RAC warranty Is it worth it ?

[jerryz]

My Adria came with a 3 year RAC warranty its a 2009 and I got it in July 2023 ,, tried to claim for the Throttle Actuator fault, and replacement , and RAC refused it saying its a wear and tear item.
Now the van is due for annual service and they tell me I must go to a Fiat main dealer which is ridiculous price £630 for a fricking basic oil and filters change which I can easily do myself for £63 of parts 5-30w oil , oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and pollen filter

Is it really worth the cost and bother as it has another 2 years to go ????

 

[Carpmart]

You’ve answered your own question. Worthless IMHO and you’ve proven my view with the throttle actuator…

 

[The Wino]

My Adria came with a 3 year RAC warranty its a 2009 and I got it in July 2023 ,, tried to claim for the Throttle Actuator fault, and replacement , and RAC refused it saying its a wear and tear item.
Now the van is due for annual service and they tell me I must go to a Fiat main dealer which is ridiculous price £630 for a fricking basic oil and filters change which I can easily do myself for £63 of parts 5-30w oil , oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and pollen filter

Is it really worth the cost and bother as it has another 2 years to go ????

Only you can decide. I think purchasing a warranty will always on average cost a lot more than it's likely to pay out just on the basis that they have to make a profit. But when it's already in place it's a harder decision I bet they don't pay out on many claims because people miss the correct intervals or stop using main dealers. Have you tried other dealers or fiat approved service agents?. On new cars there was a legal decision years ago that provided you use a vat registered garage and genuine manufacturers parts the warranty is legally valid whether it's a main dealer or not I suspect the RAC would have to follow that too but also suspect it's going to take a lot of legal wrangling to get them to pay up if you don't use a main dealer

 

[The Wino]

Here's a link about the new car requirements on servicing I hadn't realised it was one of the benefits of being in the EU. While it stands for new cars it could be more difficult to argue.

New car warranty and servicing requirements

We clear up the confusion about whether car owners must have their cars serviced by a franchised dealership to protect their new car warranty.

www.thecarexpert.co.uk

 

[denisejoe]

Also check how far they will recover your car

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[jerryz]

Also check how far they will recover your car

its not recovery its only a warranty

 

[jerryz]

I spoke with several independents and they all quote around £250-300 for service inc VAT but none use Fiat Genuine parts , and Fiat only buy in parts from major parts manufacturers anyway , Bosch, Mahle,Denso, Fram, etc

Oh and the £630 Fiat charge is plus VAT so over £700
I called around a few Fiat main agents and they are all about the same price ...

Also if you read the RAC policy its full of legal weasle worded getouts and confusion ,,,,

Im so tired of being ripped off,, I can only trust those people who have earned my trust

 

[MichaelT]

I spoke with several independents and they all quote around £250-300 for service inc VAT but none use Fiat Genuine parts , and Fiat only buy in parts from major parts manufacturers anyway , Bosch, Mahle,Denso, Fram, etc

Oh and the £630 Fiat charge is plus VAT so over £700
I called around a few Fiat main agents and they are all about the same price ...

Also if you read the RAC policy its full of legal weasle worded getouts and confusion ,,,,

Im so tired of being ripped off,, I can only trust those people who have earned my trust

Our Fiat dealer charge about 350 for 2 year low mileage service and 500 for 4 year major service.

 

[VXman]

In my opinion any externally sourced warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I learnt this in my younger, more naive days when buying cards from second-hand dealers.

 

[dazandandrea]

Waste of money. Use the money you save to replacecand sevice parts that need it

We have a 2008 autocruise and spent very little on it in 3 years. Just taking the plunge and spending on total rear end service. Discs, pads, handbrake shoes, shockers and bumpstops.

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[jerryz]

I didnt ask for the warranty but Timberland chuck them in all the sales they do ..

Im going to do my own servicing , its easy for me will save a lot of money ,, and i have Motorhome medic coming round to do may HAB check on 8th August ,

 

[Landy Andy]

No they are not worth the money.

I was offered a job years ago at one of the big warranty companies, my job would have been to inform you whatever you had done was wrong. Checked the oil no = lack of care. Yes checked the oil, topped it up, ahh you shouldn’t have interfered with the engine. That type of thing. It’s an insurance, and they are all about making money form those that are rich enough to cover their worries. Especially on an old van like mine and yours.