bmw failed turbo - Insurance wont pay!!!!!

[Wombat3]

CrgT16 said:

Well my 2004 320d did 187k miles on the original turbo and clutch! Until I sold it. Maybe I was lucky but I drive sympathetic to the cars and service them well.

Oil changes in the last 50k where yearly. Just in case.

Exactly this. Most modern engines under 2 litres only have 3-4 litres of oil in them in the first place - and then a turbocharger to contend with. Modern oils are obviously better than their predecessors but the idea that these things will do 20K miles/2 years in between oil changes is daft IMO. Speak to any indi VAG or BMW tech & they will advise you to change the oil annually anyway & most will recommend 10-12K miles in between oil changes if you want it to last.

There's a whole industry of BMW indis out there making a very nice living out of replacing turbos, clutches and fixing the effects of snapped timing chains on 4 cylinder N43/N47 motors. Replacement Turbo? 1400 quid, Snapped timing chain? 2K + & both issues known to be exacerbated by a lack of decent lubrication.

Clutch problems are more likely problems with the dual mass flywheels designed to try & deal with the power delivery from (mostly) turbocharged diesels. They just get ripped to pieces.

...and then there's gearboxes and diffs which supposedly never need their oil changing. Right. You only have to pull the oil out of 100K mile gearbox & see the state of it to know that's bks.

Changing fluids regularly (and using the best quality stuff you can buy) is very, very cheap insurance IMO

[PorkRind]

Buy a nice v6 or V8 na

[Greg the Fish]

CrgT16 said:

Well my 2004 320d did 187k miles on the original turbo and clutch! Until I sold it. Maybe I was lucky but I drive sympathetic to the cars and service them well.

Oil changes in the last 50k where yearly. Just in case.

Well whoop-de-f***ing-do.

[neil1jnr]

ericmcn said:

CathyandJimp said:

My understanding is that a turbo should last the life of the car and it failing was 'sudden and unexpected'

seriously........try telling that to everyone who has had turbo failures, and this is a 2006 car. I personally avoid ALL turbo cars and only buy NA cars - i suck up the extra VED in having a more reliable engine.

And lack of torque...

As long as you know the risks it's fine. I have a twin turbo 13 year old BMW and I am well aware of th potential costs if things go wrong, but I'd rather drive it as my daily then any practical N/A car I can think of.

[swagmeister]

Warrantys ? pah ! waste of money.
I bought a 2nd hand car a few months ago, a 2010 with 98k miles. I was talked into a RAC Platinum 12 month warranty (£750).
Ive had to make a claim of £354 for a secondary turbo oil feed return pipe, claim rejected " we dont cover pipes of any sort"
I will have to replace an active anti roll bar hydraulic pipe - body off job looking at potentially £1300-1500 , claim will be rejected " we wont cover that sir, we dont cover pipes"

At this point I lost it and said if you dont cover pipes, whether hydraulic, air-con, cooling, brake, or whatever and you dont over wear and tear your TOP cover doesnt really cover much at all does it ?

[4941cc]

OverSteery said:

Evercross said:

CathyandJimp said:

the dealer I bought the car from insisted we took out 12mnth Gold Warranty cover

You were under no obligation to take the 'warranty' regardless of their insistence so the above point is irrelevant.

A mild diversion, but I thought a seller could sell whatever they like. Can the seller not choose to sell a "package" of car and Warranty if they want to? He would have to be careful what he advertised wasn't misleading of course.

They can include whatever level of warranty cover they like with their offer. However, extended warranties are an optional extra and as a general insurance product, the sale and administration thereof are regulated by the FCA. You can advise, but not insist or force a consumer to buy one. That is not Treating Customers Fairly (FCA's capitalisation).

As another poster advised. It was mis-sold and as such, the premium should be refunded. The dealer should then have their warranty sales process audited...

[IforB]

Simple answer, run it until it does go bang. Then submit a claim...

These warranty companies are shysters though. Hardly a warrant if it doesn't cover stuff like this.

[DJP]

xjay1337 said:

A turbo charger is not a wear and tear part.

Those are

Brakes
Clutches
Tyres
Drive belts (if not changed within manufacturer guidelines).

Those sorts of things.

As I said a turbo is generally able to last life time of car given suitable servicing.

These warranty companies are a SCAM.

I really do not understand people on this thread who think a turbo is a "wear and tear component".

You'll notice they are saying it's a gradual failure and not a "sudden failure" as usual. So if it suddenly blew up then fine but I suspect in Op case a seal has failed.

I bet you their policy wording does NOT exclude turbochargers.

Everything is wear & tear in the end. Every component has a life span. Ultimately, the whole vehicle is a consumable.

For example, if a gearbox fails after 15,000 miles it's faulty and that's a warranty job but if it fails after 150,000 miles then it's probably worn out.

We don't know the mileage of the OP's car but if it's average for 13 years old then it's pretty much an end of life car.

In which case I'd agree that the warranty has almost certainly been mis-sold.

[anonymous-user]

VAGLover said:

PixelpeepS3 said:

Had the same with my Mk4 Golf GTi (20v turbo)

turbo failed, mechanical cover refused to pay out.

Garage re invoiced as a gearbox failure, insurance paid out.

i think there is a lesson in there somewhere..

What, commit fraud?

What like those tuppny happeny warranty companies do all the time?

[buggalugs]

From all these threads that pop up you’re far better off just keeping the warranty money under your mattress then using it to pay for repairs yourself.

[SidewaysSi]

My mum has a 2006 330D with I believe 120k miles plus and no issues whatsoever. Can't say she exactly changes the oil on a regular basis either...