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Andy B
04-06-2010, 09:14 PM
Ever make a warranty claim on a car???

With my background I didn't realise I was ignorant but apparently I am.

Today my wife's car broke down, her words were it went pop then there was steam coming out from under the bonnet and radiator light came on. Pretty obvious radiator pipe, or thermo stat... well good guess the thermo stat shat itself which then caused it's housing to split and spray coolant throughout the engine bay.

What has got me is the mob who the warranty is with are only willing to pay for the thermo stat to be replaced saying that the housing pressurising and exploding is consequential damage. I'm duly not impressed. I figure the thermo stat and it's housing whilst are two bits are essentially one thing one does not work with or exist without the other.

They have reduced their cost from $1194 down to $231 by their declaration and our $100 xs. Once I win the housing argument I then have to convince them to pay for two hoses as well ($500 bucks worth) because now that the seals have been broken apparently the "O" rings need replacing and guess what? That's right you can't buy the "o" rings BMW only sell the hose and seals complete. So not only do we need to bend their wills around to my way of thinking I also have to convince them that it's in their best interest to put us in a better position than we were so that in a months time they are not up for more towing and more parts if the flattened seals leak.

I'm hoping to keep my cool when they give their "it's consequential loss" speil for the third time on Monday morning.

Bluey
04-06-2010, 09:22 PM
Put in another claim for the housing?

courty
04-06-2010, 09:35 PM
Andy
Is it a manufacturer's warranty or one of the worthless ones from a used car dealership,QVWM I think are the main ones here in QLD?

Andy B
04-06-2010, 09:52 PM
Yeah thought about that too, could be two claims the housing failed.

It's an extension of the manufacturers warranty. The mandatory warranty dealers put on cars back in qld was enough for me. Used it once too for a split on a power steering boot and dealer was awesome his words when I told him what it was were "we're in it, drop it off and I'll put you in another car". Different organisations handle things differently.

Anjaryan
04-06-2010, 10:06 PM
Andy,

who is the insurer/underwriter?

Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden
05-06-2010, 05:32 AM
I would suggest ringing the warranty agency and telling them this is the problem and it needs to be fixed.

If they dont seem to want to the party threaten to take them to small claims.

Not sure about your area but up here most insurance and warranty places dont have an office.

So they have to fly a director up here pay for his hotel, meal allowance lose out on him doing a couple of days work to maybe win maybe not so it ends up cheaper to just pay a settlement then to go through the hassle.

Remember no lawyers are allowed in smalll claims so it has to be a director. Small claims cost like $80 to lodge a claim and that you add to there bill.

Wattle GC
07-06-2010, 01:32 PM
Ever make a warranty claim on a car???

With my background I didn't realise I was ignorant but apparently I am.

Today my wife's car broke down, her words were it went pop then there was steam coming out from under the bonnet and radiator light came on. Pretty obvious radiator pipe, or thermo stat... well good guess the thermo stat shat itself which then caused it's housing to split and spray coolant throughout the engine bay.

What has got me is the mob who the warranty is with are only willing to pay for the thermo stat to be replaced saying that the housing pressurising and exploding is consequential damage. I'm duly not impressed. I figure the thermo stat and it's housing whilst are two bits are essentially one thing one does not work with or exist without the other.

They have reduced their cost from $1194 down to $231 by their declaration and our $100 xs. Once I win the housing argument I then have to convince them to pay for two hoses as well ($500 bucks worth) because now that the seals have been broken apparently the "O" rings need replacing and guess what? That's right you can't buy the "o" rings BMW only sell the hose and seals complete. So not only do we need to bend their wills around to my way of thinking I also have to convince them that it's in their best interest to put us in a better position than we were so that in a months time they are not up for more towing and more parts if the flattened seals leak.

I'm hoping to keep my cool when they give their "it's consequential loss" speil for the third time on Monday morning.

When did you buy the car?..Dealer warrenty is 3mths 5000km on used cars under 160000km or less than 10yrs old.If you got sucked into an "aftermarket" warrenty they are not worth the paper they are written on..You are lucky to get what you got but a squeaky wheel will get the oil so kick up a fuss with the dealer ..

Andy B
09-06-2010, 03:13 PM
It's an extended warranty which is supposed to be the same as the original manufactures warranty. The dispute has now escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service and I have to pay the extra to get the car back and aim to get it reimbursed.

They are now saying that it's not a mechanical part so that's why they are not covering it... shame their booklet nor BMW's booklet doesn't define the term "mechanical part". Hopefully that is in our favor though as coverage is unclear.

63impala
09-06-2010, 04:06 PM
You got a BMw nice....:marilyn:marilyn:marilyn

Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden
09-06-2010, 04:22 PM
It's an extended warranty which is supposed to be the same as the original manufactures warranty. The dispute has now escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service and I have to pay the extra to get the car back and aim to get it reimbursed.

They are now saying that it's not a mechanical part so that's why they are not covering it... shame their booklet nor BMW's booklet doesn't define the term "mechanical part". Hopefully that is in our favor though as coverage is unclear.

Stuff that mate sounds as though there really trying to screw you. Fight them all the way mate i would i hate people who try and stand over people.

johnnie5
09-06-2010, 08:24 PM
It's an extended warranty which is supposed to be the same as the original manufactures warranty. The dispute has now escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service and I have to pay the extra to get the car back and aim to get it reimbursed.

They are now saying that it's not a mechanical part so that's why they are not covering it... shame their booklet nor BMW's booklet doesn't define the term "mechanical part". Hopefully that is in our favor though as coverage is unclear.



by law they are not allowed to withhold your vehicle

call the police if need be

Andy B
09-06-2010, 08:45 PM
I collected the car this afternoon and paid the difference $597.50 thanks for coming... Wife is happy to have her car back and stress is now over. Kept the parts etc incase it ever comes to that.

Just gotta get my dosh back!

:thinking;dealers;;dealers;;dealers;;dealers;;deal ers;;dealers;;dealers;:boxer::boxer::boxer::boxer: :boxer::boxer::boxer::boxer::boxer::boxer::boxer:: boxer::boxer::boxer::no pity;dealers;;dealers;;dealers;;dealers;;dealers;; dealers;;dealers;;dealers;:boxer::boxer::boxer::bo xer::boxer::boxer::boxer::boxer:

Received email back from the ombudsman tonight confirming dispute received and referred back to the warranty company for their review before any more action.

Andy B
26-07-2010, 11:16 PM
This finally settled last week, what a nightmare!

The thermostat and housing became one claim and they settled our out of pocket expenses less xs and consumables. I argued that it was impossible to prove a timeline to separate the thermostat and it's housing letting go and secondly that neither their policy booklet nor BMW's had a definition of mechanical. Not that it mattered when push came to shove. There was a second claim as well, I was checking the levels daily because we couldn't afford to replace the hoses and it dropped but it wasn't the hoses. A block off plate on the back of the cylinder head let go.

They took ages to review this because we authorized repair ourselves. We had good reason though because at the time they weren't accepting that non moving parts were mechanical parts. So once they made their first offer on the first claim I told them and forwarded all the paperwork for the second. They settled the second claim the same as the first but in reality they asked and accepted the amount I asked for to avoid the dispute going through the ombudsman.

The lesson is/was if you buy an extended warranty read your policy booklet and be prepared to fight for your coverage. Sure it's a discretional product but they've got to be fair. ;)

And if you come across the most arrogant self pleasing (w a n k e r) on the planet you've probably come across the same fella that looked after our claims. He will be noted by the following quotes:

"clearly you're not from a mechanical background" as if you have to be to have your claim processed...

"I don't agree with that." when told that the claim has been a total nightmare for us...

"did you just pull that figure out of your head?" after asking how much it would take to settle the matter while being unable to discuss his own policy booklet rationally.

In summary, sure it's a worthless piece of paper if you don't fight for your rights!

And today the car tried to breakdown again, can't wait to lodge another claim tomorrow...

aaron
29-07-2010, 05:32 PM
Since when did coolant hoses have o-rings?

I have a Landrover with a BMW engine in it, and the cost of your hoses and thermostat are massive!

Andy B
29-07-2010, 06:25 PM
Yeah I hadn't seen them before, they are recessed down into the hose ends about a centimeter or two. Makes for a good seal, but are they worth it when other set ups hold just as much pressure.

aaron
30-07-2010, 08:07 AM
Obviously worth it to them! It really rules out getting a quick fix at a radiator shop though.