After market warranties

[jberks]

I was quoted (from memory) around £1200 for a 2 year extended mb warranty when mine ran out, so I didn't bother. - only cost me £700 when I did the same on my C in '99. So far I am ahead as repairs stand me to about £800 over the last 2 years. I have just had a quote for the wife's 2yr 11month old jeep. £700 for a year!!
Presumably DC don't have a lot of confidence in their cars after 3 years!

Whilst I am not too concerned about paying out the odd 1-200 for minor repairs, and clutches etc are wear and tear in any case, I wouldn't like to be funding a new gearbox or axle. There are lots of insurance firms doing aftermarket warranties - does anyone have any experience with these firms ?

 

[jberks]

just been looking at
www.warrantydirect.co.uk
It seems I can get a pretty comprehensive warranty for £22 per month on my 5yr old E. Given that I have just spent £125 on a fan regulator that would have been covered (and I fitted that myself so no labour), plus the £500 it cost me in November, this looks like a pretty good value to me. It covers the aircon, gearbox, ECU etc, and you don't need much to go on a merc to do over £250 in.

The jeep would be £33 per month, but then it is a 4wd turbo. May still be worth it.

 

[jberks]

Clearly I'm the only one interested, but I thought I would add the following info for general consumption.
They rang me yesterday and offered me a full warranty on both cars for 13 months for £520. - about £80 off. The merc is only £230 per year (less than an air mass sensor!, let alone ECU or aircon pump) so it's heavy due to the 4wd.
I figure for £10 per week, if anything serious goes on either motor, I'm covered. This will of course ensure 13 months of trouble free motoring with absolutely nothing going wrong, and I do have the closing the stable door feeling after the last couple of months , but I guess all I need is a dodgy ECU or ABS issue and i'm quids in.
Probably going to go for it.

 

[W77]

Is this as good as those offered by RAC? I think RAC would cost me over £300 for c180 for a year. What's the limit amount per claim for comprehensive cover?

 

[jberks]

The details are as follows (from their web site)
Gold Cover
Comprehensive Protection

Protection against the cost of parts and labour following a mechanical or electrical failure, cover against failure of a part or a part that is about to fail causing even greater damage including those parts that have failed due to wear and tear.
Claim limit = £5,000 per claim
Excess = £15



Why Warranty Direct
We only offer warranty cover without Wear and Tear exclusion, which means that if a covered part fails and is worn you will be covered and no Consequential loss to covered parts exclusion, which means that if a failure is caused by a non-insured part you will be covered
No other warranty offers this level of cover

We do not just sell the warranty - we will handle your claim as well - giving you 100% peace of mind

Other Benefits
Recovery
Car Hire
Overnight Hotel Accommodation
24 hour freephone helpline
Easy Claims Procedure
Central billing facility


With GOLD Cover all of the following parts are covered and we will pay the parts and labour costs if you have to have something replaced.Parts not specifically mentioned are not covered.

Engine
Cylinder head, internal bushings, oil pump, crankshaft and bearings, tappet gear, valves & guides (excluding burnt or pitted valves), pistons & rings, cylinder bores/liners, con rods, distributor drive, starter ring gear, flywheel, autodrive plate, camshaft drive belts, camshaft & cam followers, cylinder head gasket, cylinder block, crankshaft pulley, turbo/intercooler units, rear main seal, rocker assembly, push rods, timing gears, timing belts & chains.

Clutch
The master and slave cylinder, clutch cable and pedal assembly.

Transmission (Manual, Automatic and Overdrive)
Manual Transmission: gears, synchromesh hubs & rings, selectors, shafts, bearings, drive chains plus gearlever and bushes. Automatic Transmission: torque converters, brake bands, valve block, governor (manual & electric) oil pump and seals, drive chains, gears, input shaft oil seal, clutches, servos and modulator valve, bearings plus gearlever and bushes. Overdrive: Gears, shafts and bearings.

Front Wheel Drive Unit
Crown wheel and pinion, differential unit, bushes and bearings, plus external drive shafts, couplings, C.V. joints and rubber boots, hubs, drive flange and universal joints.

Rear Axle
Crown wheel and pinion, differential unit, shafts, bearings, C.V. joints and rubber boots, oil seal and rear hub, & drive flange.

Four Wheel Drive System
Front differential, inter-axle differential and lock, rear differential and lock, bearings and shafts, couplings, C.V. joints and rubber boots, hubs and drive flange.

Propshaft
Propshaft, universal joints, centre bearings and oil seals.

Suspension
Shock absorbers, upper and lower wishbones, bushes, springs, spheres, displacer units and wheel bearings, self levelling suspension unit, reservoir, pump and regulator valve.

Braking System
Master cylinder; brake servo unit, diesel vacuum pump, callipers, wheel cylinders, pressure regulator, ABS pump and control unit. ABS pressure reducing and proportioning valves, handbrake control cables and linkages, brake pedal assembly, self-adjusting mechanisms, abs sensors.

Cooling System
Radiator, thermostat, water pump, heater matrix, engine oil cooler, viscous fan, thermostat housing, temperature gauge, electronic control units and control linkages.

Steering
Rack and pinion, steering box, idler box, column shaft, couplings, steering column tilt mechanism, power steering unit including pump, pressure pipes and reservoir.

Fuel System
Mechanical and electrical fuel pumps, airflow meter, injectors (including injector cooling system), overrun cut-off valve, pressure regulator, sensors, throttle body, fuel gauge and tank sender unit.

Diesel Injection System
D.I.S. unit and controls, injection pump, injectors, glow plugs, electromagnetic cut-off.

Electronic Ignition
All solid state control and triggering units, where fitted as standard by the manufacturer.

Air Conditioning
Air conditioning compressor pump, condenser, electronic control unit, sensors, magnetic clutch and valves, evaporator and reservoir, fan control and sensors.

Electrics
Internal failure of the starter motor, alternator, regulator, distributor, windscreen wiper motor and tailgate wiper motor, heating fan motor, cooling fan motor, horn, central locking solenoids and motors, electric window motors and sunroof motors, electric door mirror motors and aerial motors, front and rear windscreen washer motors, headlamp adjuster motors, cruise control unit, trip computer, relays and wiring looms, rev counter, radiator cooling fan, indicator flasher unit.

Casings
Casings are covered provided they have been damaged as a result of failure of an insured part or by the consequential damage of an insured part failing.

Oil Leaks
This covers seal or gasket replacement that necessitates the removal of the engine, gearbox/drive unit and drive shafts or differential unit to carry out repairs.

 

[mikemoss]

I'm with you, jberks, took out a policy with Warranty Direct after moving from a 124 to 210 and reading the horror stories on this and other sites! I've gone for the gold job for three years and, like you, they rang up and offered me a better deal than the one quoted on their website. Just hope they last the course (unlike their main competitor, which went bust recently) and actually pay up (unlike the last useless mob I gave my money to).

I've coughed up a little bit extra to be able to use the main dealer here in Bath, which I rate highly. Will keep everyone posted.