Much of the time, the job of a car journalist can seem like a bit of a luxury. Off we go to fancy hotels in far-flung lands to report on new cars that only a select few can buy. Every now and then, however, it’s a job that can make a genuine difference to buyers in the real world.
Take today’s announcement from Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo, that all three brands are bolstering their UK warranty offering to both new and existing customers.
Omoda and Jaecoo, which are both owned by the Chinese automotive conglomerate Chery (which also operates in the UK as a brand in its own right), are emerging as two of the country’s best-selling Chinese car brands. Indeed, Jaecoo’s 7 SUV regularly appears in the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK.
And a big part of that appeal is the seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty offered on all Chery-Group products in the UK.
But as part of our research for a guide to the longest car warranties on CarGurus, we found some less-than-ideal terms and conditions hidden in the small print.
Of course, for manufacturers that offer a longer warranty than the three-year-60,000-mile arrangement that’s considered the bare minimum these days, it’s not uncommon for cover on certain items to not run for the full period of the warranty.
For example, the warranties of some manufacturers have exclusions that mean infotainment systems aren't covered beyond three years, even though the manufacturer's warranty runs for a considerably longer period.
But after delving deep into the Ts & Cs of the warranty cover on Chery-Group cars, we found that the list of exclusions was a lot longer than most, and that it included some fairly major (not to mention, expensive) components. These included starter motors, fuel injectors, fuel pumps, water pumps, oil pumps, air conditioning compressors, alternators, brake calipers, catalytic converters, exhaust systems, numerous suspension components, and infotainment systems. All of these items were excluded from cover at just three years or 40,000 miles, whichever cropped up first.
This would have meant many owners potentially finding themselves presented with a sizeable - and quite probably unexpected - repair bill while still within their car's warranty period.
We flagged the issue with Chery, and to the firm's immense credit, it undertook a rapid review of the warranty cover it offered. Today, it has confirmed that it is scrapping the pre-existing policy, and will now cover all of the mechanical items that were previously on the exclusions list for the full term of the warranty.
What’s more, it has told CarGurus that the changes to the warranty will apply retroactively: so that existing owners of Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo products will benefit from them, too.
The changes will also apply to buyers of vehicles sold under the new Lepas luxury brand, which is soon to be introduced to the UK.
A spokesperson for Chery said: “The changes to our warranty have been made following a detailed review of the cover provided across the Omoda and Jaecoo ranges, alongside feedback from customers and our growing UK retailer network.
“The aim is to provide clearer, more comprehensive protection across key vehicle components and greater reassurance throughout the ownership period.
“Applying the enhanced cover retrospectively to eligible existing customers also ensures that those who have already chosen an Omoda or Jaecoo benefit, rather than limiting the improvements to new customers.”
CarGurus thinks that it’s to Chery's credit that the company was on-the-ball enough to fix the problem so promptly, and the fact that the firm has done so is a huge win for buyers of the company’s cars. It just goes to show that you should always read the small print.
