Third Party Warranties
Discussion
Afternoon all,
I'm looking at buying a car from an independant garage, however, it's over 3 hours from me.
The sales guy says that the warranty offered would be with a third party, for 6 months, due to my location etc.
However, i've heard all the horror stories of these warranties not really being worth the paper they're written on?!
I've suggested that could i not get a local specialist to look at it if anything did actually happen & he said it's down to the warranty company.
Can anybody give me any info on these sorts of companies before i go agreeing any sort of deal?
I'm looking at buying a car from an independant garage, however, it's over 3 hours from me.
The sales guy says that the warranty offered would be with a third party, for 6 months, due to my location etc.
However, i've heard all the horror stories of these warranties not really being worth the paper they're written on?!
I've suggested that could i not get a local specialist to look at it if anything did actually happen & he said it's down to the warranty company.
Can anybody give me any info on these sorts of companies before i go agreeing any sort of deal?
lawrence567 said:
Afternoon all,
I'm looking at buying a car from an independant garage, however, it's over 3 hours from me.
The sales guy says that the warranty offered would be with a third party, for 6 months, due to my location etc.
However, i've heard all the horror stories of these warranties not really being worth the paper they're written on?!
I've suggested that could i not get a local specialist to look at it if anything did actually happen & he said it's down to the warranty company.
Can anybody give me any info on these sorts of companies before i go agreeing any sort of deal?
He should be able to give you a leaflet or something from the 3rd party detailing exactly what is covered in the warranty.I'm looking at buying a car from an independant garage, however, it's over 3 hours from me.
The sales guy says that the warranty offered would be with a third party, for 6 months, due to my location etc.
However, i've heard all the horror stories of these warranties not really being worth the paper they're written on?!
I've suggested that could i not get a local specialist to look at it if anything did actually happen & he said it's down to the warranty company.
Can anybody give me any info on these sorts of companies before i go agreeing any sort of deal?
Often the warranty basically only covers major items such as Engine or gearbox implosion. Suspension, clutch and brake issues will often be dismissed as 'wear and tear'
In summary - Get the details of the warranty and then decide if it's worth a risk.
Couple of things worth noting here.
The dealer selling the car has certain responsibilities re: condition of the car - any faults not declared which become obvious once you get it are for them to sort-out, you don't need a warranty for that.
Buying from a remote dealer makes this harder for you (they're not obliged to come to you or get someone else to do work on their behalf - you must return it to them) so the car had better be pretty special to leave you in that situation!?
A warranty is designed to offer ongoing cover - and 6 months isn't a long time in real money is it?? You need to read the paperwork but it's certainly true that many warranties are a bit crap - they all contain limitations as to
a - not covering wear and tear parts (which covers a LOT of stuff, often including thing like head gaskets, driveshafts etc.)
b - mileage limits (overall and within the warranty period)
c - maximum claim amounts for any fault/overall (often a fraction of the likely repair costs)
d - excesses (you have to pay the first £xxx for each separate repair, or whatever)
End of the day, if I were travelling for 3 hours to get a car I'd want it independently inspected and any issues found resolved before I went to get it - and it would need to be pretty special to travel that far, frankly...
p.s. Remember that you can take your own warranty out also - there are a range of companies who do this and again, read the terms CAREFULLY.
The dealer selling the car has certain responsibilities re: condition of the car - any faults not declared which become obvious once you get it are for them to sort-out, you don't need a warranty for that.
Buying from a remote dealer makes this harder for you (they're not obliged to come to you or get someone else to do work on their behalf - you must return it to them) so the car had better be pretty special to leave you in that situation!?
A warranty is designed to offer ongoing cover - and 6 months isn't a long time in real money is it?? You need to read the paperwork but it's certainly true that many warranties are a bit crap - they all contain limitations as to
a - not covering wear and tear parts (which covers a LOT of stuff, often including thing like head gaskets, driveshafts etc.)
b - mileage limits (overall and within the warranty period)
c - maximum claim amounts for any fault/overall (often a fraction of the likely repair costs)
d - excesses (you have to pay the first £xxx for each separate repair, or whatever)
End of the day, if I were travelling for 3 hours to get a car I'd want it independently inspected and any issues found resolved before I went to get it - and it would need to be pretty special to travel that far, frankly...
p.s. Remember that you can take your own warranty out also - there are a range of companies who do this and again, read the terms CAREFULLY.
There is one company that has been reccomended by a few on here if you search.
My personal experience was with warranty direct and they were truely awful, I really should have pursued it at the time as being missold as it was totally unfit for purpose and the claims process just made my piss boil jumping through hoops which never resulted in me getting the claim validated, only increasing my costs, and finally was told Id have to ship it to fecking wales to be assessed again before being repaired! and when I left it with my local mechanic/dealer and mentioned their name he wanted cash up front 'cause youll never get a penny out of them and I need paid' avoid them at all costs.
Travelling for a car isnt that big a deal but try and get one from a private seller instead, at least then you have a lower initial cost that you could bank the difference for the rainy day?*
My personal experience was with warranty direct and they were truely awful, I really should have pursued it at the time as being missold as it was totally unfit for purpose and the claims process just made my piss boil jumping through hoops which never resulted in me getting the claim validated, only increasing my costs, and finally was told Id have to ship it to fecking wales to be assessed again before being repaired! and when I left it with my local mechanic/dealer and mentioned their name he wanted cash up front 'cause youll never get a penny out of them and I need paid' avoid them at all costs.
Travelling for a car isnt that big a deal but try and get one from a private seller instead, at least then you have a lower initial cost that you could bank the difference for the rainy day?*
- requires more willpower than Ive ever had!
tter nowhere nearby has anything i'm after (sub 60k forfour brabus).
This has been covered a lot.
My Dad is a trader and my mate fixes gearboxes - 70% of his job is "warranty" work.
Really the Trader sells you a warranty to cover THEMSELVES to try to get out of their duties under the SOGA.
Warranties with very few exceptions do NOT cover "wear" only "breakage" 90% of things wear out, 90% of things that break do so because something else was worn.
Successful claims under warranty are directly related to the size of the dealer selling them (they have more pull with the warranty Co.)
Basically at 3hrs away you are only going to go back for a £1000+ repair which the garage would be liable for under the SOGA within 3-6 months of sale.
My Dad is a trader and my mate fixes gearboxes - 70% of his job is "warranty" work.
Really the Trader sells you a warranty to cover THEMSELVES to try to get out of their duties under the SOGA.
Warranties with very few exceptions do NOT cover "wear" only "breakage" 90% of things wear out, 90% of things that break do so because something else was worn.
Successful claims under warranty are directly related to the size of the dealer selling them (they have more pull with the warranty Co.)
Basically at 3hrs away you are only going to go back for a £1000+ repair which the garage would be liable for under the SOGA within 3-6 months of sale.
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