My PD vRS has just come out of warranty so I am considering taking out an aftermarket warranty, either the Skoda offering or an independent equivalent such as Tesco Finest or Warranty Direct.

Do any of you have any real world experience of any of these schemes? Do they cover things that actually go wrong and are they reasonable about paying out?

I have just had a turbo replaced under warranty (just!) and would not have wanted to pick up the bill for this, so I am wondering whether there are other major components that are prone to failure - dual mass flywheels and air con compressors come to mind as likely candidates.

Any views?

I got a very good deal from James Rothwell at Allams Skoda - see Briskoda partners.

I found that every dealer I rang for a 2 year extended warrantee quoted a different price and James beat them all as I enquired via Briskoda.

I think that although cars today are generally more reliable than they used to be (maybe because manufacturers can find it hard to lose a reputation for unreliable cars) but when they do go wrong the cost of repairing them is often very expensive. Also they are not as easy to repair yourself either.

For this reason I would consider take out an extended warranty. I'm a member of the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA) and they offer the Car Care Plan warranty (http://www.petrolprices.com/car-warranty-carcareplan.html) which I'll compare with the dealers and other schemes before the manufacturers warranty expires. Note click on the 'Warranty Guide' in the top right hand corner of the link.

I presume that all schemes cover the engine and transmission but I don't know if they also include things like vehicle electrics, air-con, ABS etc. I don't expect any of them to cover cosmetic items like trim or parts that are designed to wear like brake pads and tyres (but I would expect it to cover the clutch).

I've just taken out mine with Warranty Direct. I got a much better deal than the Skoda warranty through my local dealer. Far more is covered including Service and MOT failure items; wear and tear; electrics; mechanics etc etc. Also payable in installments which suits me better.

I have just had to make a claim as my throttle body went kaput and local Skoda dealer rang up WD and they OK'd it over the phone. I had to pay the repair in full and I'm now just claiming the money back, which I really hope won't take too long as it was £400!

HTH

The warranty on my vRS ends in January.

I'm not sure which option I'll go for.

However I'm most tempted to get an extended Skoda warranty.

It will cover everything the original 3 year warranty did.

I'm also assuming there will be offeres to extend "Skoda Assist" which gives you European assistance.

No doubt the Skoda extended warranty will be okay but I still think it's worth shopping around to see how they compare with others. If the Skoda Finance and GAP insurance schemes are anything to go by they may not be the most competitive.

The warranty on my vRS ends in January.

I'm not sure which option I'll go for.

However I'm most tempted to get an extended Skoda warranty.

It will cover everything the original 3 year warranty did.

I'm also assuming there will be offeres to extend "Skoda Assist" which gives you European assistance.

Thank you all for your replies.

Stoofa, I think you'll find the Skoda extended warranty is far more restricted than the original. I had a look at a copy of the terms at my local dealer and it certainly doesn't cover body components and trim and it excludes a lot of the electrical or mechanical subsystems.

The price I was quoted was £299, not including Skoda Assist which would be an extra £50

The 'Skoda' extended warranty is just a Car Care Plan scheme which is Skoda branded and sold by Skoda dealers. The Tesco Warranty is also Car Care Plan, it costs £339/year for a vRS on the 'Gold' scheme and has much wider coverage than the Skoda warranty, including wear and tear items, so is better value IMHO.

My warranty is up in March 2010 so I'm looking at options at the moment.

Warranty direct does seem to get good reviews, but does anyone know if having a modified car makes a significant difference?

I'm assuming it does :(

My car is in a garage right now with a gearbox faliure.

Warranty direct have rejected the claim because they beleive it to be a Fair wear and tear item that caused the damage.

Currently seeking advice from Skoda on this matter. And Ctizens advice.

My advice to anyone looking to use Warranty Direct... don't bother.

That sounds outrageous ! How old is your car and how many miles have you done, was it the gearbox itself that hey think is worn or another part that failed that they consider to be a fair wear and tear item (if so then IMHO they should still pay for the gearbox) ?

I've had cars that have done over !00,000 miles and were 11 years old without needing to replace even the clutch, do you know at what point do they consider things to be fair wear and tear, is it defined in the terms and conditions ?

Currently fighting my case with them as i type this.

Car turned 4 yr old on 31st sep and has covered 63,400 miles.

Currently they keep quoting FW&T items at me, but fail to provide a list of items in the gearbox that are required a change and at what interval.

The example i was given (on the day i took the policy) of a FW&T item, was a cambelt because it needs replading at an interval or time frame set out in the service manual.

I have the 'Extra care' warranty, which is one of the better ones (so i was led to beleive).

And to top it all off, they won't allow me to cancel the policy (despite being with the cooling off period) because i 'have made a claim' :eek:

The saga continues.

Take my advice and avoid them.

I hope it works out for you, as far as I'm aware there are no wear and tear items in the gearbox other than the occaisonal topping up of lubricant when required and I certainly not within 63,000 miles. I'm sure Skoda don't recommend any replacement parts in the service schedule for it.

Maybe I'll give Skoda a ring and see what the warranty situation is with them.

I hope it works out for you, as far as I'm aware there are no wear and tear items in the gearbox other than the occaisonal topping up of lubricant when required and I certainly not within 63,000 miles. I'm sure Skoda don't recommend any replacement parts in the service schedule for it.

I have spent many many hours today searching for more info on this topic, and it seems that 'warranty direct' are the only people who class GB parts as wear and tear items.

Tommorow I will be seeking advice and starting complaints procedures.

In the meantime I need to pull £1000 out from behind the cushion on the sofa, on top of the £240 I wasted on the policy.

And to top it all off, they won't allow me to cancel the policy (despite being with the cooling off period) because i 'have made a claim' :eek:

So how long had you had this policy before you suffered major gearbox failure and needed to make a claim?

IIRC isn't there a sort of intro period that they don't like you to make a claim in? 90 days*? So they don't think you found a major problem and then signed up to get it fixed cheaply. A few years ago I was able to claim for a gearbox to be stripped and the bearings replaced on an Ibiza.

*unless the WD cover follows on from the manufacturers warranty, as in when it gets to 3 yrs old and you take the policy out straight away.

So how long had you had this policy before you suffered major gearbox failure and needed to make a claim?

IIRC isn't there a sort of intro period that they don't like you to make a claim in? 90 days*? So they don't think you found a major problem and then signed up to get it fixed cheaply. A few years ago I was able to claim for a gearbox to be stripped and the bearings replaced on an Ibiza.

*unless the WD cover follows on from the manufacturers warranty, as in when it gets to 3 yrs old and you take the policy out straight away.

Yes you are correct, the policy won't cover FW&T items within 90 days of taking a new policy.

But a gearbox isn't a FW&T item, and a component failed completely leading to the box destructing.

If it was a brake faluire, or an oil filter I would agree with them, but a Gearbox?

I wouldn't agree with it being a FW&T item but it looks like they're just trying to avoid the claim. Had you had the policy and claimed after 91 days, I would expect their atitude to be different.

You can understand where they're coming from though can't you? They need to do something to portect themselves from the situation I described and you have been unlucky enough to have something go so soon.

I think there is a misunderstanding about what these 'warranties' cover and what a FW&T item is.

The majority of aftermarket so-called warranties are actually breakdown insurance policies. They are not meant to replicate the manufacturer warranty. Thus, normally, a component has to fail suddenly and catastrophically and the car stops moving. So, for example, the gearbox mainshaft snapping would be covered, but not a bearing failure.

FW&T items are not just serviceable/replaceable items, but also items which wear over time (like bearings). So essentially the bits that would be expected to last the life of the vehicle are covered, but many other parts are not. Another example is that often gaskets are not covered, but castings are - so you are covered for a cracked inlet manifold, but not for a weeping inlet manifold gasket. Guess which is the more common fault?

But the bearings are listed as being covered, so calling it a FW&T item on the phone, but stating in the policy that it is covered, is misleading.

I'm seeking advice today and starting the complaints procedure. Not giving me cover I have paid for is bad enough, but not giving me a refund is taking the Mick.

What has actually gone wrong with the gearbox?

The devil is in the detail. Do they actually cover bearing wear and tear, or only 'failure' of the bearings (i.e. the bearing has to catastrophically fail).

Obviously I'm not familiar with the details of you particular policy, but past experience with aftermarket warranties has taught me to be very circumspect.

Here is the policy i have:

http://www.warrantyd...K_ExtraCare.pdf

At the moment NOBODY (either myeslf or the warranty company) know the exact cause because they have already thrown the FW&T card on the table, so the garage doesn't have authority to start work, and the warranty company haven't inspected it.

At the moment i'm waiting for CAB to open, and then i can get some advice from them, but in the meantime i'm planning to let the garage remove the gearbox and inspect it, and then compile a report to send to WD along with my proceedings with a complaint.

At the end of the day, if WD don't pay out on an object that they state is covered, then i have to foot the bill meaning i will need to get the car roadworthy, and immediatly sell because i will have to borrow funds to have the work carried out.

This is why i'm so desperate to get it all sorted ASAP or get my money back for the policy/3 sheets or expensive paper.

I don't like the look of this policy at all. I think you will be excluded from claiming.

Clause 2 (page 9) effectively excludes almost all claims since it could always be said that an item has failed 'mainly or completely' through wear and tear. At the end of the day most cars go wrong because of wear and tear.

Also Clause 15 effectively lets them off the hook.

Note also on p4 that the policy only covers:

"the sudden and unexpected failure

of a part arising from any permanent mechanical,

electrical or electronic fault, which causes the part to

stop working"

i.e. so a worn and noisy bearing is not covered. The bearing has to effectively go 'bang' and fall apart. Bearings don't normally do that.

In any event you can't even start the argument until the fault has been determined.

I've just been to the garage and spoken to a mechanic.

He has said (going from experience, but not from inspecting the GB) that he beleives the gearbox failed due to 5th gear shearing teeth

He thinks that 5 gear has sheared teeth, resulting in the metal bouncing around inside, and punching a hole through the GB casing, resulting in an oil leak (not surprisingly) and the bearings wearing down as a result.

BUT, as the car still drives (across the workshop) the bearings haven't failed (YET), but they have worn as a result of the lack of oil.

So it looks like 5th gear could be the failed component.

Interesting posts, as our Skoda warranty finishes at the end of this month, and here in Croatia it gave cover for only 2 years. When we went to our final service 2 weeks ago having done 52000km from new, we asked about extended warranties, and have been told that only recently the main VAG dealerships here have been granted leave to introduce 4 yr warranties now on all new cars. We missed out unfortunaly and no such private warranties exists here at this time. However were informed by our very friendly concessionaires/ service garage, that they have a list of Skoda parts which are covered for certain years ahead as long as we maintain all work on the car to be done by them or any main dealership. So as I see it , a bearing would not be covered, but axle would. As for roadside breakdowns, ( get to a garage) then we have this covered by Skoda ongoing, and also we have similar service as your AA in areas across Europe where we travel.