Extended warranties

[KevC]

Sorry if this has been covered before but..... Our Tribute 720 is coming up to being a year old and we have offered an extended warranty by the dealer for the next two years. Any thoughts, views or experiences would be appreciated.

[Brian Kirby]

Not really possible to comment, without knowing what it would cover, and at what cost.

 

However, the general verdict on these is that they are poor value. You must read very carefully what the warranty covers, because it will cover no more than it says. I assume it relates only to the conversion elements, because you should have two years minimum, possibly three, on the base vehicle.

 

If things fail in an unreasonably short time, the dealer is in any case obliged to repair or replace under normal UK consumer legislation. He is not entitled to walk away from problems merely because a warranty has expired, his liability for what he sells is defined in statute and extends, in varying degree, for six years. However, you may have to fight with him to get him to rectify things that fail outside manufacturer's warranty periods.

 

But then, you may find that things which fail are not, in fact, covered under that extended warranty (which is almost certainly no more than an insurance policy with extensive exclusions). If the cost seems reasonable for the cover, and peace of mind, on offer, by all means go ahead, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't. :-)

[Brian Kirby]

I've resurrected this old string to illustrate a point.

 

Our dishwasher blew up last night. Earth fault, so almost inevitably water in the electrics. It is just 3 years old. Annoying!

 

It had an original 1 year manufacturer's warranty, and I didn't take up the extended "warranty" offer. Cost of extended warranty? "Just" £15 per month, so £180 a year! Two years of extended warranty to present would therefore have cost £360.

 

Phoned manufacturer's customer services to enquire about repair. Advised fixed price call out charge £95 + parts, no extra labour cost, first available appointment 4 September! Suspected drain pump, so enquired cost of new pump. Advised £40-50 depending on exact version required. So, maybe £150 for repair, but possibly higher if the main pump was the culprit.

 

Contacted local retailer: equivalent model in stock, deliver tomorrow, remove existing, total cost £306. So, although the new machine will cost £150 more than the possible repair bill (but maybe less depending on the actual fault), even after just three years I'm £54 better off than with the extended warranty. New machine has two years manufacturer's warranty!