork agreed, I would then get a refund. Ford in Cork told me that they would not cover it and that I should ring Ford UK.

When I rang them, they said there might be a difficulty as a reside in the Republic, but when I offered to go to Belfast for the repair and next service they said it would be no problem.

In Belfast, the treatment was exceptional. They said they would order the part and it would be fitted under warranty. Just what is the situation with warranty cover for imported cars? And where can you find out your full warranty details?

The general rule – and one applied by Ford – is that warranty applies to the offer in the country of initial registration.

While your car may have been new when purchased, the vast majority of imported cars are still registered initially in the UK. They are then re-registered immediately upon arrival in Ireland, but the car still falls under the UK warranty. According to Ford, any warranty work will still be honoured here, in line with the UK criteria. In the odd instance where a car is imported unregistered then it will fall under the Irish system as the location of first registration.

In your situation that means your warranty should be as in the UK. There, a new Mondeo is covered for one year overall cover and two further years – or up to 60,000 miles – under the Ford Protect cover.

Here in Ireland, the cover is for two years with unlimited mileage.

Regardless of the cover in question, there still seems to be some disagreement as to whether the part in question is actually covered under UK warranty.

In terms of accessing information on what’s covered, the lists are always very detailed but are usually available on the manufacturer’s local website and certainly from your local dealer.

From John McS: We are looking for a car that can take three baby seats in the back. The budget is €10,000 with hopefully €5,000 more coming from the sale of a VW Golf. I was thinking of a Honda FR-V.

The FR-V fits the bill and because it’s a six-seater rather than seven, it means there is always plenty of room in the boot.

You should get a three-year-old model for this money, so be sure to check the history of the car and, ideally, get it checked out by a mechanic. Happy motoring.

Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail motorshelp@irishtimes.com