WHY take your new car out of town to get serviced?

That's the question Brad Goldthorpe is asking Balonne drivers as he looks to dispel new car warranty service myths. Mr Goldthorpe, who owns Maranoa Mechanical, said that consumers had the right to choose their own service provider unlike what they're commonly led to believe. “It's quite common for new car owners to think their statutory rights are void if they were to get their car serviced outside of their dealer network,” Mr Goldthorpe said. “This can often lead to unnecessary time and money wasted, as owners travel vast distances in order to see dealerships which aren't available at St George. “But the reality is, that doesn't need to be the case.” Changes to consumer laws in 2010 confirmed that car owners have the right to choose their own qualified mechanic to have a new car serviced.

Local Repco Authorised Service centres, like Maranoa Mechanical, are fully qualified to service new cars and maintain log book schedules. But don't think shopping local means you lose out on competitive rates. Maranoa Mechanical will match any capped price servicing program, allowing Balonne customers the reassurance of knowing in advance the maximum cost for each scheduled service. “It's all the benefits, minus the inconvenience of leaving the Balonne,” Mr Goldthorpe said.

For more information, see: A win for consumers on log book servicing.