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Car warranty conditions - can I use an independent garage?

I recently bought a Honda Jazz online from a dealer 300 miles away. On checking locally, the nearest dealer is 12 miles away. However, there is a Honda specialist garage with, it seems, a good reputation nearby who will collect my car and service it to the Honda requirements.

My concern is that the Honda brochure stipulates that the car MUST be inspected annually by a Honda dealer in order to maintain the warranty. It merely strongly recommends that servicing should be carried out by a dealer.

The specialist would be my obvious option but I'm not sure what to do.

Asked on 9 December 2021 by frank98

Answered by Dan Powell
You don't need to have your car serviced by Honda to maintain the manufacturer warranty. But the garage you use MUST use Honda approved parts and fluids. These should be detailed on an itemised invoice, otherwise, you have no proof the correct work has been carried out and you will risk invalidating the warranty.

It's also important to note that your car may miss out on important updates and software upgrades, which are usually applied during the annual service by the dealer. A car with a dealer stamped service history will also be more desirable than one without when it comes to selling.

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