Mitsubishi's 10yr warranty: Worst consumer concept ever (& here's why) | Auto Expert John Cadogan

This new Mitsubishi 10-year warranty … let’s just say, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, good thing we didn’t step in it. Worst new car warranty ever.

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Here’s my biggest problem with the Bits-o-shitty 10-year bullshit warranty proposal:

Let’s say your transmission just crapped out at 120,000 kilometres, eight years in. And it’s not on you. You go back to Mitsubishi. They say: ‘Well, three years ago you had your car serviced independently - so you’re not covered. That’ll be $14,000.’

This proposed warranty will inevitably be used like this in the service department as a trigger to brush you, and profiteer from it. It’ll seem legitimate, too - like, it’s there in black and white. But the fact is, any warranty is merely a potentially empty promise from the manufacturer.

Warranty is completely separate from the legislated Consumer Guarantees, about which there is absolutely nothing optional. Your warranty might be burned, but the requirements of consumer law compliance - the obligation upon Bits-o-shitty to provide you with a remedy - absolutely still exists.

But consumers have to be informed enough to know that, and not all consumers are. So, in the future, I have no doubt that this bullshit warranty will be used as a device to deny legitimate consumer law claims.

Tragically, not all consumers will know that they can push back - legitimately - and make a claim under Australian Consumer Law. Some of them will cop it on the chin, and (call me an old cynic) but I think this is Mitsubishi’s real objective here. Look like warranty heroes, while acting like warranty bastards. Disgraceful.

It’s a huge pity Mitsubishi didn’t just bite the bullet and align the new warranty with the requirements of consumer law, thus ascending uninjured to the summit of Warranty Mountain here in ‘Straya, and spruik the shit out of it - Shitsville’s best warranty - because that would have been a real good news story.

If they want to get more owners servicing their cars at the dealer, then just make that a commercially compelling proposition instead of the hateful, expensive and borderline bullying experience it often is in dealerships today.

If Mitsubishi wants to shift more genuine parts - price them competitively. After all, they’re buying them in bulk. The extortionate pricing of genuine parts - industry-wide - is simply indefensible. So, they come up with these cartel-like strategies to coerce consumers into bending over, while the ACCC sleeps.

Unfortunately, as things stand, this 10-year warranty is just a grubby grab for more business and an attempt to dilute consumer law claims in the 5-10-year term. That’s how it seems to me.

I don’t think there’s any guarantee the ACCC will wake up to quash this, but I certainly hope they veto the genuine servicing requirement. Dangerous, anti-consumer precedent. You might choose to assist in this respect - you can call the ACCC on 1300 302 502 or, even better - put your objection in writing on the ACCC’s online contact form. (I’ll put a link in the description).

If the ACCC gets sufficient informed blow-back from you, it might help turn this anti-consumer tide and force Bits-o-shitty back to the boardroom, where they might choose to un-arsehole themselves and offer you a 10-year warranty without the free handcuffs.

Cadogan