What Car? Q&A - Can I have an imported car serviced?

Q: I have had the offer of a new, automatic Honda CR-V Sport from two sources, Motorpoint and Motorhouse 2000. Both vehicles are imports, so offer big savings. I am told there is a full Honda warranty, which Honda dealers would have to honour.

My local Honda dealer, however, tells me that there will be no warranty and that no Honda dealer will buy an imported car when it comes to a trade-in. Where do I stand when I need the car serviced or repaired under warranty?
John Issitt

A: It sounds as though your local dealer is trying to bully you into paying more and buying the car through them.

It would be illegal for any Honda dealership to refuse to repair your car under its European warranty, so don't take no for an answer.

You need to obtain a homologation pack from the Honda contact centre (0845 200 8000). In this pack, you'll find a form that must be filled out and sent to Honda UK. When Honda receives this, you will be issued with a certificate of conformity.

Take this certificate, the original sales invoice and registration papers to your local dealership, which can then register the car for warranty. If your Honda was previously registered in the EU, it will be eligible for a 60,000-mile/three-year warranty, as opposed to a 90,000-mile/three-year warranty offered on UK models.

Don't assume you have to use your local franchised dealerships for servicing. Independent garages are allowed to do servicing work on your car and, provided it's done to Honda's schedule and with approved parts, it won't affect your warranty.

Dealers may well avoid imports when it comes to part-exchange, and so long as they're acting as individuals, they're perfectly entitled to do so. If all franchised dealers in the UK were acting in unison and under instructions from head office to not do business with imports, it would fall foul of competition laws.

If a dealer offers you less for your car than for a non-imported vehicle when you trade it in, console yourself with the knowledge that you paid less for it in the first place.