A Warranty without ‘Weasel Words’

The most frequent question I get asked about car warranties is, “Why don’t they pay out?” Well the reason is, ‘the Weasel Words’ and if, in the past, you’ve been caught out, you probably didn’t read or understand the small print before handing over your hard earned cash for a Car Warranty. Let me explain…

• Betterment:

  A noxious little ‘weasel word’. It means ‘you pay’ because the warranty company believes the part you need will ‘improve your vehicle’s condition’ or ‘increase its value’. Therefore they ask you to contribute towards the claim. It’s how they get out of paying for expensive parts such as an engine or gearbox, leaving you with a ‘significant’ proportion of the cost of repairs yourself. We do not charge you for betterment. If you really need a complete engine, or gearbox – you get a complete engine or gearbox!!

• Consequential Damage:

  Is where a covered part suffers a failure as a result of another part failing which is not on their list of parts. You think you’re OK, because a listed part has failed, but ‘You Pay’ because the fault was caused by a part which was not listed. We do not exclude such repairs, it’s just another way firms use to weasel out of paying.

• Breakdown:

  Is probably the biggest ‘weasel word’ of all. You see with other warranties a part of your car has to cause it to ‘breakdown’ and stop working, otherwise you can’t claim. That’s the first obstacle and a big one! You see, most parts don’t breakdown, but start by making all kinds of squeaks, rattles and groans. That’s why I have designed this warranty to cover parts that are not working properly – as the manufacturer intended. We do this because it’s simply the fairest and best way.

• Choice of Garage:

  Many warranties won’t pay more that their Network Labour Rate (often as low as £28/hour) or leave you to arrange your own repairs and run the risk of a botched job.. We allow you to choose the Labour Rate, from your friendly neighborhood mechanic (providing he is VAT registered) right up to the local main dealer, so you have all the choice you need at a price you can afford. We also operate an Approved Repairer scheme which will carry out any repairs required under the warranty and can even Service and MOT your vehicle at an over-riding discount, where importantly, we pay the garage directly.

• Mileage Limits:

  Most people drive 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year, so you would expect any warranty to cover you for this sort of mileage – wrong! Some of the largest warranty companies impose mileage limits as low as 5,000 miles per year. That’s less than 14 miles per day! You’ve guessed it – if you drive over the mileage limit (at any time) ‘You Pay’. Warrantywise have no such mileage limits – so you won’t drive out of cover with us!

• Excess

  I don’t mind having an excess on any policy, providing it means I pay a lower premium, but that’s not usually the case. Most warranty companies include an excess of at least £50, without giving you
  any choice and without lowering your premium, which means ‘You Pay’. We allow you to decide if you want to include any voluntary contribution towards repairs, and, if you do, we’ll reduce our charges.

• Wear & Tear:

  Let’s be clear. No warranty company (no matter what they say) can afford to pay out lots of claims for worn out parts. Think about it. They’d go bust by next Wednesday. Every opportunist would buy a knackered motor, spend a few hundred quid on a warranty, and then get their car rebuilt ‘as good as new’ at a cost of thousands to the warranty company. No warranty provider will pay you to rebuild your car if it’s simply worn out. That would be commercial suicide. The warranty firms who say they cover for ‘wear & tear’ are being less than honest as they always qualify their claim by saying ‘breakdown due to wear & tear’. This means your car has to breakdown and stop working altogether, and, if the part that caused the breakdown was worn, you may be covered but, depending upon the time of your claim, you will likely get nothing or be left with a hefty excess. Warrantywise cover your car when a part stops working ‘properly’ (as it was designed to work). It doesn’t have to breakdown and stop working altogether and so whether or not, a part has broken-down due to wear & tear isn’t an issue for us!