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Be warranty aware - new car buyers and pre delivery aftermarket mods/accessories

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xsm:
I thought I would post up about a situation a friend of mine has found himself in.

He bought a brand new 4X4 NP300 ute and a camper trailer to do a 12 month trip around Australia. His trip involved doing some of the outback dirt roads (Great Central Road etc). Due to this, he decided to option up the NP with aftermarket suspension lift. All arranged by the dealer and fitted pre delivery. The dealer also offered him an extended warranty which he declined.

They spent a couple of months preparing for the trip before leaving Canberra. All camper and car weights were well within limits. When in Bourke, they noticed that the chassis on the NP300 had bent. They hadn't even hit the dirt yet. The car and camper were towed back to Dubbo where everything was weighed and found to be within limits.

Warranty claim was rejected due to "aftermarket accessories fitted and external forces". It made no difference that the suspension modification was done/arranged pre delivery by the dealer. Insurance was also denied. He has been left high and dry with a $40,000 to $50,000 write off.

He came home, got his 18 year old Prado, and has now completed 16,000kms of his trip in that.

I'm not posting this to bag Nissan. Please find a "bent chassis" thread if you want to take this thread in that direction.

I'm posting this to let people know that they should have the "warranty" conversation with their dealer, and get a written warranty if they choose to have accessories or mods done pre delivery. I know that many people choose to have aftermarket mods and accessories fitted pre delivery because they believe that they will be covered by warranty.

Cheers
Martin

Freddie:
If it was Nissan who refused the warranty claim, then Nissan was totally within their legal rights to do so.  Check your warranty documents.  The suspension would not have been a genuine Nissan accessory.

Any warranty claims for the aftermarket suspension or any subsequent damage, lies with the dealer who fitted it.

mydmax2:
XSM
Is the owner sure it wasn’t bent when new? Most dealers, in fact all dealers don’t, don’t check the vehicle integrity as supplied. Many D40 Navaras were sold in Australia supplied from the factory with bent chassis so I am not surprised it is bent.
Where it is bent is the interesting thing. Maybe more info relating to the position of the bend will mean much more to readers.

I have pictures of two D40’s brand new on the lot for sale and both were/are bent. Both red and sold in central Vic.

xsm:
No, wasn't bent at delivery. Friend is not the sort of bloke that would not notice. He is very car savvy. I can't say exactly where the chassis is bent. I haven't seen it, he flew home from Dubbo to collect his Prado and headed off again. Even if it was bent prior to delivery, that would be impossible to prove now.

The point of the post is not about the car, it's about the issue of who is responsible when damage is caused by pre delivery modifications/accessories. Many people pay more than they need to for modifications/accessories done prior to delivery because they are of the mistaken belief that they will be covered by the new car warranty.

Perhaps if the fault is with the actual accessory or modification the responsibility is more clear cut. It is harder to get one single party to take responsibility when the modification/accessory CAUSES damage to other parts of the vehicle.

I think it is good advice for new car buyers to have this covered in their purchase contract so that they know exactly where they stand and the level of risk they're exposed to.

Cheers
Martin

Freddie:

--- Quote from: xsm on Nov 24, 2017, 12:55:41 PM ---I think it is good advice for new car buyers to have this covered in their purchase contract so that they know exactly where they stand and the level of risk they're exposed to.
--- End quote ---

Ummm, Australian Consumer Law.

Putting an warranty clause about non-genuine accessories into a sales contract would be full of holes if challenged in a Court.

This issue is more about the purchaser’s naivety.

Out of curiosity, were airbags involved?

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