THE PROBLEM OF 11 COACH GUARANTEE
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IirlOWARDS the end of last year we dealt editorially with that important subject, the servicing of passenger vehicles under the maker's or concessionaire's guarantee. This has for long been a bone of contention, and it is obvieus from the letters which we hate received since that time that there are many different views on the question.
In our original editorial on the _subjeet we drew attention to the fact that whereas in the old days many vehicles seldom ran an average mileage of more than 12,000 a year, now, in certain cases, they run over 100,000 •miles in the same period, and many average over 75,000, this being equivalent to six years work with the older machines
and • performed at much higher speeds.
We referred to the . suggest itAl that manufacturers should give a year's free service, and said that .a guarantee for 20,000 miles or .six months meant going to the other extreme, as this mileage might be covered in a.little over two months, and we suggested that only mileage should now figure as the factor to consider.
in some cases our remarks were applauded ; in other cases, strongly criticised, as will be seen from the expressions of opinion with which we will now deal.
Of great importance is that of the Commercial Vehicle (Petrol) Committee of the Society of Motor Manufacturers. and Traders, the secretary of which points out that this question has for the past two years constantly occupied the attention of the committee. The alteration from a period of six months to a period of 12 Months or a mileage of 20,000 (whichever first expired) was made recently, and this recommendation was arrived at only after full consideration of the relevant issues.
The mileage factor as a basis for trmranfees is open to objection :— (a) in practice, because of the diffi culty and trouble of establishing actual mileage; (b) on merits, because mileage alone has no regard to the manner in which a vehicle has been maintained and driven.
The time factor is not open to the first of these objections, and f Apart
from exceptional cases such as those given by us. where mileages of 2O00••per week are ran.-:--Eo.1 pree vides a guarantee . of real value to. many users.
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It' is the considered' opinion of the committee that the present recommended practice is a fair" one in the circumstances.
In the letter from Leyland Motors, Ltd., the following statement is made :--".Our guarantee is a very simple one. We guarantee alt our .machines for 12 months in respect of faulty Material, workmanship and design and we stand behind that guarantee absolutely and generously regardless of the mileage.
"_We, however, insist on fair treatment ourselves and the guarantee is not permitted to apply -where we are not at fault in respect of any of the three _considerations quottd.
.7 We find that this arrangement works adequately, that the strain on . our resources is not an irksome one, and that our o:ustoniers are appreciative of our confidence in our own material, design and workmanship. The incidence of mileage • in respect of . the modern long-distance machine' is an interesting one and involves the manufacturer in further responsibilities, but these are responsibilities which we are prepared to take with Leyland products."
Halley Motors, Ltd,,. writes :—" We agree that the mileage form of guarantee is the most equitable from the point of view of all parties, but there are many -difficulties which have to be surmounted before such it form of guarantee can generally be adopted.
"In our. opinion 20,000 miles is a reasonable distance, as, should any latent defect be present which has escaped the manufacturer's inspection, this is .. almost certain to reveal itself within the named period; should it
not .do so, then it has to be remembered that a first-class manufacturing concern has its, own good name :Ind reputation to maintain, and »-ill always be willing to consider an individual case on its merits after the expiry of the guarantee period.
" We further cannot agree with
your conclusion that, should such mileage be run in a little over two months, the guarantee is 'going to ihe other extreme:
" The shorter the period in which
the stipulated mileage is run, the greater is the stress to which all parts are subjected, and the less the time interval available for recovery front fatigue, which time interval
has been shown by modern research to be of marked benefit to the endurance of metals. We therefore consider that the shorter the time in which the guaranteed mileage is run the greater is the liability placed upon the manufacturers under their guarantee obligations.
"The objections to the mileage guarantee from our point of view as manufacturers are that we cannot tell from our own records whether a vehicle is or is not within its guaranteed period, and, further, that we have to rely entirely upon the user's statement as to the mileage covered by the vehicle.
"Four-figure-reading mileage recorders and speedometers, which are commonly employed, give no conclusive evidence, as it is impossible to verify how many complete circuits of the recording mechanism have been made. Further (even where five-figure instruments are fitted), these are 'very often neglected and, when inspected, are found to be out of working order, whilst all can readily be disconnected should the vehicle pass into the hands of a user whose etamlard of commercial honesty is not all that it should be "Our practice, in the ease of passenger-carrying vehicles, is to guarantee the machine for six months from date of delivery to the customer and, whilst we know that, on this basis, in many cases 20,000 miles are exceeded, yet we have never experienced any serious difficulty with our clients in differentiating between fair wear and tear and liability under guarantee." • Considerable attention to this matter has been paid by Bean Cars, Ltd., which expr4sses some interesting opinions, the following comments being made :—" Since we first produced this type of vehicle we have always given the user a 12 months' guarantee irrespective of mileage, but owing to the very increased distances travelled under present conditions this guarantee basis is obviously absurd. .
"In our own experience It appears that 60,000-70,000 miles is a good average for the year, althoughM course, there are some owners whose yearly mileage does not exceed 30,000 and, whilst we consider that the only fair basis of guarantee is one covering a limited number of miles, we would suggest that the best Way of dealing with the problem is to offer a time-mileage guarantee on the basis of 30,000 miles or 12 months, whichever is the lesser, thus protecting the user who operates on the smaller distance.
• "The question of guarantee of this class of vehicle is one which not only affects the user and manufacturer but the whole trade, and we shall look, with interest, for the comments of other manufacturers."
Very decided views are expressed in the communication from The Star Motor Co., Ltd., which reads as
follows There is not the slightest doubt but that the
old arrangement of a six or 12 months' guarantee is no longer applicable.
" The difficulties of hitting upon a suitable form of guarantee, owing to the large mileages of many modern coaches. are great, as you pointed out in your article, but we are inclined to believe that the best way out of the difficulty would be to give a guarantee for six months, but with a limit of 20,000 "It would be MOSE interesting to hear the views of your readers on this subject."
As will be seen from the notes on the subject received from Crossley Motors, Ltd., this company considers that the interpretation of the guarantee is the • really important matter.
It is obvious that the user is very much in the hands of the maker, whatever be the actual wording, •but, fortunately, the British manufacturer has a very important reputation to maintain. " It is our practice to give a six months' guarantee with chassis sold to commercial users. We are satisfied that this is fair. It
mast always be borne in mind that there must be a limit to„.a. guarantee, no matter what product it is given with.
"There are, of course, many users who have the necessary knowledge awl equipment to lool< after their vehicles in a satisfactory way, but there are others who palpably neglect them. These latter are 'a very Small minority, but nevertheless they exist and probablY always will. The manufacturer is, therefore, bound to protect himself against misuse.
"So far as Crossley Motors, Ltd., are concerned, we consider the interpretation of the guarantee to be of first importance. We endeavour to do this as liberally as possible and to be consistently fair and just. Our experience has taught us that this is all the owner asks for, and we know that equitable dealing always meets with .a gratifying .response from our customers.
"In marketing the Crossley Eagle we made special arrangements to give adequate and prompt service as we realize the importance of this.to_coach-userS.!'
The Associated Equipment Co., .Ltd., is of the considered opinion that a guaranteeshould cover two points, six Months or 30,000 miles: Where Vehicles are operated at high. Speeds, as is so 'often the case in these days, the 30,000-Mile guarantee should apply, as a vehicle of this type might exceed this mileage IV a
considerable amount in a period of six months or so.
-Several well-known manufacturers have written to us but prefer to remain anonymous. One, for instance, points out that our suggestion, that the guarantee on passenger =vehicles should be on. a mileage basis is undoubtedly logically correct, but there is frequently " very great difficulty from the maker's point of view in obtaining the correct mileage which any bus or coach has run. For this reason the company concerned has found it simpler and better in every -way to givea straight six' months' guarantee on passenger vehicles. -Then, when any claim is made under the guarantee, the matter can be decided right away as to whether or not the claini, comes within the period mentioned.
• For goods-carrying " vehicles a guarantee of 12 months is given.
Remarks on a similar basis are made by another company, which says that, whilst the larger companies keep their 'records exceedingly well, the majority of small coach-owners keeps-no records whatever of mileage performed, and if be necessary for a manufacturer to send a representative to inspect a sealed mileage recorder, the service cost must be increased.
. We have a number of ether interesting conununica lions, but pressure of space compels us to hold them over to our next issue.