NEWS

Best and worst 4x4s

WITH the Indian summer gone, the most and least dependable 4x4s and SUVs have been revealed. Warranty Direct has found that Honda’s HR-V (1998-2006) performed best, with only three in 100 recording a fault in the last 12 months, followed by Suzuki’s Grand Vitara (2005 onwards), the Honda CR-V (2007-) and the Subaru Forester. In [...]

	Pug 207 is most reliable
WARRANTY Direct has revealed that the UK’s most reliable car is not German, nor is it Japanese – but it’s the Peugeot 207. The company analysed more than 20,000 live policies on European cars aged between three to seven years for its Reliability Index website, and found that only one in 17 207s break down in [...]

	What parts to stock
THE most profitable car parts dealers should be stocking has been revealed by a leading warranty supplier. Warranty Direct has compiled a list of the most likely car parts to wear out due to simple wear and tear – essential information for dealers and their aftersales teams. According to the company, one in three of [...]

	Warranty Direct scheme
WARRANTY Direct has improved its dealer warranty scheme to focus on small and medium sized retailers. It brings new benefits to independents, in a ready-made package called Dealer Warranty Direct. This means dealers who may not be too experienced in handling warranty packages will face no stumbling blocks – nearly everything is done for them. [...]

	Honda Jazz most reliable
HONDA makes the most reliable budget small car for students heading off to university this week. Warranty Direct analysed its 50,000 live policies, and discovered the car least likely to break down in the sub-£3k price range is the Jazz. What’s more, if it DOES break down, it’s cheap to repair. Surprisingly, the Vauxhall Astra [...]

		Used cars: New rules
		USED car sales need tighter regulations to help protect customers against unscrupulous car dealers. Warranty Direct has made the call, after OFT stats showed secondhand car complaints had risen 18 percent in the first half of 2010. It’s costing motorists an average of £425 per car, reckons Warranty Direct MD Duncan McClure Fisher. This is [...]
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		Kia must change ads
		KIA is taking its 7 year warranty ad campaign back to the drawing board following an ASA ruling. The Advertising Standards Authority has deemed Kia to be not emphasising the 100,000-mile limit with sufficient clarity. Future ads will therefore have to emphasis this restriction, along with other exclusions listed in the small print. The ASA [...]
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		Reliability site revamp
		WARRANTY provider Warranty Direct has refreshed its Reliability Index breakdown information site. It now allows car owners to compare models against one another – and also allows selection by vehicle sector such as MPVs and drop-tops. Breakdown information on cars aged between 3 and 10 years is listed on the site. An extra special feature [...]
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		Toyota maintains rep
		TOYOTA’S reputation is remaining in tact says one car dealer supplier after a recent poll. Warranty Direct asked visitors to its website whether they viewed Toyota as a ‘less reliable mark’ because of the recalls. 76 percent of people said they did not. This has led the firm to pronounce the reliability of Toyota as [...]
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		Turbo engine failures
		TURBO engines are more likely to break down than non turbo engines, according to shock findings. Warranty Direct has discovered turbo engines have a failure rate of 27.8 percent. Non turbo engines, in comparison, have a failure rate of 11.3 percent. What’s more, turbo engines cost more to fix – the average repair cost is [...]
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		Mail’s ‘nail in coffin’
		WARRANTY Direct was a firm so badly hit by the last postal strike two years ago, it made a management vow. To remove its reliance on the postal system. It successfully did this, with a new system that delivers more than 70 percent of quotes and policy documents via email. Settling claims with garages is [...]
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		Supermini reliability
		HONDA’S Jazz supermini is the most reliable model on the UK’s roads, according to new research. Warranty Direct has discovered the Japanese hatchback suffered the least amount of breakdowns of all. Toyota’s Yaris wasn’t far behind, either. But the 1-in-10 failure rather of 4-7 year old Hondas contrasts to the least reliable car on the [...]
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