Seat quality goes from strength to strength

SEAT is celebrating a strong and consistent improvement in the quality of its cars, with the latest SEAT Ibiza performing particularly well.

New figures from the stylish Spanish car maker show instances of manufacturer warranty claims for cars built between 2006 and 2009 have plunged by a massive 35% in the UK, while the number of warranty claims relating to the Ibiza – SEAT’s biggest-selling model both here and around the world – have tumbled by 38%.

This exceptional improvement in the number of claims, which relates to vehicles that have been in service for 12 months, results from a sustained and ongoing focus on improving SEAT vehicle quality at every stage of design, development and construction.

Instrumental in this is the SEAT Technical Centre, based at the firm’s HQ in Martorell near Barcelona, which employs more than 1,000 highly-trained staff.

The Technical Centre boasts cutting-edge equipment such as acoustic, climatic and sunlight reproduction cameras, fatigue test benches for components and entire vehicles, engine analysis equipment, pollution testing areas, test rigs for bodywork rigidity and laser welding and material laboratories.

In 2007 SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen Group, also opened both a new centralised Design Centre and state-of-the-art Prototype Development Centre at Martorell – bringing its entire production process together in one city for the first time in a move that has benefited both innovation and quality.

The good news on quality extends to older SEATs, too, with statistics from Mondial Assistance UK, the extended warranty provider to SEAT UK’s Approved Used Car Scheme, showing the Spanish brand’s vehicles are infrequent visitors to the repair bay.

For instance, this year just nine per cent of the thousands of four- to seven-year-old SEAT Ibizas covered by Mondial Assistance UK have been the subject of a warranty claim.

A spokesman for Mondial Assistance UK said: ‘Our figures show very clearly that the quality inherent in SEAT models speaks for itself.’

Celebrating the good news on both manufacturer and extended warranty claims, SEAT UK Head of Aftersales Nigel Griggs said: ‘The relentless pursuit of further improved reliability and build quality across the SEAT range is key to our success.

‘We’re determined to help our customers feel confident in the dependability of today’s SEAT range including the stylish Ibiza, sporty Leon and luxurious Exeo.’