Combi boiler - Is it worth the extra for a premium brand?

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I'm looking at getting my existing conventional boiler replaced with a combi and having had Ideal branded models in my last 2 houses I was looking at doing the same again (Looking at the Vogue Max 40 this time). In my experience the Ideals have been well priced, trouble free and with an excellent manufacturers warranty as standard (now up to 12 years!). In addition they dont require Ideal specialists to do the servicing so I can get anyone I want as long as they are gas safe registered. For me this says a lot about the manufacturer's confidence in their products and from what reviews I can find online they seem to be well rated. However, most of the fitters I've spoken to seem to only want to push Vaillant or WB boilers as they maintain that they are superior and can offer custom warranty options on these, and generally dont favour anything else. I'd be genuinely interested in hearing views for and against an Ideal, gloworm etc vs a 'premium' brand. For me it seems like I'd only be paying the extra to have the name which then also ties me into certain fitters for servicing and with a warranty option dependent on what the fitter themselves can offer through their association with the manufacturer. Happy to be put right if I'm missing something though.
 
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a WB 42 CDI is good, but is it worth the 40-50% premium over a Vouge..... No. I fit loads of Vogues and loads of WB. If the customer asks for WB then that's what they get, if they don't specify then I quote for a Vogue. No faults or complaints yet after 5 years of fitting them and maintaining all the installs year on year.
 
Vaillant or WB boilers

Not my field, but boiler brands come up often on here.

My understanding is WB have a huge marketing budget and have a big brand awareness. They have incentive schemes for installers, so WB accredited installers may not give you truly independant advice.

I believe WB have a big network of service engineers and support is very good, although it has to be as the product is notntoo reliable.

A long term view is choose a boiler in connection with an installer experienced with the brand you choose and have him service it.

There is quite a following for intergas boilers you might want to put that on your shortlist and ask about them on here.......
 
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You are not tied to only certain fitters doing the service but it is good manners to use the installer.
 
You are not tied to only certain fitters doing the service but it is good manners to use the installer.


Maybe so, but some installers have no clue about the inner workings and repairs. I would advise only using the installer to do the annual service if he can also repair. Although long warranties may skew that logic somewhat
 
My experience of a heat only Ideal heat only boiler was one of it only lasting six years and needing one replacement PCB's, after a couple of years, then it complained of a fan failure, which I eventually found was the wiring to the fan, up the rear of boiler, over heating due to being not heat-resistant. I decided to give up at that point and get a whole complete new boiler, a Vaillant this time. My original Glow-worm still worked fine, despite a few failed minor parts, for 20 years - I went for the Ideal as my first condensing boiler.
 
However, most of the fitters I've spoken to seem to only want to push Vaillant or WB boilers as they maintain that they are superior and can offer custom warranty options on these, and generally dont favour anything else.

There's a reason for that - if they don't fit enough of them in a year, they lose their "approved" status and can't offer the same extended warranty. It's got naff-all to do with the quality of the product (which is average at best) and everything to do with them maintaining their installers benefits. If you must have an Ideal then go for a Vogue, personally I wouldn't touch a Logic, but my preference is always for Intergas over anything else
 
When I needed a new boiler installed, a little over a year ago, I asked around for potential people to do it. I had my mind set on retaining my heat only set up and just wanted a new boiler. A local friend had just had a new boiler in and had been persuaded to have his system converted to a combi system. With my mind already up on a certain model of Vaillant, he came in and tried his best to change my mind and to have a WB and my system ripped out and converted to a combi, with a gas supply pipe run around the outside of the house. I had to make it very clear to him, I just wanted my system as it was, but with the Vaillant model I had told him. He left promising to get in touch with a price, but I'm still waiting for that. Likewise another guy who turned up, who had hoped to be able to persuade me into accepting a WB and a combi system.

I had similar problems with other guys promising to come and give a price, though some were honest enough to say they don't offer V's or would only do it if they installed a combi. I then found a list of Vaillant installers from the Vaillant web site, rang one, he turned up to give a price the same day, said he was happy to let me source the boiler, let me do the electrics, plus all the other bits and have him just do the boiler swap over. His price including the boiler and a filter was good and he agreed he could do it in the week, so I told him to get on with it. He didn't ask for any deposit.

He swapped it in half a day without any fuss and didn't even ask to be paid when he had finished, but arranged and agreed to collect a cheque in a few days time. No complaints at all from me about the boiler or the install, or the cost. He had even taken my advice on the best way to get it to match up with the existing pipework, flue and squeeze the new filter in above the boiler.

From dealing with gas engineers during my career I had got an impression of them being aloof, that customers should consider themselves lucky to have them do work for them and I wasn't disappointed when I needed a new boiler. The guy who got the job, was an exception.

My friend with his converted to combi WB now regrets having ever agreed to a combi, the long wait for HW, plus all the extra cost it involved, but no issues with the WB.
 
From dealing with gas engineers during my career I had got an impression of them being aloof, that customers should consider themselves lucky to have them do work for them and I wasn't disappointed when I needed a new boiler. The guy who got the job, was an exception.
Bit like customers.
 

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