I know this is the Focus forum but I trust you guys on here so don't want to venture elsewhere....Some friends of ours have today put a deposit down on a '19 plate Kuga 1.5 petrol with 31k on it at Trust Ford in Castleford and obviously the salesman tried to persuade them to sign up for the usual add-ons including an extended warranty for 3 years at £900.

They phoned me asking if this was worth doing, as we are all traditional Yorkshire folk and don't like spending our hard-earned brass if we don't have to 😁😁.

Consequently, I have never taken out an extended warranty in my 40+ years of motoring and have never regretted it, so my initial thought was for them to decline this but they are a young family with 2 very young kids and can't really afford to fork out for any major repairs should anything go wrong with it. 

So, should they get the extended warranty from Ford or somewhere else such as Warrantywise etc or is the car likely to be reliable enough to not need it ??

(I work in the parts-supply trade locally so have numerous contacts at local garages should the need arise)

Have they tried any of the comparison sites for extended warranties, as that does sound a bit steep... Plenty of companies sell them, not just Ford.

I've never taken out warranty on used cars either.  But modern cars are *****.  And garage bills are ridiculous post covid.  So I think it would be worth having some sort of warranty on a 5 year old car nowadays.  Not necessarily Ford, but definitely one that covers engine and gearbox faults.

Cheers for the quick replies guys 👍

Just googled it and found a good article on Honest John but he disagrees with you Tom....

 

"Is it worth buying a vehicle warranty?

Modern cars are more reliable than ever, so whether you decide to opt for an aftermarket warranty either from a dealer or third party provider comes down to how risk averse you are. For those who like every eventuality taken care of, a warranty is a must. However, it’s worth remembering the cost of the warranty may outweigh any claim you make or the bill for repairs, especially when you have to pay an excess.

For this reason, aftermarket car warranties are not for everyone. If you’re confident your car is in good condition and will continue to work as it should, then the occasional servicing and repair bill will not come as much of a shock to the finances."

 

Car Warranty: Your complete guide | Honest John

2 minutes ago, Phil3747 said:

... so whether you decide to opt for an aftermarket warranty either from a dealer or third party provider comes down to how risk averse you are.

Now, I thought the warranty wasn't for you? You'll have to determine how 'risk averse' your friends are, and how much spare cash they have for emergencies. Personally, the only insurance I have is where the government has mandated it in law! But I don't have a young family with unexpected expenditures...

It looks like Which? aren't a big fan of them either...

 

"Our previous research also found that many used car warranties cost more than the average repair bill for a used family car.

Most warranties can be tinkered with, but improving the package will increase the price, and once you’ve fine-tuned the cover to what you want you may find yourself with a plan that can’t compete with low average repair costs for most used cars.

Conversely, don’t be lured into a cheap deal that weasels out of coughing up your repair fees by including a list of terms and conditions as long as your arm.

A good alternative to buying a used car warranty would be regularly setting money aside for future repairs, and finding a good, local mechanic that also offers value for money. If, however, you want the peace of mind that a warranty might offer, make sure you read the small print carefully before signing on the dotted line."

 

Should You Buy A Used Car Warranty? - Which?

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

Now, I thought the warranty wasn't for you? You'll have to determine how 'risk averse' your friends are, and how much spare cash they have for emergencies. Personally, the only insurance I have is where the government has mandated it in law! But I don't have a young family with unexpected expenditures...

No, it's definitely not for me...I'm quite happy with my 6 year old Hyundai Kona thanks and I'm with you on the mandated insurance front 👍

As you've probably gathered they don't know a great deal about cars and this is by far the most they have ever spent on a car, so they are trying to decide on their best course of action 🤔

Perhaps it would be worth saying that the 2019 Kuga is not without it's reliability problems. Although many of them are related to the MHEV versions. I'm assuming this is just a regular 1.5 Ecoboom engine (slightly more reliable than the 1.0). Is the car manual or automatic ?

If and only if, they decide to take out a warranty then personally I'd only go with the one offered by Ford. Third party warranty companies don't have a great reputation in actually honoring warranty claims, like the one advertised by Quentin Willson

Yeah just the regular 1.5 petrol and it's manual...(I've had two 1.0 Ecobooms but got rid before they went t*ts-up after reading the horror stories on here), so I know the 2019 1.5 has the timing chain rather than the perishable belt and kept them away from the problematic ones (hopefully !!)

 

If you go for a "warranty" I also would only go for the related manufacturer's one, Ford.

One thing to remember is that in 99.9% of these so called warranties they are defined in the terms and conditions as "Mechanical Breakdown Ins" - which is "sudden and unforseen" failure. In the majority of these companies they do NOT cover wear and tear parts that need replacing.

8 minutes ago, Phil3747 said:

so I know the 2019 1.5 has the timing chain rather than the perishable belt

Are you sure ?

4 minutes ago, unofix said:

Are you sure ?

That’s the non turbo.
 

3 cylinder 1.5 ecoboost is timing chain, oil pump wet belt from 2019

4 cylinder is dry belt. 
 

2019 is a changeover year for Kuga

Just now, alexp999 said:

2019 is a changeover year for Kuga

Yes I know. The OP hasn't said which engine, so they need to check.

16 minutes ago, unofix said:

Are you sure ?

That engine wasnt fitted to any flavour of kuga in the UK that I'm aware of. Etis Workshop manual doesn't mention that engine. Basically the latest Kuga got the 1.5 ecoboost  3 cylinder engine , the earlier Kuga got the 1.5 ecoboost 4 cylinder. 

13 hours ago, Phil3747 said:

Just googled it and found a good article on Honest John but he disagrees with you Tom....

That doesn't surprise me.  Not a big fan of that site myself.  

I note that both HJ & Which talk about the 'average' repair cost.  That stat presumably covers all makes and models, and includes lots of minor faults.  The repair costs that we see on here frequently for Fords are often very high.  Particularly if it's engine/gearbox/clutch/turbo/cat related.  Then there are things like LED headlight clusters and panoramic rooves which are trim dependant, but if fitted are very expensive to repair if they break.

Ultimately I don't think there is a 'right' answer.  But personally I no longer believe that saving a few pennies specifically for this purpose each week would cover many of the major faults associated with modern Fords.  I'd either put the money into a warranty, or not bother at all.

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from but luckily I'm in the trade so have plenty of local contacts.

As a recent example my eldest daughter's '67 plate Sportage recently suffered gearbox bearing issues and as Kia weren't interested in doing it under warranty due to missing service history, I used a mate's garage instead and for the gearbox removal, new bearings fitting, new clutch and re-fitting of everything (all within a day and a half !!) I managed to get it all done for £900, whereas Kia probably wouldn't have been able to fit it in for 2 months then want circa. £3k for the privilege !!

Have been in touch with our friends today and they are looking at putting money away each month to cover any un-foreseen motoring costs, which seems the sensible way to go to me anyway 👍