Warranty direct claims - best and worst reliability

[Sp!ke]

Interesting stats here - I appreciate that the more complicated the car the more it will cost to run but... why are mercedes dominating the worst section as opposed to BMW or say... Jaguar?

Europe's most - and least - reliable cars - Telegraph

Most reliable
1. Toyota Corolla - reliability index = 4, Average cost of repair £148.62
2. Suzuki Alto - Reliability index = 7, Average cost of repair £148.62
3. Honda HRV- Reliability index = 8, Average cost of repair £213.62
4. Suzuki Alto - Reliability index = 7, Average cost of repair £148.62
5. Ford Fiesta- Reliability index = 14, Average cost of repair £111.09


Least reliable
1. Mercedes SL (230)- Reliability index = 349, Average cost of repair £742.10
2. Mercedes CL (216?)- Reliability index = 327, Average cost of repair £653.66
3. Range Rover - Reliability index = 295, Average cost of repair £530.62
4. Mercedes S (221?) - Reliability index = 287, Average cost of repair £546.21
5. Nissan Pathfinder - Reliability index = 269, Average cost of repair £686.65

 

[moonloops]

keep up old chap

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/110416-dont-buy-land-rover-w220.html

 

[Sp!ke]

Interesting that the numbers differ for the same survey depending on the news source though.

 

[moonloops]

Interesting that the numbers differ for the same survey depending on the news source though.

journalistic licence?

 

[Sp!ke]

Looks like my one was right and the Metro are clueless though.

Mercedes has 4 out of the top 10 most unreliable cars. Not a BMW in sight

Home - Car Reliability Index | Reliability Index | How reliable is your car?

 

[mirras]

Anyone want to buy my R230? Probably contributed a fair bit to the table above? Like new now

 

[Mike Walker]

Knew I should have kept the E39 5 series.

 

[jepho]

News at 10: Warranty Direct create fear in the owners of all makes of car, in a determined effort to increase sales of a junk warranty. Those numbers are completely meaningless and hopelessly skewed in favour of a puff piece and advertorial for Warranty Direct.

What can affect the claims? Why Mercedes owners could be more intelligent and therefore claim more when they realise they have been sold a pup... Or whatever other excuse you want to make the abysmal figures provided by Warranty Direct. Equally, it could be that more Merc owners are insuring their cars with the company, in a ratio of 100:1, Mercs to Toyotas.

What would be more interesting and slightly more accurate, would be the numbers for every car sold but clearly Warranty Direct don't have access to that information and they don't account for highly variable factors such as mechanical skill, age of failed car, driving skill, terrain and journey type...&c, ad nauseam

The day that a company (purporting to be working in your interests) with something to sell you, produces figures which are not tainted and deliberately skewed, is the day I buy and willingly drive one of these.

Hardcore MB Enthusiast now... woohoo :bannana::bannana::bannana:

 

[grober]

As usual JAPANESE makes seem to come out on top but for some models their repair costs seem quite high. I would guess this is due to a lack of "after market" parts and the possibly high cost of manufacturer spares from Japan. UK or European manufactured "Japanese" models would be less affected presumably ?

 

[Spinal]

Im curious though... as the stats come from warranty direct, wont the type of cars shown be influenced?

E.g. if I buy a 500£ punto, I wont be interested in warranty direct... If I buy a 50,000£ CLC, I'll be wanting a warranty with that....

M.

 

[grober]

Im curious though... as the stats come from warranty direct, wont the type of cars shown be influenced?

E.g. if I buy a 500£ punto, I wont be interested in warranty direct... If I buy a 50,000£ CLC, I'll be wanting a warranty with that....

M.

Preferably from Mercedes.

 

[lxi]

As expected this is going to end up a two sided debate - those who subscribe to third party warranty and those who don't, complete with a liberal sprinkling of the owners who will shop about, go for the very cheapest such policy they can find then cry "foul" when the warranty company points out the smal print.

I am not surprised in the slightest. I'm on my second R230, I cover via Warranty Direct (at about £750 pa) and I have yet, in 4 years of R230 ownership ended up at the end of the policy term wishing I hadn't bothered. Every year, there will be at least one claim due to a combination of elements of awful engineering design, a ludicrous policy of providing parts on the basis of highest common denominator coupled with outrageous prices.

Looking at the headline of the article in question, apart from a set of wiper blades, what parts on an R230 could be purchased (let alone fitted as well) for £148.62 ??

Answers on a postage stamp.

In capitals

 

[jepho]

As usual JAPANESE makes seem to come out on top but for some models their repair costs seem quite high. I would guess this is due to a lack of "after market" parts and the possibly high cost of manufacturer spares from Japan. UK or European manufactured "Japanese" models would be less affected presumably ?

Apart from Warranty Direct's (flawed) analysis, from which no conclusions can be drawn, I agree that on its face, the Japanese cars appear to be good value. I have worked in numerous places around the world and it seems to me that the most common vehicles to be seen are Mercs... think taxis, for example. Has to be a reason why Mercs do more miles than appears reasonable for Japanese vehicles.

Anyone who has owned a Japanese motorbike will be able to attest to the soft aluminium pk screws (holding the important things together like the crankcase) that defy all attempts to remove them without damaging the head and the thread... almost the sole reason for the exponential growth in the sale of impact screwdrivers; in my recall.

 

[Dieselman]

Apart from Warranty Direct's (flawed) analysis, from which no conclusions can be drawn, I agree that on its face, the Japanese cars appear to be good value. I have worked in numerous places around the world and it seems to me that the most common vehicles to be seen are Mercs... think taxis, for example. Has to be a reason why Mercs do more miles than appears reasonable for Japanese vehicles.

Loads of Japanese cars are used as taxis and do vast mileages as company cars as well.

In addition since the Warranty direct report is based on cost to repair and the number of breakdowns per 100 vehicles, then the figures are valid.

 

[jepho]

Loads of Japanese cars are used as taxis and do vast mileages as company cars as well.

In addition since the Warranty direct report is based on cost to repair and the number of breakdowns per 100 vehicles, then the figures are valid.

I am not saying there are no high mileage Japanese cars. I am saying that Mercedes taxis are visible in most of the obscure places I have worked in a global setting.

The primary issue I have with the Warranty Direct numbers is this: they are for vehicles which are no longer covered by the manufacturer's warranty. This means the vehicles may not have had regular services. It does not address the relative ages of the vehicles (like for like) and it compares cheaply made cars with cars that sell for higher initial costs. Clearly the parts in higher priced vehicles are going to provide one obvious disparity, as are the functions available.

If a fully-loaded car is entirely ECU controlled, it is likely to be far more expensive to repair than a base-model, with no additional luxury items. An ordinary cloth seat in a van is going to cost far less to replace than a full leather, computer controlled, heated seat with computerised memory functions and lumbar support. (sorry for stating the obvious here) Warranty Direct are supplying heavily skewed (if not deliberately) confounded data. As such it has not a single chance of being indicative in a reliable manner.

Data has to be impartially gathered and the collection factors adjusted for cognisance of confounding factors, before it can be taken to indicate anything of use.

 

[Dieselman]

If a fully-loaded car is entirely ECU controlled, it is likely to be far more expensive to repair than a base-model, with no additional luxury items. An ordinary cloth seat in a van is going to cost far less to replace than a full leather, computer controlled, heated seat with computerised memory functions and lumbar support. (sorry for stating the obvious here) Warranty Direct are supplying heavily skewed (if not deliberately) confounded data. As such it has not a single chance of being indicative in a reliable manner.

Warranty Direct aren't going to be replacing things like leather interiors, they deal with a standard range of component failures.
Their evidence is simple, the better cars have fewer claims.

 

[mirras]

While I agree with the sentiments that WD wouldn't be replacing expensive things like leather interiors, I know from experience the amount of expensive black boxes and fancy mechanicals fitted to my car there is much more chance of an expensive part going wrong. Door handles were my biggest shock, warranty company ( not WD ) paid out a significant amount to replace both those when keyless entry failed. The equivalent in an Astra or Fiesta would cost a 10th the amount and would not fail in the same way anyway.

 

[Dieselman]

The equivalent in an Astra or Fiesta would cost a 10th the amount and would not fail in the same way anyway.

So the Merc breaks more and costs more to fix. Isn't that what the report says?

 

[Deleted member 37751]

So the Merc breaks more and costs more to fix. Isn't that what the report says?

I *think* jepho and mirras are saying that in a roundabout way, WD are stating the obvious; cars with an original high price tag cost more to repair.
E.g you might get a few repairs for a £1k on an Astra, yet you will obviously get less on a more 'premium' marque..

 

[mirras]

I have 3 cars, the SL, and Astra and a Fiesta in the house, the SL is covered by a warranty, the other two are not. Even if I did have the other two covered, the types of faults they have experienced would not make it worth claiming once excess is paid. The Fiesta has had issues with both seats and the Astra, a catalogue of engine issues requiring EGR, thermostat and coil rail to be replaced, along with wiring failures making it no more reliable than the merc. The SL has proved expensive to keep running but the number of issues is no more than the Astra ( which is younger ).

So far as cars that are covered, I suspect most if not all will have reasonable service regimes as WD won't pay out unless properly maintained.