I drive a Suzuki Ignis 2004-plate (out of warranty), have done 20,000 mls from new, and I am considering taking up the new (from September 2007) AA Catastrophe Cover from AA Warranty to cover major mechanical failures (excess £300) after reading in a car mag that 29% of repair bills exceed £3,000 (according to AA Warranty), which scared me a little! It costs approx. £9/month.
What do you reckon of this cover? Has anyone had to claim on it before?
This is what I have found on the Net about this new type of cover:
"The AA Warranty operation has launched a monthly payment product offering comprehensive ?catastrophe? cover.
Costing £8.99, rather than the regular £25 a month, it is intended to provide major mechanical breakdown repairs, but carries a higher excess of £300.
Costly problems flagged up by the AA include automatic transmission and cam belt failures.
?It?s the costly threat of a broken gearbox, failed engine or other catastrophic problems that most concerns people when they take out insurance,? said AA Warranty managing director Simon Tennyson.
His company specialises in motor warranty and residual value-based gap insurance products".
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"29% of garage repair bills exceed £3000??" [2.9% maybe.]
I think the AA might have been ripped off. [Or was this for Mr Buffini's Veyron?]
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Has your Suzuki been unreliable? If not, it would seem rather expensive given that its unlikely it will go wrong, especially given your lowish mileage.
I own a Suzuki van and I feel no need to extend the warranty when it runs out in December as it has been faultless and all information suggests it should continue that way.
Are you sure you need any cover at all?
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My son has Warranty Direct Cover for under £20 / mth for a Lexus.
£9 / mth and a £300 excess seems EXCESSIVELY DEAR!
WD Lexus cover for 3 years assuming flat premium = £720
AA Suzuki cover @ £9 / month for 3 years = £324
However, 1 claim on either car would make the total of the premiums & excess £720 and £624 now if you had 2 claims...................
Remember it is very easy to get a bill of over £300 at a garage.
Put the £9.00 in a special bank account every month...........
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I also drive a '06 plate Suzuki Ignis :)
AFAIK, you can extend your warranty by paying a fee to Suzuki.
I don't know how much do they charge but usually they send a letter offering you the same at the end of their warranty period.
If you've not received the letter contact Suzuki customer service - usually they reply quickly.
I would strongly advise you to take Suzuki's own cover rather than AA or WD.
Please update us how do you get on with Suzuki.
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Thanks a lot for all your advice and suggestions.
No, it's been reliable so far, apart from a back box which I had to have replaced (out of warranty) at it was corroded.
Suzuki wanted £300/year for an extended warranty which I suppose is OK.
Problem is: I did not take it last year in April 2007 when they wrote to me when the 3-yr warranty expired and I now wonder whether I can take it as the car will be 4 years old in 2 months (I was under the impression that you could only take an extended warranty just after the 3-year manufacturer's had expired).
Movilogo, why do you reckon Suzuki's own extended warranty is better than the others? Just interested, you may well be right, I have no idea.
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Why not put your £9 per month into a savings account, I bet if something goes wrong you will find there's more than enough in that account to pay for it. If nothing goes wrong each year then you could think about using the money to pay for a service or just let it continue to accumulate.
Insurers have to set premiums for the most unreliable, high mileage vehicles they cover, then add their profit. You have a reliable car and I bet not a high miler so you will be quids in if you " self insure".
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@catalyst2
I previously had WD for my earlier car - overall experience is not good. I claimed 3 times (incl. one major engine problem) and they refused each case citing some way out clause :(
I checked in moneysavingexpert forum and folks there as well don't recommend WD or any sort or extended warranty.
I don't know exact T&C for Suzuki's extended warranty but manufacturer backed warranties "tend" to be better than 3rd party ones. You can also ask in www.sisoc.co.uk/forum/ (Suzuki Ignis forum - though mostly Sports models) for more advice.
Regarding whether you can get your car covered still by Suzuki's warranty - you can simply ring them and ask.
Suzuki's customer service phone no : 05000 11 959
Or you can contact them using their website - they usually reply back via email within 2 days.
Suzuki usually have below average cost of repair - so its not mandatory that you need to take any extended warranty at all. They are "generally" good cars :)
Edited by movilogo on 08/02/2008 at 09:19
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I've also used WD and had to claim a couple of times and had no problems whatsoever!
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An average figure for waranty claims costs is just grossly misleading - cos it covers anything from a Fiat 500 to a RR .
If I had a bill for £3k for a car worth £6k, I'd sell the car...
The word shyster comes to mind. And that's being polite.
Anyone who advertises like that is best avoided: bunch of scaremongering toerags.
( The Advertising Standards Authority would probably take a dim view as well)
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Id agree with just putting a little away each month to cover repairs - all being well, it should only be consumables that you will need and routine servicing - the Ignis is what I would call a traditional jap supermini - not special but very well made and unlikely to give many problems.
If you had a Renault Clio, id say get every warranty and perhaps pray to whichever god is to your liking, but you have a Suzuki, so sleep easy and enjoy the extra cash!
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Thanks to all of you, you have been very helpful (thanks Movilogo for the website, could prove very useful). I am a total mechanical numpty and your advice is invaluable.
I don't think I'll get an extended warranty now, by the sound of it there are mixed messages about WD and the like.
I will let you know if anything drastic happens to my Suzuki. It is a lovely car to drive
-unlike what WhatCar? says!- and I intend to keep it for at least another 2/3 years.
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