There is only one car related story in town at that moment and that involves an accelerator pedal.
But just in case you are as bored by that as you are of John Terry’s non-footballing activities, I'm going to write about Kia's seven-year warranty - which sort of ties in with Toyota, as it's an example of putting things right when they go wrong.
You may have noticed that Kia is offering a seven year warranty as standard now. My view - challenged by Kia - is that actually it really isn’t as good as it sounds.
Few items are going to wear out on a new car during the initial three years of ownership. Indeed, if something did then that would more than likely be replaced as a good will claim.
When a car gets to four, five and six years old then you do get parts which are going to fail because of wear and tear. These, of course, won’t be covered by Kia - only manufacturing faults will be.
Which brings me to recalls. All cars are covered by a recall, regardless of age or warranty status. If there is a defect which could make a vehicle unsafe then the manufacturer is obliged to fix it.
Like me, you have probably owned a car that has been subject to a recall. I had a Mk2 Golf which was over a decade old and that was recalled in the mid 1990s to fix heater pipes that potentially could have scalded my ankles.
So if Kia fix a manufacturing fault after six years don’t go and hug their service manager and buy him a bunch of flowers, because that is his job.
I’ve had emails from Kia and Hyundai owners saying how happy they are with their cars and I could not be happier for them. Just be realistic about what you are getting for your seven-year warranty.
