Posted 6 December 2023

Motor Vehicle Block exemption

The Block exemption regulation I understand has now expired and there is a Block Exemption order in place? As with anything in this country, they have made it utterly complex with vertical, horizontal and don't know many caveats. In simple terms, could anyone please let me know if a vehicle (under warranty) still needs to go to main dealership garage or a franchised independent garage using OEM parts are acceptable legally and warranty remains intact?
My lease company wants me to take the car (< 3years) to nearest dealership which is 100 miles away so not offering pickup / drop off. I will need to travel once for dropping the car and to pick up next day when it is ready. i.e 400 miles round trip and loss of earnings for 2 days.
I have the maintenance package in my contract.

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6th Dec 2023
The law is utterly overcomplicated, and as the leaser has nothing to do with you ! It's up to the company to interpret and enact.
What is important here is your contract - what does it say regarding servicing ?
I think that the distance you mentioned is unreasonable, and I'd expect them to collect and deliver, or find a local service centre.
7th Dec 2023
My Marshalls purchased warranty allows us to goto a local mechanic if the nearest dealership is over 40m away. The garage has to be willing to accept the warranty payment/parts possibly sent to them process though.

It's written quite clearly in our 'how to claim' area. So maybe if yours isn't clear then it appears that's crap. I hope you get it sorted and it's not costly.
7th Dec 2023
I might be wrong here (and I think Rooster says something similar), but warranties and leases are two different things. If the car was yours then you have the right to have it serviced how you see fit, and using independents with OEM parts should absolutely maintain the warranty.

However the lease car is not yours, so it's up to the lease company to dictate how it's maintained. It's still worth objecting and pursuing your case, I'm just not sure what leg you're standing on to do it. I'm sure at some point in the agreement they would have stated servicing terms and conditions, is there anything these that you can use in your favour?
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7th Dec 2023
Lease company says if the maintenance is covered by vehicle warranty then I must take it to the OEM garage. If not covered by warranty then they will authorise repair in local garage. As an option they gave me OEM's mobile technician number so I can arrange a visit for him to assess whether the repair is covered under warranty. On previous occasions, the nearest OEM garage flatly declined travelling this far.

According to lease company, Quote "The motor vehicle exemption block is anti-competition legislation, and as such wouldn’t apply to manufacturer’s warranty repairs.." Prior to signing the contract, I did have my doubts that I might

Nothing in the contract explicitly mentions that the vehicle must be repaired in OEM dealership while under warranty. Guess the maintenance package has just been a waste of money for me.
7th Dec 2023
If you have the maintenance package in your contract, then make the effort as the cost of travel is cheaper than the cost of a service elsewhere?

Also, although block exemption exists, a lot of manufacturers now stipulate certain "dealer only" tasks as part of the service schedule, software updates/calibrations etc.

On older vehicles, a lot of this can be done via aftermarket diagnostics, but on newer vehicles, it can be dealer only.