SandyS2K

I have a MY00 car that is not eligible for Honda extended warranty so I bought a good third party warranty from Warranty Direct.

However, when I had the car serviced, the dealer said they will not work with 3rd party warranty companies because they take ages to pay. The fact that this company have a fast track payment service made no difference apparently.

Anyone else had this problem? Is the dealer allowed to do this?

euan

I suppose a dealer isn't under any obligation to do work for someone if the car doesn't have a Honda warranty. I imagine they reckon 3rd party warranties are too much hassle to be worthwhile - they may think that there is a lot of admin work on their part to do which they can't bill you or the warranty company for.

Does your 3rd party warranty insist on a Honda dealer doing the work?

SandyS2K

no they just have to be vat registered - maybe its time to look for a good independent.

euan

I imagine a good independent, used to performance stuff, may well be preferable to many franchised dealers when it comes to the S.

Unless you just see if another Honda dealer will do it - each garage may have it's own policy.

douglasr

Fairly common - the admin cost to them makes it more hassle than its worth. Normally you pay yourself and claim it back assuming that the work has been given the OK.

mikdys

I've had to do this in the past - pay the garage for the work and then re-claim the money from the warranty company. It shouldn't be a problem as long as you get the garage to call the warranty company for an authorisation/order number before the work is completed (you will need this to get your money back).

As long as the garage doesn't refuse to call for authority on the repair (and they can't reasonably refuse to do this - not if they want you to pay their bill!) you shouldn't have a problem. If you pay on a credit card you should get your money back before the statement comes in (and get some loyalty points too!)

SandyS2K

sounds fine then - thanks for the feedback guys!

mikdys

Always assuming that the warranty company will accept liability for the repair - watch out for the "wear & tear exclusion". The safest thing is to say to the garage "find out what is wrong and then phone the warranty co for authority - if they don't authorise the work call me for permission to continue with the job BEFORE you complete the work". That way you shouldn't get any surprises!

scov

As an authorized dealer the only obligation is to carry out manufacturers warranty work.

It is an interesting story that I have banked. This BB is a good resource not just for owners and enthusiasts, but for dealers as well.

d

SandyS2K

Do you deal with 3rd party warranty companies (if you dont mind me asking) Scov?