Warranty Management for Garage Repairs in Kenya
How to define, offer, and honour warranties on garage work without eating the cost of every comeback.
Every garage has a warranty policy. Most are verbal, inconsistent, and impossible to enforce.
A written warranty protects the customer, protects the technician, and protects your cash flow.
What a warranty should cover
Two distinct things:
- Workmanship warranty. If the repair fails because of how it was done, you fix it free.
- Parts warranty. If the part itself fails within its manufacturer’s warranty, the supplier covers the replacement.
Keep these separate in the customer’s mind.
Typical warranty periods in Kenya
For workmanship:
- General repairs: 30 days
- Engine work: 90 days
- Electrical and diagnostic: 30 days
- Bodywork and paint: 90 days
For parts, pass through whatever the manufacturer offers. Do not extend it beyond that.
What a warranty does not cover
State the exclusions clearly. The common ones:
- Wear and tear on consumables (brake pads, oil, filters)
- Damage from continued driving after a fault was reported
- Third-party modifications or repairs
- Accidents or misuse
- Parts supplied by the customer
Put these in writing. Signed at release.
Handling a warranty claim
When a customer returns with a warranty claim:
- Look up the original job card. Every job card should be searchable by vehicle or customer.
- Photograph the current condition.
- Determine whether the failure is covered.
- If covered, fix it at no cost. Document the rework against the original job.
- If not covered, explain the exclusion and offer a fair price.
Do not argue with the customer. Show them the job card, the parts log, and the warranty terms.
Tracking warranty cost
Every warranty repair has a cost: parts, labour, and lost bay time.
Log it. Track it monthly. If warranty cost exceeds 3 percent of revenue, either your work quality is dropping or your warranty terms are too generous.
The customer value of a strong warranty
A written warranty is a sales tool, not just a liability.
Advertise it. “90-day workmanship warranty on all engine repairs” is a stronger message than any discount.
How Gariclaim helps
Gariclaim keeps the complete history of every job: job card, parts used, technician, and signed release. When a warranty claim comes in, you find the original job in seconds.
Warranty rework is logged separately, so you always know what your warranty policy costs you.
Start a free trial and honour your warranty with confidence.
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