Worcester Bosch fixed price repairs

shiraz99

Has anyone used the Worcester Bosch fixed price repair service for out of guarantee boilers?

I think it's around £400, is it really a fixed price and they will fix everything that needs sorting or will they start adding things to the cost on the day? Also, are there any limitations as to the age of the boiler, I think my Greenstar CDi  is around 17 years old now. I'm not sure whether to go for this and give the boiler a new lease of life for a few more years or bite the bullet and replace it. I've had local engineers out and they've all advised that the older Greenstars are pretty much.bomb proof and will continue to work and be efficient if looked after.

ThisIsWeird

What's actually wrong with your boiler?
But, these FPRs are usually good, provided they agree to tackle your age of boiler. They do tend to replace all the dodgy parts they discover, but this can push it into 'beyond eco repair' if your boiler is old, and they'll likely charge you a call out fee for the privilege.
Ask, to make sure.

shiraz99

ThisIsWeird said:

What's actually wrong with your boiler?
But, these FPRs are usually good, provided they agree to tackle your age of boiler. They do tend to replace all the dodgy parts they discover, but this can push it into 'beyond eco repair' if your boiler is old, and they'll likely charge you a call out fee for the privilege.
Ask, to make sure.

It needs a new plate heat exchanger, diverter valve could do with replacing too and when heating the boiler is constantly cycling. It's over 17 years old and installed before magna filters became a thing so it's basically full of crap and could do with with a good clean out. At the same time I intend to get the system flushed and add a filter. Just hoping to add a few more years to it and make it run efficiently again before it gets removed when I redesign the kitchen where it currently sits.

I asked WB and basically it's around £370 which will include 3 major parts and a number of minor bits and they'll give it a full service for an additional £22. It's either this or get a new one installed for around £2,500 which will only be temporary as Intend having it moved in the future as I mentioned earlier.

FreeBear

shiraz99 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

What's actually wrong with your boiler?
But, these FPRs are usually good, provided they agree to tackle your age of boiler. They do tend to replace all the dodgy parts they discover, but this can push it into 'beyond eco repair' if your boiler is old, and they'll likely charge you a call out fee for the privilege.
Ask, to make sure.

 and when heating the boiler is constantly cycling.

I had a period when my boiler would start to short cycle when it decided to modulate down to minimum output. My solution was to set all the TRVs to max to dissipate the heat that the boiler was generating. Seems to be working, and overall efficiency has gone up as a result.

Looking at the specs for the GreenStar CDi range, minimum output is 8kW, so if you've turned down the flow temperature, you'll struggle to dissipate that heat unless you have a lot of big radiators. Some boilers have a menu setting that limits the number of short cycles per hour. Would be worth discussing this with the WB engineer if you get one in.

ThisIsWeird

shiraz99 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

What's actually wrong with your boiler?
But, these FPRs are usually good, provided they agree to tackle your age of boiler. They do tend to replace all the dodgy parts they discover, but this can push it into 'beyond eco repair' if your boiler is old, and they'll likely charge you a call out fee for the privilege.
Ask, to make sure.

It needs a new plate heat exchanger, diverter valve could do with replacing too and when heating the boiler is constantly cycling. It's over 17 years old and installed before magna filters became a thing so it's basically full of crap and could do with with a good clean out. At the same time I intend to get the system flushed and add a filter. Just hoping to add a few more years to it and make it run efficiently again before it gets removed when I redesign the kitchen where it currently sits.

I asked WB and basically it's around £370 which will include 3 major parts and a number of minor bits and they'll give it a full service for an additional £22. It's either this or get a new one installed for around £2,500 which will only be temporary as Intend having it moved in the future as I mentioned earlier.

If you can find a friendly local GasSafe, they might be ok with replacing these two parts with reconditioned items. I'd guess around £30 for the P2P, and £50 for the diverter. Roughly an hour for the job, but obviously more if you are adding a flush and filter - sensible. So, around £200 for just these parts? Which, I guess, makes the WB FPR seem ok, as it'll be warranted, with new - and likely more - parts.
A new boiler should come with a system clean, tho' many - most - will be 'chemical', unless you ask, and pay, for a much more involved 'powerflush'. So, I suspect you'll need to pay for the PF at some point anyway, so the sooner the better!
When in the future do you expect to move the boiler? And will it also be a combi? 
It's a tough call. My GWorm is around that age too, and I've had a couple of FPRs carried out on it. The first was a beaut - the guy even replaced the MainX as he thought is was partially blocked (nah), so I certainly got my money's worth (the other bits being the P2P and pump, and a couple of wee bits, as I recall.) The last time I called on a FPR, tho', following a cracked and spurting Hydroblock, the guy started tallying up the parts, adding a pump as it had had water spurted on it. He then declared it BER, to which I asked him to remove the pump as it was only a few years old, and clearly not affected. He claimed to try, but that he couldn't as he'd already reported it to base. They then sent me a call-out fee of nearly £100, to which I made a complaint. Then finally refunded this. I replaced the Hydroblock myself - the only actually damaged part - with a NOS item for around £45. 
What to do in your case? Since you are planning a boiler move, possibly a heating source change(?), then I think I'd be inclined to nurse your baby along for another couple of years or so. I guess it's a gamble, as the FPR could declare it BER, but they'd have to have a good reason for this. In my experience, they are 'fair', and don't falsely claim to escalate (from reports, BG could be an exception to this).
On the other hand, £2.5k for a new boiler is very good! If you were planning to keep that same boiler after the boiler relocation, then to move it won't be a biggie - you won't have lost out on its purchase, and you'll enjoy a clean system and new boiler right away.
There - that doesn't help you at all :-)
Ok, the 'boiler cycling' issue might be a concern, if it's a recent development? Could be something simple like a temp sensor, or could possibly be a partially blocked MainX, I guess - major, and almost certainly BER. Or, it could be a sticking diverter, so should be fixed as part of the FPR.
Too many unknowns, sadly.
Ok... since the £2.5k quote is reasonable, and if you will be keeping that boiler after the move, I think I'd be inclined towards this option now - peace of mind.
Or, be ready to pay/lose £100 on a FPR attempt! 
Phew :-(

FreeBear

ThisIsWeird said: On the other hand, £2.5k for a new boiler is very good! If you were planning to keep that same boiler after the boiler relocation, then to move it won't be a biggie - you won't have lost out on its purchase, and you'll enjoy a clean system and new boiler right away.

£2.5K is indeed a reasonable price - It is about what I paid for a Viessmann 050 combi a couple of years back (great little boiler with a very good modulation range). Fitting new, bigger radiators and replumbing the system added a bit more to the cost. On the plus side, I can run at a lower flow temperature (good for efficiency and reduces corrosion), and in a better position for the day when a heat pump is the only option.

One thing to watch out for - When you relocate the boiler, it will be subject to Building Regulations, so will require sign-off. Rules are continually evolving, and it might mean that it wouldn't meet the requirements in force at the time of moving it.

Should WB decide that the boiler is BER, I'd suggest getting a quote or two for a heat pump - Octopus were quoting about £200 more than I paid for the gas boiler. That would have included bigger radiators where needed (could have saved myself the effort of doing that bit), and a small amount of plumbing. At the time, I couldn't meet the requirements of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (EPC recommended thermal upgrades), but the rules were relaxed last year.. Some more changes are due later this year which should make it even easier to install a heat pump.