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I recently brought a Mercedes Benz C300 4matic AWD, it's a 2009 model with 47k miles on it which just ran out of warranty a couple of months ago. I have been contemplating buying an extended warranty but the opinion seems divided so far. While some people suggest it's highly useful since the repair costs on a Benz are astronomical, some say that the C300 is usually a very reliable car with very few issues if taken good care of atleast till it hits the 100k mark.
Even if I were to go for the extended warranty, do you have any suggestions. I got quotes from 3 companies so far:
1) Warranty direct - Extremely negative reviews online, some people are even saying it's a scam
2) Carchecks - Unsure at this point of time, gave me a 5 year quote for around 4000 including the Navigation coverage
3) I forget which company this was, I shall look it up and let you know.
I would like to seek suggestions from fellow Benz owners please.
I am sorry to say, but your options, if any, will be extremely limited.
I suggest you go your local dealer and ask him what third party warranties they typically honor and the pros and cons. And maybe go to another dealer to get a second opinion.
Your second best option is to get an opinion of forum members on MB boards. mbworld.org will help.
I have bought 4 MBs with certified pre owned warranties and always bought MB extended warranty before my factory warranty expired. Extremely satisfied with the warranty coverage. But thats factory warranty from MB.
Your best option is to go talk to your service adviser. Building relationships with service adviser and the dealer also goes a long way, more so when the brand is known to be expensive to fix.
I am sorry to say, but your options, if any, will be extremely limited.
I suggest you go your local dealer and ask him what third party warranties they typically honor and the pros and cons. And maybe go to another dealer to get a second opinion.
Your second best option is to get an opinion of forum members on MB boards. mbworld.org will help.
I have bought 4 MBs with certified pre owned warranties and always bought MB extended warranty before my factory warranty expired. Extremely satisfied with the warranty coverage. But thats factory warranty from MB.
Your best option is to go talk to your service adviser. Building relationships with service adviser and the dealer also goes a long way, more so when the brand is known to be expensive to fix.
Wow that's really scary, I feel like I have made a wrong decision in buying it now going by your post. From what I have heard, I thought that MB's were pretty reliable if taken good care of. The factory warranty on this vehicle just expired this February, are these third party extended warranties simply a waste of money then?
Do you think it's best for me to sell this car off too? I mean I just brought it and all. . And what is a service adviser?
Nearly all 3rd party extended warranties are worth about the paper they are written on.
There is only one company I've used that is reputable but they are for dodge/chrysler/jeep.
My advise is to be very very careful. Read and understand all the fine print and the contract.
Many/most MANUFACTURER BRANDED "extended warranties" aka extended service contracts (dubbed by their lawyers) are underwritten by 3rd parties, and thus, are 3rd parties themselves.
You can, in many cases, buy the same product offered by the manufacturer, for much less, by buying directly from the underwriter. To simplify - you can buy Toyota's product from CWS, Volkswagen's from JM&A, etc, etc. (note, not sure who is using who these days, just making up examples). HOWEVER, there are always differences between where the car must be services, dealership or independent shop, depending on what type of product you're purchasing.
With that being said, the advice given about being very careful and reading the actual contract holds extremely true. Know what you're buying, know the deductible, know what is covered and what isn't, know if you must pay out of pocket or if they will pay up front, blah blah.
Extended warranties are essentially an insurance product - and as such, enter the law of numbers. Regardless of how strong the contract itself, its a gamble if you'll actually need the coverage.
My opinion on spending extra on 3rd party warranty = is a huge waste of money.
I do try to purchase my vehicles 2nd hand with OEM extended warranty (if available) transferred from previous owner. Or ask the dealer to include it, with no extra cost (to entice me to purchase the vehicle).
But I would not spend the extra money myself since it is just a bet you make against the insurance company - and you know they win to stay in business.
I know enough about cars myself to do a proper evaluation of a used vehicle to know when it is worth the money and if there are any hidden issues. But I advice anybody else to instead spend some money on taking the vehicle to a good mechanic - a fraction of the cost when compared to buying insurance.
In your case, take it to a good mechanic specialized in MB and ask them if there any potential issues with your car. If you like it, keep it (if no major issues).
My opinion on spending extra on 3rd party warranty = is a huge waste of money.
It's not a huge waste of money on a Mercedes. Mine saved me almost $5k before I got rid of the car.
OP, Warranty Direct is not a scam, though I'm sure people who did not get their cars fixed because of some reason or another would definitely claim that it is. I would not go with them for coverage on a Mercedes. In fact, they stopped offering coverage on the S class cars because it was costing them too much and they would try to deny claims any way they could.
I have Warrantech on my Porsche. There's a lot of horror stories out there on them too, I've never had to use them, the warranty was transferred when I bought the car. The previous owner however, said he had used Warrentech on his 2003 Carrera 4, and when he had an IMS bearing failure after the factory warranty was up, Warrentech paid for a new engine. That's why he bought a policy on his Turbo as well. So take that for what it's worth, they paid about $17k to fix his car.
Frankly however, once a Mercedes is out of the factory warranty period, and you don't have a factory extended warranty, my advice is to sell it. If you search my previous posts you'll see I had several issues with my old SL600.
Wow that's really scary, I feel like I have made a wrong decision in buying it now going by your post. From what I have heard, I thought that MB's were pretty reliable if taken good care of. The factory warranty on this vehicle just expired this February, are these third party extended warranties simply a waste of money then?
Do you think it's best for me to sell this car off too? I mean I just brought it and all. . And what is a service adviser?
How would owning one have a level of exclusivity if it weren't expensive to repair and maintain?
Thanks for your responses everyone but just wanted to find out if carchex is a reliable company to get an extended warranty from.
It's tough for me to sell this car off right now because I just brought it and I will have to shell out more by getting it from a dealer and the time and effort I would be spending looking for a new one. Also I love the car so far, it's the best car I have ever had and want to keep it as long as it's not going to be unduly expensive to maintain it.
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. And what is a service adviser?
