I bought a used 2004 Ford Fusion manual from a dealer. The sale included a warranty with a company called Warranty2000. Soon after purchase, I had a gearbox problem diagnosed by my independent garage as a failed gearbox bearing. I contacted the warranty company to obtain authorisation to go ahead with repairs in the form of having my gearbox reconditioned by an independent specialist at a cost of £465 plus labour £160 plus VAT, a total of £750. They replied that they would only pay for a secondhand gearbox (presumably sourced from a carbreaker) at £200 plus labour, total £417. My garage agreed with me and said they would not be happy to fit a secondhand gearbox of uncertain provenance and condition.

Having failed to reach agreement with Warranty2000, I informed them that I would go ahead with the reconditioning and refitting of the gearbox and would send them my claim for £750 with copies of all relevant documents. There is also a clause in the warranty document requiring a contribution from the warranty holder towards costs if the repair results in the car being in a better condition after the repair than it was immediately before the failure. I would be most grateful if you would let me know what you think about the use of second-hand components and also what might be a reasonable "contribution" from me in this case. For comparison a quotation from a Ford main dealer for this repair is approx. £1500.