Endorsable offended

I am writing now in respect of your apparent endorsement of Warranty Direct, "The only Honest John approved car warranty service. “ My 2005 SAAB 9-3 Linear Sport TiD has been covered by Warranty Direct since the manufacturer's warranty expired. It recently suffered a broken front spring and my claim on WD is being met only in part.

The repair was carried out by a SAAB main dealer in accordance with SAAB recommended practice, which is that both front springs be replaced. Indeed, I had no choice to purchase a single spring because they are available only as pairs. As far as I am concerned, in these circumstances, the replacement of both springs is a single event caused by the breakage of one of them. Warranty Direct choose to regard it as two events and to pay for only the cost of a single spring replacement. The WD claim form is explicit that servicing must be carried out in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations.

I think it is unreasonable for WD to operate a policy of requiring the customer to abide by manufacturer's recommendations, only to reject the same policy in meeting their own obligations. In the light of your endorsement of Warranty Direct I think you should be aware of what I regard to be sharp practice. Do you not agree that I should be reimbursed for the full cost of repair in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation?

Asked on 25 January 2010 by ML, via email

Answered by Honest John

I agree with Warranty Direct over this. The warranty is only to replace a broken part. It is not to replace other parts in case they break. It is SAAB's policy that the springs are only supplied in pairs, not WD's. And, in fact, this broken spring should have been covered by SAAB because both SAAB and Vauxhall (the 9-3 and the Vectra are on the same ‘Epsilon’ platform) use the same springs that seem to have a higher rate of failure than the coil springs on other European makes and models. (Though the rate of failure on all European cars is generally high.) I think the springs come from Lesjofors in Sweden. An independent aftermarket warranty does not cover a manufacturing fault that was in the product before the warranty was taken out. Unlike some warranty providers, WD offers insured warranties that are covered by the FSA complaints procedure and I offer a second route for complaint. WD cannot and does not get away with refuting legitimate claims.

Tags: warranty direct warranties spring failure

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