warranty - who's conning who

[zsadiq1]

I have a mercedes E320, 4 years old with 46K on the clock. Last year I paid approx £450 to warranty direct. This year they quoted £511. They rang me as I did not send back the renewal form and said they would reduce it to £395. I told them I also had service plus on the car and would only do 12000 miles per year. They reduced the premium to £295. I said I would only take it for £250 and they agreed. I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad at this situation. Who's conning who?

 

[gring]

I used Warranty direct for my last car, BMW M3, I tried to claim on 3 different occasions and they rejected all 3 claims. When I questioned them as to why, they responded with the most pathetic of excuses. I took them to the small claims court and recovered my premium.
I would not touch these warranty companies with a barge pole!!

 

[Bryann]

I thought service plus covered you for everything except glas and tyres, why take up a warranty?

 

[Blobcat]

I tend to agree with gring regarding all things warranty/insurance related. IMHO the only warranty that is worth anything is the original one from Mercedes.

 

[MIW615]

These warranties aren't worth a light - I put £100 a month into a savings account as a "back-up" should anything go wrong. I know this won't pay for an engine / gearbox etc., but it's, in my opinion better than giving it to a warranty company that will almost certainly try to wriggle out of paying up on a claim!

 

[jberks]

Given that you have service plus (probably one of the best warranties currently available) and knowing what the warranty direct policy doesn't cover (most things) I'd say you're being conned.
My rule is that a warranty must only state what isn't covered. If it only states what is covered, then I guarantee that whatever fails will not be on the list (or be covered by some obscure caveat or have an upper limit that doesn't cover tyhe total cost etc) hence - it's not worth the paper its written on.

I paid WD the best part of £1k over the years but I've wised up now.

 

[Rory]

I told them I also had service plus on the car and would only do 12000 miles per year. They reduced the premium to £295.

I bought ServicePlus when my car was 3 yrs old *instead* of buying an MB warranty.

I do have a nagging doubt that some things might not be covered by ServicePlus but other people's experience of it has been good so far. I also think that if anything were to break (rather than wear out) then I'd go after Mercedes to replace it at their expense anyway. A 'prestige' car like a Mercedes surely should be expected to be failure free for, say, 5yrs? (That's what I'd say in court anyway, if they refused to pay up).

I probably wouldn't bother going with somebody like Warranty Direct under any circumstances, but particularly if I already had ServicePlus. Anway, will they pay MB repair rates? It's only going to complicate claims, with an extra party involved to argue with.

 

[rf065]

I used Warranty direct for my last car, BMW M3, I tried to claim on 3 different occasions and they rejected all 3 claims. When I questioned them as to why, they responded with the most pathetic of excuses. I took them to the small claims court and recovered my premium.
I would not touch these warranty companies with a barge pole!!

A number of years ago I made a claim when my recently bought Colt Lancer Turbo starting blowing white smoke out the exhaust. The warranty company would not agree to the repairs straight away, the head was cracked, but instructed the garage to check if the thermostat was working.

When told it was, they still refused to commit themselves before asking the garage to check if the radiator was blocked and even made the garage saw the core in half to check inside the veins. They were trying to prove the car had overheated and it was my fault, but the garage could find nothing else wrong, it was simply a cracked head, maybe a fault in the casting or whatever that could have went at anytime.

I had to go back to the original garage I had bought the car from and speak to their director, telling him his second hand warranties were worthless if this was how you were treated on making a claim. He was livid and phoned me back an hour later to tell me the warranty company would now pay for my claim and offering his apologies.

The car was in the garage for 6 weeks in total, the final bill was £1000, quite a sum 20 years ago. It could have been less if new thermostat and radiator was not required as well as the head.

Unless you buy the car from a major dealer who has some clout with the warranty company, and is willing to speak up for you, then I would agree they are a complete waste of money if you try to make a large claim.

Russ

 

[kingsize]

I now have Service Plus so very content.

One warranty I will recommend is the AA parts and labour warranty - it covers you for a £500.00 contrib to parts and labour cost that has resulted in a breakdown, and up to three claims a year.

I can attest to its efficacy as I used it twice in one year, and it was no hassle whatsoever - one was an MB alternator, can't now remember the other, and if I recall correctly it was about £100 p.a.. The only requirement being that you have your vehicle serviced as per schedule at any VAT registered garage.

 

[zsadiq1]

Thanks for cheering me up. Service plus is not a warranty - if it is not part of the service/MOT or wear and tear then it is not covered. I know from past threads some people have had good experiences with warranty direct. I would not have bought the warranty if I did not have the more unreliable 2003model E class. I'll tell you at the end of the year if they were any good or not.

 

[David Nock]

Thanks for cheering me up. Service plus is not a warranty - if it is not part of the service/MOT or wear and tear then it is not covered. I know from past threads some people have had good experiences with warranty direct. I would not have bought the warranty if I did not have the more unreliable 2003model E class. I'll tell you at the end of the year if they were any good or not.

Service Plus covers everything, wear and tear and all car failures except Glass, Tyres, Accident Damage and Rust (Rust being covered by the MB antiperforation warranty anyway). Thats what my MB service plus papers tell me; have I missed somat?

 

[ITSACLK320]

How much does MB Service Plus cost??

 

[zsadiq1]

I didn't get a brochure when I took out service plus. I am impressed so far. In my first year of service plus I have had the following done; all brake pads and discs, power steering pump, wiper blades, D service and MOT at a cost, according to the dealer, of approximately £2100. I pay approx £1000 per year for service plus (12000 miles per year, E320). I expect to have 2 more services and MOT's and I expect my brakes to be replaced again. This should make me quids in by the end.

 

[benzo]

Thanks for cheering me up. Service plus is not a warranty - if it is not part of the service/MOT or wear and tear then it is not covered.

I'll bet service plus still covers a lot more on it's own than the additional warranty you got from warranty direct. I have service plus and will not bother with any other 'warranty' as it's coverage is extensive enough to give me peace of mind.

 

[kingsize]

I'll bet service plus still covers a lot more on it's own than the additional warranty you got from warranty direct. I have service plus and will not bother with any other 'warranty' as it's coverage is extensive enough to give me peace of mind.

Exactly......

 

[David Nock]

How much does MB Service Plus cost??

Depends on age and mileage. For a 54 reg 270 CDI CLK, starting at 19000 miles - 2 years 9 months old, taking it to 4 years and 9 months, covering only 7000 miles pa though, Service Plus was (is) £41 per month payable by 24 direct debits to MBUK (Mercedes Benz UK). But, and here's the attraction, a B service will be called up soon, normally costing £400/£450. All included, plus I've had a free MOT already.
See your dealer, if the car's under the age limit (cars from 3 to 6 years old) he should first inspect for any faults then give you an individual quote.

 

[jberks]

Thanks for cheering me up. Service plus is not a warranty - if it is not part of the service/MOT or wear and tear then it is not covered. I know from past threads some people have had good experiences with warranty direct. I would not have bought the warranty if I did not have the more unreliable 2003model E class. I'll tell you at the end of the year if they were any good or not.

I can't comment on Service Plus paying out. I never had a fault they would pay out on in the first place. During coverage, my dash cluster pixelated (not covered and £650 at the time so wasn't fixed), the plug leads failed (£250 and not covered) plus the normal wear and tear.
My current E is still under MB warranty but the items that have been fixed, as I understand it, are covered by service plus but wouldn't have been covered by WD.

 

[Rory]

I can't comment on Service Plus paying out. I never had a fault they would pay out on in the first place.

That reads like ServicePlus wouldn't have paid out, but I think you mean Warranty Direct wouldn't pay?

I expect those items would have been covered by ServicePlus without quibble.


On the general point about ServicePlus not being a warranty, that is a (minor) concern I have. But once a car is 4-5 yrs old, who is going to say something has broken (therefore not covered) vs worn out (therefore covered)?

 

[jberks]

That reads like ServicePlus wouldn't have paid out, but I think you mean Warranty Direct wouldn't pay?

Absolutely - sorry - typo