Very poor practice by dealership - possibly my last Mercedes

[Bobby Dazzler]

How many will ever see the exclusion list?

Here's what MB headlines on AU:



Now depending where you see it there might be a '*' with a footnote hat refers to Ts & Cs ..... I've yet to find the Ts & Cs after some simple searches.


Here's what they say about extended warranty:




And that's from an FAQ where you might expect to find more details - or obvious links to detailed Ts & Cs.

But I didn't spot any link.

Just Google search Mercedes Extended Warranty or click on the link which I included in post #78 for a list of exclusions from the Extended Warranty - I also pasted the same exclusions into post #78.

It may be more difficult to find them for Approved Used Warranty because you buy the car (which comes with a warranty in addition to your statutory rights) - you don’t buy the Approved Used Warranty in the same way as you do an Extended Warranty. I am sure that they will be available upon request though.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

How many will ever see the exclusion list?

Here's what MB headlines on AU:



Now depending where you see it there might be a '*' with a footnote hat refers to Ts & Cs ..... I've yet to find the Ts & Cs after some simple searches.


Here's what they say about extended warranty:




And that's from an FAQ where you might expect to find more details - or obvious links to detailed Ts & Cs.

But I didn't spot any link.

Policy details

Policy Information | Mercedes-Benz Extended Warranty

Mercedes-Benz Extended Warranty policy information page will provide you with detailed policy handbooks about the specifics of your cover.

www.mercedes-benzwarranty.co.uk

Handbook

https://assets.website-files.com/602c5a868b23fd8f71d9fd07/608a7b5bdcd05e5bcb8ea098_mercedes-benz-warranty-handbook.pdf

Product Information

https://assets.website-files.com/602c5a868b23fd8f71d9fd07/608a7b5b2f394f49f615e936_mercedes-benz-ipid.pdf

 

[mioba]

Trouble is, you have coughed up for what you think is piece of mind, but as soon as there is an issue the squirming starts, and the true horror of what you thought was a comprehensive warranty turns out to be full of holes. This is not customer service - this is just an insurance business and I'd expect better from ANY manufacturer putting their name to it. A customer wants piece of mind that ANY issues will be covered as long as some basic servicing has been carried out. A list of wear and tear items can be excluded as is reasonable, but it should be an easy to understand list of sensible exclusions with anything else being INCLUDED, not subject to negotiation afterwards. So any issue involving an EML coming on should be automatically included because that is outside any foreseeable event. No quibble.

My view anyway. Otherwise you might as well just buy an insurance warranty and buyer beware!

Assuming a warranty is comprehensive, without reading whats in and out is not the fault of the dealer at all. The document is there to be read and in buying the car you agreed to the TamdC.
No point squiblling whats not covered - its fact.
Most if not all such warranties exclude items that take a hammering.

 

[DrNick]

Most if not all such warranties exclude items that take a hammering.

So all the things you actually need in the warranty then.
Honestly, this thread has shown just how difficult it is to get any straight information. As I said before, I want to buy peace of mind, not spend hours trawling through terms and conditions which I’d have to be an expert to know whether they are fair or not.
It’s only potentially a problem when you come to claim. If they never went wrong, no one would ever find out!

 

[DrNick]

How are they hiding it?

By putting the MB logo on the top and implying it’s warranted by MB

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

By putting the MB logo on the top and implying it’s warranted by MB

There are lots of things thy you buy with a logo on it which we’re not “made” by or will not be “provided” by the organisation who’s logo you associate with it.

Mercedes don’t make brake pads, oil filters, or seat frames, just like they don’t offer insurance products. Just like M&S don’t make pants and Tesco don’t make cheese.

Depending upon who you insure your house, car, life or smartphone with, then it’s relatively unlikely to be the company that actually underwrites the risk and pays out upon claim.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I want to buy peace of mind, not spend hours trawling through terms and conditions which I’d have to be an expert to know whether they are fair or not.

How much would you be prepared to pay for the total peace of mind you require?

I interpret it to mean that you would never be out of pocket no matter what fails or wears out. I assume you would exclude deliberate or accidental damage as that risk is already insured?

 

[mioba]

So all the things you actually need in the warranty then.
Honestly, this thread has shown just how difficult it is to get any straight information. As I said before, I want to buy peace of mind, not spend hours trawling through terms and conditions which I’d have to be an expert to know whether they are fair or not.
It’s only potentially a problem when you come to claim. If they never went wrong, no one would ever find out!

This thread has not shown its difficult to get info. The info is in the T and C like it or lump it.

You purchased a car with a warranty full of T and C to which you agreed - no qualms

I aprreciate you are frutrated, but your dealing with fact not emotion.

If you are not happy perhaps get a solicitor involved

 

[Smiley]

Out of interest I just read through the MB extended warranty terms. It is not what I would have expected. The gearbox is excluded and so is the axle. The clutch is excluded (in total - not just wear and tear - that is a general (and reasonable) exclusion anyway. All wiring is excluded. All body related parts are excluded. The car overheating is excluded. The list goes on and on..... and on......
I always read things like this so would not be caught out - but I can see how people could be.

 

[Will]

Out of interest I just read through the MB extended warranty terms. It is not what I would have expected. The gearbox is excluded and so is the axle.

The list goes on and on..... and on......
I always read things like this so would not be caught out - but I can see how people could be.

Are you sure the gearbox and axle are excluded?

 

[A.J.]

Are you sure the gearbox and axle are excluded?

Sounds very doubtful, these warranties usually cover all major mechanical parts of which gearbox and axle’s are precisely that

 

[Connoisseur]

MB sales staff and warranties are no different from other car manufacturers such as Ford, Renault and VW etc. the problem being that MB claim to be different, they claim to be a high end quality manufacturer.

We all know that the AU insurance product is missold as a comprehensive warranty, which is how good reputations turn bad. If the element of trust/goodwill a buyer expects is no longer delivered by MB or it’s Dealers then it’s a slippery slope.

Not in the short term, at the operational level, but strategically it builds a bonfire under the business.

MB make gorgeous cars, then ruin them with poor sales practices and poor reliability, while all the time forgetting the importance of the customer.

It is easy to blame the customer for not reading countless pages of small printed get out clause drivel, though any business doing so is already failing.

Why can anyone buy a 90k miles 10 year old full of toys reliable high end Lexus from one of their main dealers, with a 12 month warranty, who also offer discounted servicing for all 5+ yr cars? While owning a 3+ yr old gorgeous Merc leaves customers thinking it is only a matter of time until the ‘shafting’?

Mercedes make simply stunning and beautiful cars. Why do they work to ruin the owner experience with penny-pinching arrogance? Who cares eh, imho MB do not

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Out of interest I just read through the MB extended warranty terms. It is not what I would have expected. The gearbox is excluded and so is the axle. The clutch is excluded (in total - not just wear and tear - that is a general (and reasonable) exclusion anyway. All wiring is excluded. All body related parts are excluded. The car overheating is excluded. The list goes on and on..... and on......
I always read things like this so would not be caught out - but I can see how people could be.

Are you sure that the gearbox and axle are excluded? The closest I can see in the extended warranty exclusions list is this:

“• Gearbox, axle and drive line mountings”

Source: Extended Warranty Cover | Mercedes-Benz Extended Warranty

That exclusion relates to the mountings (which are a serviceable wear and tear item) but not the gearbox and axle itself.

I don’t suppose you can copy/paste the text or share a screenshot or the gearbox and axle exclusion could you?

The extended warranty is an electrical and mechanical warranty and so shouldn’t be expected Ito cover body parts.

An Approved Used warranty may provide greater coverage, and even if the AU warranty excludes something then a repair may still be performed by the dealer as part of their obligations.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I have just looked at the Extended Warranty Policy Handbook, and right up front it makes many of the point which have suggested are misleading quite clear:

• It’s an insurance product
• It’s a mechanical and electrical warranty
• It does not cover everything
• The buyer should read the handbook to make sure it provides the required cover
• It’s is the buyer’s responsibility to check
• It’s provided by AWP (not Mercedes)
• It’s sold without advice

“Demands and needs statement.

This Mercedes-Benz Extended Warranty meets the demands and needs of customers who want to insure their vehicle against mechanical or electrical failure.

This Extended Warranty does not cover everything. You should read this policy carefully to make sure it provides the cover you need.

You may already have other insurance for some or all of the features and benefits this type of policy provides. It is your responsibility to check this.

We (AWP Assistance UK Ltd, trading as Mercedes-Benz Warranty Services) have only provided you with information and have not provided you with any recommendation or advice about whether this product meets your specific insurance demands and needs.”

Source: https://assets.website-files.com/60...bcb8ea098_mercedes-benz-warranty-handbook.pdf

Reading the rest of the document spells it out in much more detail, and in plain English. If people don’t read this before buying then I’m not sure what more can be done.

I can’t remember for sure, but I would be surprised if it’s possible to buy an Extended Warranty without confirming that the buyer has read the Terms & Conditions.

 

[DrNick]

This thread has not shown its difficult to get info. The info is in the T and C like it or lump it.

You purchased a car with a warranty full of T and C to which you agreed - no qualms

I aprreciate you are frutrated, but your dealing with fact not emotion.

If you are not happy perhaps get a solicitor involved

I haven’t bought anything.
I’m just putting over my point of view on the discussion.
The majority seems to think it’s all fine. Fair enough. I think it’s it a bit disingenuous to label something as MB when it’s actually been subbed out. Maybe be more obvious that’s it’s MB approved rather than MB

 

[DrNick]

How much would you be prepared to pay for the total peace of mind you require?

I interpret it to mean that you would never be out of pocket no matter what fails or wears out. I assume you would exclude deliberate or accidental damage as that risk is already insured?

I buy a car with a warranty.
It goes wrong.
I take it back.
They fix it.
Until the end of the warranty.

If the quote for that is worth it to me, I’ll accept it. It may be too expensive, in which case I won’t.

Anything self inflicted is obviously not covered.
I appreciate there are grey areas but why would a clutch be excluded? This is precisely the sort of thing you’d want covered, surely? If dealerships were worried by this perhaps they should be inspecting it as one of their multipoint pre delivery things and fixing it in advance. It should be possible for them to have enough confidence in their product that it will last a year without falling over. We’re not talking about back street car sales lots here.
It’s just customer service, isn’t it?
You might have to take a hit on the odd dodgy claim but what market are we fishing in here?is it really going to break the bank?

 

[A.J.]

I haven’t bought anything.
I’m just putting over my point of view on the discussion.
The majority seems to think it’s all fine. Fair enough. I think it’s it a bit disingenuous to label something as MB when it’s actually been subbed out. Maybe be more obvious that’s it’s MB approved rather than MB

Is the insurance co. owned by MB though. Back in the 90’s you could get a finance deal on an MB with a company called Debis, as it happened that finance house was owned by MB. So you don’t really know who you are dealing with do you

 

[whitenemesis]

I appreciate there are grey areas but why would a clutch be excluded?

It's a wear item, something that is expected to need replacing due to use?

 

[ALFAitalia]

If you are a bad driver you could destroy clutch un under 10,000 miles....why should they cover that? Clutches are wear and tear items. I knew an old guy that rode the clutch everywhere.....destroyed his clutch to the point the car would not move on a brand new Golf in under 3000 miles. (his son persuaded him to give up driving after that....he was near def and could not hear the engine screaming!)....you are not going to suggest that should be covered under warranty??? Extreme example I know....but I've never known a warranty to cover the friction surfaces and very few will cover any parts within the bell housing.

 

[DrNick]

Is the insurance co. owned by MB though. Back in the 90’s you could get a finance deal on an MB with a company called Debis, as it happened that finance house was owned by MB. So you don’t really know who you are dealing with do you

I suppose my point is that MB is a car company and is perfectly capable of fixing its own cars. It doesn’t need to do it through an insurance company at all!
I realise I’m not going to change the world, especially if it doesn’t need changing. I’m probably the outlier, but I can’t see why they can’t stand by their own products!