A car on the ramp and a claims line on hold
A customer arrives with a car bought from a dealer a few months ago. It has a used car warranty from a third-party company. The gearbox is making a noise. Your technician strips it enough to diagnose, and the advisor rings the warranty company's claims line. Twenty minutes on hold. They want the mileage, the service history, a description of the failure, photos, and a breakdown of parts and labour. They will call back with an authority number.
The car sits stripped on the ramp for two days. When the authority comes, the approved labour is less than your labour time guide and one part is not covered. The customer has to be told what they owe. Six weeks later, the payment arrives short, and nobody can remember which claim it relates to.
Why warranty work is slower than it should be
Each warranty company has its own claims process, its own forms and its own rules about what they pay for and at what rates. Some want photos before stripping, some after. Some pay on a fixed labour rate. Some require the service history before they will even look at the claim.
The advisor learns these by trial and error, often on the phone. The evidence is spread across a technician's phone, the job card and the advisor's notes. When the claim is paid, the remittance often lists only the warranty company's own reference, so matching it back to your job is guesswork.
What slow claims cost you
| Delay point | Cost to the garage |
|---|---|
| Waiting for authority | A stripped car blocking a ramp |
| Missing evidence | Claims refused or reduced after the work is done |
| Rates below your labour time | Hours you work but are not paid for |
| Unclear customer contribution | Disputes at collection |
| Payment not matched | Short payments that are never chased |
Warranty work can still be worthwhile. It brings in customers you would not otherwise see. It becomes unprofitable when the process is left to chance.
How we build a warranty claims tracker
- Each warranty company you deal with has a profile: the evidence it asks for, when it wants photos, its labour rate rules, and how to submit a claim.
- When a warranty job is booked, the tracker shows the advisor and technician a checklist for that company, so the right photos and readings are taken at the right point.
- Evidence, including photos, diagnostic readings and service history, is collected against the job in one place, ready to send.
- When the warranty company responds, the authority number, approved parts and labour, and any customer contribution are recorded against the job.
- The customer gets a clear message about what is covered and what they will pay, before work continues.
- When payments arrive, the remittance is matched against open claims by authority number and amount, and short or missing payments go onto a list to chase.
We do not interpret a warranty's terms for you or the customer. The tracker records what the warranty company decided and makes sure your side of the paperwork is complete.
What warranty jobs look like afterwards
The gearbox noise comes in, and the checklist for that warranty company says photos before stripping and a copy of the service history. The technician takes them, the advisor submits the claim with everything attached, and the question-and-answer on the phone is shorter.
The authority arrives. The customer is told what they owe for the uncovered part before the job continues, not at collection. Six weeks later, the payment is matched to the claim automatically, and a shortfall on another claim is flagged the same day.
- Evidence requirements per warranty company, on the job
- Authority numbers and approved amounts recorded
- Customer contributions agreed early
- Payments matched and shortfalls chased
Is warranty work tying you up?
- Cars wait on ramps for warranty authorities.
- Claims are reduced because evidence was missing.
- Customers are surprised by what they have to pay.
- Warranty payments arrive with references you cannot match.
- Nobody knows how many claims are still unpaid.