I don't know about any particular warranties, but there have been discussions about the general principle. My own view is that you are simply placing a bet - you are unlikely to get your warranty money back unless you are (a) unlucky enough to suffer an expensive failure and (b) lucky enough for it to be covered. On balance, probably much better to put the warranty money in a piggy bank and enjoy it when it expires without being needed.

I've never used them, nor needed them. If you buy your cars carefully you shouldn't either. In fact I remember once talking a dealer down by waiving his warranty. Mind you, all this was a long time ago, when faults on used cars would usually cost reasonable amounts to fix !

My own opinion (which is not based on any relevant experience) is that aftermarket warranties are not worth bothering about. They are basically an insurance policy you are paying for the reliability of your car, and as such, if you claim, the cost of that cover is going to go up accordingly. Plus, the simple fact is that the companies providing them are businesses which exist for the sole purpose of profit. What I mean by that is that if your car doesn't brake down, they are profiting from you because you are paying them for nothing other than the illusion of peace of mind. If your does car bakes down, they are still profiting because the cost of said repairs will be less than what you have paid thus far, and the cost of the cover will go up the following year, possibly by a lot, because your car is now deemed a higher risk. The cover will also invariably have small print to exclude cover of anything very expensive unless you are paying a lot of money for very comprehensive cover.

Not sure how much breakdown cover costs, but surely a better idea would be to set up a savings account and put equivalent monthly payments in that. Depending on how much you are putting in and how much a likely problem on your car would cost to rectify, you could leave 6-12 months payment in the account, but otherwise you can use the subsequent payments for other things like putting towards a holiday, going out for a meal, treating your partner etc. Of course this would entail you having the self control to leave that initial "lump sum" in the account just in case!

Edited by badbusdriver on 01/05/2024 at 10:11