Coming up to 3 months of owning the mondeo. Which means the 3months warranty from the dealer is coming to an end.

At the time of sale I was offered a 12month warranty at extra cost but I didn't take it up as the price seemed high. Is it worth taking out a warranty with another company?

Also at the time of purchase I was offered gap insurance, which I was told 300pounds (a year?) which is half of what I am currently paying for my actual insurance policy so again it seemed pretty steep so I didn't take it.

Again is it worth taking out gap insurance?

If so, to either of these questions, what are the best companies to go with?

£300 a year for gap insurance is ridiculous. I paid £120 for 3 years on a new car, which is with ALA. There are quite a few gap insurance companies, but I think it's more useful on a new car where you have a lot to lose.

As for the warranty, you could get quotes from companies like Warranty Direct, and just decide if it's worth the cost.

both are worth having mate - I found warranty direct where the most competitive for the best coverage. I would have had it on my new mondeo, but they stop cover at 100k so I went without, but the gap cover is daft to pay that much, you can easily get cover for much less than that as Phil said.

If you have the money for it mate, I say go for it, get the best deal you can

Iam considering getting an extended warrenty for my Focus......been quoted from £300-£350 by warrenty wise and another company that I cant remember which I suppose isnt bad if something does go wrong.

I would like to know if anyone on here has had to use them and how easy they pay out.

I used as warranties and warranty direct before. Getting payout isn't the issue, but getting them to appreciate a task takes longer than there books say is another. They seem to think jobs take two hours less than they actually do so often a garage had to wrestle with the cost side and negotiate a working price which can add time to your repair.

Otherwise though, just remember that for every year older the car gets you have to pay 10% more of the overall cost. Most warranty Co. Pairs will expect you to pay St least ten and up to fifty percent the cost when the car exceeds five years of age.

My car is a 58 plate so 6/7 years old now

Is it still worth taking a warranty out if they are gonna expect me to pay the first half? And who chooses who carries out the repairs? Do they send me to someone they preapproved or can I go to my family mechanic?

With gap insurance what is the going rate? I paid 7500 for it but at the time it was independantly valued at 8500.

for example, with Warranty Direct, if your car is up to 5 you pay nothing,

5-6 years old you pay 10%,

6-7 years old you pay 20%

7-8 years old you pay 30%

8-9 years old you pay 40%

9-10 years old you pay 50% (up to 100,00 miles, after that cover is void).

So you would likely only be expected to pay the first 20% of whatever bill comes out. The repairers have to be their own repairer, otherwise, you can get your car done anywhere, and submit the bill to them, but there is no negotiation, and they will only pay what they feel the job was worth - so its best to stick to their terms and go where they suggest.

As for Gap, it goes on the average market value, much like car insurance.

In the event of a write off, your insurers umms and arr's about the value of your car, they lube up and bend you over to make the first offer which makes you laugh and cry at the same time. In the end, you argue the value of the car and you agree to a more likely value. At this point your GAP comes in, and agrees that your car is worth 8.5. Your insurer bent you over offering you 3.5 but you agreed that 4.5 is the minimum value in your opinion, and then your GAP cover backs you up. Your insurer pays out 4.5 and then your GAP cover pays out 4 to you.

The problem is, in the event of total loss, valuation is the delay and then negotiation between your insurer and your GAP provider cause further delays, but in the end your not out of pocket.

getting annoyed now..

trying to get a gap insurance quote from warranty direct

at the last stage it says sorry we can only quote cars under 7years old, and wont quote me..

my car was first registered 28th november 2008.. its 6years old damnit

what other reputable places are there to get a quote from? can see plenty but aint heard of any of em

They measure start of year to end of year I guess. To be honest you might be best trying someone unheard of.

so why will others quote me on the same terms?

helpucover quotes me a monthly premium of £3.62 and click4gap quotes me abouts £154 for 3 years so roughly the same give or take 20quid

does anyone know of somewhere to look for gap cover?

Hi,

Just to let you know that we offer a product called Total Loss Protection. Whilst it's not exactly the same as your traditional GAP insurance however we feel it can offer a cost effective alternative.

If you'd like any further then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.