Ford protect

[steve67]

Hello...any one use the ford extra warranty? . My son's fiesta is coming to the end of manufacturers warranty... Had a look at the ford protect warranty and seems to cover most parts of the car including AA breakdown...for £120 a year.. for my Focus active it's coming in at £188 a year..

 

Is it worth it?

[StephenFord]

Like any insurance, it really all depends on your attitude to risk. I insure 2 things in life, my home, and my car - both required by law. (well, home required by mortgage company!). There are folk that are that scared of life, insure their new ink printer for goodness sake LOL If your son is mechanically useless, and unable to organise a breakdown recovery as and when it ever happens, maybe the issue of getting 'free' AA membership is the tipping point. No one can truly advise, it's your risk.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

 

7 hours ago, steve67 said:

including AA breakdown

One of the policy conditions is that the vehicle is serviced to manufacturers specification by the dealer where you purchased the vehicle or other reputable vat registered dealer.

If you have it serviced at Ford you get free breakdown cover anyway.

But as Stephen says, there's no right or wrong answer, really - it all depends on your perception of risk. I've never paid for extended warranty on anything yet, preferring to "self-insure" if you like, and I'm well ahead. Which is not to say I might not, if I didn't like the balance of risk.

[StephenFord]

5 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

 

One of the policy conditions is that the vehicle is serviced to manufacturers specification by the dealer where you purchased the vehicle or other reputable vat registered dealer.

 

I thought that kind of condition was deemed 'illegal' by the EU as unfair and you could get it serviced anywhere? (Despite us having left the EU, probably still enforced)

[Eric Bloodaxe]

18 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I thought that kind of condition was deemed 'illegal' by the EU as unfair and you could get it serviced anywhere? (Despite us having left the EU, probably still enforced)

Haha there's no escaping their clutches lol. I did understand that provision was primarily intended to stop them invalidating your warranty on a new car. 

The Ford Protect conditions don't actually specify Ford dealers, just "reputable vat registered". So you can get it serviced virtually anywhere, other than in the shed of the bloke round the corner, cash in hand, no questions asked, Guv. Doesn't seem too unreasonable to me, tbh.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

I thought that kind of condition was deemed 'illegal' by the EU as unfair and you could get it serviced anywhere? 

Thought I'd seen something on this somewhere on the web and this is what What Car? had to say:

"Unlike manufacturer-provided new car warranties, which can’t tie you in to main dealer servicing, extended warranties – both aftermarket and manufacturer-supplied ones – can legally stipulate that the car must be serviced by a franchised dealership or one of the provider’s partner garages. If you want to pick the garage yourself, don’t take out cover that restricts your choice."

On the original question, they say:

"Am I actually better off without a warranty?

You don’t have to take out an extended warranty when you buy a car, of course; your decision on whether to do so will depend on how risk-averse you are, how much disposable income you have to pay for any repairs yourself, and how reliable your car is." ***

I notice also that the Ford Protect thing (which is underwritten by QBE UK Ltd) specifically refers to it as being an insurance policy.

*** Of course, as we all know on here, Fords never break down!😀