Germans question Vauxhall/Opel warranty

Vauxhall-Opel's lifetime warranty is being questioned by competition authorities in Germany.

The Centre for Protection against Unfair Competition (Wettbewerbszentrale) says Vauxhall and Opel's offers of a lifetime guarantee for all of its new vehicles are not giving a lifetime guarantee, but are actually trying to attract customers using 'grandiose statements'.

'With a "lifetime" warranty, the consumer expects that to mean a guarantee as long as he drives the car, regardless of the mileage,' said Dr Reiner Muenker, executive board member of the Competition Centre. 'A warranty until 160,000 kilometers with countless restrictions would definitively not be a 'life-long' warranty in the eyes of the consumer.

"The objectively incorrect claim of life-long warranty, which suggests an unbeatable advantage towards the competition, has no place in this advert.'

Vauxhall has already changed its advert in the UK from 'lifetime warranty' to 'a warranty that could last a lifetime' after it was submitted to advertising watchdogs.

Kia's adverts have also fallen foul over its extended warranty claims. Last week, the manufacturer was censured by the Advertising Standards Agency, which said that although the 100,000-mile limit for its seven-year warranty was displayed in its TV advert, it was not on-screen during the visual and voice-over description of the warranty.