Rejected warranty claim. Any ideas?
 

Hi, all - I bought 2019 RS3 Sportback about 7 months ago from a Porsche dealer in the Seattle area.

After a few weeks of driving I realized something seemed off. I heard a rattle in the rear when going slowly over bumps and i kept telling my wife it felt like I was driving on stilts.

Background: I'm 53 and have owned a variety of high performance street cars (E92 M3, E63 AMG, 987 Cayman etc)

I finally took it to the dealer and they diagnosed leaking front struts which are letting air into the drc system and causing the clunking noise in the rear.

But today, the third party warranty company (Veritas) denied my claim, saying they cover this issue but that basically the leak isn't serious enough.

I asked them to review the decision but I can guess how that will go.

Have you guys run up against this sort of thing and if so, what did you do?

I also need tires and an alignment but don't want to do any that until the suspension is sorted.

Thoughts on how to get the claim covered? Or am I sol until the problem gets worse?

Haha I meant RS5 of course

I know you probably don't want to hear this but get a lawyer to send a letter on your behalf. They will just keep jerking you around until they realize you are serious about this. Find a friend who's a lawyer and have them write the letter on your behalf. You'll at least get some traction. I know that's easier said than done. Your argument is there's a problem now that's not very serious but it could become a major issue so they should make that repair now rather than spend considerably more money in a month, two months, a year?

Is there a way the dealership can say, "yeah we suggest you swap the parts" usually they would then send the invoice to your warranty company and the bill is paid..I mean how in the hell do they know it's not serious...???

I personally don't know how small or big the problem is, I guess. I just know the car doesn't drive correctly and is making cringey noise at slow speed.

The warranty company admits there's some sort of problem but isn't convinced the amount of leaking from the strut is the issue.

​​​​​​​You're right about a lawyer. Thank you.

I guess I'm learning the hard way that these companies don't actually care about the diagnosis. They only want to reject the claim.

The only other thing you could try is to read your policy very carefully. Find the section that says that says it's a covered repair. I guarantee there is nothing in that provision that says "we only have to fix it if we think it's serious". Put in writing the exact section of the policy that says that it's a covered expense and there's no provision that provides for them to fix it only if they think it's bad. After that, get a lawyer to follow it up. Until they see a lawyer is involved, they'll just keep saying no until you go away.

Thank you. I just did this. Of course I can only speak to a clueless customer service agent who relays my questions to the adjustor.

We'll see how it goes!

IMO just based on that statement alone, you could present a case that the car is a danger to yourself and others on the roadway because it does not function properly, and by denying the claim it makes them liable.

Did the dealer sell this warranty to you or did you purchase it on your own. If from dealer, complain to them about an inferior product. These 3rd party warranty companies are shady in my opinion. So many complaints about them. Just looking at this BBB site of complaints makes you wonder. There is even an Everett WA posting. Seems like they like to find any reason not to cover anything. Another thing, is there a refund for a warranty that is not used. There are some good reviews, but are they real. I get too skeptical at my age now. Good thing they do not provide health insurance. If the repair facility says it should be repaired, then it should be repaired. Just a matter if Veritas cares.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ks/overland-p...239/complaints

https://www.complaintsboard.com/veri...133787/reviews