Right to Repair
You can service your car with autoWorks under warranty
Before declining your warranty claim, manufacturers now have to first prove:
autoWorks will make sure your warranty
When choosing autoWorks there is to you
Know your rights
How To Protect Your Rights
Servicing Commercial Vehicles
Purchasing Spare Parts
Managing Your Service Plan
How To Choose A Workshop
Buying A Vehicle
Why a ‘Right to Repair’ campaign?
Right to Repair South Africa NPC was founded by the Motor Industry Workshop Association (MIWA) to advocate and lobby for fair competition in the automotive aftermarket. Right to Repair would like to see South Africa’s automotive aftermarket transformed into a truly competitive market where a consumer’s choice is guided by price and the quality of the service provided, rather than restrictive, anti-competitive contract provisions.
In order to achieve a truly competitive automotive aftermarket we need to provide consumers with choice and independent service providers with access to the market. A crucial part of success for independent service providers is access to technical information, the freedom to source and supply replacement parts as well as diagnostic tools and test equipment, without access to these resources it will be impossible for ISPs to practise their trade effectively.
What does R2R mean for me and my warranty?
Right to Repair means you are not forced to repair or service your car at the dealership from which it was purchased while it is still under the manufacturer’s warranty. You are now empowered to choose where you wish to service your vehicles without the risk of your warranty being voided.
In the past your warranty would have been voided just because you did not service your car with the agents or when fitting any non-original parts or accessories.
For example if you fit brake pads, a headlight or a roof rack from an independent supplier and the engine fails, the warranty would previously have been voided.
The Commission has now declared this practice as incompatible with the Competition Act. This includes cars that were sold prior to 1 July 2021 which were sold without an embedded maintenance and/or service plan.
Your warranty claim can on be declined if the manufacturer finds that a warranty related failure is due to:
- Incorrect servicing or servicing not done as specified by the vehicle manufacturer
- Poor workmanship
- Part failure
With this being said, the whole warranty cannot be voided. Only the section/s of the warranty that relate to the failure/damage may be voided, the remainder of the warranty must be honoured by the manufacturer.
In the event of warranty repairs the vehicle must always be referred to the manufacturer’s approved dealers.
What is the risk to me as the consumer and how should I handle a warranty dispute?
There are no risk to you as the customer. If your warranty claim is declined, you are protected under the provisions of the CPA. As stipulated in the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (“the CPA”), the liability in such an instance will lie with the Independent Service Provider ("ISP") and/or the parts supplier/importer.
If there is a warranty dispute, the consumer should refer the claim to his/her service provider.. The claim should be covered by the service provider’s insurance. The guidelines in fact, specify that ISPs must disclose to consumers whether they have adequate commercial insurance cover. We strongly recommend that consumers use only those ISPs who can provide proof of such coverage.
They are also required by the Guidelines to disclose to consumers, in clear and explicit terms, the risk of damage that could arise from the ISP’s work, including consequential damage to the consumer’s vehicle, which may potentially void certain obligations of the manufacture in terms of the warranty.
Why it is important to fit OES-quality parts?
To maintain your warranty, all parts used on your vehicle should be of the same or higher quality than that of the original. OES (Original Equipment supplier) parts and oils, are parts of the same quality as the parts used by the agents and are sourced from companies such as Bosch, NGK, Textar or Ravenol that manufacture parts for the OEM's.
OES parts are made on the same assembly line as the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts, the only difference is that OEM parts goes through the added steps of being stamped with the agents logo and packed in their branded packaging.
These parts and fluids should preferably be fitted by qualified technicians or apprentices (working under direct supervision) working to manufacturer specifications.
OEM parts and fluids do not need to be used during the servicing of a vehicle. However, if a manufacturer finds that a warranty related failure is due to inferior quality parts, they are within their rights to decline the warranty. It is therefore important that ISPs procure parts from reputable suppliers and use only recognized, quality parts when servicing a vehicle.
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