Vaillant EcoTEC Sustain Boiler; water leaking from bottom - better to use Vallaint's Repair Service?

greyteam1959

theonenonly said:

greyteam1959 said:

And get your house insurance renewed ASAP !!

Unfortunately no annual servicing was done on the boiler, so I don't think there's any way I can claim on any form of house insurance. 

I meant renew your house insurance in case you have a fire/ flood or any other major disasters.

WIAWSNB

theonenonly said:

Right, good update;

British Gas run a similar product as Vaillant, called Repair and Cover. https://www.britishgas.co.uk/heating/boiler-repair.html

£38.50 a month (£36 for members or £34.75 for members who are energy customers) – £0 excess for future repairs

Pay monthly for your repair plus 1 year’s cover for your whole heating system.

What’s included?

• Expert boiler fix by Gas Safe engineer
• All parts and labour
• 12-month guarantee on repair
• 1 year cover for heating system repairs
• £0 upfront costs
• No fix, no fee
  
  
  

I then looked at the fine print, and unlike Vaillant, there's no limit on the cost of parts or labour. And if they can't repair it, they offer a like for like. 

I had the engineer come down today after booking it yesterday. Honestly, I was nervous about this one, thinking they'd find a way out of it. The guy took one look at it and went "Yep, it's the heat exchange. I'll get the part for you next week." Curiously, I asked how much the part costs. "£700, just the part".

So, for the cost of £462 I'm getting a £700 part repaired. I don't see how British Gas are making any money out of this! Hopefully all goes well next week with the repair. 

What I'm still not sure about is whether the plan includes future repairs, or if it is just a one of repair cost. 

Blimey. That's a result.
Very very strange. Two things: the first is that these sorts of cover do not usually cover existing issues. The other is that BG is seemingly one of the companies who love to declare BEC and push for a new boiler.
But, if it turns out good, then kudos. New policy, perhaps - hoping to keep you as a long term customer?
The fivebilliondollar Q still remains - WHY did the MX fail?
I'm still of the mind that, unless there's a 'good' reason, Vaillant are legally liable.
3 years? Ridiculous.

theonenonly

WIAWSNB said:

theonenonly said:

Right, good update;

British Gas run a similar product as Vaillant, called Repair and Cover. https://www.britishgas.co.uk/heating/boiler-repair.html

£38.50 a month (£36 for members or £34.75 for members who are energy customers) – £0 excess for future repairs

Pay monthly for your repair plus 1 year’s cover for your whole heating system.

What’s included?

• Expert boiler fix by Gas Safe engineer
• All parts and labour
• 12-month guarantee on repair
• 1 year cover for heating system repairs
• £0 upfront costs
• No fix, no fee
  
  
  

I then looked at the fine print, and unlike Vaillant, there's no limit on the cost of parts or labour. And if they can't repair it, they offer a like for like. 

I had the engineer come down today after booking it yesterday. Honestly, I was nervous about this one, thinking they'd find a way out of it. The guy took one look at it and went "Yep, it's the heat exchange. I'll get the part for you next week." Curiously, I asked how much the part costs. "£700, just the part".

So, for the cost of £462 I'm getting a £700 part repaired. I don't see how British Gas are making any money out of this! Hopefully all goes well next week with the repair. 

What I'm still not sure about is whether the plan includes future repairs, or if it is just a one of repair cost. 

Blimey. That's a result.
Very very strange. Two things: the first is that these sorts of cover do not usually cover existing issues. The other is that BG is seemingly one of the companies who love to declare BEC and push for a new boiler.
But, if it turns out good, then kudos. New policy, perhaps - hoping to keep you as a long term customer?
The fivebilliondollar Q still remains - WHY did the MX fail?
I'm still of the mind that, unless there's a 'good' reason, Vaillant are legally liable.
3 years? Ridiculous.

I will definitely pursue Vaillant for how quickly this thing failed. 

On your points about existing faults, having read their T&Cs, existing faults are covered under this specific Repair + Cover plan. And if they can't repair, they will replace like for like.

WIAWSNB

You haven't told us why the mainX failed. Were you told? Did you ask?
I'd recommend doing so.
But, if you have found a repair plan that'll include an existing failed MainX, then cracking find!

theonenonly

WIAWSNB said:

You haven't told us why the mainX failed. Were you told? Did you ask?
I'd recommend doing so.
But, if you have found a repair plan that'll include an existing failed MainX, then cracking find!

So I asked him, and he said "these things just happen, the Sustain is the budget version of Vaillant's boilers". 

WIAWSNB

theonenonly said:

WIAWSNB said:

You haven't told us why the mainX failed. Were you told? Did you ask?
I'd recommend doing so.
But, if you have found a repair plan that'll include an existing failed MainX, then cracking find!

So I asked him, and he said "these things just happen, the Sustain is the budget version of Vaillant's boilers". 

Hmm, flippant, but if that is the case, you have a valid claim against the manufacturer. 

I know what I would do. 

plumb1_2

WIAWSNB said:

theonenonly said:

WIAWSNB said:

You haven't told us why the mainX failed. Were you told? Did you ask?
I'd recommend doing so.
But, if you have found a repair plan that'll include an existing failed MainX, then cracking find!

So I asked him, and he said "these things just happen, the Sustain is the budget version of Vaillant's boilers". 

Hmm, flippant, but if that is the case, you have a valid claim against the manufacturer. 

I know what I would do. 

Vallaint and Worcester have gone down in reliably and will actively try to avoid warranty claims. 

They are the best sellers due to pro active advertising. Just my opinion 

Buy British Buy Baxi imo 

bjorn_toby_wilde

plumb1_2 said:

WIAWSNB said:

theonenonly said:

WIAWSNB said:

You haven't told us why the mainX failed. Were you told? Did you ask?
I'd recommend doing so.
But, if you have found a repair plan that'll include an existing failed MainX, then cracking find!

So I asked him, and he said "these things just happen, the Sustain is the budget version of Vaillant's boilers". 

Hmm, flippant, but if that is the case, you have a valid claim against the manufacturer. 

I know what I would do. 

Vallaint and Worcester have gone down in reliably and will actively try to avoid warranty claims. 

They are the best sellers due to pro active advertising. Just my opinion 

Buy British Buy Baxi imo 

Although, to be fair, Baxi have their “cheap and not very cheerful” boilers too.  Speaking from experience having recently replaced one at my son’s house which was nothing but trouble from the day he moved in. Our regular plumber recommends Baxi but even he said that model was rubbish.

Too many manufacturers are in a race to the bottom it seems these days.

theonenonly

WIAWSNB said:

theonenonly said:

WIAWSNB said:

You haven't told us why the mainX failed. Were you told? Did you ask?
I'd recommend doing so.
But, if you have found a repair plan that'll include an existing failed MainX, then cracking find!

So I asked him, and he said "these things just happen, the Sustain is the budget version of Vaillant's boilers". 

Hmm, flippant, but if that is the case, you have a valid claim against the manufacturer. 

I know what I would do. 

You do have a point. I would not even know where to begin the complaint however, also need to consider the fact I had no service done, and I don't even have the paperwork from when the installation was done 

ethan32

I had a similar experience with my boiler leaking a little from the bottom, and it can be tricky to figure out the exact source. I got it checked once through BrightBurn Solutions team, mainly to see whether it was something simple like a condensate issue or a deeper internal leak. Just having someone look at it made it much clearer what needed to be done without rushing into parts replacement. Even small leaks can cause bigger problems if left, so getting an early check really helps. Manufacturer boiler repairs can be useful if it’s still under warranty, but knowing the real cause first is what matters most.