Thread update Three Months Later:
We also have had a dreadful experience with our Rayburn 480K oil boiler/cooker.
In common with 'Parnell', after just nine and a half years, this £4K piece of 'quality' kit is only fit for the scrap heap. We have been told by the Aga-Rayburn engineer that the boiler is beyond repair. And this is despite annual servicing, careful use, and a series of expensive repairs over the years.
I would not expect the cheapest of boilers to last so little time, and am appalled that something which we regarded as an 'investment' now has to be replaced at a cost of several thousand pounds.
Like 'Parnell', our kitchen has been designed around the wretched thing, so we really have little option but to replace like with like.
I feel very angry that Aga Rayburn deliberately creates this illusion of quality and longevity and 'must have' image around what is basically an inferior product.
Interestingly, it appears that our particular model manufactured in 1996, was replaced after only 18 months or so of production.
I would be very interested to hear the outcome for 'Parnell' and also from anyone else with a similarly sorry story.