Warranties

[colVR4]

Had enough of Red Zebra and the extortionate amount that they want for a warranty renewal so I checked out Warranty Direct. They have quoted me the following:

Gold Warranty
1 yr £277 /Hmmm
2 yr £500 :smug:
3 yr £710 /yes

Has anybody got a warranty through them or know if they are worth taking out? I have had a look at their website and have given them a call and they seem genuine, just wanted to know if anybody else had any dealings with them.

[Brunty]

FYI: RAC warrantied my VR4 at £250 for one year - pleased with the service too.

I've no experience of Warranty Direct - although their prices seem to be OK.

Just like insurance; it would be wise to check that they know a VR4 is not just a Galant but has turbos and 4WD, both of which can lead to hefty repair costs (obviously).

[colVR4]

Warranty direct had the VR4 listed as an estate, but said that it wasn't a problem as they would just put a note on to say it is the saloon version. They confirmed that it was 4wd, twin-turbo, AYC, ABS, etc. The guy that I spoke to was familiar with the car and said that listing it under the legnum wouldn't be a problem.

I also asked for my wife's MGTF 160 to be covered and it came out at £312 for a yr, which was more than the VR4!!! When I asked why, they said it was to do with the reliability of the vehicle.

[ritch_w]

do they have a maximum claims limit? do they cover all the expensives bits - 4wd, turbos, 'box etc??? the reason i ask is, that from experience, some will only allow claims up to £1K and not cover everything, the red zebra may be extortionate - but it does cover everything

[colVR4]

do they have a maximum claims limit? do they cover all the expensives bits - 4wd, turbos, 'box etc??? the reason i ask is, that from experience, some will only allow claims up to £1K and not cover everything, the red zebra may be extortionate - but it does cover everything

The maximum claim is £5000 per claim and there is a £25 excess.
They will cover damage caused by wear and tear items as well.
The list on the website under the gold service seems very comprehensive, but I would appreciate someone with a keener eye to look through it to see that it covers all the important stuff.

The website is http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/gold_help.html

[Physician]

Looks very comprehensive Col. Technically I haven't a clue if the parts covered are 'sensible' for us but someone else should know.

The only thing I did notice was the following:

Your car must have been serviced in the past year to get full protection from Warranty Direct; it does not have to have a full service history. Once on cover you must follow your vehicle manufacturers recommended intervals.

[Wodjno]

Looks very comprehensive Col. Technically I haven't a clue if the parts covered are 'sensible' for us but someone else should know.

The only thing I did notice was the following:

Your car must have been serviced in the past year to get full protection from Warranty Direct; it does not have to have a full service history. Once on cover you must follow your vehicle manufacturers recommended intervals.

I have a waranty through Warranties Direct.. I haven't had any probs with them and had my Gearbox rebuilt under warranty 3 months after getting the car with no probs. Apart from the company that secures them called Warranty Holdings was in receivership at the time, but all monies was still paid and all outstanding warranties were honoured.. I think all is sorted on that side of things now.. /Hmmm
To get the Gold Warranty your car has to be below a certain mileage(the 1 with wear and tear)thinks it around 36000miles.. i will pull out the handbook and have a look.. Also as far i remember the mileage also has to be a maximum of 96000miles to take out any level of cover..
It is a very comprehensive cover and is why i opted for it. Like was mentioned you have to have had the car serviced within the last year(think it was 6months when i took out mine) and then keep it serviced at the specified intervals. You don't have to have it serviced at a Mitsy dealer it just has to be a VAT registered Garage. You can opt for Mitsy Dealer serving but it will cost you more for the warranty.. They only pay a specific hourly rate for each level of cover. But this isn't always going to be enough to cover specific garages hourly rate. So shop around for you for garages with a reasonable rate or you could end up paying the excess..
If your modding your car i don't think they will cover your car, especially if the modification may possibly be the cause of the part that has failed. So i think my warranty is prolly Null and void now.. /yes
Oh well .. I reckon if i had kept my car standard it would have been long gone . The power of the standard car wouldn't have kept me happy for long and also where is the fun in keeping everthing Bog Standard..
Reckon you should take this in to deep consideration before opting for a Warranty .. You don't wanna be forking out £700 for a warranty and the first time you claim them tell you to Uck Foff.
My Warranty cost me £1000 for4yrsit that has already paid for itself when the gearbox went..£2400 And with the very large and still growing database of information for our cars on this site and also the knowledge of the peeps on here and the supply of parts that can now be had, would not take out a warranty... If everone had a warranty on there cars there wouldn't be a 10th of the info there is on here now. And this is what has made this Club what it is today
Anyhow I say Keep your money for your Mods, Enjoy modding it and enjoy sourcing your parts for the car when it goes wrong.. To me when something goes wrong it's time to upgrade it from the standard part to something better.

Hope this helps.. :rolleyes4

[Physician]

Ummm! They seem desperate for business.

Just called them and they quoted following prices. Initially they said that as my car was over 5 years old I could not have Gold or Platinum cover. After they quoted I said that unfortunately I wanted Gold cover ........ the girl spoke with her boss (about 5 seconds!) and he said OK for me to have Gold for one year ........ I said that I wanted it for 3 years .......... ohhhhhhhhhhh OK then.

For VR4 1998 and 55,000 miles

Standard cover > 1 year = £326
Gold cover > 1 year = £280 (eh????)
Gold cover > 3 years = £900

[colVR4]

Well, I have taken out the cover. I checked as much as I could about all the details of the car and they seemed to cover everything I could think of. I have only taken out the cover for one year, and that only cost me £270!!

[Wodjno]

Well, I have taken out the cover. I checked as much as I could about all the details of the car and they seemed to cover everything I could think of. I have only taken out the cover for one year, and that only cost me £270!!

No more Mods for 12 months then ??? /Hmmm

[colVR4]

Naaaahh. I am hoping to get some new alloys, a cat back stainless twin-exit exhaust system and lowering shocks before Xmas :)

...thats until Nicola gets wind of it anyway!!!! /grr /pan

[Wodjno]

Naaaahh. I am hoping to get some new alloys, a cat back stainless twin-exit exhaust system and lowering shocks before Xmas :)

...thats until Nicola gets wind of it anyway!!!! /grr /pan

Hmmm .. /Hmmm

If you read through the terms and conditions, in the exceptions section.

QUOTE: This policy does not apply to :

1. Vehicles used for hire or reward(taxis, self drive etc)
2. Vehicles used for any kind of timed competition or race.
3. Non standard, customised or modified vehicles.
-----------------------------------------------------
:inquisiti

[colVR4]

Yes...I did...that bit....and thats why I am not planning to modify my car at all for the next 12 months.










(thanks for pointing that out mate)

[Wodjno]

Yes...I did...that bit....and thats why I am not planning to modify my car at all for the next 12 months.


Naaaahh. I am hoping to get some new alloys, a cat back stainless twin-exit exhaust system and lowering shocks before Xmas

...thats until Nicola gets wind of it anyway!!!!

?????? :huh2: :huh2:

And i thought Women were confusing !! :happy:

[Physician]

This gets more interesting ..........

Had a telephone call this afternoon from a guy who said he has been put in charge of following up all VR4 enquiries received recently.

Anyone else ask for a quote???

Anyway, I said I was going to check the Standard and Gold options with MY garage to see if he felt it covered all that I MAY need. He then said that if I felt it was a bit too expensive he could probably do a better deal on 3 years Gold cover! (Even though it isn't normally available for cars over 5 years old ..... and mine is 7 years old). The reason ..... as I think has been mentioned - we have reliable cars - even in the 50,000+ mileage range.

He also explained that Gold for 1 year could quite easily be less expensive than the Standard quoted on the internet page.

I'm of the opinion that DEALS are avilable if one is willing to negotiate ........ which I WILL do!

That's interesting about the exhausts etc Wodj ....... I'll ask him about my twins which is the only mod I have.

[SGHOM]

That's interesting about the exhausts etc Wodj ....... I'll ask him about my twins which is the only mod I have.

Can you ask him about my mods ? /Hmmm
err........................ on second thoughts, dont bother !! /help :embarasse :embarasse :embarasse

[Physician]

Can you ask him about my mods ? /Hmmm
err........................ on second thoughts, dont bother !! /help :embarasse :embarasse :embarasse


Gawd ......... that would cost a mint in telephone charges! :embarasse

[andy43]

Had a telephone call this afternoon from a guy who said he has been put in charge of following up all VR4 enquiries received recently.
That would be because of me then - I used their website to ask for a quote after reading all of this, and a guy called Chris then left a message on my ansafone today saying he could beat the internet quote over the phone - will phone him back tomorrow.
Only other downside I can see is they limit labour rates to £40/hour - so if you want a main dealer to do the fixing, you have to pay any extra over the £40/hour.
It seems to be worth it - for £250-300 a year, you're basically worry-free :inquisiti
I'll let you know what the man says

[Kieran]

Yes...I did...that bit....and thats why I am not planning to modify my car at all for the next 12 months.


The key word here is 'planning'........




/yes ;)

[Physician]

That would be because of me then - I used their website to ask for a quote after reading all of this, and a guy called Chris then left a message on my ansafone today saying he could beat the internet quote over the phone - will phone him back tomorrow.
Only other downside I can see is they limit labour rates to £40/hour - so if you want a main dealer to do the fixing, you have to pay any extra over the £40/hour.
It seems to be worth it - for £250-300 a year, you're basically worry-free :inquisiti
I'll let you know what the man says


Yep, that's the guy .... Chris.

[colVR4]

Yup, Chris is the man. You can contact him direct on ext 202. Let him know you are with CVR4 and he will do you a good deal (I've had a little chat with him :D)

[Physician]

Yup, Chris is the man. You can contact him direct on ext 202. Let him know you are with CVR4 and he will do you a good deal (I've had a little chat with him :D)


Yea!?? What's your percentage then Col? :happy: :joker:

[colVR4]

To be absolutely honest I was doing it for the good of the club members, but just found out that I get £20 for everyone that I put forward who goes ahead with the warranty. I have decided that to be fair, and so that I am not using this website as a way of making myself money, that all the £20's will go to Club VR4.

So, if any of you call up, let Chris know that you found out about it on here and he will send me £20 which I will duly paypal to Pete.

While I was on the phone I asked a few more details about the cover:

Modding - You can modify your car whilst on warranty without it making the warranty void. However, if a part fails as a direct result of a modification you won't be covered for that part. When I asked him to clarify, Chris said that any cosmetic modications won't make a difference. Modifications that increase hp may mean you are not covered for engine internals, gearbox and drivetrain if they have increased the strain on them, so boost controllers, e-manage, NOS, are a defniate no-no.

Exhausts - he wasn't too sure as to what changes would be classed as modding. Changing the back box should be okay, be radical changes to the exhaust system may mean that you are not covered. Decatting is fine as long as you put the cat back on before it goes to the garage. Same with performance air filters and anything else that can easily be swapped back before going into the garage.

AYC, ASC, TC - These are not covered in the Gold level of service. I have asked whether we could get a special deal where these are added to the Gold warranty for an extra costs due to the complexity of our vehicles. He is going to talk to their underwriters to see if they can get a special Gold warranty package put together for the VR4.

If you have any other questions or queries that you can think of, let me know and I will get in touch with Chris to ask him.

[andy43]

:thumbsup:
Spoken to Chris this morning, he asked me when the mot was, when the car was last serviced, mileage, purchase price etc etc, couple of other things to note - any wear and tear repairs aren't covered for the first 90 days of the wty, you have to get it serviced by a vat-registered garage as per mitsu schedule once the car IS on cover, so no DIY, also they're doing a special offer where you get an extra months wty on top of the 12/24/36 months.
Diagnostic costs ie finding out what broke aren't covered if the part that bust isn't covered, but every cost even down to oil, antifreeze etc IS covered if the parts and repair is covered by the wty.
I asked if, say, the engine blew up, would it cost me, and apart from extra labour over the 40/hour, and the 25 excess, no, it wouldn't cost me a penny.
I've heard of wty companies not paying up as well, he said THEY pay the garage immediately via credit card when the repaired car is collected by me - some wty companies delay payment, meaning garages may not even want to start the work if they don't know when they're getting paid for it.
They can also reimburse you if you've paid the garage direct.
One phone call is supposedly all it takes to make them aware of any repair - again, I've heard of refusals to pay on the grounds that the wty co weren't informed 'correctly'.
Another one - asked if they send mechanics to inspect cars (delaying repairs, winding the garage up and then delaying payment) and 'normally' they don't - just trust the garage to get on with it unless something seems a bit dodgy with the claim.
Sounds too good to be true - I'll hang fire until an AYC-friendly policy is available I think, and to see if there's further room for 'negotiation' /pan

[Physician]

To be absolutely honest I was doing it for the good of the club members, but just found out that I get £20 for everyone that I put forward who goes ahead with the warranty. I have decided that to be fair, and so that I am not using this website as a way of making myself money, that all the £20's will go to Club VR4.

So, if any of you call up, let Chris know that you found out about it on here and he will send me £20 which I will duly paypal to Pete.

.

Col,

Please don't think I was accusing you of anything underhand .... I was totally unaware of the £20 when I posted that message ...... and very deliberately put the 'Joker' smiley to ensure you knew I was joking. My apologies if you thought I was being serious.

Anyway ........ you and Andy have done a great job in asking important questions.

BTW, I also received a quotation letter in my post this morning - but they have increased the quote I was given on the telephone! :embarasse

I'm going to chat with my mechanic to see what he says about the cover and then make a decision.

Rich

[colVR4]

No offence taken at all. I was quite suprised when Chris told me and I immediately thought it could be a nice little earner for the club.

Don't worry about the difference in price on the paperwork, Chris will stick by the quote he gave you on the phone. I paid £270 for mine even though the paperwork says £278.

[andy43]

Yeah, same here - he quoted me £277 then dropped it to £270 'cos that's what you'd been quoted - but only then mentioned the £20 'commission' when I tried to get a bit more off :smug:
I'll be getting a quote thru the post tomorrow or the day after I reckon, also had a phone call from somebody else at wtys direct today, after my internet quote request - so that's two sales people chasing... I'm SURE there's more money to be saved here /pan
[tightwadon]Does anyone know if other car clubs/forums have ever managed to negotiate a club discount/bulk buy?[/tightwadoff] :inquisiti

[andy43]

13 months gold wty now purchased - £270, plus £20 commission on it's way to colvr4 :thumbsup:
AYC is not covered - he's asked the obviously hugely technically knowledgeable underwriters and they've said computersaysno.
Now, lets make a big list of what needs fixing /Hmmm

[colVR4]

Nice one Andy.

I was just about to mention the AYC. They can't cover it unfortunately, or the ASC and traction control. The underwriters are not prepared to add these as a bespoke cover for our car.

However, I have got Chris to agree to cover the cat and any electronic/radio/satnav equipment in the car for an extra £30, bringing the fee for 12 months to a round £300. The cover includes any x-box/playstation installs, dvd players and screens, etc.

[colVR4]

Just so that you all know. The first cheque for £20 came through from Warranty Direct to me for recommending the company to someone who took out a warranty. As promised, that will be £20 sent to the club once the cheque clears.

Any one else taking out a warranty with them just say that ColVR4 put you on to them and the club will get another £20 for nowt!!

[Brunty]

Just thought I'd add a few comments following on from my recommendation for the RAC :

Their (the RAC) allowance for labour is £35 or £36 per hour, and it took one call to instigate the warranty work on my gearbox after which I dealt directly with the garage doing the repairs.

I'd suggest (and anticipate Nick Mann and BraindG agreeing) that the vast majority of AYC problems can be 'fixed' with a £100 replacement switch from Roger Rally on the MLR - and therefore is not as daunting as the £2k replacement pump that Mitsubishi garages seem so keen on. It therefore may not be that much of an issue should yours fail.

I've definately benefitted from my £250 RAC warranty - and will give this one a good deal of thought over the coming weeks as I consider my next warranty.

Steve

[malcolmord123]

Has anyone any new feedback on the warranty's before I take the plunge?

Cheers

Mal

[Davezj]

How has everyone got on with the Warranty. Would love to know.

[WildCards]

Are these still on the go? I'm interested in getting one as i've got the new car this weekend.

[andy43]

No news other than all my paperwork came through quickly.
Had it serviced (over and above the service schedule, ie amsoil atf and flush, all the other fluids changed etc etc) and made sure they stamped the book and gave me a detailed itemised receipt just in case proof is needed, apart from that... watch this space - not had to claim for anything yet, but I'll be claiming for something before it runs out, even if it's only wiper blades and light bulbs, just so I won't feel I've blown £270 on 'peace of mind' :happy:
Anyone else had to properly test the warranty? /help

[WildCards]

Cheers Andy

[WildCards]

Do you have to have it servcied by a garage to keep the warranty happy? Can I not just service the car myself and keep receipts for items purchased as proof?

[colVR4]

Taking the car in for the dreaded cam belt service soon, and there a few niggles that I want sorting. So I should be able to put the warranty to the test soon.

The warranty documentation says that the car must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturers guidelines and must be stamped as such in the service book. I don't think you would get away with a DIY job and a few receipts

[andy43]

Just an update - I have a cheque in front of me for a touch over £899, received today from warranty direct.
It does work:5shots:
To cut a long story short, power steering pump started making unhappy noises about two months ago, a grinding bearing type noise. Within less than 500 miles, it sounded really sick.
I now have a nice shiny new one :happy:
A nice shiny (close your eyes now if you're frightened by big numbers) £786 + vat new one :2thumbsup
Car has been serviced by Prosport (scooby specialists, but good with evos as well - they've looked after our last three cars) so after talking to WD I got the garage to do a report (basically a full quote for the work) which was sent to WD. WD issued a claim number, said they'd pay to recondition it, covering labour for removal and refitting up to the £40/hour, and the cost of the recon, using their specialists, weston power steering. They'd get it couriered overnight at their expense, rebuilt and sent back next day - good service I thought, although I'd been hoping for a NEW pump, not a rebuild.
:happy: Turns out pump is beyond repair, so WD authorised a new pump the same day, ordered, fitted, done the next day. I paid when I picked the car up (all this only took three days a couple of weeks ago - I was expecting a three month telephone and letterwriting marathon when we knew the pump was U/S), and got a cheque in the post today comprising 90% of the cost of the pump, the labour (2 hours at £40/hour), and the vat.
I had to pay for the 10% of the pump, £25 policy claim excess, some PAS fluid, and £9/hour labour over their £40/hour payout - less than £150 - ha!
Note that I had to provide copies of the last service receipt from a month ago, the current MOT, and a claim form signed by me and the garage.
So there ya go - WD does what it says on the tin! Total cost to me has been £270 for the warranty and about £150 for the repair - which is roughly what it would have cost for a second hand pump. And I'm still covered to the tune of five grand for the next six months or so :2thumbsup

[Kieran]

It's nice to hear good news about companies that are often slated.:2thumbsup

[colVR4]

Good news indeed. So, for those of you that were skeptical, go ahead and get one. And please remember to mention that the club promoted them so that we can get £20 each time :D

[Wodjno]

Good news indeed. So, for those of you that were skeptical, go ahead and get one. And please remember to mention that the club promoted them so that we can get £20 each time :D

Not read all the thread :thinking: But how do they react to modded cars :inquisiti

[ANTHONY]

Not read all the thread :thinking: But how do they react to modded cars :inquisiti cut from one of cols posts.............Modding - You can modify your car whilst on warranty without it making the warranty void. However, if a part fails as a direct result of a modification you won't be covered for that part. When I asked him to clarify, Chris said that any cosmetic modications won't make a difference. Modifications that increase hp may mean you are not covered for engine internals, gearbox and drivetrain if they have increased the strain on them, so boost controllers, e-manage, NOS, are a defniate no-no.

[andy43]

An update on warranty direct - I've had my renewal thru, £297, but only for standard cover, so if you do phone to renew make sure you ask for the gold cover again - standard doesn't cover anywhere near as much £££ stuff.
Phoned them, and just renewed with the Gold cover as last year, for £307 for 13 months cover. Seeing as I had a grand out of them this year, I'm surprised they even sent me my renewal :2thumbsup
Cheers, Andy - just up to 64,000 miles, fresh silkolene and filter again, ayc and maybe another gearbox amsoil party soon tempt fate mode on still running like a good 'un temp fate mode off :evilgrin:
Love it :2thumbsup :2thumbsup :2thumbsup thats what the attendant at the local filling station says twice a week anyway :speechles

[colVR4]

Just renewing the warranty direct for my car and the wifes. Already had £300 back from them for the track rod ends and tie rods, so that has almost paid for last years warranty already.

[ANTHONY]

just had a claim they agreed for the work to be carried out at my local garage new started motor £350 inc motor and labour. i had to pay the garage and they will send me the cost............ will let you know how quick

[TAR]

I've just had a call from Warranty Direct after entering the details of my car on their website.

I've got a 1997 Legnum, so they will only give me standard cover however they will cover cars up to 12 years old.

The online quote was £340 and after talking to Chris on xtn 202 it came down to £295 for 13 months cover :2thumbsup

I did mention the club but nothing was said about the £20 comission to ColVR4??

I also found out that they don't care much for previous service history (even though mine has it) as long as the car is serviced to the manufacturers spec within 30 days of taking out the policy.

Seems like a good deal to me, I am just going to wait and see the policy document to find out exactly what is covered. :book:

You get 14 days to cancel if your not entirely satisfied :happy: