warranty .is it worth it

[tonyg3nwl]

Hi folks, from sunny south of france.

 

we bought our Stargazer back in April, a second hand fiat based 2009 ducato base.

 

prior to purchase, significant damp issues were fixed by Marquis , allegedly spending some 6000 on the job.

 

Certainly, the damp meter showed a reduction from original 50 percent down to 12 percent after fixing.

 

They also give a 3 year warranty..1st year up to full purchase price, second year 1000 pounds, 3rd year 500 pounds cover.

 

The small print is the catch all, and makes me wonder if the warranty is really of any value . I sincerely hope I dont have to test it..so far no problems.

 

the van was Serviced prior to purchase, by them, and book stamped.

 

I checked with a fiat agent and they looked up records, and told me that the cam belt was due for replacement due to age, not mileage. The service stamp indicates the service is up to date, but done by Marquis..service includes cam belt doesnt it..???.

 

Comments please, should I be concerned?

 

Tonyg3nwl.

[lennyhb]

Usually if you take a vehicle in for a service the garage will do the service requested and advise if a cam belt should be changed at additional cost.

As Marquis did the service themselves I expect the oil & filter were changed and the service book stamped. A good garage of main dealer will always give you a service check list which shows what has been done. I would ask for the check list and see what they say.

Regarding the cam belt when buying a vehicle of that age you should asked if it has been changed and if not either get them to fit a new one or negotiate the price to reflect the work that needs doing. I recently sold my last van privately and we agreed on a price knowing it would be wise to change the cam belt.

 

Edit:

If it does go £500 won't go far towards the 7 grand or more for a new engine.

 

[Guest peter]

Here we go again, with the old cambelt scam. As far as I know they should do at least 80k miles before needing changing. The old chestnut about age is to my mind total bullsh1t. I bet some dealers have belts in their store rooms way older that your van, and will happily sell them in 10 yrs time.

A radiator hose gets just as hot as the belt, so how many of us have had to change one because it's 5 yrs old. It's a nice little earner for the garages, and you still don't know if it's actually been changed along with the tensioner bearings.

However it's up to the o'p whether they want to spend their money. If they are the nervous type then that's a different matter.

I know I've said this many times before, but I had a Toyota 3Ltr Supra that was 23 yrs old and still had the original belt on it at 130k miles when I sold it. But that engine would not have wrecked the valves if it broke, as there were angles on the pistons to miss the valves when they were fully open.