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My 2007 Mini S had some problems last month, excessive oil usage, running rough, service engine soon light on. Took it to dealer, they found crank vent valve leaking, replaced valve cover for around $900. I purchased extended warranty coverage when I bought the car from them in 2014. One of the covered items is "valve cover." The insurance company (Mercury) declined to cover the repair because they said what was defective was the crank vent valve, not the valve cover. I understand that in this model the crank vent valve is part of the valve cover, it is an integrated part, cannot be removed or replaced separately, requiring replacement of the entire valve cover. My position is that in that case it was the valve cover that leaked, and if they only wanted to cover parts of the valve cover and not other parts, they should have said so. Having contracted to cover defects in the "valve cover", they are responsible for covering this problem. Does anyone have any thoughts or has anyone dealt with this before? Thanks.
*****, moan and then small claims. Another recent method with some companies is posting I hate xxx all over the internet until they contact you to stfu!
Yes I think you are right and I think the warranty company is nuts. It's like a life insurance company excluding death coverage from certain types of bullets, makes no sense. Do they just analyze all the potential issues and exclude the ones most likely to occur? If the dealer sold you that warranty you should be harassing them as well. Good luck!
The dealer can't control what the aftermarket warranty will cover. When my valve cover needed replacing because of the crankcase vent valve the warranty company covered mine but wouldn't cover the oil filter housing that was warped and leaking.
Do you know what the name of the insurance company was? I guess if any insurance companies are treating the valve cover and the crank vent valve as a single unit I would like to know that. Thanks.
PS I was not given the "contract" that spells out just how limited the coverage is until this issue came up. I didn't even know I was supposed to get something more than the general blurb they gave me. At the time of the sale I asked the guy if big ticket items that might go bad on a 6 year old car, like the clutch, would be covered and he said yes. When I was finally given the contract last month, I found that the manual clutch is expressly excluded. That is why I am at least going to let the dealer know that the process was questionable.
Sounds a bit like the salesman that you bought that car from sold you a lousy, overpriced warranty. Tough lesson, but always get it in writing. All salesman aren't dishonest, but enough are that it doesn't pay to take chances. Even the more honest ones sometimes make mistakes. Also, the dealer rarely offers the best aftermarket warranties. They offer the ones they make the most money on.
That said, if your warranty covers the valve cover, this repair should have been covered. Call, make a fuss politely but firmly. If you don't get what you want from whoever you talk to, ask for the matter to be escalated to the next level or to speak to their supervisor. It could be as simple as the fact that the dealer needs to say that the valve cover was faulty in order to get it covered. Paperwork and exact wording are oftentimes important with warranty claims.
Last edited by GimmeBoost; Dec 14, 2015 at 10:38 AM.
Yes, that part is built into the valve cover, therefore needing to replace the entire valve cover. That part cannot be replaced separately. The company should be able to look up to see if the part number is available separate, which it wont be. You can view the part numbers for the cylinder head cover HERE. Good luck and hope they reimburse you.
Never, ever buy an extended warranty without reading the policy front to back so you know what is covered and what is excluded. I have even seen plans that require you to return to the dealer that sold the plan for any repairs.
You might want to contact the attorney general in your state and see if extended warranties are regulated. If so, you can file a complaint.
To answer your question, it's a Mini Cooper part. Windshield wipers are $40. The service advisor did call the insurance company to verify coverage, and was told what I said in my original post. He just did not choose to question or pursue it, which is what I am doing now. ��
The valve cover is not near that much , did they replace anything else? Maybe the trim and all the emblems, but still should not be near that. Labor should be an hour at most.
i am a week late to this, but any good dealership should be fighting this battle for you.
i had a similar situation with my s2000 and the acura dealership i took it to for service fought for me to get those scumbag extended warranty guys to cover what they said they would cover.
i would speak to your service advisor and ask them to do the same.
Thanks. I have sent a fairly blunt letter to the general manager of the dealership and hope he will get it to the person who should be helping me with this.
