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Warranty dispute
I wanted to ask your advise in relation to a recent warranty claim that has been rejected by VGS warranties against a faulty clutch and flywheel on my BMW 1 series.
I have the full 5 star warranty, the highest level. I was advised when I bought the car it was full coverage. Full peace of mind.
The car is a 57 reg and has so far covered 38,000 miles. On being advised by my mechanic that the clutch and flywheel had a fault, I was very surprised as I would normally expect such a fundamental part of a car to last much longer. But, I was reassured by the fact that the car was under full warranty.
However, despite the fact that my mechanic was sure that the fault was not usual wear and that in his opinion it was caused by a faulty bearing, the warranty company refused to pay.
From the beginning it was clear that they were now paying out. Even before their official engineer had visited they were stating it was clearly just normal wear and tear. After 38000 miles. Wear and tear being exempt from the warranty as per the terms and conditions. This despite the engineer agreeing with our mechanic off the record that it was clearly a fault rather than usual expected wear.
Then, when his report came in it stated usual wear and tear and so was not covered.
So, my question is - what can we do if the all powerful warranty company refuses to pay. We have tried reasoning, arguing, fighting. They won't budge. Now what?
It seems to me that if a warranty doesn't cover a major fault that is a key part of a car then it has no value. Also that any fault in a car could be passed off as wear and tear if they so wish.
How do I ensure they pay up for this genuine claim that has cost me £1300 at no fault of my own after paying VGS £300 for a warranty in good faith?
I have the full 5 star warranty, the highest level. I was advised when I bought the car it was full coverage. Full peace of mind.
The car is a 57 reg and has so far covered 38,000 miles. On being advised by my mechanic that the clutch and flywheel had a fault, I was very surprised as I would normally expect such a fundamental part of a car to last much longer. But, I was reassured by the fact that the car was under full warranty.
However, despite the fact that my mechanic was sure that the fault was not usual wear and that in his opinion it was caused by a faulty bearing, the warranty company refused to pay.
From the beginning it was clear that they were now paying out. Even before their official engineer had visited they were stating it was clearly just normal wear and tear. After 38000 miles. Wear and tear being exempt from the warranty as per the terms and conditions. This despite the engineer agreeing with our mechanic off the record that it was clearly a fault rather than usual expected wear.
Then, when his report came in it stated usual wear and tear and so was not covered.
So, my question is - what can we do if the all powerful warranty company refuses to pay. We have tried reasoning, arguing, fighting. They won't budge. Now what?
It seems to me that if a warranty doesn't cover a major fault that is a key part of a car then it has no value. Also that any fault in a car could be passed off as wear and tear if they so wish.
How do I ensure they pay up for this genuine claim that has cost me £1300 at no fault of my own after paying VGS £300 for a warranty in good faith?
Asked on 4 February 2013 by Mrs M
Answered by
Honest John
I don't know who VGS Warranties is. Would be normal not to pay for a clutch because it is a wearing part and the wear rate depends on the driver. But the DMF should have been covered.
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