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Warranty claim help?

My 2010 BMW 520d broke down on the motorway with a snapped timing chain and BMW asked for around £6000 to repair it. Since then the BMW agents have found the crankshaft wasn't damaged and the total repair came down to £4500.
I had taken out a 12 month warranty policy with Auto Protect when I bought the car 11 months ago at a cost of £1000 as the dealer said it was comprehensive. I checked the policy and indeed it covered timing chains.

Before any work was started at BMW, Auto Protect sent out an assessor to photograph and check the parts. They came back 2 days later and said they wouldn't pay anything because it was 'fair wear and tear', BMW told them it was mechanical failure. I have now paid the £4500 but feel I should have some payment from the warranty policy, I told Auto Protect I would go to Trading Standards but they just said go ahead, we are in the clear.
Any advice you can give would be most welcome?

Asked on 21 August 2015 by garvaoman

Answered by Honest John
Commence legal proceedings against whoever sold you the Auto Protect policy in the Small Claims Track of the County Court for the full amount of the claim reasoning that this is a mechanical failure and if the extremely expensive £1,000 Auto Protect policy doesn't cover it then it doesn't really cover anything and was falsely represented to you. This tactic alone should force whoever sold you the warranty into submission. In fact BMW has now instituted a TSB campaign on 2008 and 2009 N47 diesel engines to check and replace wearing chain tensioners and also the chains if necessary.
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