Vauxhall has announced that its cars will be covered by a lifetime warranty, which will apply to the first owner of any Vauxhall registered after August 1 2010, and will cover the car until it reaches 100,000 miles, no matter how many years that takes.

The move is widely seen as a response to the new EU Block Exemption Regulations (BER) which entrenched the independent sectors’ ability to service vehicles during the warranty period.

The new Vauxhall warranty is dependent upon the owner submitting the vehicle for an annual inspection complete with a stamped up-to-date service book.

“The inference to the motorist is that the book will have to have been stamped by an authorised repairer; i.e. the dealer,” explained Brian Spratt of the IAAF, “when in fact, the new BER rules allow independent repairers to service the vehicle and stamp the service book, as long as the Vauxhall service schedule has been adhered to. It creates doubt in the mind of the motorist and may persuade them to stick with the dealer, which will cost them money in the long term,”

“All of us in the independent aftermarket need to reassure our customers that they can use independent service and parts without risking their warranty, and that they mustn’t be frightened by scare stories that non-dealer supplied parts are inferior and invalidate the warranty. The IAAF will be working hard with members to get this message across,” assured Mr. Spratt.