Staying put in a confined environment is what everyone is practising in India. Okay, most of us are practising! It is a vital step to minimise the spread of the scary Covid-19 virus. Amidst the actions taken by our government to fight off the global pandemic, the country is facing severe side effects too. The most obvious one is how the economy has taken a hard hit. Nearly all businesses have come to a complete halt, including the automotive sector. And because of that, people might be worried about what will happen to the value-added services which will expire during the national lockdown.

If you are amongst those, don’t worry! Carmakers accept that these are tough times for every one of us. Hyundai recently listed a few initiatives it has taken to support the customers. Now, four more have announced measures to relieve some stress. Here’s all you need to know:

Ford

• The company has extended vehicle warranty till June 30, 2020, for those who have a vehicle warranty expiring between March 15, 2020, and May 31, 2020.
• Customers who have Flexi or Service Schedule plan, and their vehicle services were due between March 15, 2020, and May 31, 2020, can now avail them till June 30, 2020.
• Those who have a vehicle warranty expiring between March 15, 2020, and May 31, 2020, may purchase Extended Warranty till June 30, 2020, without any extra charges.
• Customers with vehicles due for the first or second free service between March 15, 2020, and May 31, 2020, can avail the free service any time after dealerships resume normal operations.
• For those who have booked a BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) vehicle, the company will keep the price protected until April 30, 2020.
• If the vehicle is due for a periodic maintenance service between March 15, 2020, and May 31, 2020, can opt for one until June 30, 2020, and it will not impact the vehicle warranty.

Volkswagen

• Those customers with standard vehicle warranty expiring between March 22, 2020, and mid-May, 2020 (VW’s words!), can avail the benefits up till July 31, 2020.
• For owners of vehicles with standard warranty expiring between March 22, 2020, and April 15, 2020, Volkswagen will sell an extended warranty up to 60 days of the expiry of the standard warranty.
• The company has extended support until May 15, 2020, for those vehicles with extended warranty expiring between March 22, 2020, and April 15, 2020.
• Customers with Service Value Packages can avail the benefits at no extra cost until July 31, 2020. It is applicable for those vehicles which had a maintenance service due in March and April 2020.
• Those who had to get a welcome or a paid maintenance service during the lockdown period can now avail it until July 31, 2020. Although VW hasn’t mentioned it, this should not impact the vehicle warranty.

Isuzu

• Vehicles with warranty expiring between March 15, 2020, and April 15, 2020, get an extension until “end-May” 2020.
• Customers who had to bring their vehicles for periodic maintenance service between March 15, 2020, and April 15, 2020, can now avail the service until “end-May” 2020. Although Isuzu hasn’t mentioned it, this should not impact the vehicle warranty.

Apart from extending support for existing customers, the company has also deferred the introduction of BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) vehicles to the later part of the second quarter of 2020-21 (July-Sep 2020).

Maruti Suzuki

India’s largest carmaker has kept things more straightforward. It has announced that customers who had to bring their vehicles for a free service, avail benefits of the standard warranty or extended warranty, between March 15, 2020, and April 30, 2020, can now do so until June 30, 2020. Unlike Ford and Volkswagen, Maruti Suzuki hasn’t mentioned anything clearly about what will happen to those who wanted to purchase extended warranty packages during the lockdown period.

In days to come, expect more brands to join that list. Apart from carmakers, even the government has announced more support for vehicle owners. It has extended the validity of driving licenses and vehicle registrations, which expired on February 1, 2020, till June 30, 2020.