3rd party warranty (which one do you have)

[Leco_GTI]

Hi all,

I am not sure if this has been discussed but I would like to know if anyone has a 3rd party warranty, which one and how much is it costing you per year.

I bought my 05 GTI almost 3 months ago and it came with AutoProtect warranty for the following 3 months. I had to use them last week due to a failure of the inlet manifold motor and they approved a claim of £320 (£205 for the motor + labour and VAT). I just submitted the invoice and I hope to receive the payment in a few days. I need to give them a call to check how much would cost me if I want to keep the warranty. At the moment I can have £500 per claim and a premium of £75. That's what came with the car. What do you guys have?

Leo

[flashp]

None. With the benefit of hindsight I can say that the only genuine breakdown I've had was a throttle body so I would have spent more paying for a warranty. 

[pudding]

Yeah same, never used warranty companies because there's always a catch!  £500 per claim seems to be the catch here.  Other catches include things like excluding failures resulting from track days, excluding wear and tear + some other stuff.  An exhaust, clutch or chain job will easily eat that 50 sheets, and more.  And if you need a new turbo, it'll cover less than half of it, just for the part.

If we had proper "bumper to bumper" no quibble warranties like they have in America, I'd probably do it.

[Leco_GTI]

I understand your point. If I was mechanic minded I wouldn't mind about warranty but unfortunately I will have to stick with one. At least it saved me £320 just after 2 months of buying the car so I can see the benefit. I believe Warranty Direct covers wear and tear but their prices are higher. On the other hand, my friend had two turbos replaced in one claim (BMW 335i twin turbo) through Warranty Direct. He doesn't have a claim limit and the only thing he paid was £100 excess so I guess it was money well spent for him. With regards track days I believe most insurances won't cover you so it's understandable warranties won't cover you either. Anyway, is always good to get different views and opinions.

[pudding]

Warranty Direct sound a bit more flexible.  How much is the premium on that one?

Yeah you did do well in your first 2 months but you can get a whole intake manifold s/hand for peanuts, but I guess if you're not mechanically minded, you'd still have to pay someone to fit it.  At least your method uses genuine parts, so would last another 10 years you'd hope!

[Leco_GTI]

My friend has to pay £100 for each claim but I don't know how much he pays monthly. And it's a 2008 BMW 335i, so it will be a bit expensive due to year/mileage and power.