I’ve now had a thorough read of both LR and the Warranty Direct policies as well as explored various combinations on the variables.
The conclusion is both policies are pretty much identical in what they cover. WD is perhaps more comprehensive and certainly the policy document is written in clearer language.
The only differences I can see is LR will give you a hire car after 24 hours, WD if the work will take more than 8 hours. Amounts to the same thing to a degree.
The other difference is how you claim. LR, just take the car to a LR dealership and they take it from there. WD, you call them first, they authorise it and then you take it to a LR dealership. LR no excess, WD direct you can take an excess and lower the premium or not.
Both won’t carry the cost of investigation if it’s a part not covered. Neither will cover water entering from dodgy windscreens or the consequential contamination of the electrics.
Both have MOT coverage. WD will cover defective headlights and the like, LR won’t.
Initial recommendations by recent purchasers on WD are particularly good, with 5 stars being given with the odd exception. The exceptions being people that couldn’t get cover because of high mileage, over 100k or the car was over 10 years old.. Honest John, car correspondent, interviewed their management and they are committed to the customer and improving the WD brand, which had a good name under different management anyway.
As for WD policy prices, I found age of the car and mileage were the defining elements in cost.
For me with a car coming towards the end of the three year warranty and 21k miles, it was £507 with no excess against £1017 for a LR policy, both had complimentary AA cover with foreign 60 day cover.
There is the possibility that if a part wasn’t covered by the LR warranty, LR might be more inclined to make a gesture, but then there could be anyway with a car with no warranty or another brand of warranty. It’s an intangible. Just because it’s a LR branded warranty doesn’t mean squat as it’s run by Car Care Ltd.
The other thing I’ve discovered - it’s on a web search, but I can’t get conclusively verified at the moment and people aren’t ware of is with the LR warranty, you can have their “approved extended warranty” up to less than 5 years old and less than 60k mileage, claim limit up to cost of vehicle. After that, it becomes eligible for its “select extended warranty”, which is up to 7 years old and 100k mileage, which limits a claim to only £3k, oh and 25k miles max during a policy year.
Conclusion, do a quote and then it’s up to you. Personally, I am inclined towards WD. At half the price for an identical warranty, it’s a no brainer.
Towing the caravan back from Cornwall, I got a ‘restricted performance’ warning on the dash and a loss of power too great to keep moving safely on the M1 with the caravan in tow.
After recovery home late on Sunday night, the disco was dropped at the dealer yesterday along with my warranty direct policy details.
Today I got a call telling me it was fixed and warranty direct were covering the cost -a new throttle body was fitted. I had to google a diesel throttle body as I don’t believe it at first. Modern diesels do indeed have throttle bodies.
Only rub is that I have paid and have to claim the cash back as it seems for ‘lower value’ repairs they don’t settle direct. I will let you all know if they don’t refund me but otherwise it was pain free and zero hassle.
That warranty is the Best £300 I have spent this year so far…..
Update from my warranty direct claim. All settled and reimbursed to my account.
Was straightforward and no more complicated than dropping it off for any LR warranty work but satisfying to know the warranty was about 35% the cost of the LR branded one.
I did have to take the sting of the repair cost up front and it has taken nearly a month for the credit back to my account but otherwise, very happy with the non LR branded claim. The policy is backed by QBE if anyone is curious.
MY23 (2022) D300 SE R-Dynamic Eiger Grey, Tow Pack, Matrix Headlights and a few other options
Gone: 2018 HSE 3.0 tdv6 Santorini black
Good to know. The lack of feedback put me off going with them for the Disco, didn’t mind taking a chance on the boys car.
Only other impasse for me was they allow you to take it back to the original garage, but I buy my cars remotely at a distance now, that’s not possible, so I’d be restricted to a garage they picked for me and not necessarily a LR dealership.
2months since my last breakdown (a couple of posts up from this one) but this one feels more significant. Similar situation to last breakdown- towing caravan on M1 just as I was joining the A42 last night, started to feel some vibration. Quite intense at about 50mph. Slowed down and took it steady aiming for a P or emergency bay. I thought a caravan tyre had gone.
Gear selector suddenly starts flashing N and message appears on dash asking me to put it back into D. (Still doing about 40 at this point). Fortunately right next to an emergency bay so pulled in and engine died before I got to a stop.
Tried cranking the engine but it was very laboured and struggling to turn over (I thought maybe stuck in gear still). Recovered back home overnight and dropped at the stealer this morning on a different recovery truck. Fortunately I have RAC to cover the car/caravan combo and the AA just for the car with Warranty Direct that took me from home first thing to the garage. Even with transmission release activated to recover it, cranking is no better. So either gear box is in pieces or the engine is.
Wait now to see what the stealer says and fingers crossed that Warranty Direct come good again. This one feels much more mechanical and costly than the last breakdown…. Think I need to avoid the M1 and towing.
Jon
MY23 (2022) D300 SE R-Dynamic Eiger Grey, Tow Pack, Matrix Headlights and a few other options
Gone: 2018 HSE 3.0 tdv6 Santorini black
New TDV6 Engine required at 22.5k miles. Confirmed as crankshaft failure.
My dealer has been great. They began the claim process with warranty direct on my behalf, but quickly became disillusioned with their endless questions and demands. The dealer decided that a JLR goodwill claim was probably going to be easier than meeting warranty directs demands (this would also avoid me having to pay diagnosis costs up front and save a load of time while they totally disassembled the engine and jumped through Warranty directs hoops). They submitted a claim and had an answer within 36hours of 100% goodwill for a new engine. Full block and heads not just a short engine.
So my second claim experience with warranty direct was not so great. I would like to think it would have paid out in the end but I have to be thankful to my dealer for thinking about the situation from my perspective. They were under no obligation to seek a goodwill claim (I suspect that the fact I have had full service history with them and another disco on order may have helped) but it has been an exteremly good customer service experience.
I don't know if the fact that this is my second Warranty Direct claim in two months, or that the bill for this one is going to be steep that made WD 'challenging'. Either way I feel i bit robbed by WD and extremely grateful to my dealer. I will find out on Monday when the parts will be here... Shame the second hand prices have plummeted while its been off road...
MY23 (2022) D300 SE R-Dynamic Eiger Grey, Tow Pack, Matrix Headlights and a few other options
Gone: 2018 HSE 3.0 tdv6 Santorini black
Just been through it and now have mine back . WD would have used the inherent landrover problem get out of jail card , so does the supplier of Landrover approved warranty . They both would pay if it was not the crank shaft. Mine was 5 years old and done 67k and got !00% of the cost trough JLR goodwill.
Didnt get any help at all from my local dealer who should have dealt with it . Wont take a genius to work out who that was from my Location .. Shukers in Ludlow were very helpful .
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