Service schedule for aftermarket warranty

[PeterSLondon]

Hi all,

Am new to this forum and to Mercedes ownership, please forgive any newbie mistakes or if I am posting in the wrong section of the forum, apologies also if this is a little long winded.

I purchased a used Mercedes C200 Sport Estate (2014, Automatic, Petrol, 1991cc) about 2 weeks ago from a general car dealer (not Mercedes), it was fine for a day or so then the temperature gauge started jumping from 90 to 120 (in the red), coolant warnings flashing up etc. The dealer kindly picked up the car and had it looked at, the diagnosis was a faulty water pump which was replaced. I got it back a day later, the issue recurred within 10 minutes of my first drive, again the dealer picked it up, kept it for a couple of days then returned it, diagnosis this time was a stuck thermostat, it seems to have fixed the issue, he said his garage also replaced a temperature sensor for completeness.

The dealer provided a 3-month warranty, it seems a little unofficial as it is not documented in any of the sale paperwork, but I have no complaints so far as he has addressed any issues, it did get me thinking however about buying an extended warranty, this water pump / thermostat and sensor issue could have easily cost me about £500 if the problems had started 3 months after I purchased the car.

I looked at extended warranties online and the one that seemed more cost effective and provided good coverage was the RAC / ALS one (I know there is a debate about these and whether they are worth the paper they are written on, but that's another discussion, some protection would give me a little peace of mind, the quote was coming up at around £300 for a year). The issue was that they require the vehicle to "have been serviced in the last 12 months to the manufacturer's guidelines".

A friend of a friend works for Mercedes Benz World and was able to pull the service records they have for my car, it shows "official" servicing up to May 2017. Paperwork with the vehicle has 3 service receipts from an indy garage for June 2018, June 2019 and July 2020, so in effect it is a "service history", however the service receipts / reports are very basic - "Carry out full service" or "Carry out interim service", so not relating to Mercedes terminology (A service, B service etc).

I also don't know the service schedule for this car, previous cars I owned including Audi and BMW had irregular schedules with sometimes 12 months or 24 months between the service types. My concern is I buy this warranty using the current documentation I have, then something happens and I need to claim, but they wriggle out of paying as my service history is effectively "unverifiable" after May 2017, as the indy garage receipts are not specific or detailed in what was actually done, and not in line with Mercedes requirements.

The solution I proposed to myself, is taking the vehicle into a good Mercedes Indy garage, who is linked to the Mercedes service system (is that feasible / does it exist?), they do a "read" on the cars service status (from the car itself), and indicate if anything needs doing, when it's due etc, and detail that in the documentation provided. If something needed doing, of course I would do it, and in fact it's now the annual time for the service (if it is indeed annual, does anyone know the service schedule for this car or how do I find out?).

I registered the Mercedes Me app, and that is showing the service is due in 352 days (almost a year). I am quite suspicious of that, it might imply that it was serviced on 8th May 2021 (the day after I bought it), the dealer said that his garage were linked to Mercedes for servicing, perhaps they did something during the overheating repair situation to set or reset this? (he said they updated the ECUs?)

Apologies again for the long first post, any views on my thinking / rationale are very welcome, as is any advice for a decent Mercedes indy garage in South West London, linked to the Mercedes service system (I realise that I could be delusional with this), many thanks in advance.

Best

Peter

 

[W1ghty]

Welcome buddy, sounds like the dealer has treated you well and held up his end . My opinion on warranties is that in general keep the money aside in your own account and get your self a good Mercedes independent specialist.
Where in SW London are you ? Update your user details to show this , it makes it easier for members to recommend local ish stuff to you

 

[PeterSLondon]

Welcome buddy, sounds like the dealer has treated you well and held up his end . My opinion on warranties is that in general keep the money aside in your own account and get your self a good Mercedes independent specialist.
Where in SW London are you ? Update your user details to show this , it makes it easier for members to recommend local ish stuff to you

Thanks W1ghty, sound advice, am in the Wandsworth area, I will update my details

 

[raspy]

@PeterSLondon I can understand the desire to have some peace of mind with regard to unexpected repairs in the future.

I would have thought your first step would be to contact the RAC warranty people (preferably over email, so you have their reply in writing), explain what evidence you have for servicing and see if you are eligible for taking out a new warranty based upon their exact terms and conditions. It could be that they are happy with basic receipts like you have, or they may not. Only they can can confirm this and clarify exactly what they mean with their terms and conditions.

 

[PeterSLondon]

@PeterSLondon I can understand the desire to have some peace of mind with regard to unexpected repairs in the future.

I would have thought your first step would be to contact the RAC warranty people (preferably over email, so you have their reply in writing), explain what evidence you have for servicing and see if you are eligible for taking out a new warranty based upon their exact terms and conditions. It could be that they are happy with basic receipts like you have, or they may not. Only they can can confirm this and clarify exactly what they mean with their terms and conditions.

Good plan Raspy, and very logical! (it should have occurred to me in the first instance!). I will certainly give it a shot and will feed back if I manage to speak to someone.

 

[raspy]

Good plan Raspy, and very logical! (it should have occurred to me in the first instance!). I will certainly give it a shot and will feed back if I manage to speak to someone.

@PeterSLondon No worries. If you are planning to keep the car for a while, given the opaqueness surrounding the services after 2017, I would be finding a trustworthy MB independent near you (I would search on google and read through the reviews or see if anyone on this forum can suggest one) who can inspect the car, read any fault codes, and just let you know how well it's been looked after, and if you're likely to face further repair bills (I hope you don't have any unexpected repairs)

 

[PeterSLondon]

@PeterSLondon No worries. If you are planning to keep the car for a while, given the opaqueness surrounding the services after 2017, I would be finding a trustworthy MB independent near you (I would search on google and read through the reviews or see if anyone on this forum can suggest one) who can inspect the car, read any fault codes, and just let you know how well it's been looked after, and if you're likely to face further repair bills (I hope you don't have any unexpected repairs)

Thanks Raspy, me too! When the temperature fault initially occurred, I called the RAC who connected their diagnostic kit and found the water pump fault, everything else came up clear, but I appreciate that their roadside testing rig would probably not be as comprehensive as one a specialist independent garage may have, I even tested with my own bluetooth OBD 2 reader, that came up clear, but that's even less reliable! You're right and I would be much more comfortable having a specialist carry this out. One thought crossed my mind, there is an office MB dealership nearby (MB Chelsea), do you think it's worth taking it to them for this first service / inspection to get the car back on track so to speak, or is that likely to be a false economy?

 

[W1ghty]

An MB independent specialist will be cheaper than MB , if I were you I would compare both so you can make your own budget decisions .
After all , your car is 7 years old now buddy .

 

[PeterSLondon]

An MB independent specialist will be cheaper than MB , if I were you I would compare both so you can make your own budget decisions .
After all , your car is 7 years old now buddy .

Very good point @W1ghty , I will do my research on this. @raspy , I just spoke to a lady at the RAC / ALA extended Warranty offices, she said the main requirement was that the car had been serviced in the past 12 months, technically it has...But as with all insurance type companies, they get very creative with finding ways to avoid paying out, I'll weigh things up before deciding....Thanks all for the help and great suggestions

 

[PeterSLondon]

Very good point @W1ghty , I will do my research on this. @raspy , I just spoke to a lady at the RAC / ALA extended Warranty offices, she said the main requirement was that the car had been serviced in the past 12 months, technically it has...But as with all insurance type companies, they get very creative with finding ways to avoid paying out, I'll weigh things up before deciding....Thanks all for the help and great suggestions

A quick update on the garages, poor (google) reviews for MB Chelsea, but very good reviews for an indy called Klasse of Fulham, called them for a chat, and they are linked to the MB service network, so any work will be updated to MBs records, may give them a shot for the next service after a little more scrutiny.

 

[raspy]

Very good point @W1ghty , I will do my research on this. @raspy , I just spoke to a lady at the RAC / ALA extended Warranty offices, she said the main requirement was that the car had been serviced in the past 12 months, technically it has...But as with all insurance type companies, they get very creative with finding ways to avoid paying out, I'll weigh things up before deciding....Thanks all for the help and great suggestions

@PeterSLondon Representatives of organisations can and often say anything they want over the phone. To get the clarity you require, get them to put in writing that your car's servicing records meet their terms and conditions. If they won't confirm that in writing, walk away and find another warranty company that will confirm that in writing.

 

[merc estate]

If you take out a warranty make sure you read the small print. Wear and tear is their get out clause, as the cars X years old thats wear and tear for a car of that age. Only trust the person you see in the mirror!!

 

[PeterSLondon]

If you take out a warranty make sure you read the small print. Wear and tear is their get out clause, as the cars X years old thats wear and tear for a car of that age. Only trust the person you see in the mirror!!

Thanks @merc estate and @raspy, sound advice, will do a little more diligence before making any rash decisions.

 

[W1ghty]

Thanks @merc estate and @raspy, sound advice, will do a little more diligence before making any rash decisions.

I’ve had both my MB’s for 10 years , they are both 2009 . Outside of a repair on each that was in the first couple of weeks of purchase there hasn’t been a warranty issue on either . Just wear and tear . Mileages are 110k and 83k
So outside of your selling dealers 3 month warranty (?) if you last a year or two without an issue then that money is still in your bank account

 

[raspy]

If you take out a warranty make sure you read the small print. Wear and tear is their get out clause, as the cars X years old thats wear and tear for a car of that age. Only trust the person you see in the mirror!!

@merc estate Yes, always make sure you understand what you are buying before signing up. It sounds like you've had a bad experience with extended warranties? I've had extended warranties in the past on older higher mileage cars (above 100k miles, 8 years old) and claims for mechanical failure were approved without any problems. Same with a friend who had a 13 year old BMW and his BMW extended warranty approved £2k of work without any question.

From what I've seen, there is a big gap between the manufacturer branded extended warranties and the 3rd party ones.

 

[PeterSLondon]

I’ve had both my MB’s for 10 years , they are both 2009 . Outside of a repair on each that was in the first couple of weeks of purchase there hasn’t been a warranty issue on either . Just wear and tear . Mileages are 110k and 83k
So outside of your selling dealers 3 month warranty (?) if you last a year or two without an issue then that money is still in your bank account

Good point @W1ghty , I think investing the money in getting a proper service up to the manufacturer's recommendation for the car's age and mileage, from a good independent garage may be money better spent

 

[markjay]

Welcome Peter.

The dealer provided a 3-month warranty, it seems a little unofficial as it is not documented in any of the sale paperwork, but I have no complaints so far as he has addressed any issues, it did get me thinking however about buying an extended warranty, this water pump / thermostat and sensor issue could have easily cost me about £500 if the problems had started 3 months after I purchased the car.

Not quite... under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the dealer who sold you the car would have had to repair it at their cost in any event.

They have covered themselves by obtaining a 3-month warranty for you, which is sensible, because that's where their biggest exposure is in terms of when things might go wrong.

No harm in getting yourself a warranty if you wish, especially since the situation will change at the 6 months point, when the dealer will no longer be required to fix all faults, and instead the onus will be on you to demonstrate that the fault existed at the time of sale.

But either-way, do not forget your statutory rights and the dealer's liability in law to repair all faults within the first 6 months, and repair all pre-existing faults for the following 6 months. There are further obligations on the dealer that persist for the first two years, and then up to six years, but their liability diminishes over time, so if buying a warranty it is best to do so at the 6 months point.

 

[markjay]

As for reliability... my W203 had a couple of faults during the 9 years I owned it, and my current W204 had a couple of faults in the 4 years that I had it so far, but nothing major that would break the bank - that said, you need to get a 'feel' of the car, some cars are good, some are less so - and, as the car is new to you, you probably don't have that 'feel' yet.

 

[markjay]

This is what your car 2014 should have had up to now (if it was serviced to the manufacture's schedule) - assuming less than 15,500 miles annually:


2015 - Service A

2016 - Service B (inc. cabin filter and keyfob batteries), brake fluid change

2017 - Service A, pano roof lubrication (if fitted)

2018 - Service B (inc. cabin filter and keyfob batteries), brake fluid change, air filter change, spark plugs change

2019 - Service A, ATF and filter change

2020 - Service B (inc. cabin filter and keyfob batteries), brake fluid change, pano roof lubrication (if fitted)

2021 - Service A

And next year:

2022 - Service B (inc. cabin filter and keyfob batteries), brake fluid change, air filter change, spark plugs change


So next year's service is a big one...

 

[PeterSLondon]

As for reliability... my W203 had a couple of faults during the 9 years I owned it, and my current W204 had a couple of faults in the 4 years that I had it so far, but nothing major that would break the bank - that said, you need to get a 'feel' of the car, some cars are good, some are less so - and, as the car is new to you, you probably don't have that 'feel' yet.

Great feedback @markjay , thank you, and thanks for the welcome too! I am in agreement about getting the feel of the car, the immediate overheating fault made me a little wary, but thanks for the information regarding the dealer's obligations and my consumer / statutory rights, something I will bear in mind. A concern right now, after speaking to Klasse in Fulham who were able to scrutinise the Mercedes service records for the first 3 years, supplement by 3 years of standard "off the shelf" non Mercedes specific servicing, it appears that no maintenance of the gearbox / transmission (it's an automatic) has been executed for a while (definitely none since it's last Mercedes service in 2017), and the car now has 64k on the clock, is this something fairly urgent that I should get addressed?