SLK230 Extended Warranty

[Delboywww]

Hi All,
My first posting so be gentle with me !

My SLK230 (2002) is shortly going to run out of the 12 months warranty and I need some advice on whether to extend it. The car has 22,000 miles on the clock and we probably will only be doing 3,000 miles a year in it.
The question is, do I spend £600+ on a 12 month extended warranty or
not ? It is something I have never done with any car but am worried that if say the roof mechanism fails, then it will be very expensive I imagine.

If I take the extended warranty out, its likely that nothing will go wrong but if I dont, its bound to happen !
Has anyone else been in this situation and can offer some good advice.
How reliable are these models ?
I had a 280TE once which was extremely reliable, are newer models less so.

Any advice would be most appreciated.
Del

 

[marnix]

There are companies doing this for a fraction of the prices quoted by MB
See the links bellow

http://lobster.warrantywise.net/
http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

there are LOTs of threads about these. Most of the extended warranty's aren't worth the paper they're printed on (IMO especially warrantydirect). Talk to MB about Service Plus. Your car may be a bit to old for it unfortunately but it's worth a try.

btw, you didn't say if it is an MB warranty or a indy one.

 

[mioba]

its balancing operation i am afraid,

ok you drive 3K p.a, in this time has you car been in a few times enough to warrant an extended warranty. on the other hand are you techically astute to be able to i.d and resolve any potential issue that would rationalise you saving the £600.

although tehre are a number companies offering extended warraties, none are as comprehensive as mercedes, its the the things that are in the small print that always fail and you have to fork out for.

 

[jberks]

Service plus is an option and may be quite economical given the 3k pa estimate. Contact MB for a quote. The £600 warranty your dealer has offered (your quote is very accurate for a guess!) is the best option, albeit an expensive one. The key difference you will find is the way they are worded.
Warranty direct and friends will say "Look at this list of things we cover". It looks great until it dawns that there are literally thousands of parts on a car, against their few hundred and whatever fails won't be listed. Also, it will often be the case that you will have to spend a few hundred in investigation before finding out whether it is covered or not. Fine if it is, but expensive if not when you may have been able to take a different course.

The MB warranty on the other hand, will say, "Here is a list of what we don't cover". This will be things like tyres, exhausts, brakes etc, norrmal wear and tear items. If it's not on the list, IT IS COVERED. That's the difference and the reason that the MB one is twice the price and requires an inspection if the car isn't already covered whereas the other guys will cover you over the phone.
I've had Warranty direct warranties on the Jeep and never needed to claim (£700 down the swanny) and my E240 - £250 plug leads and a £600+ dash cluster - neither covered so another £320 down the drain, plus the 250 and I never fixed the dash.
When I bought my E270, it had 2 yrs MB warranty left so I added another yr and stuck it on the bill. Almost a year in and no claims so far!

I doubt the after market boys will cover the roof on an SLK. I believe that is listed as a 30 hour job so £3k+ at the dealer and probably too rich for the insurance guys.

All down to risk. If you cover it, you'll not need to claim, if you don't, you will need to claim. Sods law. However, if I'd put the £700 I've wasted covering the jeep, into an account, I'd have enough put by for the new clutch it needs! (and isn't covered!)

I'd suggest either biting the bullet and paying MB £600 or just taking the risk yourself. The after market odds aren't very good and I won't be renewing next year.

 

[Delboywww]

Thanks for all replies. I bought the car a year ago and it came with the MB warranty. The renewal is with MB/Mondial which includes roadside recovery (I already have AA cover).
Its just the peace of mind thing really and to be perfectly honest, if I were not in the position to be able to afford the Extended warranty, then I would have my mind made up for me and would take the risk.
I have been told that the engine is bulletproof but whether that was just sales talk I don't know.
One would expect a car costing nearly 40k when new and with only 22,000 miles to have loads of trouble free motoring left but knowing that MB probably charge £100 per hour labour, then if say the supercharger went, thats the £600 gone or more !

One question, If I decided not to extend the warranty, would I be able to take out a warranty with MB in say a years time or does the fact that breaking the warranty cover for any period, voids any future cover ?.

I appreciate the time spent replying to my posting.
Del

 

[mioba]

Thanks for all replies. I bought the car a year ago and it came with the MB warranty. The renewal is with MB/Mondial which includes roadside recovery (I already have AA cover).
Its just the peace of mind thing really and to be perfectly honest, if I were not in the position to be able to afford the Extended warranty, then I would have my mind made up for me and would take the risk.
I have been told that the engine is bulletproof but whether that was just sales talk I don't know.
One would expect a car costing nearly 40k when new and with only 22,000 miles to have loads of trouble free motoring left but knowing that MB probably charge £100 per hour labour, then if say the supercharger went, thats the £600 gone or more !

One question, If I decided not to extend the warranty, would I be able to take out a warranty with MB in say a years time or does the fact that breaking the warranty cover for any period, voids any future cover ?.

I appreciate the time spent replying to my posting.
Del

yes the engines are pretty much bullet proof as are the gerarboxes, its the electronic gizmos that cause the problems.
the more gadgets you have, the more there is to go wrong.

 

[Delboywww]

In reply to your previous question Mioba, the first year with the car has been trouble free and has been a pleasure to drive with the added convenience of getting the top down on sunny days. I know its not a high mileage I'm doing, but with the reliability so far, it is making the decision as far as Ex warranty more difficult. Putting things into perspective, my Daughter has a VW Beetle cabriolet and they wanted £400 for ex warranty on that, so £600 for a MB does not seem over-expensive in comparison.

Del

 

[jberks]

One question, If I decided not to extend the warranty, would I be able to take out a warranty with MB in say a years time or does the fact that breaking the warranty cover for any period, voids any future cover ?.

Basically, they will cover you anytime upto the normal age and mileage limits you'd face anyway. However, once out of warranty, they will insist on an inspection first (just in case you're taking out the warranty for a pre-existing fault). This is a double whammy as firstly the inspection is 1-2hr labour so £200 and secondly, anything found, however minor, will need to be done before they'll cover you. This could make a 1yr warranty a £1,000 hit without any effort.

 

[jberks]

Putting things into perspective, my Daughter has a VW Beetle cabriolet and they wanted £400 for ex warranty on that, so £600 for a MB does not seem over-expensive in comparison.

I find that a better way to look at warranties is not as 'cover', but rather as a bet, like any insurance. Lets be honest - even Norwish Union is little more than a fancy bookie. I bet MB that in 2 yrs time, my car will require more than £600 of repairs on items they cover. I'm probably wrong and it won't but I've made the bet now and paid the wager so we'll just have to see.

 

[Delboywww]

Yes I guess we all shell out for house insurance etc every year that may never get used, its just in case. Have to make my mind up tomorrow as it runs out then.
Thanks for all replies.
Del

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

This is a double whammy as firstly the inspection is 1-2hr labour so £200 and secondly, anything found, however minor, will need to be done before they'll cover you. This could make a 1yr warranty a £1,000 hit without any effort.

I'm guessing this depends on the dealer. I was told by MB when I called them about Service Plus to shop around as any cost for the inspection is at the descretion of the dealer. Fortunately mine did it for free. This means that even if you don't take out service plus (or an externed warrantee) you get a 2 hour health check on your car for free!

 

[banger]

jberks wrote "Service plus is an option and may be quite economical given the 3k pa estimate."

The lowest mileage they will quote for is 10,000. And it was not economical for my 6000/year CLK cab at nearly £50 a month. Would only include one service in the two years.