Buying my first Seat!

[Nathana94]

Well they finally came back to me and said the DSG hasn’t been serviced, so they’ve sent that to Seat to be done which is fine by me! No issue waiting a few more days for it to be done right but he seems to be avoiding whether or not the water pump was changed with the timing belt.

what are people’s thoughts on extended warranty’s with Seat? Anyone had any horror stories? The quote I had was around £70 per month for the full coverage but not sure if it’s worth it? I know if the gearbox failed it would definitely be worth having, but is it common place for massive expensive faults in these cars to justify the warranty?

 

[black_sheep]

Let’s face it, a warranty is effectively an insurance policy…

These cars are generally reliable, and even when they fail you get warnings that generally prevent catastrophic secondary damage from occurring.

I had one of the very first 184 ps diesels and the water pump failed catastrophically on a motorway interchange. I was able to quickly check it at the side of the road and then drive it under minimum engine load to the next services, checking the temps of the oil etc. Fortunately it had been in for warranty the week before for the coolant leak, so was replaced FoC.

If I had to pay for the repair, it would have been £600-700 (pump, new belt due to contamination and pulleys/tensioner + labour). This is the equivalent of 10 months extended warranty payments.

It’s a DSG box so the clutch plates are good for 100k miles plus, the gearbox is generally sound if correctly maintained.

To be honest, I wouldn’t personally bother with the extended warranty, but would put the money (one year’s worth) into the bank for a rainy day. If you are really unlucky (engine or gearbox failure) c£4k, if the car is fully serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s schedule, you have the consumer rights act until the car is 6 years old, and if it has a Seat FSH, Seat will generally make a good will contribution towards the repair. However, everyone’s circumstances are different - only you can decide what is best for you.

 

[Mr Pig]

I tend to play the long game on warranties. If you think of all the items you can take out a warranty on, TVs, fridges, washing machines etc, most of them are not going to fail. However, if you took out a warranty on all of them what you would be paying in premiums will usually easily cover the repair or replacement cost of the few items that do. It's very simple maths. The companies providing the warranties make money on them, so what they take in has to be greater than what they pay out.

The exceptions are when insurance is a legal requirement, like a car, is provided free, with finance for instance, or when the potential hit could be so huge it'll bury you! House insurance.

Right now we have a Seat warranty but it's not the same as the original three-year one. It is similar in level of cover to other aftermarket warranties provided by Scotsure etc.

Incidentally, I got that two-year warranty and two Seat services effectively for nothing! If you took out Seat finance you got the warranty and services included. We didn't need the finance but took it out anyway, made one repayment and then paid off the loan. So paid no interest, I think there was a £50 admin fee, but still got the warranty and services. About a grands worth.

If this garage cannot confirm the water pump has been changed ask them what sort of warranty are they giving you? The pump probably has been changed, the whole lot comes in a kit, but if they can't prove it has been I'd want some solid assurance they'll look after you if it fails.

 

[Nathana94]

thanks both. They’ve just advised me that the timing belt and pulley have been done, but as the water pump wasn’t leaking it didn’t need changing - with Seat saying it should be done after 5 years should I be pushing for it to be changed? Or does that sound about right?

@Mr Pig if it’s a case of they won’t do the water pump, what sort of warranty would you be looking for on it personally? They offer 60 days standard but I feel like it may need a little more than that to make sure?

 

[Mr Pig]

Standard practice is to change the pump when the belt is done. The pump is cheap but it's the same job so makes no sense to do the belt and not change the pump. Also, the pumps do eventually fail so should it do so you're looking at £500 minimum to fix it. Assuming the engine does not overheat and do more damage!

Not changing the pump is just cutting corners. To be honest, I'd just buy another car.

 

[Nathana94]

Standard practice is to change the pump when the belt is done. The pump is cheap but it's the same job so makes no sense to do the belt and not change the pump. Also, the pumps do eventually fail so should it do so you're looking at £500 minimum to fix it. Assuming the engine does not overheat and do more damage!

Not changing the pump is just cutting corners. To be honest, I'd just buy another car.

I’ve just called my local Seat dealer to see what they said - they said the same as AC which surprised me! Apparently they will only change the water pump on the first timing belt change if it shows signs of leakage. Guess it must be up to scratch

 

[Mr Pig]

I’ve just called my local Seat dealer to see what they said - they said the same as AC which surprised me! Apparently they will only change the water pump on the first timing belt change if it shows signs of leakage.

That's weird as it's the opposite of what I've heard! I've been told that there is no point in not changing the water pump as it's a cheap part but costs hundreds to change if it fails. If you looks at timing belt kits they all include a water pump.

 

[Mr Pig]

I've just checked the service records for our two Leons, both of which have had the timing belts done by Seat dealers. The hatch just has a tick in the timing belt box, there is no box for the water pump. The estate has 'timing belt and water pump' written by hand as well.

 

[Nathana94]

I've just checked the service records for our two Leons, both of which have had the timing belts done by Seat dealers. The hatch just has a tick in the timing belt box, there is no box for the water pump. The estate has 'timing belt and water pump' written by hand as well.

Maybe it is a case of “if it’s failing” then. I’ve always heard of doing both on my Ford too due to access. Still, given that record I feel a bit more comfortable about it!

 

[pompeydave]

Well they finally came back to me and said the DSG hasn’t been serviced, so they’ve sent that to Seat to be done which is fine by me! No issue waiting a few more days for it to be done right but he seems to be avoiding whether or not the water pump was changed with the timing belt.

what are people’s thoughts on extended warranty’s with Seat? Anyone had any horror stories? The quote I had was around £70 per month for the full coverage but not sure if it’s worth it? I know if the gearbox failed it would definitely be worth having, but is it common place for massive expensive faults in these cars to justify the warranty?

I think £70 / month is astronomical for an extended warranty - £840 a year ridiculous price.
check online for a much better quote , Vauxhall ones are £150-300 / year depending on model so why so high for seat ?

do a bit of Googling and see what is / isn’t covered in an independent extended warranty

 

[Mr Pig]

I think £70 / month is astronomical for an extended warranty - £840 a year ridiculous price.

Yeah, it's crazy. No way I'd pay that.

 

[Nathana94]

I think £70 / month is astronomical for an extended warranty - £840 a year ridiculous price.
check online for a much better quote , Vauxhall ones are £150-300 / year depending on model so why so high for seat ?

do a bit of Googling and see what is / isn’t covered in an independent extended warranty

Is that price range for similar age/mileage? (Model taken into account of course). I’ve never had to worry about extended warranty before so not really sure what to look out for. If anyone has any recommendations I’d be very grateful!