Follow simple Car Care steps to save inconvenience and unnecessary cost says Rajesh Sethi, CEO, Mondial Assistance India
Mondial Assistance, a leading Assistance provider, deals with thousands of vehicle breakdowns every month, many of which it believes could have been easily avoided. Some of the most common reasons for assistance requests are punctures or driver errors such as flat batteries due to lights or other electrical items being left on, overheating, running out of fuel and drivers filling their diesel vehicles with petrol.
However, Mondial is seeing an increase in larger faults often due to smaller ones being left to develop, such as engine coolant leaks that lead to engine overheating ‐ often resulting in a larger repair invoice for the owner. Motorists need to be aware that many roadside Assistance or warranty schemes exclude repairs if the fault is due to a lack of maintenance.
Rajesh Sethi, CEO at Mondial Assistance India explains: Motorists could reduce the number of breakdowns by sticking to some simple car care rules and more crucially, quickly addressing any problems which arise. This will radically reduce the risk of inconvenience due to a breakdown and reduce the financial burden of repair.”
Most new or nearly new cars will be covered by roadside assistance as part of the original purchase package however, in most cases if the car is older than 2 years of age, owners should look to extend their manufacturer roadside assistance scheme /warranty cover or alternatively take out an independent policy. The vast majority of manufacturer extended warranty schemes include roadside assistance and provide a very high level of protection against expensive repair bills whilst providing expert support in the event of a breakdown.
“If you are not currently protected, check what your car manufacturer offers. In the event of a breakdown, you can be assured that authorized repairs will be completed in manufacturer authorized workshop by trained technicians using manufacturer original parts.” recommends Rajesh Sethi.
For those vehicles already covered by warranty, owners should check if roadside assistance is still valid as some manufacturers provide a shorter period of roadside assistance cover when compared to the warranty term.
Many car manufacturers now offer their own, competitively priced roadside assistance schemes. Alternatively, insurance companies, banks (along with credit cards & auto loans) now offer added value services including roadside assistance, so make sure you take advantage of this if it is available. Most of all, once protected, please make sure you carry the assistance provider’s telephone number with you at all times.
