Very interested in this thread...I'd previously said I wouldn't touch any extended warranty, preferring instead to stick the cash it would cost by - just in case.

Nothing on this thread has changed my mind on this and having phoned my local dealer to enquire on options/costs, in case I did want to extend (3years up in Feb)...I was told, Skoda would phone me closer to the time...seems a strange way to work.

The third year of Skoda UK's 'warranty' is actually an aftermarket package. Similarly the 'Skoda' aftermarket warranty is actually a form of breakdown insurance provided by Car Care Plan (part of General Motors Finance division - who also supply extended warranties to a whole raft of other vehicle manufacturers).

IMHO most of these so-called warranties are actually mechanical failure insurance policies which feature terms and conditions that are carefully written to allow the insurer to wriggle out of many claims.

The only reason I would consider an aftermarket warranty for an Octavia is for coverage of the A/C compressor and the ABS/ESP system. Both of these seems very unreliable and I think would be a pretty watertight claim under an aftermarket warranty.

I had a call from Skoda today clarifying what i already expected to hear.... S.UK are not prepared to give a good will gesture as the car has only had 1 service there in the last 4 years.

Can't really blame them, if you don't show them loyalty on things like servicing, they won't show loyalty on broken parts. Just a shame that the previous owner did 4 of the 5 services, and i get the broken GB :(

I agree with Harveys, "stick the cash it would cost by - just in case" we will adjust our new years house budget to take in possible added cost, and maybe increase that figure each year till we sell. Only a little unsure of how much that should be, any ideas ?? cost of so called extended warranties mentioned on here, seem to be around 300, 400 uk pounds, seems a good starting figure.

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.

I have no idea what policy you took out, but since WD cover wear and tear I am inclined to believe that is what was said by them to the garage.

They have covered wear and tear items for me in the past.

I have however had a garage not understanding W&T is covered and saying that they won't cover it without checking.

If what you say is genuinely true, then i suggest you check your policy details and contact the insurance ombudsman directly to raise a complaint about mis-selling and false advertising of the product.

Since you say about the 90 days terms, then I think I would you need to find out what part failed and take that data to a gearbox specialist and get a report stating it's not a wear and tear part. If that report does come true, then I'd send a copy of it (keeping yourself copies) to the WD complaints people.

Thats the issue i'm dealing with right now.

The garage are going to remove the gearbox and strip it down ready for an inspection.

IF it was down to 5th gear shedding some teeth, then i should be covered 100% because a gear is not a FW&T item.

I'm already writing a log of all contact with the garage and WD, and will be penning a complaint to the ombudsman ( i found out rcently that WD will have to pay a �450 charge to handle this complaint) as soon as the mechanics have given me a verdict on what the cause was.

If i get 3 seperate mechanics to give their personal view, it may be enough to make the complaint carry more weight.

I have just purchased the Skoda (Car Care Plan) 4th year warranty for my Octavia VRS at a cost of £340 or thereabouts for 1 years cover. This gives unlimited claim value and unlimited mileage, which is not always true of other aftermarket warranties. The cover seems fairly comprehensive, the only thing that I would have liked to see cover for is the catalytic convertor - which is specifically excluded. However damage due to cambelt failure IS covered provided the belt has been changed per the manufacturers recommendations. Turbos are also a weak point on VAG cars with replacements costing up to £1500 fitted. Personally I think £340 is a small price to pay for peace of mind, since when things do go wrong (in my experience) they go wrong in a BIG and COSTLY way...........Failed Head Gasket (x2) Rover 620ti - £550 a pop, Failed Turbo Audi A3 - £1500, Failed Cylinder Head Audi A3 - £2000, Failed Turbo Seat Toledo - £1000 etc etc etc - or am I just unlucky !

I have just purchased the Skoda (Car Care Plan) 4th year warranty for my Octavia VRS at a cost of £340 or thereabouts for 1 years cover.

Of all the aftermarket policies I think CCP is the best. It is sold mainly through the trade under various brand names and is well regarded in the motor trade. The majority of manufacturer-branded extended warranties are in fact CCP.

"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'm wondering what exactly is a 'permanent fault'? I think what they're intending to say is a 'unexpected failure of a part caused by another fault left uncorrected' but they haven't stated it that way so I think you may have redress, unless they can prove you ignored some prior warning signs of a previously uncorrected fault which caused failure of the part they're disputing.

Now you mention it, in almost 40 years of driving 7 different cars, the first 3 being 10+yrs, I've never had a gearbox problem (touch wood). So my experience is gearboxes last the car's life *at least*, assuming basic maintenance checks are done.

Edited 11 November, 200916 yr by icarusi@hotmail

I notice that in the document you linked to some of the items that are listed as covered on page 6, such as the Fuel system sensors and throttle body, are also listed as optional items on page 7.

I don't know how much you paid for your warranty but I've just got an online quote for Car Care Plans warranty and it was less than £160 for a car of less than 5 years old (note my car is just a few weeks old so the cost may well be more in three years time). I don't know what it is for cars over 5 years but less than 10 however I expect it to be less than £200.

I also can't see how they will not refund your money. Although you have made a claim they have rejected it so it's not like it's costing them more than what you've paid them.

Today could be the deciding factor on the future of my car.

If it is down to the faluire of 5th gear (as predicted) then I should have good grounds for a valid claim, or a court settlement.

If it turns out to be a FW&T item (still not found out what that is meant to be in a gearbox) then I will be writing a 'For Sale' ad for my car this weekend :(

Fingers crossed.

I'm wondering what exactly is a 'permanent fault'? I think what they're intending to say is a 'unexpected failure of a part caused by another fault left uncorrected' but they haven't stated it that way .

What they basically mean is that a part has to catastrophically fail - i.e. snap, break, crack, blow-up, for it to be covered. So a gear breaking up should be covered. But they won't cover things like bearing wear, were a bearing progressively becomes noisy and (for example) allows movement of a shaft leading to other damage. For the bearing to be covered it would have to suddenly fail (i.e. ball breaks up and bearing falls apart).

I don't know how much you paid for your warranty but I've just got an online quote for Car Care Plans warranty and it was less than £160 for a car of less than 5 years old (note my car is just a few weeks old so the cost may well be more in three years time).

What's the URL for the CCP online quote please?

I bought a Tesco Standard Warrantry when I bought the car as I figured that it would pay for itself if anything major went as I knew I'd be covering a decent mileage.

Thankfully, when my ABS unit failed, I knew I was covered. Although Tesco say they'll probably send out a an engineer as its an expensive part !

Don't forget, even if WD do eventually honour the claim you will most probably have to pay for the repair yourself THEN claim the money back from WD.

Also, did you previously have a warranty on the car (e.g. Skoda or other) which when ended you took out the WD warranty without a break in the cover? Or had any existing warranty been expired for some time and then WD cover was taken out?

If it is the former then the 90 day exclusion should not matter. If the latter then the 90 day exclusion stands. I had to claim on my WD cover (see earlier post this thread) and they were fine and paid up quickly. When I took out the cover I asked specifically if a) turbo, DMF c) aircon pump and d) gearbox were covered. They said yes to all these without exception, hence I took the policy.

HTH

This is the first warranty its had outside of the 3 yr warranty from new.

Paying for the work, and then claiming back isn't a problem, i'm able to borrow the money from my brother, but for a short term loan. If i can claim it back i will give it all back to him and the extra i will owe as WD take 10% for parts, and £50 excess per claim.

If the gear faluire was the cause, then WD won't be able to use the '90 day FW&T' get out clause they keep mentioning, and i'll take them to small claims court if they try to.

Little update:

The Garage have called and i have been up there to see the GB.

Its currently in a drip tray with about 1/8th of a pint of GB oil in it

There is some (hopefully) good news, and some not so good news.

The box has NOT got a hole in the casing as previously thought. The oil loss was caused by a bearing FAILING (not sure which bearing, will find out later) and pushing the 'end cap' off, allowing GB oil to leak.

The repair bill should be cheaper now the casing is in one peice, and the bearing that failed should be covered by the warranty due the nature at which they go wrong so quickly.

The not so good news.... Both Flywheel and clutch are showing signs of wear and in need of replacement at some point.

The DMF is outside of its tollerences, and there are signs of it catching the gearbox casing.

The clutch has aprox 3 months of life left before issues may surface. I'm awaiting a quote for the items, and have been told that fitting will be included in the GB labour (WD foot the bill for labour if they allow the claim).

I have contacted WD, who have no idea what garage has my car, and they won't accept my word for it, so the garage is going to call them (probably for the best, i can't remember half of what i was told).

So fingers crossed, it should all be sorted soon.

Sounds like you might be in luck with this one then...

Get some photos of the relevant parts. Might also be worthwhile getting a professional (i.e. Chartered) Engineer's opinion on this failure too - shouldn't cost much. Try calling the engineering dept. of a local university, staff will often give a short written opinion on things like this for relatively modest cost (relative to cost of repair).

If the garage to says the DMF has been damaged by the gearbox failure then it would also be covered by the WD.

It does say the garage have to call WD so they can arrange, so fingers crossed they will sort it all.

Sounds like you might be in luck with this one then...

Get some photos of the relevant parts. Might also be worthwhile getting a professional (i.e. Chartered) Engineer's opinion on this failure too - shouldn't cost much. Try calling the engineering dept. of a local university, staff will often give a short written opinion on things like this for relatively modest cost (relative to cost of repair).

They have found a new way to dig their heels in now. Because the last service was done (before the policy was taken out) at Unit 18 who are not VAT registered, they are claiming the servicing hasn't met their standards!

This wasn't mentioned when they phoned me to sell me the policy.

Anybody on the forum work for trading standards?

I think you're onto a hard one to win there mate.

The policy document does indeed state it has to be service "in accordance with manufacturers guidelines" at a VAT registered garage. Once you have this doc, you have 14 days to change your mind for a refund.

It was one of the reasons I didn't use U18 as I have a policy too.

Better would be for your garage (I assume) a dealer to state that in their opinion since the gearbox is a sealed for life unit the servicing should not have affected this.

They have found a new way to dig their heels in now. Because the last service was done (before the policy was taken out) at Unit 18 who are not VAT registered, they are claiming the servicing hasn't met their standards!

This wasn't mentioned when they phoned me to sell me the policy.

Anybody on the forum work for trading standards?

I think you're onto a hard one to win there mate.

The policy document does indeed state it has to be service "in accordance with manufacturers guidelines" at a VAT registered garage.

Once you have this doc, which IIRC you have a legal duty to read and understand, you have 14 days to change your mind for a refund should you not agree with the terms and conditions.

1. Servicing & Maintenance

You must look after the vehicle in line with the

manufacturer’s servicing handbook' date=' and have it

serviced by a VAT-registered garage within 30 days or

1000 miles (whichever is sooner) of the

recommended service interval. To prove this you

should make sure the garage fills in and stamps the

handbook. You should also keep the invoices from

services as you must provide proof of servicing when

you make a claim. If the customer has provided parts

for the servicing of the vehicle, this will only be

acceptable if there is proof of purchase of such parts.

Your vehicle must have a valid MOT certificate at the

time of a claim.[/quote']

Page 10 (Luxury Care, Major Care)

http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/pdfs/6727-WD_Policy_BK_LuxuryCare.pdf

http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/pdfs/6727-WD_Policy_BK_MajorCare.pdf

Page 11 (Extra Care, Secure Care)

http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/pdfs/6727-WD_Policy_BK_ExtraCare.pdf

http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/pdfs/6727-WD_Policy_BK_SecureCare.pdf

It was one of the reasons I didn't use U18 as I have a policy too.

Better would be for your garage (I assume) a dealer to state that in their opinion since the gearbox is a sealed for life unit the servicing should not have affected this.

If they had mentioned it when they sold me the policy I would have declined the warranty straight away because it's worth nothing to me now. I can understand them wanting all servicing done in this way while I have a running policy, but prior to taking one out???

What's even more confusing for me, is how much difference a VAT registration would make to the level of service. Is my car less roadworthy, or more likely to break down?

It's a farce and I'm really getting fed up with it all now.

I'm sorry to come across as being unfair here, but they did tell you.

When selling you the policy, they sent all the conditions to you in writing.

You have a duty to read these and if you were to take it to court, then since the term you object to was provided to you, I don't see that you would have a leg to stand on.

Not nice, but I think that's how it is. Obviously if you think I'm incorrect then you can always get advice from CAB or a solicitor, but bear in mind if you take it to court and lose you will have your own costs to pay.

As for VAT registered, I think that's just a catch all so they know the garage does a certain amount of work and isn't just going to be a man with an oil can.

Good news however is you should be able to fit a single mass (IIRC G60) flywheel and clutch which would cost a lot less than the DMF and be more reliable.

Sounds as if your clutch was going anyway, so at least you don't pay labour twice by doing that then having the box blow.

When the policy was sold to me I was asked if the car had been serviced recently, and I explained that it had been fully serviced with cambelt and water pump change. At no point was I asked about the VAT status of the garage that did the work. That would have been the time to mention that clausein the policy.