Warranty Direct

[Y15HAL]

I've been on the lookout for a replacement for my BMW 530D, and have looked at all sorts of cars, wanted something with a good sized engine (>3.0) and needs to be petrol......

Seems to rule out any modern MB apart from the AMG's which return eye watering MPG (for me!)......

Petrol BMW's are rarer than hen's teeth if you want one with good spec......!!

I've seen a very nice, well cared for Audi S6, which seems to tick all the boxes (V8TT), should return around 18 around town, and mid 20's on a good run......But I've been reading that they are prone to turbo failure which can be costly as the likelihood is that they will both fail (costing around 6-7k!!!).

I've been looking at 3rd party warranties, and I was suggested Warranty Direct.....They seem to have good reviews, and are coming in well priced!

I looked at Audi warranty, but they want circa £800 per year for named component warranty.....

That doesn't sound too bad, but i want to minimise cost, as i will be driving the new car only around 3k per annum......Warranty Direct's price is very good for the coverage......

Any input much appreciated

 

[Will]

If you’re only doing 3k miles PA why worry about fuel costs?

Even on an AMG V8 you’d realistically only spend about £1000 a year or therabouts, and all cars need fuel of course - the difference between mid teens and mid twenties is less than £500 a year...

I’d certainly not let that dictate what car I bought

 

[Smart320]

Getting 30mpg in my SLK V8 , if I use the comfort gearbox mode with start stop and 4 cylinder shut down , that is still beating most traffic on a 20 mile run and with my wife asking me if I could slow down

 

[Y15HAL]

I should have said that the budget is circa £20k - not liking that shape of the E's in that range, the newer ones are nice!

And the C's are a little small.....

 

[Y15HAL]

Getting 30mpg in my SLK V8 , if I use the comfort gearbox mode with start stop and 4 cylinder shut down , that is still beating most traffic on a 20 mile run and with my wife asking me if I could slow down

That's impressive

 

[Smart320]

Shows about 34 mpg on motorway at 70 mph. Have never had it under 23 mpg even in sports mode when out alone enjoying myself. Didn't buy it with an eye on mpg just wanted the V8 engine but have been very pleasantly surprised how infrequent my visit are to the petrol station ( it has a bigger tank though 70 litres compared with 50 for the other engine variants )

 

[Y15HAL]

Maybe the size of the car is a contributor.....

 

[Y15HAL]

If you’re only doing 3k miles PA why worry about fuel costs?

Even on an AMG V8 you’d realistically only spend about £1000 a year or therabouts, and all cars need fuel of course - the difference between mid teens and mid twenties is less than £500 a year...

I’d certainly not let that dictate what car I bought

What's the maintenance like on the AMG's?

i.e. Brakes, Servicing etc?

 

[jdrrco]

How about one of these?

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[Y15HAL]

How about one of these?

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I do like the CLS' but need 5 seats

 

[Will]

What's the maintenance like on the AMG's?

i.e. Brakes, Servicing etc?

Not bad, brakes are a bit more expensive than normal cars but other than that the servicing costs are going to be similar to many larger petrol engined cars. And stuff like discs although quite expensive can be sourced and fitted cheaper than the main dealers if you like (Indy/specialist/DIY)

A lot of people choose to use the service plans offered by MB main dealers these days, for circa £40/50 month (so around £500/600 a year/service) but they include all the additional items - eg plugs, brake fluid, ATF change, filters etc and you get Mobilo roadside assistance included for free.

To be fair the brakes will last for ages anyway if you’re doing 3k PA. If you buy a car with decent condition discs/pads you’re unlikely to need to replace those for several years!

And all cars need servicing of course, on the plus side AMGs tend to be pretty reliable and once they slow down on their depreciation curve they hold their value pretty well. A lot of bang for your buck, and usually they’re well specified compared to many smaller engined equivalent models

 

[Smart320]

What's the maintenance like on the AMG's?

i.e. Brakes, Servicing etc?

Just took a 3 year service contract with local MB cost me £43 per month for the SLK55

 

[Smart320]

What's the maintenance like on the AMG's?

i.e. Brakes, Servicing etc?

How about one of these?

Saved Adverts

Am not an expert but looks nice , petrol rather than diesel a good choice in my view. check out the engine I think I have read some threads that refer to problems, you would need to do some checking on exact model number of engine fitted and then google reliability or check threads on this forum. Hopefully my memory is wrong!
No doubt you will get some input from members who have this particular model.

 

[Y15HAL]

Not bad, brakes are a bit more expensive than normal cars but other than that the servicing costs are going to be similar to many larger petrol engined cars. And stuff like discs although quite expensive can be sourced and fitted cheaper than the main dealers if you like (Indy/specialist/DIY)

A lot of people choose to use the service plans offered by MB main dealers these days, for circa £40/50 month (so around £500/600 a year/service) but they include all the additional items - eg plugs, brake fluid, ATF change, filters etc and you get Mobilo roadside assistance included for free.

To be fair the brakes will last for ages anyway if you’re doing 3k PA. If you buy a car with decent condition discs/pads you’re unlikely to need to replace those for several years!

And all cars need servicing of course, on the plus side AMGs tend to be pretty reliable and once they slow down on their depreciation curve they hold their value pretty well. A lot of bang for your buck, and usually they’re well specified compared to many smaller engined equivalent models

Thanks for that Will - very handy to know

You never know, may end up with an AMG soon

 

[John]

I've seen a very nice, well cared for Audi S6, which seems to tick all the boxes (V8TT), should return around 18 around town, and mid 20's on a good run......But I've been reading that they are prone to turbo failure which can be costly as the likelihood is that they will both fail (costing around 6-7k!!!).

I was considering an S7 for a while but read a quite a few tales of total engine failures as well as turbo failure on that engine.

Not sure on perspective (as in how big the problem is) but I decided against it especially as it sounded like Audi weren't particularly helpful in some of those cases.

I'm not a fan of aftermarket warranties at all so that wasn't a consideration for me.

 

[Y15HAL]

I was considering an S7 for a while but read a quite a few tales of total engine failures as well as turbo failure on that engine.

Not sure on perspective (as in how big the problem is) but I decided against it especially as it sounded like Audi weren't particularly helpful in some of those cases.

I'm not a fan of aftermarket warranties at all so that wasn't a consideration for me.

Thanks John, i think I'm going to give it a miss.....

Looks like i'll either be going for an MB or be sticking with a BMW