3rd party warranty cover?

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AlanD

Active Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
609
Location
London
Car
CLS55 AMG IWC
Looking at various options for warranty on a 2004 C55. I have two questions:

1) Does anyone have any feedback on using AutoProtect, RAC or AA? I'm looking at their medium/silver type cover that does most electrics and engine bits, rather than the very basic "big lumps" cover.

2) On a C55 in particular, would 6 months at £1000 per claim limit be better or worse than 12 months at £500 per claim limit? In both cases it's a multiple/unlimited claim policy for separate claims (AutoProtect "silver").

:dk:
 
It takes very little to run up a £500 claim. I would look for a 12 month £1000 each claim limit at the very least.
 
It takes very little to run up a £500 claim. I would look for a 12 month £1000 each claim limit at the very least.

Default 3 month warranty is £250 per claim to put it in perspective! You're talking about £450 (50% surcharge for engines over 2.4l or something IIRC!) for 12 months silver at £1000 per claim, so it ain't cheap to extend it more!

Most things that I think of that have gone wrong for me in recent years are £500 or less ... alternators, batteries, window regulators, wheel bearings, etc. Yes, big things cost more, but within the limits of what it covers anyway, it seems you'd be unlucky to suffer from most of the covered expensive failures.

This is about peace of mind on a new used car - I'd never dream of extending the cover. This is very much such a thing as over-insured. It's not the same as having a manufacturer's warranty where everything is covered for a fixed fee including servicing ... that usually *is* worth paying for.

What's on offer (included) is 6 months @ £1000 or 12 months @ £500 per claim. I'm not going to pay hundreds for more cover myself. I have car insurance to cover huge failures, though the penalty is obviously high over 5 years.

With a C55, I'm hoping that the lack of forced induction at the very least leaves a lot less to lunch itself! I'm sure there are plenty of things that can cost a small fortune still to go wrong, but for this model, how likely is that really compared to the more likely ones that maybe are unlikely to exceed £500? At this age, I'd be using an MB Indy, not a main dealer. That's a genuine question btw, not an assumption! ;)
 
Why not try Warranty Direct,but do not go for the first price they offer.I found it extremely comprehensive,having their top 'premium' cover at about £35.00 a month,with no excess on claims + authorised dealership labour rates plus many more benefits.
 
Why not try Warranty Direct,but do not go for the first price they offer.I found it extremely comprehensive,having their top 'premium' cover at about £35.00 a month,with no excess on claims + authorised dealership labour rates plus many more benefits.

Gave it a whirl online ... £775. May not be their best price, but wrong ballpark! ;o)

Again, I'm not quite looking to buy this, in the traditional sense, it's what the seller is offering to include. It was to be £1000 per claim for 6 months at silver level, but he can't do that without starting it at £500 limit and then paying for me to up it to £1000; or, he can make it £500 limit for a full 12 months. They are the two options on the table .. or for me to find similar or better cover elsewhere in the £200-300 range!

Longer and lower or shorter and higher .. sounds dirty! :ban:
 
Why not try Warranty Direct,but do not go for the first price they offer.I found it extremely comprehensive,having their top 'premium' cover at about £35.00 a month,with no excess on claims + authorised dealership labour rates plus many more benefits.

With those features that's a good price - mine was just over £500 for the year, also no excess, dealer rates, COMAND included etc.

OP: Each to their own, of course, but what I was looking for in a warranty was something that would cover catastrophic failures, like the engine or autobox going. I'd be dismayed if something that cost a few hundred went wrong, but I could swallow that. A few £K would be a different matter though.
 
Well a claim on your own insurance might cost you £300-500 in excess, followde by £200ish a year extra insurance for a few years. Borderline for anything under £1.5k. But for a new engine, probably less than you'd pay over a couple of years for a full warranty on a 7 year old AMG! Maybe. ;)
 
What's on offer (included) is 6 months @ £1000 or 12 months @ £500 per claim. I'm not going to pay hundreds for more cover myself. I have car insurance to cover huge failures, though the penalty is obviously high over 5 years
- Now I'm confused. So you already have a warranty to cover "huge failures"? Then why do you need another? Why not just take the money from the seller?

Cheers,
MarkP
 
- Now I'm confused. So you already have a warranty to cover "huge failures"? Then why do you need another? Why not just take the money from the seller?

Cheers,
MarkP

Nope .. I meant normal car insurance. Still costs you a lot, but over about £1.5k it starts to make sense to claim if you NCB is protected. Claiming on a warranty doesn't cost you any future costs.

I just want some peace of mind as you never know what repairs might be lurking in a car that someone else has owned, never mind the ones that might come up anyway! On a 2004 car, I wouldn't otherwise bother with a warranty normally.
 
Nope .. I meant normal car insurance. Still costs you a lot, but over about £1.5k it starts to make sense to claim if you NCB is protected.

Normal car insurance doesn't cover mechanical breakdown / failure.
 
Normal car insurance doesn't cover mechanical breakdown / failure.

Unless I'm mistaken I believe it can cover anything you damage on your car if you have fully comp cover. Choosing to use it is fraught with reprecussions though! ;)
 
You seem to be suggesting that if you suffer drastic mechanical failure you could 'have an accident' with your car in order to claim insurance on it.

I'm not sure this is a wise falback mechanism.
 
Whichever one you go for, only go for the TOP level of cover... with RAC this is platinum...

Anything lower and they will try to wriggle out of claims wherever possible. With the top level of cover, there normally isnt any negotiation.

Read the small print.
 
When things go wrong, they are big ones on these beasties. My C32 died 3 times under original MB warranty. If something has gone wrong six times in six months, flog it.
 
If you are buying a car warranty it is essential that you ensure it covers parts that have failed due to wear and tear. If that is excluded then the warranty isn't worth the paper it is written on. RAC on some of their cover don't cover it. There was an article recently in autoexpress about them.

I have Warranty Direct - find them fair in price and fair in dealing with claims. AND they cover wear and tear after you have had the car 90 days. Just about to go through with a claim for the crankshaft bearing - paid for 50% by Mercedes and WD will be picking up the rest (less my excess of £50 and as the car is over 80k miles I have to pay 30% of the parts). So I am expecting a £100-£150 bill rather than the £2-3k one. :thumb:

So I am gathering you visited the C55 in Yate....what did you think of it? Did you also go see the one in Bristol?
 
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If you are buying a car warranty it is essential that you ensure it covers parts that have failed due to wear and tear. If that is excluded then the warranty isn't worth the paper it is written on. RAC on some of their cover don't cover it. There was an article recently in autoexpress about them.
?

I'm not - I'm buying a car and the warranty comes with it. I'm being given a choice between shorter & higher or longer and lower. Or, if I want to, to take the value of it and put it in another one like RAC or AA. It's not nearly enough money to get what you would consider a "proper" warranty, so it's a matter of deciding which is the most bang for the buck! :D

So I am gathering you visited the C55 in Yate....what did you think of it? Did you also go see the one in Bristol?
?

Yes, I did. Really liked it and bought it! Didn't see the other one as it was more money and less likely to be discounted. Came to a really good deal and put a deposit down pending me sellign my car in the next couple of weeks (or PX if I don't). Can't wait to get my hands on it! :bannana:
 

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