Aftermarket warranties

[Sheepshanks]

R2T2 said:

Another thing to bear in mind is that AA do a "Breakdown Repair Cover" that for any non-consumable problem they AA will contribute £500 (less a £35 excess) meaning you'll get a cheque back too.

Used them a couple of times, 2 snapped springs and a failed top mount. All paid with no troubles whatsoever. I pay £10 a month for that.

That's great, and pretty good value.

However the OP is concerned about things like the auto box failing, or something going wrong with the (probably diesel) engine. £500 isn't going to cut it.

[Sheepshanks]

Claudia Skies said:

No warranty will cover normal wear and tear and that can hit you with big bills at any time. You'll be stuck with words along the lines of "sudden catastrophic failure".

Warranty Direct cover wear and tear.

[R2T2]

Sheepshanks said:

That's great, and pretty good value.

However the OP is concerned about things like the auto box failing, or something going wrong with the (probably diesel) engine. £500 isn't going to cut it.

You'd then pay the difference, so if the bill was £800, you'd pay £335, and AA would cover the rest.

[Sheepshanks]

R2T2 said:

You'd then pay the difference, so if the bill was £800, you'd pay £335, and AA would cover the rest.

Sure, but I'm thinking more of a bill for a new (or even refurbed) auto box inc fitting being a couple of £K. That's the kind of bill you really need cover for, not £100-£200 if a spring breaks.

[jvr]

Its the big bill in the main, not drop links and bushes as such. TBH any car can throw up nice bills and i've had a handful of Citroens and none of them have thrown anything big but you never know. Just reading the net would get you buying no car in fact as they all seem to have their special weaknesses and pitfalls but maybe not the Japs?
P

[va1o]

I've found Mondial to be quite good and they often come endorsed by the manufacturer, e.g. all BMW extended warranties are administrated by them.

[Sheepshanks]

jvr said:

Its the big bill in the main, not drop links and bushes as such. TBH any car can throw up nice bills and i've had a handful of Citroens and none of them have thrown anything big but you never know. Just reading the net would get you buying no car in fact as they all seem to have their special weaknesses and pitfalls but maybe not the Japs?
P

Get a quote and the size of it will give you an idea of whether the warranty companies regard these cars as a problem.

Really, for the auto-box, you want to make sure it says something like "auto-box and all its components" or something like that and isn't full of random exclusions.

[KarlMac]

My brother works for one of these firms, all he says is make sure you read and understand every single clause in your agreement, because if there is any possible, slight opportunity for the company to not pay, they wont.

[nickofh]

jvr said:

Its the big bill in the main, not drop links and bushes as such. TBH any car can throw up nice bills and i've had a handful of Citroens and none of them have thrown anything big but you never know. Just reading the net would get you buying no car in fact as they all seem to have their special weaknesses and pitfalls but maybe not the Japs?
P

Don't want to make this into a which country makes the best cars thread. But in my experience the Japanese petrol cars have been the most reliable by far.

My first a WRX Impreza which I ran for just over two years had a hard yet well maintained life and was faultless.

My next a Lancer ran for three years and nearly a 100k with no faults or breakdowns at all.

My current Impreza is too new to me to say , but I am hoping for more of the above.

[havoc]

Truckosaurus said:

Mondial's warranties for BMW and Audi have a good reputation, but you are paying £100-200 per month rather than per year.

Erm, I don't think so...

Mate's 335i is <£40 per month.
Wife's Golf GTi is ~£30 per month.

And yes, they're very good - virtually full mechanical-electrical warranties, only downside is they tie you in to the dealer network as they're (AFAIK) mfr-branded warranties.

If you paid 3-figures per month, I suggest someone saw you coming...

[Truckosaurus]

havoc said:

If you paid 3-figures per month, I suggest someone saw you coming...

I got my warranty 'free' as part of the deal buying an AUC from BMW but I believe the list price for a year's cover on the full fat warranty for an M-car with >60k miles is in the region of £2500.

Citation: A quick search shows this thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=134... mentioning c.£4k quote for a warranty on a leggy M5.

[shost]

I've taken a BMW extended warranty on my bought new car when the 3 years were up. Looked all the other independents. Cost varied massively from being cheaper than BMW to being several hundred more.

BMW was a nice simple polite letter without too much small print and one phone call. Went with them.

All the others bombarded me with emails, texts and calls for months. Especially Quentin's lot. This became quite tiring. Also made me imagine a huge sales team in one hall and a small office where a disillusioned chap sits on his own with 40 plus calls in a queue whilst he dismisses claims one by one

[havoc]

Truckosaurus said:

havoc said:

If you paid 3-figures per month, I suggest someone saw you coming...

I got my warranty 'free' as part of the deal buying an AUC from BMW but I believe the list price for a year's cover on the full fat warranty for an M-car with >60k miles is in the region of £2500.

Citation: A quick search shows this thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=134... mentioning c.£4k quote for a warranty on a leggy M5.

OK, I've heard similar (not £4k, but certainly steep) - the M5 is rather a different kettle of fish to most though - BMW don't want to touch them over 60k.

But the E46 always used to be quite reasonable, and non-M's are good VFM...

[itcaptainslow]

If it's an EGS it's not an automatic gearbox. It may look like one inside the car, but it's not. It's a manual with a set of shift motors and actuators attached.

OP, PM me, I may have some interesting pointers for you.