Tesco warranty - my experience

Gaygle · 20 May 2009 at 12:26

Does anybody know what Warranty Direct are like? I ran a few quotes for an Audi S4 2.7TT a week or so ago, and they just called me out of the blue and told me they could give it to me for £650 with work being carried out at a franchised dealer of my choice, covering turbochargers, pretty much all engine components and even including failure of a part due to a non insured part.

However they did say that for vehicles up to 100k miles i would have to contribute 30% of the parts (they would cover up to £5k for labour/rest of the part costs for each claim), for vehicles over 120k i'd have to cover 40% of parts - which admittedly isn't that bad considering if an S4 has a turbo failure, it's £1600 for the turbochargers, then another £1000 for labour because the engine has to be removed.

Skiddley · 20 May 2009 at 12:39

Rotty said:
the Finest covers rust repairs that cause an MOT fail

Interesting that, as my Boxster was in last week for a Maj service and all 6 coil packs were split, and corroded.

Tesco told me to sod off. Water ingress & corrosion not covered.

MikeHunt79 · 20 May 2009 at 12:42

The thing about remaps is that there is no way of knowing it's been done unless it's taken on a rolling road (I think)...

Gaygle · 20 May 2009 at 12:55

MikeHunt79 said:
The thing about remaps is that there is no way of knowing it's been done unless it's taken on a rolling road (I think)...

Couldn't they just plug a computer into the ECU and look at the turbo pressure?

Fr0dders · 20 May 2009 at 13:08

depends who'se going to instruct the dealers to do it

if you've got a tesco warranty, presumably you wont have a manufacturers warranty, so the dealership wont be wanting to spend hours checking ECUs for remaps, when they can just send a bill to tesco and have them pick it up.

eidolon · 20 May 2009 at 13:10

I've just bought my Tesco Finest Warranty which will continue when my current one runs out. The MOT thing sounds interesting, I'll take my car to Porsche for its MOT and if it fails anything Tesco can pick up the bill, excellent!

DannyDan · 20 May 2009 at 13:56

Defcon5 said:
I need a new clutch, which will be around £300. Tesco will give me 'Standard' cover for £200, which includes wear and tear on clutches. They wont come and inspect the car and see it already needs a new clutch.

Win?

As rotty says, there might be a length of time before you're allowed to claim for wear and tear. With Warranty Direct it's 90 days. So I guess it depends how urgently you need the clutch

iaind · 20 May 2009 at 14:30

eidolon said:
I've just bought my Tesco Finest Warranty which will continue when my current one runs out. The MOT thing sounds interesting, I'll take my car to Porsche for its MOT and if it fails anything Tesco can pick up the bill, excellent!

Surely if you fail because all 4 tyres are bald they wont pick up the bill for that...

Or will they?

eidolon · 20 May 2009 at 15:01

They'll pay for any mechanical failures I guess, not stuff like tyres and exhausts.

Skiddley · 20 May 2009 at 15:37

Mot can't be in the first 3 months of policy, and must be due before the end - so you can't do it early.

8 month window.

Eriedor · 20 May 2009 at 16:21

Concerning remaps.....just get a map that can easily re reverted to stock.

Bluefin and I believe Revo can do it.

Peerzy · 21 May 2009 at 07:38

MikeHunt79 said:
The thing about remaps is that there is no way of knowing it's been done unless it's taken on a rolling road (I think)...

Putting it on a RR isn't proof at all. My 149bhp engine came off a RR at 165bhp yet it had had nothing done to it apart from 15,000 miles.

Someone I knows 119bhp engine came off the RR at 140bhp~ iirc.

Best way to check would be to check the fuel tables (didn't think boost was usually altered during a standard remap?) but you would have to compare them with a standard set, otherwise you'd be none the wiser.

MikeHunt79 · 21 May 2009 at 11:16

Peerzy said:
Putting it on a RR isn't proof at all. My 149bhp engine came off a RR at 165bhp yet it had had nothing done to it apart from 15,000 miles.

Someone I knows 119bhp engine came off the RR at 140bhp~ iirc.

Best way to check would be to check the fuel tables (didn't think boost was usually altered during a standard remap?) but you would have to compare them with a standard set, otherwise you'd be none the wiser.

Yep I guess a RR isn't ideal either as it measures power at the wheels not at the crank... Still, I'm not sure of there's any definite way of checking for a remap bar plugging in computery bits to the car!

Fr0dders · 21 May 2009 at 12:23

RR is usefull if you run the car on one before and after the remap

in this instance the absolute figures arent really whats wanted, its the difference thats usefull.

Gaygle · 21 May 2009 at 12:34

Peerzy said:
(didn't think boost was usually altered during a standard remap?)

I thought that's exactly what they did (along with other smaller things)? Which is why you can see a 225bhp turbo engine, go to 270bhp in a few minutes.

Berger · 21 May 2009 at 13:32

Hmm can only get the value one as my car will be 9 this year.

What is the difference in the low/medium/high cover where it shows 1 2 or 3 ticks, the other PDF document is very slow on this computer to open so cant read through it.

Shame that suspension isnt covered really, some cars have had springs snap on them which isnt that cheap a repair.

Would they cover the cost of a cambelt snapping I wonder and the rebuild/new head/valves that are then required, comes to about a grand.

Peerzy · 21 May 2009 at 15:22

Gaygle said:
I thought that's exactly what they did (along with other smaller things)? Which is why you can see a 225bhp turbo engine, go to 270bhp in a few minutes.

From what I've read most of the work is done in the fuel tables (the ECU holding back when you push the fun pedal) and 'unlocking' the potential of the engine, maybe upping the boost slightly.

Non-turbo engines can be remapped 'reasonably well'; 60bhp with a remap and induction will take you to about 75bhp (25% increase?).

Gaygle · 21 May 2009 at 15:42

Peerzy said:
Non-turbo engines can be remapped 'reasonably well'; 60bhp with a remap and induction will take you to about 75bhp (25% increase?).

LOL. If you can show me a non-turbo engine (in a road car) that can be remapped to get an increase of 60 bhp (+ a further 15bhp with induction kit) i shall personally send you a cookie in the post...

Berger · 21 May 2009 at 15:50

I think he means that if the engine your starting with has 60bhp you can remap it to get it to 75bhp.

Gaygle · 21 May 2009 at 15:50

Berger said:
I think he means that if the engine your starting with has 60bhp you can remap it to get it to 75bhp.

Oh, even that is wishful thinking!