Blackstar Warranties Avis 

Blackstar warranties were very helpful and Chris your representative kept me informed and you settled the invoice swiftly. Many thanks.

Took a bit longer than I expected but we got there in the end,
After the garage assessed and found the issue, then the warranty wanted details of the cause and a picture of the evidence, they paid in full.

Very disappointing experience with a vehicle warranty claim.

This review is about Blackstar Warranties Ltd / blackstarwarranties.co.uk, who handled my vehicle warranty claim.

Blackstar handled my claim from the customer side: they communicated with me and the Land Rover garage, requested information, reviewed the documents, and refused cover. A major concern for me was that Blackstar treated the timing-chain issue as consequential on an EGR cooler filter issue. As I understood their position, because the EGR cooler filter was not covered, they said the timing-chain repair was also not covered because they considered it to be caused by the EGR cooler filter issue. In my view, that was a serious technical conclusion to reach without clear vehicle-specific evidence, especially as the authorised Land Rover dealership later stated that there was no link and that the timing chains had failed independently.

I also found the timing-chain cover disappointing in practice. A failed stretch test and written confirmation from an authorised Land Rover dealership that the chains were stretched, out of position and classed as failed was still not enough for the claim to be accepted. From my experience, the cover felt of very limited practical value for this type of fault, because a complete timing-chain failure could cause major engine damage.

I brought a small claim, but it was dismissed. The court mainly found that I had not proved Blackstar was the correct defendant or warranty issuer, and that Blackstar was the administrator rather than the issuer. I was also ordered to pay £241.90 in travel expenses.

I agree with other reviews saying that the process can feel like the company is washing its hands of responsibility. In my opinion, this creates a difficult position for customers: Blackstar handled the claim and communicated the refusal, but later relied on being only the administrator rather than the warranty issuer.

Customers should check carefully who is legally responsible for paying claims, who the warranty contract is actually with and what independent complaint route is available. I also could not find an ombudsman route for Blackstar.

In conclusion, this felt like a waste of time, energy and money for something that was supposed to give peace of mind. In my experience, the timing-chain cover did not provide meaningful protection for this type of fault, because it appeared not to respond until the problem became much more serious, despite the risk that a complete timing-chain failure could cause major engine damage.

Update in response to Blackstar’s comment:

I do not agree that I “expressly told” the garage not to provide information. The authorised Land Rover dealership had already responded several times, including directly to Blackstar. I said they should not feel obliged to keep responding indefinitely; I did not forbid them from responding.

Blackstar’s first refusal also told me that if I wished to proceed with repairs, I should contact the repairing garage to arrange the work. I understood that I could proceed with the repair while continuing to challenge the refusal. Blackstar later relied on the fact that the vehicle had already been repaired and could no longer be inspected. This was around six weeks after the diagnostic, and from a customer perspective it felt unrealistic to expect the car to remain unrepaired while further technical questions continued after the claim had already been refused.

My concern remains about how the technical position changed. At first, the issue was treated as an EGR valve / EGR-related cause. When the authorised Land Rover dealership clarified that it was an EGR cooler filter, not the valve, and stated there was no link between that issue and the timing chains, the claim was still refused on a causation basis. When the dealership later confirmed that the timing chains were stretched, out of position, had failed a stretch test and were classed as failed, Blackstar then asked for further technical explanation of the cause. By that stage, the vehicle had already been repaired after the refusal.

I accept that the court dismissed my claim and awarded travel expenses. My review is about my customer experience, the claim-handling process, and the difficulty for customers when Blackstar handles the claim but later relies on being only the administrator rather than the warranty issuer.

This remains my honest opinion based on my experience, the correspondence, the dealership emails, and the court outcome.

We are a garage and put a new engine in a car for a customer who had a warranty with Blackstar. They agreed a £1000 contribution towards the repair. In good faith we released the car to the customer as they said it would be 2 weeks for payment (1-2 weeks is normal for warranty work). 6 weeks later they haven't paid us and today they told us they refuse to pay. They stated some condition about a 60 day limit on the claim Which was not in their email agreeing to the contribution, nor is it stated on their website anywhere. The repair took longer than that due to sourcing an engine and all associated parts. The customer was kept up to date throughout and was happy to wait so we could do the work. We are a small family run business and this is a lot of money for us, we will have to go through small claims, which we will do. So I would take note of all these terrible reviews and steer clear of these as they have the morals of an alley cat. This is the second review I have written as they have somehow got the first factual review removed.

08.09.26 Editing this review to note that they finally paid us after we let them know we would take whatever action we needed to, to recover this debt (even if it cost us more than the money they owed us). They eventually said that it was the dealer that refused to pay and they were trying to resolve it, but that isn't what they told us to start with. So whilst they have finally paid we would not deal with them again. The customer's terms and conditions do state invoices have to be submitted within 60 days, however we were never told that by Blackstar and we did not want to invoice until the job was complete.

DO NOT USE BLACKSTARE UNDER ANY CONDITIONS AS THEY DO NOT PAY OUT FOR ITEMS COVERED.

If I could leave a negative review I would. Had a fault with my car was advised by Blackstar to take car to Any garage for repair, so booked in with main dealer. Time I was waiting for the appointment a subsequent fault appeared so emailed Blackstar to advise them of fault and that I was going to ask the main dealer to have a look while they had car for first issue. There reply was short and sweet DO NOT TAKE TO MAIN DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS OR REPAIR.

Diagnostics by garage said the both tailgate struts need replacing at a cost of £450 each total bill £1250 at an independent garage, same parts used by main dealer, there cost £1500. Blackstar offered a total of £500

I have to pay for diagnostics under the warranty so no issue happy to pay for that.

Once the fault was diagnosed I received a prompt approval for the repair to be completed.The only improvement would be some communication from Blackstar confirming that the invoice had been paid and I could collect the car.

They were brilliant! And paid out really quickly, no messing around. Put a claim in, got a quote, got accepted within 24 hours and when the work was done they paid out the same day! Couldn't ask for more and fully recommend!

Great friendly staff and great service from you quickly dealt with my claim. Thanks you Black star for all your help..

After purchasing my car I discovered two faults. Blackstar advised how to proceed with getting the repairs approved under the warranty, approved the repairs and promptly reimbursed the repair costs. Despite my initial concerns with the process, I have found them to be helpful and responsive.
Thank you!

I had a positive experience with Blackstar Warranties. Although the claim process took some time and required a few follow-ups, the team reviewed all the documents carefully and ultimately approved the full cost of my repair.
Their customer service kept me updated throughout the process, responded to my emails, and ensured the payment was made directly to the garage so I could collect my vehicle. I appreciate that they honoured the warranty and resolved my claim.
Thank you to the Blackstar team for your assistance and support. I hope I won't need to make another claim, but it's reassuring to know they stand behind their warranty when it's needed.

To even give this company a star has hurt my feelings,I hope this review your seeing deters you away from this company.They take your money and when something goes wrong with your car they do absolutely anything not to pay you the money back for it,the customer service are rude and ignorant they do not help what so ever,when I say your better off throwing your money away than giving this company your money is an understatement trust me stay well clear.

If you want a warranty company that will happily take money for a policy but claim zero responsibility when you actually need help, look no further than Blackstar Warranties.
​I have been stuck in an infuriating loop with this company. They are now hiding behind the ultimate excuse: claiming that because the supplying garage purchased the warranty and handed it over to me, Blackstar has absolutely nothing to do with the vehicle.
​Let's look at the ridiculous logic here:
​They are a warranty company.
​A warranty is literally a legal promise to cover vehicle faults.
​Yet, they claim that because they didn't "sell, see, or prep" the car, they have "no liability."
​If a warranty company doesn't take responsibility for the warranty they issued, what is the point of their entire business? They are completely washing their hands of the situation, passing the buck entirely to the garage, and leaving me stranded with a massive bill to get my vehicle released.
​They talk in circles just to avoid paying out or helping paying customers. Absolute joke of a service. Save yourself the stress and find a company that actually stands by the products they sell.
A family member has been left thousands in debt with a car not fit for the road.

very fair and quick solution thank you mr j lowes

I had an issue with my vehicle under warranty. I have never used a warranty company before. But like everyone else have heard bad reviews regarding nothing being covered. This was an unbelievable experience great from the start to the end. It was very easy to register the problem and once the issue was found. I was given clearance to get it fixed within 24 hours. A really pleasant experience and many thanks for all your help Blackstar warranties

Very helpful and quickly sorted out

Customer service have no clue what the services are they offer - advised me to look at the booklet and gave me the wrong page numbers - was then laughed at when I asked if they knew what they were talking about

Excellent warranty company, claim was accepted within 24hrs. Thanks

Blackstar were very professional and efficient in dealing with our vehicle being repaired, very happy if the outcome on both occasions we attended, would definitely recommend blackstar in the future.

Very fast and efficient, very polite and no problems at all