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We bought a used car privately but the extended warranty isn't in our name - is this an issue?

We bought a Land Rover from a private seller with an extended warranty certificate. Unfortunately we have had a major fault on the vehicle which requires work, which will hopefully be covered by the warranty. However the owner did not change over the warranty into our name and has now gone very quiet, which is making us very suspicious. We are stuck in limbo waiting for them to change it over but have been advised if they did not pay in full or had purchased in installments the warranty may not be in place. If this is the case and we purchased the car believing it had warranty in place, would we have a claim against the previous owner? The cost of the work is quoted at £15-20K

Asked on 2 October 2023 by Katharine Bignell

Answered by Craig Cheetham
Unfortunately, if you don't have the warranty documentation or proof of warranty you're unlikely to be able to do anything here - often a warranty only exists in the name of the policyholder (the previous keeper) and any warranty you bought would have needed to be in your name. This is assuming the warranty was an aftermarket product and not part of the manufacturer's warranty? If the car had a Land Rover Approved Extended Warranty then this IS transferable to the next owner for up to 10 years/100,000 miles, but only if the warranty was paid for in full by the previous keeper. It's worth checking with a Land Rover dealer as they will be able to check this. If not, then your rights as a private buyer are sadly limited and we're sorry to say you may not be able to get any recompense.

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