Aftermarket warrenty...any ideas?
Discussion
Following on my thread here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... re: buying an Astra VXR privately or from a dealer...opinion says buy privately.
But I'd like a warranty for peace of mind if something goes pop after a week.
I want a warranty that's worth more than the paper it's written on, but is moderately priced.
Anyone have any recommendations or things I should consider? (I'd also probably have an AA inspection on the car)
But I'd like a warranty for peace of mind if something goes pop after a week.
I want a warranty that's worth more than the paper it's written on, but is moderately priced.
Anyone have any recommendations or things I should consider? (I'd also probably have an AA inspection on the car)
Edited by adingley84 on Thursday 18th December 16:24
IMO buying privately and then paying separately for a very limited "insured warranty" doesn't make a great deal of sense. Might as well get an "approved used" with belt and braces warranty from Vauxhall.
Personally I'd buy privately and keep £1,000 in your pocket as a reserve fund, just in case.
Personally I'd buy privately and keep £1,000 in your pocket as a reserve fund, just in case.
Knowing how to spell it is a good start.
Being serious though I'd read the small print before I purchase any warranty, particularly requirements in the event of a claim needing to be made and get out clauses. For example some companies will only pay out if you have the invoice for the car's latest service or they may only be willing to pay a certain amount on a certain type of claim. If you needed a new gearbox at a cost of £1500 and the maximum payout on that type of claim is £500, when you're paying £300+ per year for the warranty it's not really worth having it in the first place.
You could just take note of the common horror stories and not buy an astra vxr, or a vauxhall for that matter based on some of the dealer experiences that have been shown on here from people who have actually bought cars direct from vauxhall.
Being serious though I'd read the small print before I purchase any warranty, particularly requirements in the event of a claim needing to be made and get out clauses. For example some companies will only pay out if you have the invoice for the car's latest service or they may only be willing to pay a certain amount on a certain type of claim. If you needed a new gearbox at a cost of £1500 and the maximum payout on that type of claim is £500, when you're paying £300+ per year for the warranty it's not really worth having it in the first place.
You could just take note of the common horror stories and not buy an astra vxr, or a vauxhall for that matter based on some of the dealer experiences that have been shown on here from people who have actually bought cars direct from vauxhall.
Having had an aftermarket warranty, I never would again.
I bought a Merc CLK 320 a few years ago from a Mercedes Specialist, sale price included a super dooper, gilt-edged, platinum, 5 star warranty... which I thought was nice.
Six months later the car developed a habit of dropping a cylinder under hard acceleration - like when pulling out of a side road onto a dual carriageway.
Went into Mercedes, who (after a lot of work and stripping the thing down) diagnosed as a dead ECU. New one required - £1200 part, £250 labour. Spoke to warranty company, unfortunately under clause 16.2.5.8.32.21 in my gilt-edged warranty, a new ECU was not covered. They would cover only the fitting of a recon part.
There were NO recon ECUs available anywhere in the UK for a CLK320 at the time, meaning my only option was to stump up £1450, or send my ECU away to be reconditioned, leaving me without a car for 2-3 weeks.
I got rid of the car.
If doing it again, I'd rip the warranty up, and just keep £1500 tucked away in a savings account, to cover any unforeseen issues.
I bought a Merc CLK 320 a few years ago from a Mercedes Specialist, sale price included a super dooper, gilt-edged, platinum, 5 star warranty... which I thought was nice.
Six months later the car developed a habit of dropping a cylinder under hard acceleration - like when pulling out of a side road onto a dual carriageway.
Went into Mercedes, who (after a lot of work and stripping the thing down) diagnosed as a dead ECU. New one required - £1200 part, £250 labour. Spoke to warranty company, unfortunately under clause 16.2.5.8.32.21 in my gilt-edged warranty, a new ECU was not covered. They would cover only the fitting of a recon part.
There were NO recon ECUs available anywhere in the UK for a CLK320 at the time, meaning my only option was to stump up £1450, or send my ECU away to be reconditioned, leaving me without a car for 2-3 weeks.
I got rid of the car.
If doing it again, I'd rip the warranty up, and just keep £1500 tucked away in a savings account, to cover any unforeseen issues.
When I asked a similar question a while ago the consensus was to stash some cash for repairs instead - I put the initial payment (£250?) into a different account an am transferring £30 a month there. So far it's in profit and has enough to pay for a new clutch, which was the main reason I was considering the cover in the first place.
I got a Warranty Direct policy for my Merc after reading generally positive reviews on the Merc forums. They've paid out £10K+ to some owners.
I've claimed once - for a broken road spring - and they paid out without an issue. They could have easily said it was due to corrosion as that's the reason they break these days.
The main problem people have is they don't understand that these are insurance policies and something has to be clearly broken before they'll pay out.
If you do want to look at WD, then fill in their form online and they'll call you a day or two later and it seems they'll do almost anything to get you to sign up. Once you do, you can still cancel if you're not happy with the policy once you get it.
I've claimed once - for a broken road spring - and they paid out without an issue. They could have easily said it was due to corrosion as that's the reason they break these days.
The main problem people have is they don't understand that these are insurance policies and something has to be clearly broken before they'll pay out.
If you do want to look at WD, then fill in their form online and they'll call you a day or two later and it seems they'll do almost anything to get you to sign up. Once you do, you can still cancel if you're not happy with the policy once you get it.
warranty on my 7-series specifically covers the radiator.
radiator failed so i thought i might claim.... how stupid i was to think that!
there are only a few ways in which a radiator might fail
defective unit - not covered
stone damage - not covered
result of something else breaking - not covered
wear - not covered
so how else could it fail?...
good job i wasn't relying on the warranty. when the dealer handed me the booklet at the time of purchase, i just laughed.
radiator failed so i thought i might claim.... how stupid i was to think that!
there are only a few ways in which a radiator might fail
defective unit - not covered
stone damage - not covered
result of something else breaking - not covered
wear - not covered
so how else could it fail?...
good job i wasn't relying on the warranty. when the dealer handed me the booklet at the time of purchase, i just laughed.
Save your money into an account rather than buy a warranty. They do everything they can not to pay out and only make a decision once the fault is diagnosed. This could mean a full engine strip in some cases and if they then say no you still have a big bill to pay and a car in pieces.
village idiot said:
warranty on my 7-series specifically covers the radiator.
radiator failed so i thought i might claim.... how stupid i was to think that!
there are only a few ways in which a radiator might fail
defective unit - not covered
stone damage - not covered
result of something else breaking - not covered
wear - not covered
so how else could it fail?...
good job i wasn't relying on the warranty. when the dealer handed me the booklet at the time of purchase, i just laughed.
This post sums up aftermarket warranties.radiator failed so i thought i might claim.... how stupid i was to think that!
there are only a few ways in which a radiator might fail
defective unit - not covered
stone damage - not covered
result of something else breaking - not covered
wear - not covered
so how else could it fail?...
good job i wasn't relying on the warranty. when the dealer handed me the booklet at the time of purchase, i just laughed.
Manufacturer warranties can be worthless too. I claimed a few things on my Jag warranty, but as soon as it hit 60,000 miles they told me that anything that failed from that point on would be wear and tear and sure enough they have bounced anything I have tried to claim. Jaguar farm their 'manufacturer' warranty out to a third party. I spoke to Jag customer services and they couldnt give a stuff. Their attitude was 'tough luck' and 'yes its a Jag warranty but its not our problem' .
Similar story with mercedes , faulty SRS which I had worked out was a faulty seatbelt buckle. No No sir its the wiring loom , we need to replace the whole thing . Not covered under warranty. ~£300 which I made the dealer pay as I'd only had the car a week. Of course it didnt fix the problem, failed within a day again and surprise surprise it turned out it needed a new seatbelt buckle. Also not covered under warranty, the dealer had to stump up another £270 to fix that.
Both of these are the premier level/top of the range genuine manufacturer warranties which if you pay for them will set you back £1200+ for a year.
Jaguar were downright rude to me so I wont be buying from them again. Mercedes on the other hand, although it wasnt covered bent over backwards to solve the problem and covered the cost (as they should do under consumer protection). No quibble and very polite with it. I'm considering a Merc now when I replace the Jag next year.
I can only guess that 3rd party warranty is even worse. In future I'll just stick the money in the bank to cover any issues.
Similar story with mercedes , faulty SRS which I had worked out was a faulty seatbelt buckle. No No sir its the wiring loom , we need to replace the whole thing . Not covered under warranty. ~£300 which I made the dealer pay as I'd only had the car a week. Of course it didnt fix the problem, failed within a day again and surprise surprise it turned out it needed a new seatbelt buckle. Also not covered under warranty, the dealer had to stump up another £270 to fix that.
Both of these are the premier level/top of the range genuine manufacturer warranties which if you pay for them will set you back £1200+ for a year.
Jaguar were downright rude to me so I wont be buying from them again. Mercedes on the other hand, although it wasnt covered bent over backwards to solve the problem and covered the cost (as they should do under consumer protection). No quibble and very polite with it. I'm considering a Merc now when I replace the Jag next year.
I can only guess that 3rd party warranty is even worse. In future I'll just stick the money in the bank to cover any issues.
Speaking as an ex-main dealership service manager, the only warranties on used cars worth their salt are manufacturer backed used approved schemes, which generally mirror or are very close to the coverage of the new car contractual warranty.
Vauxhall's Network Q warranty (when I was there four or so years ago) was bloody excellent-it even covered the clutch friction material for a year, which was unheard of!
Vauxhall's Network Q warranty (when I was there four or so years ago) was bloody excellent-it even covered the clutch friction material for a year, which was unheard of!
Quite simply, warranty companies are in business to make a profit. They do that by receiving more money in than they pay out - and that money out includes both claims and their running costs.
So, yes, you - as an individual - may well come out ahead on a warranty. BUT, to do so, you've got to have bought a car with substantial problems that they'll cover. And we've all heard the stories about how likely they are to actually pay out without hassle...
So, yes, you - as an individual - may well come out ahead on a warranty. BUT, to do so, you've got to have bought a car with substantial problems that they'll cover. And we've all heard the stories about how likely they are to actually pay out without hassle...
Ozzie Osmond said:
Dodsy said:
Manufacturer warranties can be worthless too. I claimed a few things on my Jag warranty, but as soon as it hit 60,000 miles they told me that anything that failed from that point on would be wear and tear.
And you're complaining about that!?!?!?!?!?!Probably had the car serviced at kwik fit too (thats ok, block exemption and all that) and wonders why Jag declined a goodwill payment after the warranty expired.....
I know us car folks sometimes receive a bad rap on here but this is the day in,day out stuff that we have to put up with.
Edited by TVR1 on Thursday 18th December 21:08
Edited by TVR1 on Thursday 18th December 21:08
Warranty wise are very good to deal with and have covered components that fail because they wear out.
They will cover the gearbox on an Astra VXR if/you need it. The level of dealer cover is a bit better than the private cover.
Astra VXRs are pretty good fun. Not a bad choice. I have sold a few recently and not had any come backs just get one that has some decent history and hasn't been messed about with.
Actually one came back with a seized caliper and warranty wise paid out for it no problems just wanted a copy of the MOT and the service book.
They will cover the gearbox on an Astra VXR if/you need it. The level of dealer cover is a bit better than the private cover.
Astra VXRs are pretty good fun. Not a bad choice. I have sold a few recently and not had any come backs just get one that has some decent history and hasn't been messed about with.
Actually one came back with a seized caliper and warranty wise paid out for it no problems just wanted a copy of the MOT and the service book.
Thanks all. I'm glad I asked the question, and easy to see opinion is virtually unanimous...
1. Don't bother with an aftermarket warranty!!
2. I'll stick a few hundred quid in an account for a rainy day instead.
(I did this when I was 20 and have a 'clutch fund' that thankfully I've never had to dip into and had virtually forgotten about, so will top that up)
1. Don't bother with an aftermarket warranty!!
2. I'll stick a few hundred quid in an account for a rainy day instead.
(I did this when I was 20 and have a 'clutch fund' that thankfully I've never had to dip into and had virtually forgotten about, so will top that up)
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