Some 500,000 Proton cars are to benefit from national car maker Proton Holdings Bhd’s new “power window promise”, a power window lifetime warranty.

Group managing director Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the new warranty scheme was applicable to all new Proton models registered from Sept 1 onwards and current Proton models which were still under manufacturer’s warranty as at the same date.

He said the warranty was applicable only to Proton car models sold in the domestic market and to both private and fleet owners.

“It covers four main components to the vehicle’s power window mechanism, namely the power window regulator, power window motor, switches and run channel.

“Upon claim by eligible customers and subject to compliance with Proton’s terms and conditions of the Power Window Lifetime Warranty, the warranty will be undertaken by Proton at no charge, including all labour and parts costs of the power window components,” he told a media briefing today.

Syed Zainal Abidin said consistent with global automotive standards, the warranty was limited to 250,000km or 10 years from the date of the vehicle registration, subject to whichever occurs first.

He said while Proton has made significant efforts to improve its quality as  reflected in its new generation of vehicles, some negative perception of the brand continues to exist till today.

“Correcting this perception albeit challenging is a necessary task. This Power Window Lifetime Warranty is one of the initiatives that is being undertaken to put to rest this particular stigma.

“Our message is simple, should you buy a Proton car today, please know that the power windows are working, if they are not, please change it for free,” he added.

Meanwhile, in what is a reflection of corporate camaraderie, Proton Holdings Bhd has offered the storage facility at its Tanjung Malim plant to automakers in Thailand, affected by the flooding there.

“We are open for negotiations at any time,” Syed Zainal Abidin said today.

He said when the deadly tsunami struck Japan and jeopardised the auto industry, it prompted many automakers from the country to set-up operations elsewhere.

“That is why we have joined hands with MMC Corporation Bhd to make us among the top destinations for storage,” he added.

On Proton’s operations in Thailand, Syed Zainal Abidin said the company’s 34 sales outlets in the country were not badly affected.

“Thailand is a very important market for us and we are monitoring the situation closely. So far, the business there in terms of sales has not been disrupted,” he added.

- Bernama