Warranty Article

[hanswuk]

Increasingly complex electronics are making cars more prone to expensive breakdowns, according to research by Warranty Direct.

Electrical faults have increased by two-thirds (66%) over the last five years, according to the firm’s Reliability Index and analysis of cars aged over three years. Electrical faults are the most common across all cars on Warranty Direct’s database of 50,000 policies, with almost a quarter (23%) needing a repair every year.

Meanwhile, the average cost of repairing failures caused by electrical faults has increased by nearly a third (32%) over the same period, to £300, but can rise as high as £2,804.

While relays and alternators are the most likely components to break, newer electronic innovations like parking sensors are typically amongst the many faults reported.

Warranty Direct named Renault as the most unreliable brand for electrical faults, followed by Bentley and Porsche. While Japanese brands proved to be the most reliable with Subaru top of the list followed by Mitsubishi, Daihatsu Suzuki, Mazda, Lexus and Toyota.

In spite of everything we may read on this forum it appears that Renault, Bentley and Porsche are worse for electrical faults. Unfortunately I don't have access to the full list so cannot see where Peugeot came but it certainly appears that cars generally are becoming more unreliable in respect of electrical items.

 

[Anonymous]

its inevitable as a mechanic no longer needs to just know about engines.

With the availability of cheap electronics now manufacturers can make their cars seem "improved" by adding a host of digital equipment. Its false innovation.

 

[hanswuk]

Here's a link to a list of car makes in order of reliability and cost of repair (mix of how often they have faults and the cost of repairing them when they do) as experienced by an independent warranty provider:

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer

Perhaps surprisingly Peugeot come 14th out of 39 and most of the brands above are Japanese and Korean!