Due for servicing during pandemic

My vehicle was due for servicing a couple weeks ago. I don't really want to bring it in right now, as we are all supposed to stay home other than for essential reasons (eg groceries or medical). Plus I don't really want people in my car who may have touched potentially unclean surfaces on other vehicles, etc. I called the local shops to ask if my not bringing it in will void the warranty and all I get is "it should be ok....".

Thoughts?

Obviously i cannot speak for other dealers, but here in Australia, Mitsubishi dealers are continuing to operate, and have adopted social distancing and clean operating procedures. The dealer i work for cleans and sprays the inside of every car on arrival, and on departure, all Techs wearing PPE and using hand gels, and we are collecting and delivering cars to customers to help with social distancing.

Ask you local dealer what they are offering

Similar situation here in BC, Canada. My dealer did the same with my car last week when it was in for service; social distancing at drop off and return, with all surfaces inside disinfected before and after, and a thorough exterior wash before handing it back to me. I went for a walk through the deserted business area while waiting, paid with a tap of my debit card on the sanitized card reader, and left with a well serviced unit.

For your benefit, mbasjm, that was at Wolfe Mitsubishi, on Langley Bypass, where I bought my 2018. Good people to deal with.

Here in the UK the dealer rang me to say that the appointment I had booked for my service would be cancelled and they will contact me in the near future...
My guess is that due to main dealers being closed then the warranty (only the battery one left on mine) MUST still be valid as I am unable to maintain it on schedule...
Never know though as they do like to be able to wriggle out of such things. I will check before paying dealer servicing prices and may ask for it in writing...

I don't know - over here dealers are operating normally, practicing social distance, hygiene measures etc. If you want to make double sure - have them collect and deliver the car, leave it standing for 24 hrs to reduce possible viral load below the infection level and then clean the relevant surfaces with 80% alcohol or soapy water before use, wear disposable gloves and a mask (Preferably FFP2) doing so. Including the keys.

BCbackroader said:

paid with a tap of my debit card on the sanitized card reader,

Click to expand...

If only that could be done in the UK - it would mean that the service would have cost less than £30 (52 CAD)!

I just paid £120 for our weekly shop via contactless. All my offline shopping is now done via Apple Pay, using my iPhone and one of the debit or credit cards stored on there, with the randomised 3D map of my face as security.

I drew some cash out in mid-March and it's still all in my wallet.

Thanks for your responses everyone.

Just to fill you in on what happened:

I called the three local Mitsubishi dealers nearest to my home. The first two both said "it should be ok if we delay the servicing". "Should" doesn't sound too solid to me, so I contacted a third dealer. These guys said that their garage is open, and therefore since they were open I should be getting it done.

I didn't really like that response. I feel that if my car is broken, then I would definitely want it fixed and that would be an 'essential service'. But this is for routine scheduled servicing. It's a very different purpose. But then at least he gave me the phone number for Mitsubishi Canada and suggested I contact them.

I called them this morning and got a nice lady with a heavy enough accent that I had some trouble understanding her completely. It sounded like she was saying that if there was a future problem that they might not cover it. I didn't really like being coerced to go in for non-essential work during this health crisis. But I guess the definition of 'non-essential' is very grey.

The recommended servicing in Canada is 5 months/8,000km. I'm currently at about 6 months/9,000km. And I'm currently only driving about 5km per week. Pretty much to the nearest grocery store and back.

The lady then suggested I email HQ and she provided me with an email address. But I have a feeling I'm probably going to do what a few of you suggested up above (and thank you very much for that) and just ensure they disinfect everything afterwards before returning it.

BCBackRoader - thank you for your recommendation of Wolfe. It's a little far for me, but not terrible. I live in Coquitlam, so TriCity and even Surrey or Metrotown would be closer. But if none of those are satisfactory to me, I'll definitely consider Wolfe on your recommendation.

Update:

Mitsubishi Canada replied and said:

As you are aware, the warranty coverage that is offered with the sale of a new Mitsubishi vehicle, provides coverage on certain parts that prove defective in normal use because of a manufacturing defect within the coverage period as from the in service date of the vehicle. Any warrantable concerns must be inspected by an authorized Mitsubishi dealership. It is the owner’s responsibility to maintain the vehicle as more fully set forth in, and in accordance with, the owners warranty manual. Any consequential damage due to lack of maintenance is not covered under warranty.

We would advise you to have the maintenance of the vehicle done as soon as possible, when the situation permits.

The pink text implies I should bring it in, but then the green text implies to wait until it is safe, but not to wait too long.

@littlescrote
The tap limit on debit cards here in BC is $100 Cdn, and the service was about $1 below that.

I paid the same this week for my slightly overdue 98,000 km battery service, which included the use of another Outlander for the day, while they did the discharge/balance charge cycle, which takes most of a day. That increased my usable battery capacity by about .8 amp hours.

My car was booked in to the local Mitsubishi dealer for its 2nd service last month.
The dealer closed on the day before. :roll: The service is now overdue and the 3 nearest dealers are still all closed.

Read this on their website:

https://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/covid-19
My car is due for a service, but my local dealer is closed. Will I lose my MSP service?

A Mitsubishi Service Plan usually has a one month window in which you can claim the service but in the current circumstances
we have ‘paused’ this period so that you still have time to claim your Service after the lockdown has ended.
Please contact your local dealer once they have re-opened to book your service.

Update:

I got a very good, clear, informative email from Mitsubishi Canada:

"Thank you for your reply.

Warranty is provided to protect you against manufacturing defects.

Maintenance is required to keep the vehicle is good running condition. If something happens to the vehicle because the recommended maintenance was not done, then it is not a manufacturing defect.

However due to the current situation, we believe the safety of the customer comes first and that is why we recommend doing the maintenance when you feel it is safe to do so.

Certain Mitsubishi dealership are also providing pick up/return service for maintenance. You may wish to enquire with your Mitsubishi dealership if they are offering this service."

Thank you all for you advice on this!

Car repairs and servicing in the UK is on the list of essential services (Key workers may need their cars to get to work etc.), car showrooms are not.

Main dealers seem to have made the decision to close their garages because they can't open the showrrooms but of course they can furlough all of their staff on 80% of wages and get it refunded or am I being cynical.

My dealer, a small group, supported its decision by quoting large groups that had closed as justifying their closure, but they say they know nothing about the battery "degradation" issue as well.

I also know another car business, repairs diffs and gearboxes, that was forced to close because all it spares and oil suppliers closed, crazy inconsistencies.