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I used to think I was anal-retentive until I started getting involved in car forums
For the money they want for extended warranties I will be self insuring and taking my car to a third party dealer who is about half the cost of a Skoda dealer and even if I do have a problem with the dealership savings and the self insurance I am still likely to be way ahead.
Take out RACV (or equiv) "extra cover" and you will get the Australia wide towing and breakdown service and accommodation and rental cars and all that stuff and still be miles ahead.
Just remember that these warranties are insurance policies calculated by Actuaries. They KNOW that they will win on most policies and will definitely win overall. We the punters just need to decide whether we feel lucky or whether we want to do the car equivalent of going to the pub and tipping money into the pokies.
Last edited by K1W1; 02-11-2012 at 05:58 PM.
2021 Kamiq LE 110 , Moon White, BV cameras F & B
Mamba Ebike to replace Tiguan
Based on a tip from vwwatercooled, I contacted Southern Classic Cars (VW/Skoda dealer) and they gave me a quote for the official VW/Allianz 3-year extended warranty which was over $1,000 cheaper than the quote from Lennock Skoda here in Canberra (i.e. $1600 vs $2,600).
I was only interested in the VW/Allianz warranty because it basically replicates the factory warranty. I didn't price warranties from other companies because they might have limits on what's covered and other restrictions. And don't get me started about car dealer "warranties".
Some people say that the extended warranty isn't worth it but I'm risk-adverse. I have since sold the Skoda but the VW/Allianz warranty was fully-transferable to the new owner (and was a great selling point).
Answer to original question - yes it's worth it if your car has a DSG.
I got a quote from Allianz for an extended warranty for my Caddy Maxi Life, and one of the things provided was the PDS. You need to get hold of this and make sure you read and understand it. There is a section headed "What is not covered". Point 16 reads:
"16. Any mechanical failure caused by a fault that existed prior to the commencement of cover."
When I asked for clarification of this, I was told that "the commencement of cover" started after the manufacturer's original factory warranty expired. This was when the extension commenced. When pushed further, I was told that anything that had "started to fail" before the extension commenced would not be covered. When pushed further, I was told this meant that any mechanical failure was essentially not covered.
Then there is the bit about "normal maintenance" where a partial list is given. It reads:
"18. Any items that require replacement as a part of normal vehicle maintenance. These items include; (but are not limited to) spark plugs and leads, glow plugs, belts, filters, hoses, brake and clutch linings, brake pads, disc rotors and/or disc and drum machining, batteries and globes."
The problem here is that this is not the complete list, and when asked for a complete list, I was told they cannot provide a complete list as this is decided as each claim is made.
So deciding on whether an extended warranty is "worth it" requires all things to be looked into, and even then there is a risk that what you think will be covered may actually not be covered. You will not find this out until you lodge a claim.
Extended warranties are not the manufacturers warranty extended by the manufacturer, rather you are taking out extended warranty insurance that commences once the manufacturers warranty expires. They are not underwritten by the manufacturer with the manufacturer having nothing to do with it. Further, if you take out this extended warranty at the time of purchase, the warranty insurer has your money for 3 years earning interest before they even get a chance to decline a claim. They are not in business to pay out on claims. They will do everything to minimise what they have to pay out.
Some members of my extended family are having similar issues following a motor vehicle accident that oddly involved three different family members. There is the absurdity where one has to sue another, who then has to sue the third, who then has to sue the first. This is to cover things like vehicle damage and medical bills for injuries suffered. All this was supposed to have been covered by CTP & comprehensive insurance, yet none of the insurers want to pay out, insisting on seeking redress from the people they covered. This has been going on for 4 years with no end in sight, and the only ones making anything out of it are the lawyers.
So, don't bet everything on insurance. Ultimately the insurer wants to make money, and they don't do it by paying out.
Yes I was reading those terms too, the other one I love says they won't cover anything covered by any type of statutory warranty. Now the new statutory warranty in Australia are those consumer guarantees I linked earlier, that would mean anything that a reasonable person would think the manufacturer should cover allianz will refuse to cover. You will be left to involve the accc and maybe vcat (or your states version) to try and get skoda to foot the bill.. Sounds like a worthless warranty to me...
Your dsg dying after 3.5 years would fall under that I would think? Most reasonable people would think a gear box should last longer than that?
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