momentum warranties - the wear and tear scam

eileandonan21

So wife calls me and says her car is making a screeching noise and blowing black smoke. I tell her not to drive it one inch further and have it recovered - which she does. The garage it was recovered to immediately diagnoses turbo failure.

Wife thinks, I have an extended warranty, it covers turbo failure so all looks good. Garage removes turbo for inspection and reconditioning and files a claim with Momentum.

Momentum send an independent engineer to inspect the turbo. While he was on the garage premises talking to the mechanic there, the engineer says bearing failure.

About 2 weeks pass with garage owner ringing every day for authorisation and getting the runaround for no good reason. Eventally lost patience and send recorded delivery letter asking for final position. Received a letter back which you can now view at www dot oldcoach dot plus dot com

(not allowed to post actual links)


Our landline records incoming numbers as does wifes mobile. Once call was received by a 01738 number, no other attempts to call were made.

I have contacted the FSA to try to understand how an FSA-regulated company can sell and administer policies which lie outside of their FSA authorisation. Their letter says "Authorised and Regulated by the FSA" at the bottom - and its all over their website. It seems highly peculiar if not actual misrepresentation to then be selling warranty policies which lie outside that regulation.

Now onto the engineers report. The failure mode is correct, but of course it was a sudden failure. My own engineer's report says:
Rotating mechanical components will always be subject to wear. Under normal circumstances, this leads to a gradual reduction in performance. However in this case the turbocharger central bearing - which is not a serviceable component - failed resulting in blade damage. This failure lies outside the normal expectation of progressive wear.

So there you have it - it was driving fine one minute, but undriveable the next, yet Momentum say it was not a sudden failure. Their engineer says service wear, but another says component failure. Fortunately statistics are on our side - if turbos failed like that through service wear they would be popping all over the place and changed as regularly as brake discs - clearly they're not. Turbo reconditioners are not as common as brake and clutch centres.

Wife has another car to drive. Fortunately, as Momentum have dragged this out for a month now.

There are some more interesting details concerning the independent engineers report - but I need further legal advice before putting in the public domain just yet.

s_b

you want the turbo to last forever never wear out and if it does you want someone else to pay?
is that right?
maybe if you said year model miles when last time car oil was changed does it get sintered down after a long journey then we may be able to offer some advice

NeverEnough

s_b wrote: »

you want the turbo to last forever never wear out and if it does you want someone else to pay?
is that right?
maybe if you said year model miles when last time car oil was changed does it get sintered down after a long journey then we may be able to offer some advice

No need to be sarcastic to the OP, they are new after all. And yes, if you have a warranty on a car it should really be worth more than the paper its printed on. Turbos are one of the reasons a lot of owners buy the additional warranties due to the high costs of repair or replacement. And the old wear and tear saga can be applied to absolutely everything in a car, after all its getting older and the parts are all being used so therefore may be wearing out, cue reason to refuse paying out.

OP, unfortunately car warranties are incredibly well known for refusing to pay anything, usually citing the old wear and tear saga, without a considerable fight.

How long have you had the car, what sort of service history does it have and mileage etc? What make and model? Just so we have better info on which to base an opinion.

@s b - yes, the point of having a warranty is for someone else to pick up the tab when the car breaks down unless its a clear wear and tear issue, like brake pads for instance.

peter_the_piper

As OP has not said how old the car is you are being a bit harsh with him. If car is 10 yrs old then you are right but if its only 2 yrs old then the OP is.

eileandonan21

why does it matter what the age and mileage is?
It does matter if it has a full and proper service history - which it does - but Momentum were happy to take money and sell an insurance policy to cover items which do wear out by their very nature. If those items then fail - rather than simply wearing out - then I expect that insurance policy to pay.

Momentum had the choice whether or not to offer a policy for the car, of that age and mileage, and they chose to do so. Effectively it's a bet which they lost.

peter_the_piper

I thought that we were on the side of the OP, Oh well!

s_b

NeverEnough wrote: »

No need to be sarcastic to the OP,

i wasnt i was getting to the point and they have still failed to answer it
all they have done is waffled on and on like you have but expect internet answers in their favour

doesnt happen in the real world
no warranty is bomb proof especially if you dont understand the small print
from momentum site direct

Turbo Charger

Bearings, Shafts, Impellers, Waste Gate and Valves.

i dont see it mentioning wear and tear

eileandonan21

yes, but what is your point?
If I said, 5 years and 50k is that OK then
If I said, 10 years and 100k is that not?

If I said 5 years, 50k and a Renault Espace or Ford Mondeo, does that result in a different answer from Mercedes C series with 100k?

If the independent engineer says bearing failure, then is that not absolute. If not, what's he there for! The momenutum website doesn't say wear and tear but we're not claiming on that basis

And, from the momentum website, what is needs is a bearing and impeller.

laidbackgjr

eileandonan21 wrote: »

If the independent engineer says bearing failure, then is that not absolute.

Bearing failure is the cause of the turbo failing, but what has caused the bearings to fail, have the bearings failed through wear and tear or through defect?

If it's done 100k then the bearings are likely to have failed through wear and tear, if it's done 20k then the bearings are likely to have failed through defect and should be covered under warranty.

That's why mileage, age, service history are important.

mattyprice4004

What mileage is the vehicle on, and how old is it?
Make and model?

NeverEnough

s_b wrote: »

i wasnt i was getting to the point and they have still failed to answer it
all they have done is waffled on and on like you have

You are very rude and obnoxious, it must be fun for keyboard warriors like you to be able to be rude and sarcastic for no reason other than they can.