The mileage on the car was 104,000 when the failure occurred. The warranty was taken out when the mileage was at 93,000 miles. The service history was up to date. We have kept the turbo unit for the purpose of an examination, but have been advised that all they will be able to tell us is that the bearings have been damaged and the turbo is unserviceable.

I bought a 2004 BMW 330CD in April 2011 from a dealer, and paid extra for a 2 year warranty from A1 Approved, I also paid an additional premium for "Turbo cover". In August 2011 I had a minor problem with a brake caliper and the warranty was honoured. In July this year the turbo on the car catastrophically failed (with loud noises and lots of smoke). I stopped the car immediately, and had it recovered to a local garage. When the assessor came out to see it, he spent a couple of minutes testing to see if the shaft was broken (it wasn't), and left the garage with the impression that all was fine and the claim would be approved. I didn't hear anything for a couple of days, and when I chased the claim up I was told that it was wear and tear and therefore not covered, leaving me with a large repair bill. The exclusion on the policy states "normal and progressive wear and tear", there was nothing normal or progressive about the failure. It was instantaneous and catastrophic. Having spoken to several mechanics on this issue, the consensus is that the turbo is not a serviceable item, and would not "normally" fail, also that as the shaft is not broken, the probable cause is bearing collapse. I have contacted A1 Approved with this information, but they still don't want to know, and continue to dispute my claim. Does anyone have any previous experience of this company, and any suggestions to where I can take this next?