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I have a 2003 Fiat Stilo which at last November had done 50,000kms.

It experienced a major gear box/diff fault which the agent fixed "on the cheap" (almost $3,000 worth though).

They put in a goodwill claim with Ateco (importers/distributors) who turned down the claim because of the age of the vehicle, saying the low mileage had no bearing on the validity of a claim, that it was simply on the age of the vehicle.

Have you heard of this happening often on a car with such low mileage?

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Helen

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 17 September 2008

A "cheap job" costing $3,000 is a scary thought...

When any vehicle falls outside its normal warranty period you are in the hands of both the servicing dealer and the importer of the brand.

Some will offer assistance as a gesture of goodwill without prejudice, based on a owners past loyalty to the product and past service history with the dealership.

They do this in an effort to retain the person as a customer and to restore confidence in the product.

The odometer reading is quite often not taken into account when these decisions are made, its more the age and past ownership that any out of warranty assistance is based on.

Normally after five years the chances of assistance get less and less

I guess you as the customer have the final decision as to whether you continue with this brand in the future or move on.

If $3,000 was a cheap job I think I would be considering my future options with the vehicle.

Unfortunately it does happen from time to time on low mileage vehicles.

Sounds like investing in a dependable extended mechanical warranty insurance may have been money well spent in this case.