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Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I have grave concerns over where these warranties are going.

The first thing most people don't understand (and just watch them come out of the woodwork to argue) is that in Australia, your statutory protection against Manufacturers Defect is unlimited. That's why you get your Takata airbags replaced, even on a 20yr old car. It's also why there have been numerous other recalls on cars way outside warranty.
In practice obviously, most defects show up far quicker.
Point is that offering a 10 year warranty against Manufacturers Defect is literally worthless (in Australia.)

In the past, warranties did NOT exclude wear & tear, except on specific items. (Usually Tyres, Batteries, Brakes, Bulbs, etc.) But that's why the warranties were limited to 12 months and 20kkm.
In those days, the 2 (and sometimes 3) year warranties were really worth something.
And that was the difference between a factory warranty, and dealers flogging you a "Genuine 'Toyota' Extended Warranty" that wasn't worth wiping your *** on.

But then the warranties started growing, and the "fair wear & tear" clauses began creeping in.
It's the "unlimited km" warranties that really started the rot.
If a manufacturer warranties their car for say X years and 100kkm, and a (non-excluded) part requires replacement within say 80kkm, then you've got a pretty good case. But when they offer "unlimited kms, subject to fair wear & tear" it becomes much harder to claim.

Now having said that, it really comes down to how good the Dealer and the Maker are in reality.

If you want to buy a computer, HP, Dell, Lennovo, and Acer will all offer the same basic warranty. HP are highly professional, Dell are clueless but will keep replacing parts till its fixed. Lennovo or Acer, you might as well stab yourself in the dick with a rusty fork and wait to bleed to death.

When buying a new Ford, I would always shop around for the best deal, but there were only a couple I would take them to for servicing and repairs.
Our local dealer is __ford. For years we lived with walking distance, and I've even bought a couple there. I wouldn't take a car there for warranty issues if they were the last dealer on earth. I reckon if you took delivery of a new car, drove around to service and the door fell off, they'd say it wasn't covered under warranty.
I remember when one of the oldest Ford Dealers in Perth, went under, driven there by their absolutely appalling service department. Obviously their service division would not have made a lot of money, their used car department became a pariah, and ultimately even their fleet sales dried up.

I've found Nissan to be ok, with their dealers a real mixed bag. My experience, and what I have heard, with Mazda has always been good.

I agree with most of this, however, in defence of the longer warranties and exclusions, manufacturers have to draw a line somewhere, you cant expect something like a Shock absorber or clutch to last 10yrs and unlimited kilometres in all conditions, some do, some dont, so it makes sense to have exclusions to keep things in perspective so long as the consumer knows that this is the case.
I don't expect KIA to cover every part of my car for even 7yrs, I understand that certain parts will wear and have read the warranty info provided, but if the trans or engine lets go, I know im covered for 7yrs.
Im 16 months into my 7yr warranty and despite it being one of the cheapest cars on the market, its been faultless so far touch wood and the only thing that did present as an issue was a poorly replaced door handle surround which wasn't even caused by KIA but by the mob who did the tint, yet they gladly rectified it at the first service.