What is a point in car warranty?

[ph80]

I had a BMW a few years ago. Had a Warranty Direct warranty. Main Dealer refused to speak to them and stated its too much hassle and that I will always have to pay first.

Now I only buy cars with manufacturer warranties e.g. Mercedes Benz Tier 1. I used this on my last car - the dealer contact the warranty department and it all happens in the background without any need for me to do anything.

My opinion - 3rd party warranties are a complete waste of money!

 

[MB8701]

I have to say I have never really had a warranty but have always thought of having one outside of a standard 3 year manufacturer one.

From A LOT of what I have read - if you follow their rules then 99.9% of the time the claim will be paid for.

As soon as you break their rules then its a no go area.

Its very simple - you HAVE TO CALL THEM before you have any repair work done.

I know this sounds crazy but I really do think its a fair point. I know we are honest and genuine people but you also have to realize there are 1000'S of people who fraud these companies and others and so they do need to be careful.

outside of manufacturer and mondial warranties I have heard mostly good things about warranty direct and also the AA warranty which is for small claims up to 500 pounds 5 times a year I think

 

[brucemillar]

Hmmm interesting posts here. MY experience in North Kent (when I attempted t make my claim) Very few garages would deal with WD. All said that they would not make or broker calls to WD. Nearly all gave the same story, of long telephone calls, hassle over wear & tear v broken etc. My local guy says they cost him money and lose him business as some customers think he is the issue.

I suspect that dealer warranty on a new car is less hassle although I have seen threads on here that suggest not always so. With people having to cal MBUK etc.

 

[Borys]

How much are you paying for warranty cover? I would think that a contingency of 80 quid p/m would b e more than enough.

300£ a year which covers first 2500£ from any repair 80£ on a 22000£ car don't think will cut it

 

[Dieselman]

What is wrong with your car?

 

[Rory]

I suspect that dealer warranty on a new car is less hassle although I have seen threads on here that suggest not always so. With people having to cal MBUK etc.

Yes, and you certainly do see complaints about BMW's warranty too.

The other thing is that the cover drops off a lot with manufacturer schemes at certain mileage (think it's 60K with MB) and age. WD cover failure due to wear and tear, which the manufacturer schemes don't.

I pay £43/mth for mine but that's a little dearer than it needs to be as it's on a rolling monthly contract. I have zero excess and the betterment clause (where you have to pay a % of the parts cost over a certain mileage) removed. Cover is up to the value of the car (which could well be an issue soon!).

I got it as the car needs to be available for work so I can't mess about trying to get a cheap repair if something goes wrong, and, although there's a few indies around here there's no "stand-out" great one within easy reach, so I've always used the dealership.

I'm buying peace of mind, really - same as you do with house insurance, you don't expect your house to catch fire, but most people wouldn't dream of not covering it. I bought it as a safety-net - I'm not bothered about small value issues, but things like the COMAND system, for example, can just fail and they cost £3K from MB to replace.

 

[C36fan]

Yes, and you certainly do see complaints about BMW's warranty too. The other thing is that the cover drops off a lot with manufacturer schemes at certain mileage (think it's 60K with MB) and age. WD cover failure due to wear and tear, which the manufacturer schemes don't. I pay £43/mth for mine but that's a little dearer than it needs to be as it's on a rolling monthly contract. I have zero excess and the betterment clause (where you have to pay a % of the parts cost over a certain mileage) removed. Cover is up to the value of the car (which could well be an issue soon!). I got it as the car needs to be available for work so I can't mess about trying to get a cheap repair if something goes wrong, and, although there's a few indies around here there's no "stand-out" great one within easy reach, so I've always used the dealership. I'm buying peace of mind, really - same as you do with house insurance, you don't expect your house to catch fire, but most people wouldn't dream of not covering it. I bought it as a safety-net - I'm not bothered about small value issues, but things like the COMAND system, for example, can just fail and they cost £3K from MB to replace.

I bought the mine for the same reason , they sent a inspector to check my car and in his report classed the car as faultless , so I expect if something goes wrong as stated in their contract they have to pay 70% of the value of the parts and up to £200 per hour , but it costed me £900 for the year .

 

[John Jones Jr]

So you have to keep in mind what these things are - they're not really warranties at all - they're insurance policies. Something breaks - you make a claim.

I suppose the dealer doesn't want to take on the risk of not being paid, plus you have to demonstrate that the car has been serviced and MOT'd for the claim to be valid.

WD say if you use an approved garage then they can be paid directly although I've seen comments that such garages are thin on the ground.

If the repair has been authorised then there should be no risk.

O.k. Rory, I understand the point you are making, then again I take out insurance policies and if or when I make a claim I still don't pay first and ask for reimbursement from the insurance company.

Regardless, personally I don't it's the right or a fair way to do business. There's a bit the tail wagging the dog going on with the way WD are handing claims imo.

Anyway your sorted & happy.

 

[Borys]

What is wrong with your car?

Sorted today for free
Thank you MB for great customer service

 

[kianok]

Sorted today for free
Thank you MB for great customer service

For the price of your warranty you mean?

What was the problem?

 

[markjay]

For the price of your warranty you mean?

What was the problem?

Free... at the point of delivery

 

[Borys]

Free... at the point of delivery

Sorry I should have say was done for free by my indy and f&£;: y@& MB customer service

 

[Derek Smith]

I had the balance shaft gear wear enough in my 350 SLK to set the fault log flashing. Took it to a local M-B specialist and pointed out that I was just one year into a 3-year warranty, the top of the range one. Had a chat with the boss who told me they had two previous 350s they had dealt with under warranty, one from my insurance company the other from another, and he produced the figures of how much the insurance paid and how much the poor sap with the defective engines did.

£thousands from me, possibly more.

So the idea of peace of mind, as the chap on the advert said, was perhaps not completely true.

That said, I got 3-years insurance on my current CLK. The company I bought it from assured me that if I did make a claim and they were not reasonable, to contact them and if they felt it was being less than cooperative they'd assist me. This is the fifth car that I've bought from that company and had no problems with any, despite owning all >5 years. They said that the amount of profit the insurance company makes from their business means they have a pull.

We'll see. Or rather, I hope we don't see.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Well, my view is very simple. These warranty/insurance companies like Warranty Direct are just playing a numbers game at the expense of their customers. I'd imagine the attitude at head office is to find reasons not to pay (throw in plenty of ambiguity,conditions & poor communication) than reasons to pay.



P.s. I personally would not buy one of the 'insurance policies', far better off self insuring, i.e. take the risk as everybody does buying a used car.

 

[Meldrew2]

Thank you MB for great customer service

Not something I read very often...

 

[Mrhanky]

I can understand the attraction of having a warranty for an expensive car up to say five years old. After that age I think the odds of getting a successful claim out of the warranty company are not in the consumers favor.

I purposely stuck some of the cost of my car onto a credit card to afford some protection. The car developed faults within a month of ownership and initially the garage where not forth coming. Once I pointed out my options for restitution they paid up the £700 within a few days.

The other work I have had done is due to my picky nature with cars and wouldn't have been covered by any warranty. So overall I'm glad I didn't buy the warranty direct policy at £950 for the year.

Also I'm not convinced it suits many people as most will just want it repaired quick due to inconvenience of being off the road.

 

[brucemillar]

How strange.

Dog walking today met fellow dog walking neighbour.

He tells me is unhappy as a rear door lock solenoid failed on his car. Called up (for the 1st time) his Gold Star Warranty Company, who argued that the solenoid is classed as electrical/wiring so not covered.

He argued that the solenoid is a mechanical component driven by an electrical current and as he could see that the current was reaching the solenoid it was the mechanical solenoid that was faulty. he then proved this by swapping with the other door solenoid.

Still no payout. On principal he fired off a legal letter to their CEO. Claim paid out. Took five weeks. to get £125 refunded.

 

[After Shock]

Well, my view is very simple. These warranty/insurance companies like Warranty Direct are just playing a numbers game at the expense of their customers. I'd imagine the attitude at head office is to find reasons not to pay (throw in plenty of ambiguity,conditions & poor communication) than reasons to pay. P.s. I personally would not buy one of the 'insurance policies', far better off self insuring, i.e. take the risk as everybody does buying a used car.

After having warranties AND READING THE SMALL PRINT I have given up on third party ones as the part you claim on always seems not covered. Or is a wear and tear consumable!

I had a water pump go. I questioned/argued/cajoled but to no avail. I'll not go into the long boring story. In my view it was faulty (garages view to) but the warranty classed it as wear and tear.

Perhaps on a new MB with Tier one a different story. But on "older" cars I can't find a warranty I would use. I insure my house, car, me, wife, etc, etc but car warranties!!!!!

On topic in a way both our dogs are insured with Pet Plan. They have been really unlucky in various problems!!! I think we hit the £6k individual yearly limit on the older dog for cancer a few years ago. Ongoing each year Pet Plan have paid out well over the £450 per annum policy cost without quibbling. I guess this is as it is vet referral.

 

[kianok]

He argued that the solenoid is a mechanical component driven by an electrical current and as he could see that the current was reaching the solenoid it was the mechanical solenoid that was faulty. he then proved this by swapping with the other door solen.

Wonder how they think a starter motor works.....