It’s not that often that changes in the law favour the motorist, their warranty and their van insurance policy all in one fell swoop. Take the London Low Emission Zone, for example – come January 2012, if you’re van doesn’t meet the Euro III Emission legislation it could cost you £100 per day, if you are tested.
However, it seems that Brussels aren’t all bad, as another ruling they have instigated sees not only a cost benefit for the motorist, but also opens up availability to reduce time lost on the road when awaiting replacement spare parts. These factors can only have positive connotations for your never-ending quest to find cheap van insurance.
The problem in the past has been, when a bespoke component has malfunctioned, in order to remain within the terms of your warranty, hence your van insurance policy, you have had to seek the replacement part from the manufacturer direct or one of its approved dealerships. Although you could take the component once sourced and have it fitted at a non-franchised network, but that was just adding time and may have caused problems when making a claim for repairs against your commercial vehicle cover.
There have been massive calls, not least by independent garages for this to change, and now it has. As long as a component meets regulations that classes it as approved, part manufacturers can now sell them direct to independent dealers and mechanics.
half-price repair costs a real possibility
WhatCar have looked into this ruling and what it could mean for businesses that rely heavily on their fleet of commercial vehicles remaining in tip-top condition; the cost of the repair itself, subsequent associated costs such as prolonged warranties, cheaper van insurance and time off the road whilst awaiting repairs.
Being able to negotiate deals with local garages, time saved not having to wait around and components not subject to a list or fixed price could save approximately 50% for each and every repair.
However, you will not find this publicised to any great extent by either the car manufacturers or their authorised dealers, due to the profit they stand to lose. WhatCars tests have shown massive differences between similar components bought at authorised dealers and general wholesalers. The appointed dealership were 42% more expensive on a battery, wanted 44% more for brake pads and 45% heavier on the wallet for an oil filter.
These similar components were all available off the shelf but, it must be stressed, if you are buying replacement parts yourself, make sure that the retailer is reputable and that the components are fit for purpose.