How many tricks are hidden in the "lifetime warranty" of new energy vehicles?, "This is not guaranteed, that is not guaranteed."

With the increasingly fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market, many car companies, including Chery, Lynk&Co, BYD, NIO, etc., have successively launched lifetime warranty rights.

However, redeeming the seemingly beautiful "lifetime warranty" is not easy. The threshold design of "driving no more than 30000 kilometers every year, regular maintenance, going to the official 4S store for maintenance, and not opening online car hailing and windmilling" has triggered roast from car owners about the "many ways" of lifelong warranty on the social platform.

Is the lifetime warranty for new energy vehicles a genuine discount or a sham?

"It will disappear if you are not careful", the owner roast that it is difficult to cash in

"When I bought the car, I called it a lifetime warranty, but I found that it was not guaranteed until something went wrong." Recently, Mr. Chen from Xiamen complained to Zhongxin Jingwei.

In March 2020, Mr. Chen purchased a Chery Little Ant eQ1 for over 70000 yuan. In August 2023, the window regulator of the vehicle broke down. He went to the 4S store to request warranty, but was informed that this part is a special item and has exceeded the warranty period.

Mr. Chen stated that there was no description of special parts in the car purchase contract or lifetime warranty agreement, and he only found out about the special parts through the 4S store after the problem occurred. "When purchasing the car, only vulnerable and consumable parts were mentioned, and no special parts were mentioned. It was only when repairs were needed that they were informed of the existence of special parts. After calling customer service, it was discovered that the warranty period for special parts is 3 years or 60000 kilometers."

In the lifetime warranty agreement provided by Mr. Chen, there is a clause regarding vulnerable and consumable parts under the content and conditions of service rights, but there is no mention of "special parts". In the end, Mr. Chen repaired the window lifter problem at his own expense for 340 yuan.

On the 12th, Mr. Chen's Lifetime Warranty Agreement Image: Zhongxin Jingwei called Chery customer service as a consumer. According to customer service, vulnerable parts include tires, light bulbs, relays, batteries, brake pads, wiper blades, and other components. Consumable parts include glass systems, front and rear bumpers, exterior panels, air conditioning, and other components. Special parts include door locks, switches, alarm systems, and so on. But the customer service representative stated that special parts are included in the lifetime warranty, but must be the first owner, with an annual mileage of no more than 30000 kilometers, and the vehicle should be maintained on schedule.

Are special parts within the scope of lifetime warranty? Regarding this issue, China News Service sent an interview letter to Chery via email on the 12th, but as of the time of publication, no response has been received.

Mr. Jia, who recently purchased a car, told China News Service that the new energy vehicle he purchased comes with a lifetime warranty. Although it is a gift, he did not feel the sincerity from the manufacturer, but instead felt it was a gimmick.

"The warranty conditions are both complex and strict, with requirements for maintenance, mileage, etc. I didn't understand the specific terms and only knew that if I accidentally lost them. But it's free, don't waste it," Mr. Jia said.

▲ Netizens roast that in the current new energy vehicle market, many car enterprises have launched a lifetime warranty. According to statistics, car enterprises including Chery, Linker, Chang'an Auchan, BYD, Hongqi, Geekrypton, Baowo, Ideals, Xiaopeng and others have launched the service of "lifetime warranty" with different coverage.

In terms of warranty scope, there are slight differences among various car companies in the scope of lifetime warranty, which can be roughly divided into three types: three electric warranty and whole vehicle warranty. The three electric warranty mainly covers the three major components of new energy vehicles, including batteries, motors, and electronic controls. The overall vehicle warranty includes automotive components.

In addition to free lifetime warranties like Chery, many car companies have also launched paid lifetime warranties. Taking the current purchasing rights of Lynk&Co Auto as an example, the 08 model of this brand has a lifetime warranty option in addition to the 5-year or 150000 kilometer warranty rights. The price is 6000 yuan and can be purchased with points from the official app of the car manufacturer.

Many car owners complained about the similar "routine" in the lifelong warranty on the Internet. For example, if they want to enjoy the benefits of the lifelong warranty, they must regularly go to the official 4S store for maintenance, and the annual driving mileage is not more than 30000 kilometers, and they cannot open an online car hailing service.

Zhongxin Jingwei learned from Chery Automobile customer service that the frequency of maintenance is every six months or every 5000 kilometers driven, and the price of maintenance varies depending on the region. Taking Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen and other places as examples, the price of a single maintenance is 180 yuan.

In response to the statement that "running ride hailing services will result in disqualification from warranty," Chery customer service stated that running taxis and ride hailing services are commercial vehicles and do not enjoy lifetime warranty. According to the platform's definition, ride hailing services cannot exceed 3 orders per day. Lynk&Co customer service stated that whether they can enjoy a lifetime warranty depends on whether the nature of the vehicle has changed. If the vehicle information is registered on the ride hailing platform and becomes a commercial vehicle, they cannot enjoy a lifetime warranty.

Expert: Restrictions should not affect the normal use of vehicles by car owners

"The sales competition of new energy vehicles is too fierce." In the view of Zhang Hong, Secretary General of the New Energy Branch of the China Automobile Distribution Association, lifetime warranty is a charming promotional tool in the fierce competition.

Zhang Xiang, a researcher at the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center of Northern Polytechnical University, stated that on the one hand, we need to attract consumer attention and increase sales. On the other hand, cars are a complex system with numerous components, and problems are inevitable during operation. Currently, the new energy vehicle market is in a stage of price war, and car companies will try their best to shirk responsibility due to cost considerations.

In the context of price reductions and promotions, many car companies have chosen to unbind lifetime warranty and other benefits with vehicle prices. For example, NIO announced a 30000 yuan price reduction for all models in June 2023, but free battery swapping and lifetime warranty benefits will no longer be used as basic vehicle benefits.

Regarding the strict lifelong warranty conditions, Zhang Hong believes that it is understandable for car companies to introduce various promotional measures, but the rights and interests of car owners should not be restricted. For example, bundling to the designated 4S dealership for maintenance by the manufacturer and imposing restrictions on the use of vehicles will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the consumer group.

Zhang Hong believes that lifelong warranty is also something that car companies hope to lock in some profits in advance. The fixed maintenance frequency and the rule that maintenance must be done at official 4S stores can improve the profits of car companies in after-sales. For simple projects such as changing tires and wipers, original parts are generally much more expensive than online ones. This means that if car owners want to maintain their lifetime warranty qualification, they have to pay for these projects every year.

"And car owners, in order to increase profits and alleviate their livelihood difficulties, choose to ride hailing or ride hailing, which belongs to the freedom of car owners. Strict warranty conditions damage the legitimate rights and interests of car owners. Car companies should objectively evaluate whether the vehicle's driving faults can be repaired, without interfering with the owner's normal use of the vehicle." Zhang Hong said.

Zhang Xiang pointed out that the various conditions for a lifetime warranty are still determined by the unique characteristics of new energy vehicles. Like gasoline powered cars, it is possible for a car to drive up to 1 million kilometers, but new energy vehicles cannot achieve this because the battery will deteriorate. However, replacing the battery for free is a great burden for car companies.

Zhang Hong stated that the lifetime warranty for new energy vehicles does not have much practical significance. On the one hand, the failure rate of new energy vehicles is much lower than that of gasoline vehicles. On the other hand, the development of new energy vehicles is rapid, with new cars emerging one after another, and the frequency of replacement for new energy vehicle owners is much higher than that of gasoline vehicles.

The "July 2023 Second hand Car Online Transaction Data Report" released by Tiantian Paiche, an online service platform for second-hand car transactions, shows that in the distribution of new energy second-hand car transactions on the platform in July, the proportion of new energy second-hand cars within 3 years of transaction age was 50.1%. Previous reports have shown that compared to gasoline vehicles, new energy vehicles have a shorter replacement cycle, with 63% of new energy vehicles being sold by owners after driving less than 50000 kilometers.