Warranty company claim farce

Ferris

I bought a second hand car off a dealer two months ago. as part of the sale I got a Mapfre 'FREEway lite' 3 month engine and gearbox warranty.

Onto this week and I put the car into an indy specialist for a service and routine check. Turns out the 6 glow plugs and the glowplug controller are faulty and there is oil leaking from the swirl flaps (BMW 530d). TBH I wanted to blank off the swirl flaps as theyre a known weakness with this engine but I wasn't prepared for the oil leak or the glowplug issue. Total cost to put right is 750quid.

I contacted Mapfre and they are refusing cover as the parts are not internally lubricated items. I checked the policy (for the first time) and the engine items that are covered are as follows;

ENGINE:

All internal lubricated parts, also including engine block, cylinder bores & heads,

cylinder head gaskets (excluding cracks & skims); flywheel; oil pump; timing belt/chain and tensioner

(once replaced in accordance with manufacturers recommendations). (Excluding overheating,

decoking, burnt, pitted & sticking valves).

At this point I went back to the dealer, he gave a sob story, stated that the only warranty was the one he provided through Mapfre and offered 200quid towards the repair. I havent really covered many miles, maybe 2k, so the issues have been there since he sold me the car. Also the oil leak is visible once under the car and the coil faults show up on the diagnostic.

I suppose I'd like to know if anyone has had any joy with a similar claim through Mapfre or if people think that I should go for the dealer on the sale of faulty goods.

I am a bit miffed at myself that I accepted that the Mapfre warranty would sort me out if I had an issue. In reality I never checked the cover and had I known how little was covered I may have done a different deal.

As a further observation, the warranty states that some cars are excluded, bizarely BMW's are listed as excluded:

EXCLUDED VEHICLES

The following vehicles cannot be covered under this Policy.

GENERAL

■

Commercial vehicles over 3500kg G.V.M.

■

Military, Police, Ambulance, Fire Service vehicles and Taxis.

SPECIFIC VEHICLES

■

AC, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Alpina, Bristol, Bugatti, Caterham, Cosworth, De Tomaso,

Ferrari, Ginetta, Jaguar XJ220, Lamborghini, Lancia, Lister, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren, Marcos,

Rolls Royce,TVR and Kit Cars.

So is the dealer remiss in actually offering this warranty in the first place?

At the end of the day I like the car and it is getting fixed at the moment anyway. I am sure that once resolved it will be fully reliable and enjoyable to own.

Stallingrad

Sorry for you trouble OP. BMW and Kit cars excluded, says it all really about how BMW are regarded these days.

ironclaw

I think the warning sign was a 3 month warranty to be honest. Given that its in black and white, and you signed it, you don't have much recourse. That said, you were technically sold a warranty that didn't cover you. They could argue that you should have read it, but then again, they should have known. That's the angle I'd take on it and stick to your guns.

Ferris

The warranty is taken out by the dealer, I didn't sign it. I suppose I went in eyes open as the warranty only covers the drivetrain. But I was surprised at how little of the drivetrain it does cover and that it doesn't cover BMW's at all.

Dealer is a one man (but legit) operation I suppose but that isn't excusing him.

bazz26

This is why I refuse point blank to buy from any garage offering these type warranties where they are more designed as an insurance policy to protect the garage from having to deal with an issue than actually covering the buyer.

I'd also be questioning the credibility of a garage who would sell a warranty with a car that is specifically excluded from cover under that warranty. I certainly would not let them wash their hands on that one.

mickdw

I would get written clarification from mapfre as to whether your bmw is covered at all.
Of they confirm that all bmws are excluded from cover, go straight back to dealer and tell him nicely that the warranty provided is null and void and that you want the situation remedied

Ferris

mickdw wrote: »

I would get written clarification from mapfre as to whether your bmw is covered at all.
Of they confirm that all bmws are excluded from cover, go straight back to dealer and tell him nicely that the warranty provided is null and void and that you want the situation remedied

Thanks, I think that this is the way to go alright. I'll get onto them now.

toyotaavensis

OP you bought from the garage. He is a retailer. He is obliged to put this right. Dont take no for an answer.

Mech1

Your mapfre warranty is a "add on" to make your buy a better deal, but your original consumer rights still apply.

the dealer pays to fix it end of story.

mullingar

Talk to a solicitor.

You may have rights under the sale of goods act.

colm_mcm

Tbh that warranty is minimal as warranties go. Its only purpose is to provide someone else to blame.

If it specifically excludes your make of car, then I'd use that as ammo.

whomitconcerns

If you look at the other online docs, it says "BMW Alpina" is not covered. So bmw its probably ok, just a misplaced comma, but worth checking.

pete4130

These warranties are a farce. They are common here in Australia and have lots of loopholes for the warranty company to not do the work. They are effectively not worth the paper they are written on. The dealers sell them as an add on to the car purchase or even include them on used car sales. People that don't know better think they are receiving some sort of security with the warranty. The dealer will tell you if ANYTHING goes wrong the warranty covers it....trust me I've been there with the "free" 1 year warranty on a used car. They also expect you to service the car every 3-6 months depending ton the age of the car and to get the work examined at one of their garages...which always say it was a wear and tear/owner/driver fault.

If there is an oil leak, then the car technically was not road worthy when it was sold.

As others have said you still have your standard consumer rights and if the car isn't right, the dealer needs to look after it. They will try to fob you off to the warranty company and hope you take their refusal to do the work as the final answer.

Cee-Jay-Cee

The policies cover regular BMW's but not Alpina spec BMW's so your car is covered.