Non MB servicing and Tier 1 warranty

[C240Sport97]

does anyone know whether indy servicing causes any part of the Tier 1 warranty to be invalidated?

mate looking at an SL55 which has Tier 1 warranty but which has been serviced at an Indy.

 

[Mr E]

Block exemption rules only apply irt OEM warranties provided with the vehicles. Assuming the Tier 1 warranty is one separately purchased from the manufacturer, then you have to comply with the Ts&Cs of that warranty - and previous comments on here would suggest that main dealer servicing are part of the conditions of the warranty.

 

[Jupiter8]

Hi, that friend is me.

I'm looking at a lovely looking 05 SL55 with less than 40k miles that has had one service performed at a reputable specialist rather than a Mercedes main dealer.

The car was bought in 2010 and was MB used approved with a warranty as normal.

In 2012 there was a short break in the warranty between the summer of 2012 (from mid June I think, but haven't yet checked all paperwork), shortly after which the car was serviced at an indie (Aug) for an "A" service.

The warranty was renewed in September 2012 ready to sell the car, and the seller spoke to the warranty company and they said they didn't have an issue with the indie service in the gap. Otherwise I suppose he wouldn't have bothered getting the warranty on it.

The current warranty date therefore started AFTER the service date, in the same way that dealers will stick a warranty on a car that may have had some non-MB main dealer history.

I called up the warranty company who confused me more than solved the problem for me, and were pretty unhelpful to be honest. They went all legal and abrupt on me and talked about how they were recording the call as if I was about to make a fraudulent claim, when in reality I don't even own the car yet and was just making an enquiry!

The seller seems very genuine and willing to help, and countered that if they have recorded my phone call, then hopefully they also recorded his call where they stated there were no issues with the service before the warranty was issued!

Is the warranty not worth the paper it's written on, and if so, why would they sell him a warranty? Just to take his money?

Has anyone ever had a quibble with Mercedes over something like this and lost?

I'm getting the car for what would seem to be a very fair price considering mileage/age/condition/spec etc, but am concerned about the warranty validity as it is quite a major selling point, as you can imagine.

Thanks for any further input, and if things go to plan I hope to be joining in here properly soon!

 

[Bryan Allman]

Is the current warranty the MB Tier 1 or with a third party? In my experience the third party warrantees are not worth the paper they are written on and certainly in my case I have then swapped them for the MB Tier 1.

Most MB main dealers sell the Tier 1 package as part of their offerings within the service department. They will probably want to inspect the car during a main service to ensure its compliance with their servicing schedules but apart from that, there is usually no issue.

They also have a monthly payment scheme which while a little more expensive than the annual figure, when paid by DD doesn't seem to go up year on year ........ ;-)

Good luck with the SL

 

[Jupiter8]

Hi Bryan. Thanks for the reply. Yes, it's an MB Tier 1.

Just seems odd they would even issue a warranty with a start date post indie service if the whole thing should be invalid.

Also thanks for the DD tip - will probably go for that in future as I think a warranty on an expensive AMG merc is probably sensible to continue with.

 

[C240Sport97]

Just to complete this, at section 6 of the warranty terms and conditions:

"Failure to comply with the service schedule recommended by Mercedes-Benz will invalidate this warranty. All service work must be carried out by an authorised Mercedes-Benz Retailer using only Mercedes-Benz approved parts."

 

[Tan]

But does this only stand during the period that the car is warranted for or all services before the warranty was taken out?

 

[Mr E]

I would say - and not as a legal opinion but from someone who's spent years drafting these things for OEMs - that if the warranty has been issued, you need to comply with the terms during the period the warranty covers.

In other words, it's MB from now on, but the Indie service in the gap shouldn't be a problem. It'll be worth checking what get-out clauses the warranty company has, though, just for piece of mind.

 

[After Shock]

Think I'd double check with warranty company and get written confirmation regardless.

 

[Jupiter8]

From the dealer's perspective I believe Mr E is correct from what I've found out via the seller. However, the issue is the warranty company are the ones actually footing the bill.

I am trying to obtain written confirmation from the warranty company (mondial, via the seller contacting them), and should find out on Monday. Not holding out too much hope though, as I doubt a warranty company would want to waive rights in such a way.

If it's not possible then really I think it's a case of the seller taking up the issue with the dealer that sold him the warranty after the independent serviced the car....

In my original post there is a mistake, as the gap in the warranty (and when the indie service was done) was actually in 2011.

 

[Jupiter8]

An update...

I had a chat with Mondial/Mercedes warranty today regarding this situation that won't seem to go away for me.

The good news is it looks like things are on track now. Hopefully this thread may help a few buyers in future, though of course warranty companies change their terms and conditions from time to time.

I was told that the independent service is not an issue as it was outside the warranty policy period, but that recommended fluids must have been used for that service.

Fortunately the specialist in question (M-Only, West London) used the correct Mobil 1 OW40 oil during the service and I have a copy of this invoice, which I will be forwarding on to Mondial for them to put on the file. Using the wrong oil would jeopardise a claim relating to the engine, apparently.

C240Sport97 has been very helpful in this process, assisting me with the legal side to ensure I cover myself in case of questions later on if I had to claim on the policy. Mondial record telephone calls, but C240Sport97 is pointed out that I should write to them with my understanding of the situation (in order that there is a record of it for them to respond to, should they disagree).

I've not even seen the car yet believe it or not(!), but now with this peace of mind I will go and take a look with a view to buying, and I'm confident it's the one based on the hi-res pics I've seen.

I believe for many of us a proper mercedes tier one warranty on the SL55 is gold dust, as my own research tells me that these are complicated cars, to say the least!

Hope to update soon once I have my hands on the car....

 

[Benzowner]

Not wishing to cause offence here, but a post like this would put me off ever buying such a car that it is a must to have a tier 1 warranty, which I beleive only covers up to 100k miles then it's tier 2. Just my opinion

 

[C240Sport97]

Not wishing to cause offence here, but a post like this would put me off ever buying such a car that it is a must to have a tier 1 warranty, which I beleive only covers up to 100k miles then it's tier 2. Just my opinion

Tier 1 is up to 60k miles only

 

[Jupiter8]

Not wishing to cause offence here, but a post like this would put me off ever buying such a car that it is a must to have a tier 1 warranty, which I beleive only covers up to 100k miles then it's tier 2. Just my opinion

None taken.

I'm a low mileage user and the car has 35k on the clock, so should be plenty of market to sell the car compared to other SL55s if I were to sell it with a renewed warranty and 45k on the clock (plus last service at MB!).

 

[bpsorrel]

Not wishing to cause offence here, but a post like this would put me off ever buying such a car that it is a must to have a tier 1 warranty

Me too. I still (after four MBs) can't get my head around the acceptance that we happily buy these cars knowing we're likely to have expensive problems!

For my part I'm sick of it (more issues with my CLS which hopefully will be put right this week) and am seriously tempted to wave good bye to German "prestige" cars for good. (no offence intended to anyone, by the way)