Extended car warranties

JDMYOFAN

Hello all,

I'm purchasing a car next week from a family member. It's had full dealer service history and owned by the family member from new. She's 60 years old, so it's been driven well (to say the least!).

The car is an 03 Golf TDi, so I'm a little concerned about warranties etc. The car has done 90,000 miles so things could start going wrong.

Does anyone use any independant extended warranty companies? I've been quoted around £350 which includes the following!

ENGINE
Cylinder head,
internal bushings,
oil pump,
crankshaft and bearings,
tappet gear,
valves and guides (excluding burnt or pitted valves),
pistons and rings,
cylinder bores/liners,
con rods, distributor drive,
starter ring gear,
flywheel,
autodrive plate,
camshaft drive belts,
camshaft and cam followers,
cylinder head gasket,
turbo/intercooler units,
rocker assembly;
push rods;
timing gears;
timing belts and chains
CLUTCH
Master and slave cylinder,
clutch cable and pedal assembly.
Manual Transmission:
gears,
synchromesh hubs & rings,
selectors,
shafts,
bearings,
drive chains plus gearlever and bushes.
FRONT WHEEL DRIVE UNIT
Crown wheel and pinion,
bushes and bearings ,
plus external drive shafts,
universal joints and couplings,
C.V. joints and differential unit.
REAR AXLE
Crown wheel and pinion,
shafts,
bearings,
hubs and hub bearings,
C.V. joints and differential unit
PROPSHAFT
Propshaft,
universal joints and centre bearings.
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM
Shafts and bearings ,
plus propshaft,
couplings,
C.V. joints,
front differential:
interaxle differential and lock;
rear differential
and lock.
BRAKING SYSTEM
Master cylinder;
brake servo unit,
callipers,
wheel cylinders,
pressure reducing and proportioning valves,
ABS pump and control unit
COOLING SYSTEM
Radiator,
thermostat,
water pump,
heater matrix,
viscous fan,
thermostat housing.
STEERING
Rack and pinion,
steering box,
idler box,
column shaft,
couplings,
power steering unit including pump,
pressure pipes and reservoir,
tie rods and tie rod ends.
FUEL SYSTEM
Mechanical and electrical fuel pumps,
airflow meter,
fuel distributor,
warm-up regulator,
cold start injector,
fuel gauge and tank sender unit.
DIESEL INJECTION SYSTEM
D.I.S. pump and injectors.
ELECTRONIC IGNITION
Ignition ECU and Ignition Coils where fitted as standard by the manufacturer.
ELECTRICS
Internal failure of the starter motor,
alternator,
voltage regulator,
distributor,
windscreen wiper motor,
horn,
electric window motors and front and rear windscreen washer motors,
indicator flasher unit,
heating fan motors and cooling fan motor.
BODYWORK
Tailgate suspension struts
CASINGS
Casings are covered provided they have been damaged as a result of failure of an insured part or by the consequential damage of an insured part failing

or 270 which covers the following
ENGINE
Cylinder head
Cylinder head gasket
Valves (excluding decarbonisation, burnt or pitted valves and valve seats)
Valve springs
Valve guides
Camshaft and bearings
Cam followers
Hydraulic lifters
Push rods and rocker gear
Timing gears
Chains
Belts and tensioners
Pistons
Piston rings
Cylinder liners and linear seals
Connecting rods and bearings
Gudgeon pins
Crankshaft and bearings
Oil pump and oil pump drive
Distributor drive gear
Distributor drive
Flywheel and ring gear
Flex plate/auto drive plate
Inlet and exhaust manifolds
TURBOCHARGER
Internal failure of factory fitted turbocharger and wastegate.
GEAR BOX: MANUAL AND AUTOMATIC
Gears
Shafts
Synchromesh hubs rings and selector shafts and forks
Extension shaft
Torque convertor
Automatic transmission clutches and brake bands
Oil pump
Bearings and bushes
Valves and valve block
Governor and servo.
TRANSMISSION
Crown wheel and pinion
Differential gears and bearings
Bushes
Half shaft and half shaft bearings
Driveshafts
Bearings and constant velocity joints
Propshaft universal joints and centre bearing hubs and wheel bearings.


Is it worth it for the peace of mind?

goldspanners

nj106 wrote: »

Is it worth it for the peace of mind?

probably not.

JDMYOFAN

Hi goldspanners, was really hoping for something a little more constructive.

I imagine you think car insurance is also pointless?

Having had experience with an 11year old French car, I'm used to spending around £150 per month on repairs which would usually be covered by a warranty (most recent being a complete refitting of the rear beam/torsion bars). That was a rather tidy sum of £400.

I'm trying desperatley to pay off debts etc, so would rather see £20 a month go out of the account and then I would know exactly where i stood with my incomings/outgoings and can budget accordingly.

Does anyone here take out such policies? According to whatcar.co.uk the golf gttdi is prone to having 'engine failure', which would be covered by the warranty.

MX5huggy

Another vote of avoid. The basic problem is the exclusions for ware and tair and engin faliure could be classed as this so they would not pay out.

Insurance wise you are right I would not fully comp a 11 year old french car. And a 6 yr old golf is boarder line for me as to if it is worth fully comping.

david29dpo

Check the small print carefully. Whats NOT covered? Like all warranties, its all about probabilities. On average, you pay more for the warranty than paying for repairs yourself otherwise the company would not make a profit. Your could of course claim a future! How much is the warranty?

MX5huggy

david29dpo wrote: »

How much is the warranty?

£350 for the 1st one £270 for the 2nd

JDMYOFAN

There are 2 levels of warranty, which are described in the first post.

The more comprehensive one being £350 per year, the second being £270.

Yep understand that these companies make money, as do car insurance companies, though with the experience I've had with my french hot hatch, it would have paid for itself within a couple of months!!

It doesn't cover wear & tear (even manufacturers warranties don't cover this), but for an additional £50ish you can have thesr things covered (which I would avoid to be honest).

I have a maximum budget of £4500 and can get the golf for £3000 (whatcar price = £4100)

david29dpo

Only you can decide if its money well spend. How much is the car?

JDMYOFAN

david29dpo wrote: »

Only you can decide if its money well spend. How much is the car?

£3,000.

Just that whatcar.co.uk have mentioned that the particular model I'm looking at is prone to engine failure, and the golf will have 90,000 miles on the clock

david29dpo

900000 is not a lot for a good diesel engine, easily capable of double that. personally i would take a risk and forget the warranty.

Hintza

Personally i wouldn't bother. You could insure everything in life but their wouldn't be much money left to live if you did this. I would spend the money on a decent service every year. Keep an eye on cambelts and if it's not on its 3rd think about having that done.

But if it makes you feel better it really is up to you.