Service and Warranty options question

[oxtailsoup]

Hi this is my first post so a big hello to everyone

Tomorrow I am collecting my new car (new to me anyway!). It is a 2005 55 plate clk 240 convertible. I have bought the car privately.

The car was last serviced in March 2007 and has done just 7k miles since. The manufacturers warranty runs out on the 1st January 2009. The current mileage is showing as 41k.

I'm looking at what options I have with regards to service plans and warranty etc. From what I have read on this forum, it looks as though the service plans only apply to new cars? Is it not possible to take out a Mercedes service plan on a car that is still within warranty?

I'm just trying to work out the best way forward really. Obviously I'm planning on getting the car serviced prior to the expiry of the warranty in a few months. Can anyone tell me the likely cost to extend the warranty?

Our expected annual mileage will be no more than 10k a year.

Thanks in advance and hopefully this will be the first post of many!

 

[100%Bitch]

Why don't you call the nearest dealer and ask them how much each option costs?

 

[oxtailsoup]

Well I could do... but I thought that's what forums are for too?

 

[chord]

Well I could do... but I thought that's what forums are for too?

I am looking at buying a car from a dealer, C320 CDI, it comes with a year warranty and to extend the warranty to 3 years was going to cost £1700. I called MB to find out how much it would be at a later date, they referred me to their warranty company who quoted £900 per year.

The other option isto get online quotes from the multitude of companies online. As ever opinions vary about these warranty companies, so do your homework before choosing one.

HTH.

 

[carabind]

you can get a service plan on a car still within warranty, there is one for the basic servicing then for extra cost, one that virtully extends the manufactuers warranty.MB will want to know your annual mileage, that will determine the cost. There are external warranty companies which may be cheaer but others who have the serviceplus(?) cover rate it

 

[Common Rail]

A bit OT, but ... Go round the car with a really critical eye (wheel lacquer, suspension, paint, all the factory-fitted toys, etc) to check everything is up to scratch. Take the opportunity to get it sorted out under the existing warranty before the end of the year. Do get the garage to do and end-of-warranty check (for free) so they identify anything other warranty works that needs to be done prior to its MOT. Well worthwhile,

 

[oxtailsoup]

Thanks Guys. I'll take take the car in to them next week and hopefully get some costs. I'm keen to have a monthly payment to cover servicing etc if they still offer this option.

I did a search on the forum and was reading that they were stopping the service plans except for new cars. I'll put an update on here when I get info from the dealer during the week... for anyone else keen to know.

Cheers

 

[Rory]

you can get a service plan on a car still within warranty, there is one for the basic servicing then for extra cost, one that virtully extends the manufactuers warranty.MB will want to know your annual mileage, that will determine the cost. There are external warranty companies which may be cheaer but others who have the serviceplus(?) cover rate it

Service and ServicePlus were stopped some time ago.

MB now have Care and TotalCare, which, as mentioned, can only be taken out from new. The coverage of TotalCare is much more limited than ServicePlus was, although many of us think that ServicePlus was a cock-up - MB never intended its coverage to be so wide, and there are stories now surfacing that they're trying to tighten up the coverage for existing ServicePlus contract holders.

Care is standard servicing and TotalCare basically adds cover for replacement brake pads and disks.

 

[euclidb2]

warranty

I am looking at buying a car from a dealer, C320 CDI, it comes with a year warranty and to extend the warranty to 3 years was going to cost £1700. I called MB to find out how much it would be at a later date, they referred me to their warranty company who quoted £900 per year.

The other option isto get online quotes from the multitude of companies online. As ever opinions vary about these warranty companies, so do your homework before choosing one.

HTH.

When my extended warranty on my E211 expired with MB,i was told to renew would be about £1100 per year,dubiously i took one out with Warranty Direct in 2007 at a cost of £312 a year or £26 a month (after a few calls i got a very good deal....i think) and this was for repairs done at main dealer...in Feb this year i had a problem arise and this was rectified at a cost of £498 at MB/Chesterfield,i paid the bill and was re-imbursed the full cost less £25 excess by W.D. immediately after they received the bill,one of the service team said they had quite a few vehicles come in warranted by WD and had never had any problems so far...but remember any fault has to be diagnosed by MB first and permission given by warranty company before any repairs take place...needless to say i had my warranty re-newal come last month from WD and as i took it out on a monthly basis(after 6 months from initial start you can cancel at any time on monthly option) my payment ...£26....remains the same............I think it is limited to 7 years old and 70,000 miles ..after this it goes on a percentage.......not sure tho'.......paul..

 

[oxtailsoup]

Dealer has given me a price of just over £1000 to renew the warranty when it expires at the end of December... no room for discount. I asked if there was a discount if I took a 24 month warranty but apparantly they don't do them anymore.

Looks like I'll be looking at Warranty Direct. See if they can offer a close match to the manufacturers warranty.

On another note I did ask for a quote for my next service which will include Service A plus gearbox oil plus brake fluid change (car has 42k miles). The dealer has almost matched the quote I had from the usual Indy so I'm pleased with that. Doesn't need doing until December though. And then they can do the end of warranty check at the same time.

 

[jberks]

Warranties were always a nightmare but they're getting worse. I bought a warranty from the dealership on my E270 when I bought it. It cost £600 and was sold as one of the best you could get. In the last couple of months, 3 faults arose so I figured no problem, the warranty will sort it.
1) Speedtronic switch caused the occasional error - replaced by the warranty - great.
2) Steering coolant pipe - pipes not covered (didn't know that). You figure pipes aren't a problem. After all they are quite cheap - but it's 2hrs to fit. The leak is slight so Ive ignored it.
3) Diff seal. Apparently this is 'wear and tear' so not covered either. I was getting annoyed at this point. The dealer got MB to pay 70% of the cost.

My point here is that even with good warranties (ones that list what isn't covered - saying EVERYTHING else is), you find yourself not covered more often than not. WD and friends list what is covered. By definition, whilst the list looks good, if you thing about the parts catalogue for the average merc, it can't scratch the surface. I had one and still ended up paying out hundreds in repairs as everything that went (dash cluster, plug leads) wasn't listed.
The equivalent cover to mine now is probably £1k and n my opinion you're better putting the money in the bank and 'self insuring'.

 

[oxtailsoup]

Ok... I've been onto the Warranty Direct website for a quote. They seem to offer two levels of warranty. One that includes everything and lists what isn't included (more expensive) and another that lists what is included (cheaper).

For the benefit of others I've listed the details below as this warranty subject seems quite common on the forum. Has anyone had experience of either of these types of warranties below? I'm quite interested in the more expensive one, especially is they offer me a nice reduction .

Luxury Care Policy - £568 using a franchised dealer for repairs
All the components of the car are covered other than those listed below.

EXCLUDED COMPONENTS
The following components of the vehicle are not covered.

BODYWORK
All bodywork, trim, upholstery, glass, paint, sunroof components, panels, wheels and tyres.

BRAKES
Brake discs and drums, brake pads and shoes.

CLUTCH
Clutch centre/friction plate, cover plate and release bearing.

CONTAMINATED FUEL
The cleaning or unblocking of fuel lines, filters, carburettors, pumps, metering units or idle speed control valves.

ELECTRICS
Lamps, batteries, fuses, and connectors, in-car audio and entertainment systems or navigational systems.

ALARMS AND IMMOBILISERS
Not fitted by the vehicle manufacturer as original specification.

SERVICE ITEMS
Including but not limited to:- Distributor cap, rotor arm, condenser, points, high tension leads, spark plugs, wiper blades, filter elements, bulbs, belts, antifreeze, fluids, grease, fuel or oils.

MISCELLANEOUS
Exhaust gasket, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter, auxiliary drive belts, brackets, mountings, pipes and hoses, water ingress, cables other than clutch cables.

OIL LEAKS
Notwithstanding exclusion 11 of the policy, this covers the cylinder head gasket and seal or gasket replacement that necessitates the removal of the engine, gearbox/drive unit or differential unit to carry out repairs.

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.

SUNDRIES
Sundries such as coolants, lubricants, fluids, oils, filters and other working materials are covered if their replacement is necessitated due to a valid claim, provided the vehicle is not within 1,000 miles of its next service.
Only the components originally fitted as standard by the manufacturer are covered unless agreed in writing by us.




MajorCare Warranty - £368 using a franchised dealer for repairs
The items under the following list are covered. Any item not specifically mentioned is not covered.

ENGINE
Cylinder head
Cylinder head gasket
Valves (excluding decarbonisation, burnt or pitted valves and valve seats)
Valve springs
Valve guides
Camshaft and bearings
Cam followers
Hydraulic lifters
Push rods and rocker gear
Timing gears
Chains
Belts and tensioners
Pistons
Piston rings
Cylinder liners and linear seals
Connecting rods and bearings
Gudgeon pins
Crankshaft and bearings
Oil pump and oil pump drive
Distributor drive gear
Distributor drive
Flywheel and ring gear
Flex plate/auto drive plate
Inlet and exhaust manifolds

TURBOCHARGER
Internal failure of factory fitted turbocharger and wastegate.

GEAR BOX: MANUAL AND AUTOMATIC
Gears
Shafts
Synchromesh hubs rings and selector shafts and forks
Extension shaft
Torque convertor
Automatic transmission clutches and brake bands
Oil pump
Bearings and bushes
Valves and valve block
Governor and servo.

TRANSMISSION
Crown wheel and pinion
Differential gears and bearings
Bushes
Half shaft and half shaft bearings
Driveshafts
Bearings and constant velocity joints
Propshaft universal joints and centre bearing hubs and wheel bearings.

Only the components originally fitted as standard by the manufacturer are covered unless agreed in writing by us.

 

[euclidb2]

Ok... I've been onto the Warranty Direct website for a quote. They seem to offer two levels of warranty. One that includes everything and lists what isn't included (more expensive) and another that lists what is included (cheaper).

For the benefit of others I've listed the details below as this warranty subject seems quite common on the forum. Has anyone had experience of either of these types of warranties below? I'm quite interested in the more expensive one, especially is they offer me a nice reduction .

Luxury Care Policy - £568 using a franchised dealer for repairs
All the components of the car are covered other than those listed below.


MajorCare Warranty - £368 using a franchised dealer for repairs
The items under the following list are covered. Any item not specifically mentioned is not covered.



.

The policy i have with WD is ExtraCare which covers repairs at a franchised dealer at franchised rates...limit per claim is £7500 excess p/claim £25...but this does not include airbag/emissions cover.When i first inquired on-line (august 2007) i had numerous phone calls from WD asking if i was happy with quote which was £370,the next caller rang and offered it for £350....i was quite pleased with this and said i would wait till nearer expiry time for my current MB warranty and then make up my mind.Later on i had ANOTHER call and this time .........after a bit of soft soaping...... it was offered to me for £312...£26 a month...to good to miss i thought and had the warranty start when my old one expired.My renewal 1/9/2008 is same price ,as i'me not a typewriter person and it would probably take me till next week to type this out i have tried to do it this way,not very good but im'e sure it will be easy for someone with comp/expertise to make it clearer..

 

[Blobcat]

The policy i have with WD is ExtraCare which covers repairs at a franchised dealer at franchised rates...limit per claim is £7500 excess p/claim £25...but this does not include airbag/emissions cover.When i first inquired on-line (august 2007) i had numerous phone calls from WD asking if i was happy with quote which was £370,the next caller rang and offered it for £350....i was quite pleased with this and said i would wait till nearer expiry time for my current MB warranty and then make up my mind.Later on i had ANOTHER call and this time .........after a bit of soft soaping...... it was offered to me for £312...£26 a month...to good to miss i thought and had the warranty start when my old one expired.My renewal 1/9/2008 is same price ,as i'me not a typewriter person and it would probably take me till next week to type this out i have tried to do it this way,not very good but im'e sure it will be easy for someone with comp/expertise to make it clearer..

Have you claimed against it? The reason I ask is that reading on this forum warranties don't always look so good after a claim as they do before.

 

[euclidb2]

Have you claimed against it? The reason I ask is that reading on this forum warranties don't always look so good after a claim as they do before.

Yes,had problem earlier in year with EBC/SBC...STOP/HOLD.......the hold on the foot brake, stop ...the one controlled by c/control lever....for use in slow moving traffic,repaired.MB/Chesterfield....no problems at all,.(see earlier post page 1).would not have re-newed otherwise.............you are talking to a Yorkshireman ye know....war cry...HOOOOOoooooooWwww MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!..