RAC warranties

[robparker]

Looking at buying a car which has an RAC warranty, is that just toilet paper, or has anyone had them payout for anything, eg major failure engine work etc?

 

[Mark A]

Tried 2 claims with RAC warranty (different cars) and they declined to pay out on either. AC on the SLK and multiple issues on my LR Discovery.

 

[robparker]

Tried 2 claims with RAC warranty (different cars) and they declined to pay out on either. AC on the SLK and multiple issues on my LR Discovery.

Says it all!

 

[Gazwould]

Avantgarde Automotive swears by them .

 

[robparker]

Avantgarde Automotive swears by them .

Well that confuses things as I respect Steve's opinion on everything enormously

 

[Blobcat]

Any warranty other than Mercedes I discount as toilet paper.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Agreed - I have toyed with MotorEasy but stopped and thought! Just did my i8 again with BMW
MotorEasy £695 , £250 excess and limited to £85/hour labour ,no recovery or breakdown
BMW £993, £250 excess, no BMW labour limit, recovery and breakdown included and inclusive loan replacement car like for like

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Yep! BMW are hitting the sweet spot with warranties at the the moment, it costs me £325pa for full cover with £250 excess should I claim on my 4 series IL6. Mercedes need to catch up the clincher is the optional excess

 

[ZZZZ]

Bought this car in 2015 with 3 months RAC Gold Warranty (not from MB dealer), took it to PCS for a checkup, turns out a/c condenser needed replacement and OSR tyre was knackered - RAC paid the full cost of a/c condenser (new OEM, parts and labour) and re-gas etc, and the dealer covered the new tyre. Can't complain

 

[peterws1957]

Agreed - I have toyed with MotorEasy but stopped and thought! Just did my i8 again with BMW
MotorEasy £695 , £250 excess and limited to £85/hour labour ,no recovery or breakdown
BMW £993, £250 excess, no BMW labour limit, recovery and breakdown included and inclusive loan replacement car like for like

Blimey John BMW's price is a surprise. I would have thought that they would have wanted at least double.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Blimey John BMW's price is a surprise. I would have thought that they would have wanted at least double.

I did too Peter, my E63 was c£1300 !

 

[Frontstep]

Any warranty other than Mercedes I discount as toilet paper.

Having had some warranty spats with MB I would say MB make toilet paper too and had to jump through some very high hurdles to get them to cooperate.

 

[peterws1957]

Having had some warranty spats with MB I would say MB make toilet paper too and had to jump through some very high hurdles to get them to cooperate.

Yep, I think with a claim under any sort of insurance, warranty etc you have to be prepared to jump through hoops. Not always necessary though.

 

[Alexadaney]

Looking at buying a car which has an RAC warranty, is that just toilet paper, or has anyone had them payout for anything, eg major failure engine work etc?

Hi,

I used to work for Ford and Audi as a service advisor, so i used to deal with these kinda situations all the time...

Car would come in to have an investigation into juddering or loss of power..Customer doesn't want to pay for the 30mins diag fee, thinks it should be covered udner the warranty that came with the car/they brought along side the car...initial investigation finds out that it's injectors or something like that...SA communicates with RAC regarding this, they want to see service history of vehicle...customer then irate as they feel they shouldn't have to give proof of services or any prev work on the vehicle (normally this means they have to go back to the dealership that they have brought vehicle from causing more hassle for all parties)...turns out the prev garage didn't actually do the correct service even though it was (or wasn't) stamped as they advised and now the customer is left with the cost of full repair as RAC wont cover it as the oil is a little bit old or a filter hasn't been changed. In my experience its a very frustrating situation for all parties involved as any warranty company will try to wiggle out where they can just like insurance.

I brought a 64 plate Focus with Extended warranty from Evans Halshaw and they replaced everything no quibble as they had full service and work history on the vehicle. From heated windscreen with chip to hazard button, wheel bearing and more.

If anyone does decide to get a 3rd party warranty, i'd advise to read the T&C's thouroughly and be prepared to dig out paperwork and proof of work/repairs as they will ask.

 

[d215yq]

Reagrdless of the odd anecdotal "Win", given how much the insurance industry makes, the staff, the IPT, etc insurance really is a drain and the likely payout is very small in relation to premium and risk and the average punter loses big time. As such people should really only insure things they can't afford to replace (e.g. buildings, 3rd party car insurance) where the loss is worth it to avoid being homeless or in court, etc and over a lifetime of this they would save a fortune over always ticking the warranty/protection/whatever other type of insurance box.

So if the repairs on a car are affordable then don't buy the warranty. And yet given the posts about how much they refuse to pay out I'd also say if the repairs aren't affordable then don't buy the warranty (nor car) either, so can't really see any logic for a warranty either way.

Warranties are like the monthly PCP figures etc, the only x amount/month or year make it sound cheap but the manufacturer, finance and insurance and warranty cos are not making a loss so however cheap the deal sounds the total amount payable will always be more in the long run.