When picking up your car from a service, ensure that the workshop checked the oil, brakes, battery, wheel alignment, tyre rotation and balancing, fuel injection system, and wiper blades.
According to the Motor Industry Workshop Association (MIWA), these are the most important areas of focus during a routine service and should never be overlooked by a competent technician.
Habitual car maintenance is vital to keeping your wheels performing at their best and providing many years of reliable service.
MIWA therefore recommends that you always make sure the following boxes are checked when taking your car for a service:
- Oil top-up – Extends the life of your engine.
- Fuel injection system cleaning – Restore engine performance.
- Wheel alignment – Ensures a balanced ride and tyre wear, as well as better mileage
- Brake inspection – Ensures safe driving by enabling your car to stop safely and immediately.
- Wiper blades inspection – Ensures a clear and unrestricted view of the road ahead in adverse conditions.
- Tyre rotation and balancing – Prolongs the lifespan of tyres as it ensures even wear on the treads, which also equals a smoother, safer ride.
- Battery inspection – Ensures that your battery can hold the charge and start your car, reducing your risk of ending up stranded on the side of the road.
“While it’s good to have basic knowledge of your car and to be able to carry out repairs if necessary, there are certain car repairs you should leave to the experts at an accredited workshop,” said MIWA.
Your rights and responsibilities with a car service
South African consumers enjoy many rights and responsibilities in terms of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) that protects them from shady practices often employed by car repair and maintenance shops.
Knowing these rights and obligations as a motorist can be a game-changer when it comes to the servicing, maintaining, and even buying or selling of a vehicle.
As per the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), you are protected by the CPA in areas including:
- Pre-authorisation on service, maintenance, and repair work
- Information regarding the work
- Quality of the work
- Post-service actions
Starting at the top, Section 15 of the CPA states that a supplier of goods and services may not charge for parts, a service, maintenance, or repairs on a vehicle without the authorisation of the consumer.
“If the retailer has proceeded without authorisation and rendered any service on a vehicle, it has acted outside of prescribed guidelines and the consumer has the right to report the retailer for dispute resolution,” said the RMI.
Additionally, the act gives three options to motorists relating to the cost of work, including an estimate, a cut-off maximum, or a carte blanche to get the job done.
The consumer needs to elect one of these options upfront before the repairer can start any work, and once the decision is made, the car owner becomes liable for the payment thereof.
“Be aware that an estimate is determining the possible cost when unknown factors are evident, probably due to hidden or unseen factors such as the internal components of an engine, etc…,” said the RMI.
“Although it is not a requirement of the CPA, we believe it is important that an estimate should be followed by a quote – a final document determining the cost to the car owner.”
In the event that an estimate is provided and the consumer does not to accept it, they will be liable for the payment of the diagnosis and estimate.
Ideally, a quote or estimate should be in writing, but in certain circumstances, a verbal contract will also suffice.
It should be noted that a service provider to whom this section applies is not entitled to charge a consumer for preparing an estimate required in sub-section (2) (a) including:
- Any cost of performing any diagnostic work, disassembly, or re-assembly required in order to prepare an estimate
- Any damage or loss of material or parts in the course of preparing an estimate unless before preparing the estimate the service provider has disclosed the price for preparing the estimate, and the consumer has approved it.
“Once a quotation is given, no matter what may transpire thereafter, the consumer has every right to hold the service provider to the quoted amount for the quoted work,” said the RMI.
Section 41 of the CPA supports Section 15 in that it stipulates that consumers have the right to accurate information, i.e. no false, misleading, or deceptive information or representations.
In short, this means a retailer must supply accurate and correct information, to the best of its ability, during a transaction.
“This applies to providing an estimate, quote, or selling a product,” said the RMI.
“Should you have received incorrect and inaccurate information during a transaction, and you are able to show that such deception or the withholding of information, was deliberate, you have the right to report the matter to the relevant authorities for intervention and investigation.”
Concerning any damages and delays, Section 54 of the CPA stipulates that a retailer must inform the car owner ahead of time if the repair will take longer than expected. Should it fail to do so, the customer is within their rights to take necessary corrective measures.
Additionally, Section 54 of the CPA also deals with damages to the vehicle when it’s at the workshop.
“In the case where the retailer has negligently or wilfully damaged the vehicle during the repair or service, it is the responsibility of the retailer to remedy the situation, unless the consumer has signed a waiver of liability,” said the RMI.
“It is important to note that the consumer is not entitled to have the vehicle stored to a condition that is better than what prevailed prior to the damage occurring.”
The RMI stresses that difficulties in procuring parts and load-shedding have had adverse and unpredictable effects on auto repairers in recent times and could cause them to blow past the initial timeline at no fault of their own.
“The onus, however, is on the retailer to let you know if there are any unavoidable delays,” said the entity.
Section 67 of the CPA further requires a retailer to return old or replaced parts to the consumer following the repairs in the interests of transparency, and the consumer has the right to ask for it.
“It is important to note, however, that the section excludes this obligation if the work is done under warranty, insurance claim, or paid for by a third party, and of course consumables such as oil, coolant, and air conditioner gas, which needs to be disposed of by the repairer in a way that is required by law,” said the RMI.
Finally, Section 56 of the CPA states that a consumer has six months after the delivery of any goods to return them to the supplier without penalty and at the supplier’s risk and expense.
If the goods fail to satisfy the requirements and standards contemplated in Section 55, the suppliers must, at the direction of the consumer:
- Repair or replace the failed, unsafe and defective goods
- Refund the consumer the price paid by the consumer for the goods
“As an organisation that champions the rights of motorists and service providers in the motor industry, we want to see an increased awareness of these consumer rights,” concluded the RMI.
“It ensures better communication between consumers and service providers and ethical trading.”
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