1987 Ideal WLx, maintenance contract?

[Mike7777777]

Hi

Boiler has served the house well over the years, three thermocouples and one gas control valve since 1994. Must be about time something expensive went wrong, are there any maintenance contracts that will cover this fine appliance without the usual weasel words of "beyond economic repair"?

BG speak:

What’s more, if your boiler is impossible to fix and less than seven years old, British Gas will replace it for you.

I don't understand that, how can it be impossible to fix anything? Or is it an opportunity to use weasel words to wriggle out of repairing a "mature" boiler? If I stamp 2009 on the front of my boiler will BG believe me?

 

[adlplumbing]

it can be impossible to fix as they may not make the parts for it anymore

 

[Mike7777777]

Make the parts?

 

[adlplumbing]

part like a gas vavle, heat exchanger

 

[Mike7777777]

Why not? Might cost a few shekels .... oh I see.

 

[nickso]

that part of the contract is very rarely used by BG. i wish they would use it far more often than they do and it beggars belief some of the boilers they don't replace as a matter of course. possibly the only reason they don't do it often is to prevent certain members of society taking the ****.

basically if a boiler and it's customer are a complete and utter pain in the arse and it's a full moon on the second thursday after the complaint it may get replaced. only if it's painted blue though.

 

[adlplumbing]

arw mine was painted white

 

[nickso]

no boiler for you.

 

[Mike7777777]

The risk is that if I take the BG contract and something goes wrong then they might claim that it's impossible to repair and it's over 7 years old so they walk away from it.

 

[adlplumbing]

 

[nickso]

The risk is that if I take the BG contract and something goes wrong then they might claim that it's impossible to repair and it's over 7 years old so they walk away from it.

that's not a risk, it's an inherent probability. in biblical terms your boiler is moses. all of the fiddly bits are NLA and most of the big bit's probably are too. only generic bit's like the gas valve and thermocouple are available. you pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

[Tibbot]

Chances are you've replaced everything else in your life since 1987 including your teeth, hair and wife.

 

[onlyfitidealboilers]

why should bg replace your boiler?? thats part of having your own house you pay for a new boiler every 15 years. sorry but i can across someone the other day just taking the pi55

 

[Mike7777777]

Where do I say that I want BG to replace the boiler? Contractually they won't because it's over 7 years old. What I want to do is to pay someone to insure it against breakdowns but I don't want them running away with my money and using weasel words to claim that it's impossible to repair.

Whatever I replace it with isn't going to last 23 years with minimal repair costs, but clearly the heat exchanger will have seen better days. Is it not possible to stitch a cast iron heat exchanger if it fails?

Wife, teeth and hair all as per 1987, thanks.

 

[nickso]

it's not a quilt.

parts are not falling off trees for this boiler. a BG contract doesn't just cover the boiler but you have to be aware that "weasel words" may well be used if the faulty part is not available.