[s-cars] Extended Warranty update - the coverage has some holes

[Robert Welch]

For those of you who jumped in to purchase extended warranty packages with
the group earlier this year (and those who may be contemplating purchase in
the near future)........I thought I'd share my recent experiences.

I purchased the policy from Accel Warranty Services for my 95 S6 Avant w/
99k miles.  It seemed the $1800 payment for 36 months/36k mile coverage (and
$0 deductible) was a reasonable bet.

Even though the coverage states it will cover electrical items including
"manual switches", I was surprised when Heritage Warranty (they administer
the claims) refused to pay for my faulty ignition switch.

Additionally, I was none too pleased when they said my failed Secondary
Cooling Fan was specifically excluded.  The policy does cover the Primary
cooling fan, but apparently does not include any additional engine cooling
fans.  It also states that Air conditioning Condenser cooling fan motors are
specifically excluded.

I complained to Accel Warranty which sold us the policy, and they agreed to
try to intercede in my behalf.  Apparently, they didn't make much more of
dent in the impenetrable armor than I did.  However, Accel did sympathize
with me enough that they agreed to pay $100 toward the ignition switch- so
I'll definitely give them some extra brownie points for customer empathy.
However, it looks like I'll be trying to free up a weekend to tackle the
Secondary Cooling fan, or coughing up $500 for my mechanic to scrape his
knuckles for me.

On a positive note, my claims for replacement of the water pump, ignition
control unit, and CV boot, were handled with no hassle, and those saved me
$1000.

Robert Welch
Golden, CO
95 S6 Avant
93 S4