Audi / Mondial Extended Warranty website oddity

[Locoblade]

I'm just looking into getting an extended warranty on my S4, but I'm a little confused by the website(s)

If I go to the Audi Website and go to the extended warranty page it takes me to audi-extendedwarranty.co.uk (note the hyphen in the URL)

However, when Googling "Audi Extended Warranty" the second link that comes up after Audi.co.uk is www.audiextendedwarranty.co.uk (without the hyphen).

The former is obviouly linked directly from the Audi website and from reading the About Us section, is underwritten by Volkswagen Insurance Service. The latter says "Audi Extended Warranty is sold by Mondial Assistance (UK) Limited, and underwritten by AGA". Everything on the Mondial site looks official though, I've seen Mondial mentioned elsewhere as the official warranty company and they also manage BMW's official extended warranty so it's not likely they're trying to con anyone.

I was wondering if one was for customers rolling straight into extended warranty from manufacturer warranty whilst the other was for cars already out of warranty, or have Mondial recently lost the extended warranty contract but not taken down the website perhaps? I did notice when putting in my reg number for a quote it said I needed to phone them, perhaps they've turned off the quote system entirely?

Has anyone else recently taken out extended warranty, and if so is it Mondial or VW Financial Services?

 

[razza1]

As far as I knew, you had to be in warranty still to take it out with Audi, there is a grace period but it's not long

 

[Locoblade]

So, spoke to Audi Warranty (the first link - VW Financial Services) today, it seems that Mondial (second link) still do the Approved Used warranties when buying second hand from the dealer and are still honouring any existing extended warranties taken out with them, but as of March any new extended warranties are now done through VW Financial Services and AU warranty will migrate over at some point to. Bit annoying really because Mondial used to offer monthly payments and anecdotal evidence suggests they were probably cheaper. The new extended warranty I can get but its £600 for named component 15k miles and £250 excess which seems a lot, and you can only pay it in one lump sump which is annoying!

Not sure what the best option is really, had a bad experience with Warranty Direct previously which seem to be the best of a bad bunch of 3 party warranty companies, and they want £850 (before knockdowns etc) as they're only offering the top end Sports/Prestige warranty thats for "exotic" cars (haha). Having just found out that S Tronics can in fact be repaired outside the dealer network (my main concern was a £10k+ bill for a new box if it went up the swanny) and one of the gearbox specialists that can do this work are fairly local, I'm thinking I might just roll with it and put the warranty money aside for a rainy day should it occur!

 

[razza1]

A point on 3rd party warranties, most don't cover stronic (dsg) boxes....plus labour rates can be limited. my warranty covered the mech unit, cost me £950 for 3 years and got £2.8k out of a £3.5k bill back, plus big savings on a thermostat and door lock replacement.
Knowing what I've gone through I'd take up the Audi warranty for peace of mind and it covers most things others won't.

 

[Locoblade]

Yep, this particular WD Warranty did include the gearbox though and covered up to £240/hr main dealer labour so on paper is good, but I don't really trust them not to try and wriggle out of a claim (especially a big claim) so not really worth considering them as the main reason I want it is to give a bit of peace of mind, not to shift that worry onto whether they'd actually pay!

If Audi warranty was under a grand for 3 years cover like yours then I'd snap it up, but now is just under £600 for named component or £830 for full cover, both 1 year policies with 15k mileage and £250 excess so over 3 years thats either £1800 or £2500 outlay. I'd still have to pay a minimum of £250 for any claim on top of that so lets say I had to make 2 claims in that time, it's getting on for £3k in repairs before I'd break even on the fully comp cover, and well over £2k even with the named components.

As it's the potential big bills I'd like to protect myself against if possible, I'm not sure spending £2-3k to insure against an relatively unlikely scenario that might only cost twice that is good value particularly as the B8.5 gearbox seems to have had a bit of a revamp and hasn't failed in the same numbers as the earlier cars (famous last words ). Small mechanical or interior stuff I'm not too concerned about, as I've done with previous cars I'd look to source the part and fit them myself or at worst get a local indy to sort it as things like door locks wouldn't be worth claiming for with a £250 excess anyway.

Dunno, will mull it over the weekend and decide

 

[razza1]

Warranty direct won't cover DSG gearboxes as I tried that route and it's in the small print so cancelled it, naughty really as it mentions it covers auto boxes but if you specifically ask them they'll confirm it doesn't, that's why I went elsewhere.

 

[S4_LEE]

Just seen this thread after searching for warranties and am curious as to who you went with if any? I've just purchased a 2010 S4 with 10k miles and full Audi service history, what a car!!! The dealer offered me an Auto protect MBI policy for 3 years at £600, but having done some research I think i'll save my money; although I am contemplating taking out a one year policy with Audi for £585. Or maybe I'm best off sticking £600 in the bank every year....just in case.

 

[razza1]

Can you take an Audi one out if not buying from them?

 

[S4_LEE]

Yes, just enter your REG number and get an instant quote. £585 for named components, under 10k miles and £250 excess. Not cheap!!

 

[Locoblade]

I haven't gone with anyone so far. I'm 6 months in to ownership now and have decided to put the money aside (psychologically at least) and pay up if and when I need to.

Having the later facelift gearbox eases my mind a little as they seem significantly more reliable than the earlier ones, even if they're not completely bomb proof. I think if I had a pre-facelift car with the DSG though like you Lee then I'd get something for peace of mind as significant failures do seem more common in those.

 

[S4_LEE]

Ok digging deeper I now know that I have a 8K1 gearbox which was fitted in May 2014 which has eased my worrying some, but this being my first Audi I didn't want to spend the next 12months worrying in case something failed. So I weighed up my options and have taken the plunge with an 'All Component' warranty, 10k mileage and a £250 excess at a staggering £816.......but at least I can sleep at night now

 

[razza1]

You can't underestimate peace of mind...

 

[jetty]

Just entered my info - they want over £2500 for all component cover - after reading the terms, max claim is £2k. No thanks.

 

[S4_LEE]

Just entered my info - they want over £2500 for all component cover - after reading the terms, max claim is £2k. No thanks.

£2.5K does seem a bit steep! but the £2k limit is for consequential damage resulting from the failure of a covered component, the actual claim limit is the purchase price of your car.