extended warranties , worth it or not

[richardg8jvm]

My Yeti Adventure is now 4 years old, and the only problems I've had since getting a soft rear spring replaced on purchase was

a screaming fan belt.

Its been driven around Ireland and just back from Croatia, including taking the old un made up mountain road over the top of Sveti Rock.

Its done 45K miles, is it worth buying a warranty to cover another year. I've always driven Fiats before and no major mechanical problems until at least 7 years old.

Never any major engine or gear box problems, just the normal EGR sensor failure and wiring problems Fiat are famous for.

So how reliable are Skoda 4x4 diesel yetis , how long typically before major problems appear ?

 

One thing I did notice while low flying on the German autobahns is since having the engine software updated there is now a sweet spot at 90mph where the fuel consumption drops to below that at 70mph, I was seeing 5lts/100kms. Also heavily loaded as well. Still pulls well over 100mph ( GPS indication) and very stable.

And before someone chirps in about exceeding the speed limit, unless informed by fixed limit signs or overhead lane signs, there is no speed limit on the German autobahns, its advisory.

TiA

Richard

[Ootohere]

VW Group have given you a sort of 24 month warranty on some hardware since you let them do 'The Fix', 

so up to you if you think £300 or so on a Skoda Extended warranty is worth while on other stuff, or just keep servicing and maintaining it well.

[Redboy]

In my experience....no. Warranty Direct platinum cover i.e. Supposedly all important things, as advertised by Honest John was a pile of poo. If you read the small print it appears that corrosion, wear and tear, carbon build up etc will void claims for most things, turbos, wheel hub sensors, air con etc... In fact almost everything that could have gone wrong on my dealer-serviced MkII VRS TFSI which I owned for 7 years and drove about 10000 miles annually.  Although the still turbo ran faultlessly, I cancelled the warranty after 2 years of increasing premiums when they refused to cover the rear hub ABS sensor ring due to corrosion even though it was a simple failure to my mind. Ironically after I cancelled they sent £166 as a sort of apology, too late. I am sure other drivers will have much happier tales and will recommend other companies. I reckon the £900 I spent on the premiums would have been better used saving for any repairs. If you service the car with a dealer in my experience you will get some joy up to 5 years as per the common fault with the G60 ABS sensor unit, which Hortons repaired under goodwill. 

[richardg8jvm]

Thanks Redboy

 

I've looked at the list of exclusions on the quotes I've had and I'm not impressed, as pointed out there is an extended warranty on the fuel system component

since the software fix. So far the main dealer I've used have been very good, with no attempt to inflated bills.

The question is on longevity of engine, gearbox and haldex, I hope the clutch has a good life, most of my driving is motorways etc.

If the clutch plate could be changed without dropping the engine & gearbox down, that would make a big difference , ie  is there enough room to split the engine & gearbox in situ , I've done that on petrol engined Fiats when they said the engine & gearbox need to be lowered, but diesel engines are a lot heavier, and I'm a lot older now .

The cost of warranties is the same as two holidays worth of diesel, I'm thinking holiday fuel may be a better bet

[Guest]

My Octy Scout has been plagued with poor reliability since the day I got it; it arrived from the factory with a knackered DMF.

 

At the 3 year mark I took out an non Škoda 3 year extended warranty. Two weeks before that warranty expired the EGR Cooler and the rear diff failed - the rear diff had twice been commented on as leaking by a local independent when I swapped my wheels over and was twice given a clean bill of health by Škoda. Warranty company sent out an engineer to assess both and agreed they were gubbed. Warranty company agreed to replace both.

 

3 Year Extended Warranty: £850. Cost to replace EGR Cooler and rear diff at a Škoda dealer: £1100+, plus £50 excess.  

 

At the time I took out my warranty, the general consensus on the forum was they were a waste of money and a person would be better off putting £50 or so per month aside for any repairs. 

 

It was the only claim I made on the warranty. If the components had failed just 2 weeks later, I would have been over £2k out of pocket, and would have been miffed at wasting my money on the  warranty. As it was the warranty cost me less than £25 per month and when I did make a claim I was £250 up. 

 

The final decision on whether they are worth it or not ultimately lies with you. 

 

 

[Sad555]

Just noticed the Skoda yeti came 3rd in the reliability  result in AE ,if you need to take out an extended warranty it doesn't say a lot for the cars that came 4-100.