The perennial Extended Warranty question

[Riot Nrrrd]

Folks, My 2002 Beast's warranty runs out in about 10 days. My "dealer" (closest dealer to me - didn't buy the car from them), Keyes European in Van Nuys, will honor certain extended warranties - I'm not sure what they all are, however, and before I call them, I just wanted to post here quick and see if anyone has any tips for me before I call them and ask which ones they do honor. This seems to be a perennial topic here and I do recall that at least one person bought one from a company that went out of business and left them high and dry, so I thought I'd start a new thread in case there's any new news in this dept. Good news/suggestions and horror stories both appreciated. I would like to call them tomorrow afternoon (Fri. 4/14) to get the ball rolling in time ... P.S. Any suggestions for last-minute warranty service? I had the Service A done fairly recently and the car only has 7200 miles on the clock ... one of the springs in the wind screen for the rear seats (where you slot the screen into the sides of the car) has become broken, but I don't know whether that's covered under warranty ... other than that, I can't think of anything that needs to be done that would be a warranty repair.

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[whitepony]

I priced one out on my 2002... it was $3600 for 5yrs additional 50k additional miles

[MBSvcAdv]

1. Most dealerships should take ANY extended warranty that pay with credit card over the phone 80% pay this way.

2. Confirm that they will do th eleg work, getting the authorization to do the repairs and at the amount the extended warranty company authorizes. For example, make sure your E/W pays the labor rate the dealership charges.

3. Confirm payment will be made in a timely manner so that you can pick up your car when the work finished.

Just for starters...

Also, make sure your E/W does the following:

1. Covers rental - while your car is in the shop
2. Towing, covers the tow, not just $20 of it!
3. Will pay via c/c - makes things quicker and easier for everyone
4. Pays more than a pre-determined amount per hour( some only pay $40hr) when most all dealerships charge at least $100.per flag hour!
5. Backed by a large company - not some fly by night company - Google the parent company when in doubt ( or PM me, I'll look them up for you )

Steve

[MBSvcAdv]

Doh, you added some while I was posting..

Warranty work:

Make sure they check the entire suspension for the metallic popping noise you hear when crossing uneven surfaces! Also, make sure they check for any fluid(s) leaking from under the driveline.. maybe end with checking codes... making sure the AMM hasn't given any hints that it maybe takinga dive soon.... thats about it... :-)

S

[Riot Nrrrd]

Wow, thanks Steve. What's "the AMM"? (Sorry, I is ignerint)

Do you know of any off-hand that meet your 5 criteria?

I guess I should work backwards ... call the Keyes guy now, say which ones they honor, then come back here and see if they fit the bill, eh?

whitepony - did you end up getting that $3600 one?

[MBSvcAdv]

Originally Posted by Riot Nrrrd

Wow, thanks Steve. What's "the AMM"? (Sorry, I is ignerint)

Do you know of any off-hand that meet your 5 criteria?

I guess I should work backwards ... call the Keyes guy now, say which ones they honor, then come back here and see if they fit the bill, eh?

whitepony - did you end up getting that $3600 one?

AMM = Air Mass Meter ( Also called MAF )

There are several options, we sell contracts called " Total Protection Plan " administered by Prizim Admin Solutions Inc.

I would suggest buying a contract from the place you plan on using it, that always makes it easiest.

Also, inquire about $0 deductibles !

Steve

[Riot Nrrrd]

Hmmn, no Google hits for Prizim.

Gee, I guess I should've thought to ask about if they have their own E/W contracts, duh.

I assume by "$0 deductibles" you mean that's a good thing to ask for - less money out of my pocket.

[whitepony]

Originally Posted by Riot Nrrrd

whitepony - did you end up getting that $3600 one?

I did, its a Zero Deductable and it is through Benz not a 3rd party.

[Riot Nrrrd]

Wow, through Mercedes itself? Got any contact info for it? I wasn't aware that Mercedes-Benz did Extended Warranties ...

Edit: Found this link: http://www.mbusa.com/care/warranty/extended-limited.do

It says $4880 "suggested retail" for 3 years on an AMG ... I guess you got a good deal at $3600 (Or did you just pay for 2 years' extra?)

[Riot Nrrrd]

Sudden re-think:

Is this a stupid idea for someone in my position?

I've only put 3000 miles on the car in the 14+ months I've had it. I drive it about once a month to keep the battery from going dead. (I'm probably insane, but I've got half an idea to sell it at the 2030 Barrett-Jackson auction for Dodge Hemi-like prices, to finance my retirement )

In other words, paying $4880 for a car that's not even likely to see another 9000 miles on the odometer in the life of the Extended Warranty is suddenly looking a little silly. I quite like the idea of going to the dealer and not paying a dime to have my car worked on, but in this case I'm paying a lot of dimes - and for a car that's not likely to get driven enough to put it in need of expensive repairs (knock wood).

Someone give me a sanity check here ...

[MBSvcAdv]

Originally Posted by Riot Nrrrd

Sudden re-think:

Is this a stupid idea for someone in my position?

I've only put 3000 miles on the car in the 14+ months I've had it. I drive it about once a month to keep the battery from going dead. (I'm probably insane, but I've got half an idea to sell it at the 2030 Barrett-Jackson auction for Dodge Hemi-like prices, to finance my retirement )

In other words, paying $4880 for a car that's not even likely to see another 9000 miles on the odometer in the life of the Extended Warranty is suddenly looking a little silly. I quite like the idea of going to the dealer and not paying a dime to have my car worked on, but in this case I'm paying a lot of dimes - and for a car that's not likely to get driven enough to put it in need of expensive repairs (knock wood).

Someone give me a sanity check here ...

Good point, I personally, in that situation would consider taking the $$ the E/W contract may cost you and put it in an interest earning account somewhere and keep the money for repairs. You have a good chance coming out ahead that route!

Steve

[whitepony]

Originally Posted by Riot Nrrrd

Wow, through Mercedes itself? Got any contact info for it? I wasn't aware that Mercedes-Benz did Extended Warranties ...

Edit: Found this link: http://www.mbusa.com/care/warranty/extended-limited.do

It says $4880 "suggested retail" for 3 years on an AMG ... I guess you got a good deal at $3600 (Or did you just pay for 2 years' extra?)

I put 25-30K miles a year on mine... so it was a 2yr out of the 5yr...lol
And yes I know it was 4800 My guy at Von Hausen hooked me up.

[Riot Nrrrd]

Originally Posted by whitepony

I put 25-30K miles a year on mine... so it was a 2yr out of the 5yr...lol

25-30K miles a year? Yeow ... you must be a travelling salesman (Even my banger 300E only gets about 9000 a year ... and I live in Los Angeles)

Not quite sure I understood the "2 yr out of the 5 yr"?

I'm taking mine in to Keyes on Monday to have the last-minute stuff Steve suggested (thanks!!!) inspected ... will sit down with the guy that handles their Extended Warranty stuff and listen to the sales pitch, but I suspect I won't bite - not at $4880, that's for sure!

[whitepony]

I drive 25k /yr the warranty is 5yrs/50K miles, therefore; effectively making it a 2yr warranty... you dig?

[Riot Nrrrd]

Ah, OK ... lol. Gotcha now

(I'd probably consider a 5-year/50,000 mile extended warranty for $3600 ... but not a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty for $4880. I don't see a 5-year on the Mercedes-Benz site ... )

[Riot Nrrrd]

Just thought of something else:

When my friend was looking for a used Mac, he kept insisting on it having AppleCare coverage. I realized that a computer having remaining time on warranty coverage (AppleCare extends the warranty from 1 year to 3 years) is a useful thing to have, and a desirable thing for a potential purchaser.

Does the same theory apply here? Once the warranty expires in a week or so, I can't buy the Extended Warranty. If I need to sell it in the next 3 years, that might be a negative point if it doesn't have one. (Sorta like going to a dealer and the car isn't Starmarked, maybe.)

Thoughts?

[lightnng]

I just bought my 2002 CLK55 AMG Cab.

It's out of warranty, and has under 35,000 miles on it. So I got a 4 yr/85K miles extended exclusionary (i.e. everything covered except specific named items, mostly wear-and-tear), from Mercury Insurance Group (reputable, A+ rating), their best plan which is the Mercury Platinum.

My cost was $4085, which I figure is OK.

Now, since then I've actually found someone who could have sold me the same warranty for $3590. At this point I'm not going to go through the hassle of cancelling (the policy has a full refund 60-day backout clause for $35 cancellation fee), just to reissue the same policy with him and save the $395. But if you want, I am more than happy to connect the two of you so he can offer you the same deal.

Let me know.

[Riot Nrrrd]

Originally Posted by lightnng

My cost was $4085, which I figure is OK.

Now, since then I've actually found someone who could have sold me the same warranty for $3590. At this point I'm not going to go through the hassle of cancelling (the policy has a full refund 60-day backout clause for $35 cancellation fee), just to reissue the same policy with him and save the $395.

You have a PM

(You do realize that $4085 - $3590 is $495, not $395, right? I'd cancel and get it reissued if I were you )

[MBSvcAdv]

You can always buy some E/W in or out of warranty, the best price and best coverage , though, can usually only be done while still in warranty....

Steve

[Richard / E320]

Originally Posted by Riot Nrrrd

Sudden re-think:

Is this a stupid idea for someone in my position?

I've only put 3000 miles on the car in the 14+ months I've had it. I drive it about once a month to keep the battery from going dead. (I'm probably insane, but I've got half an idea to sell it at the 2030 Barrett-Jackson auction for Dodge Hemi-like prices, to finance my retirement )

In other words, paying $4880 for a car that's not even likely to see another 9000 miles on the odometer in the life of the Extended Warranty is suddenly looking a little silly. I quite like the idea of going to the dealer and not paying a dime to have my car worked on, but in this case I'm paying a lot of dimes - and for a car that's not likely to get driven enough to put it in need of expensive repairs (knock wood).

Someone give me a sanity check here ...

I bought the Mercedes-Benz Starmark 8-year / 100,000 mile extended warranty when I purchased my vehicle new, and I'm glad I did, though I've never used it. With only 3,218 miles on a five-year old vehicle, I probably won't. But the warranty price was heavily discounted to $1250; I don't think I would purchase it today if I had to pay the current price and the low-expected mileage. Of course, there's always Murphy's Law...

[whitepony]

You all don't drive enough.... Get out and enjoy your Car!

[lightnng]

Originally Posted by Riot Nrrrd

You have a PM

(You do realize that $4085 - $3590 is $495, not $395, right? I'd cancel and get it reissued if I were you )

Details, details... don't confuse me with facts

Anyhow, I did leave you the guy's email. I'll send you his phone number as well, I'm finally at a place where I can dig it up.

[whitepony]

Went back to the dealer this afternoon and upgraded my 5yr/50k to a 4yr/ 100k for $157 more... and with how much i drive i'll use up all 100k in the next 4yrs.

[Richard / E320]

Originally Posted by whitepony

You all don't drive enough.... Get out and enjoy your Car!

You're right; I fueled it up last night at $3.25 per gallon. Still, it only cost $14 to fill it up. The last gas tag shows that I put fuel in it 5 months ago!

[Riot Nrrrd]

What's your "beater" car then, Richard? I mean, I thought I was doing good to only have put 3000 miles on mine in the last 15 months ...but you put only 3128 miles on it in 4 times that length of time!?!?! <*boggle*>

Or do you take BART everywhere