Example: Kia. 7 year warranty

With the introduction of the Cee’d car in 2007, Kia introduced the 7 year warranty. This was an industry leading initiative that shattered the previous norm of 3 years from competitors. Not only is the 7 year Kia warranty a confident endorsement of the companies belief in the quality of its manufacturing, testing and design, it also pushes the discussion about end of life of the product and therefore closure experinces.

Manufactures, not only of cars, have traditionally pushed a warranty as an endorsement of quality of building materials and manufacture. Announcing to a consumer that they believe this product will last for an expressed period of time before the product or a component part breaks. The warranty helps in this case as an on-boarding tool. It reassures the consumer that the purchase was a good decision.

What the Kia warranty uniquely achieves is an endorsement for the perceived lifetime of the product. In effect, they are making a statement about the closure experience of the product not just the on-boarding to the product. This provides a healthy platform for discussion when the customer wants to by a new car and the old ones needs recovering, recycling, or re-selling. 

Many manufactures don’t have an open communication channel beyond the 3 years - the length of the warranty. This limits their capability at recovering a product and dismantling it for recycling.