Warranty company hassle - No, really

Clive George ("Clive George" ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Don't forget it's a K-series...

Ah, memories of my youth when I was much more naive.

My first car bought from brand new, an Austin Metro (as it was in those days) emptied it's coolant all over the road courtesy of a water pump seal that had failed.

Six weeks old and so I had it repaired under warranty................went to pick it up two days later and was charged =A315.22 + VAT for replacement coolant that apparently wasn't covered under warranty.

I paid up because I was young and stupid; how much you learn with age............

It still does not make the bolts "consumables" unless they are expected to be removed routinely due to normal wear & tear.

I heard a story, from a few years back, about a chap who'd bought a [new] FIAT, and one of the half-shaft oil seal boots split. He needed a new gearbox, which FIAT did under warranty. When he went to pick up the car, they presented him with an invoice for the gearbox *oil*. He went ballistic, and (quite rightly IMHO) pointed out that the reason they'd done the gearbox (for free) was because of their own ****** incompetence, and he wasn't going to pay a penny towards it.

At which point a few other customers in the showroom started agreeing with him ... he didn't pay.

Just an update now that the car is fixed and has been returned.

The warranty company are refusing to cough up anything. They say the underwriters are refusing the claim because they didn't authorise the repair.

I expressed confusion at this and they said that normally they would be advised of the costs and would give authorisation prior to repair and would have liked the opportunity to send an inspector.

I referred them to the above conversation they had with the mechanic in which basically he advised them of the work he would be doing and at what cost and they responded with how much they were prepared to pay.

Apparently there was no specific authorisation so the claim has not been executed properly and as such is not valid.

So now for more hassle.