warranty direct are they any good?
Discussion
I just got a quote for 850 from warranty direct for a sl55 amg. The warranty is the highest they offer and according to them besides wear and tear it covers everything and i can take the car to a franchise dealer and the limit i can use is up to the value of the car.
Is anyone else with them and are they any good?
Is anyone else with them and are they any good?
On their website, go through a quote and take it to the very last page before you buy and then close the browser window.
They'll call you within a few days and offer a better price, if you dont take it up then, they'll call you again with an even better price :-)
With regards to them as a company, I've generally heard good things about them but like any 3rd party warranty company it's best to ensure that you follow their conditions to the letter to ensure they have no wriggle room...
They'll call you within a few days and offer a better price, if you dont take it up then, they'll call you again with an even better price :-)
With regards to them as a company, I've generally heard good things about them but like any 3rd party warranty company it's best to ensure that you follow their conditions to the letter to ensure they have no wriggle room...
Hey,
will be interesting to hear what others think of this and different warranties in general. I personally have no warranty on the 55 but an 850 quote seems worth it for the piece of mind - as long as it is what it seems. By the way, have you now bought an sl55 or still thinking? If so what spec? mileage can be important with regards to warranty pricing.
Might also be worth asking MB what their experiences are of warranty direct - i.e. say something did need doing then does it cover everything including checking the car on diagnostics, replacing and fitting the part, car hire in mean time whilst repair done, etc etc.
will be interesting to hear what others think of this and different warranties in general. I personally have no warranty on the 55 but an 850 quote seems worth it for the piece of mind - as long as it is what it seems. By the way, have you now bought an sl55 or still thinking? If so what spec? mileage can be important with regards to warranty pricing.
Might also be worth asking MB what their experiences are of warranty direct - i.e. say something did need doing then does it cover everything including checking the car on diagnostics, replacing and fitting the part, car hire in mean time whilst repair done, etc etc.
I viewed a car today and more than likely ill be buying the cars got super low mileage and is an absolute minter its actually been over serviced all done at the same dealership.
now merc quoted me 1600 for there TIER 1 cover for the year, now since i posted this topic I googled reviews about WD, and from what i can see is they have got bad name.It seems they have been turning down claims and customers have been cancelling there policy's.
benzito thanks for the idea of calling merc im going call my local dealership up who in my luck are an AMG centre, BTW what year is your car and have you had any issues with it?
now merc quoted me 1600 for there TIER 1 cover for the year, now since i posted this topic I googled reviews about WD, and from what i can see is they have got bad name.It seems they have been turning down claims and customers have been cancelling there policy's.
benzito thanks for the idea of calling merc im going call my local dealership up who in my luck are an AMG centre, BTW what year is your car and have you had any issues with it?
mine is a 2003 (august 03), mileage is currently 31k, issues have been intercooler pump (check if this has already been changed on car if poss as common issue on 55's - symptom: car reduces power after hard driving cos stock Bosch pump not up to the job, secondary exhaust pump (just a pump which reduces exhaust emissions so not that important but annoying light comes on dash so had to change), and EIS switch (ordered from Germany as needs exact chassis no. and is just one of those things - one day car suddenly decides to shut off as if I'd stolen the car and it was some sort of safety precaution and wouldn't start, lol!) and that is all in 1 yr ownership, each part on average cost 300-350 fitted (I use an indy), I sourced the first two parts myself,
In my experience these are more than what you would expect on an average early sl55, also note that if each was done at MB then we are talking serious money - approx 600 each job on average at a guess, so if anyone is offering decent warranty which will cover these jobs (you could use these as examples to check) then I would go with it. Other common issues I'm aware of are leaking roofs/boot seals (fortunately mines been ok), engines are reasonably bullet-proof so on a low mileage car I could not foresee any serious probs.
So for the car you are looking to buy, check the history to see what work has been done so far (any pumps replaced, etc), drive the car hard to see if ok (intercooler pump), check if any loud whirring noises when switching car on (continuous - air pump) and examine seals. Above all ensure warranty covers these things, then enjoy!
In my experience these are more than what you would expect on an average early sl55, also note that if each was done at MB then we are talking serious money - approx 600 each job on average at a guess, so if anyone is offering decent warranty which will cover these jobs (you could use these as examples to check) then I would go with it. Other common issues I'm aware of are leaking roofs/boot seals (fortunately mines been ok), engines are reasonably bullet-proof so on a low mileage car I could not foresee any serious probs.
So for the car you are looking to buy, check the history to see what work has been done so far (any pumps replaced, etc), drive the car hard to see if ok (intercooler pump), check if any loud whirring noises when switching car on (continuous - air pump) and examine seals. Above all ensure warranty covers these things, then enjoy!
From a MB dealer's view, We dont touch Warranty Direct with a barge pole.
We tell all customer with Warranty Direct that they have to pay for the repair themselves and then claim back off Warranty direct.
Reason for this is, they don't pay our Labour/Parts cost.
But if they do this and want relivant paper work to send off to warranty direct to back up there claim, we are more than happy to help.
We tell all customer with Warranty Direct that they have to pay for the repair themselves and then claim back off Warranty direct.
Reason for this is, they don't pay our Labour/Parts cost.
But if they do this and want relivant paper work to send off to warranty direct to back up there claim, we are more than happy to help.
cannedheat said:
On their website, go through a quote and take it to the very last page before you buy and then close the browser window.
They'll call you within a few days and offer a better price, if you dont take it up then, they'll call you again with an even better price :-)
They'll call you within a few days and offer a better price, if you dont take it up then, they'll call you again with an even better price :-)
Also ask for 13mth for the price of 12mth (per the website). Once they're on the phone, it seems they'll do almost anything to get you to sign up. Plus, you have 30 days to cancel in full anyway if you don't like it. I used the 30 day period to get them to add sat nav ccver, emissions, up the mileage from 12K to 24K for the year, reduce the wear and tear exclusion period from 90 to 45 days (I've since heard of people getting 0 days) and they zero'd the excess as I complained the paperwork wasn't satisfactory. They even included 4WD cover (my car is 2WD). I have franchised dealer labour rate cover.The paperwork issue irked me. Considering it's an insurance policy, it should have all the details of the cover, but a lot of the optional covers , and varied terms and conditions, don't print out on the docs. I have an email confirming them and I'm fairly happy with it, but it should be correct in the first place.
Bear in mind that it's an insurance policy and to pay out it's best if something clearly breaks - the alternator packing up, or the engine putting a rod through the block for example. These warranties don't work well if there's something a bit iffy wrong - "it's making a funny noise" or "it's intermittantly misfiring". They're not going to pay for hours of diagnosis and randomly changing parts on the off-chance of finding a fix.
Right after reading everything that is included in the warranty package and reading up on reviews,I have decided against warranty direct.
It seems they have a bad rep on not paying for claims, 1 chap too his jag to a jaguar dealership after it was discovered the turbo was faulty warranty direct were contacted by the dealership.
warranty direct said they will send there own independent engineer whom after just 5 mins looking at the car walked away.
the customer was than contacted by warranty direct who refused the claim and said this is comes under wear and tear.
Also I found out that warranty direct can refuse a claim if they choose regardless of the issue.
It seems they have a bad rep on not paying for claims, 1 chap too his jag to a jaguar dealership after it was discovered the turbo was faulty warranty direct were contacted by the dealership.
warranty direct said they will send there own independent engineer whom after just 5 mins looking at the car walked away.
the customer was than contacted by warranty direct who refused the claim and said this is comes under wear and tear.
Also I found out that warranty direct can refuse a claim if they choose regardless of the issue.
s3th said:
the customer was than contacted by warranty direct who refused the claim and said this is comes under wear and tear.
They cover wear and tear.s3th said:
Also I found out that warranty direct can refuse a claim if they choose regardless of the issue.
Of course - same as any insurance can refuse to pay out. But as it's an insurance policy you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman.niva441 said:
My policy has a wear and tear exclusion clause for the first 3 months.
Mine's 45 days. I was anxious to get it down as 90 days would have put it past the MOT date, but it passed OK anyway.These things are a can of worms. The first issue I've ever had with my car was a couple of mths ago when it was very difficult to start one time. I gather that's likely to be due to fuel line seals deteriorating. Very cheap parts, but quite a lot of labour to change all the fuel lines. But I know that such things aren't covered by the warranty.
But then COMAND could fail (they do just go) and they cost 3 grand. The water cooled alternator is the best part of a grand to replace. Fuel injectors, glow plugs, etc, they all pretty expensive.
I hope I don't ever have to claim, but if I do and they mess me about, then they'll have picked on the wrong guy!
s3th said:
just with the fuel lines luckily you rectified it other wise you would have had that command issue right?
I haven't rectified it - it only happened once. But fuel line seals degrading is an issue with all diesel cars and starts to be a problem at around 6yrs old. Can be hugely expensive in labour to fault find, and the perceived wisdom is just to change everything rather than fart about.s3th said:
Right after reading everything that is included in the warranty package and reading up on reviews,I have decided against warranty direct.
It seems they have a bad rep on not paying for claims, 1 chap too his jag to a jaguar dealership after it was discovered the turbo was faulty warranty direct were contacted by the dealership.
warranty direct said they will send there own independent engineer whom after just 5 mins looking at the car walked away.
the customer was than contacted by warranty direct who refused the claim and said this is comes under wear and tear.
Also I found out that warranty direct can refuse a claim if they choose regardless of the issue.
That Jag thing sounds like a BS story to me. It seems they have a bad rep on not paying for claims, 1 chap too his jag to a jaguar dealership after it was discovered the turbo was faulty warranty direct were contacted by the dealership.
warranty direct said they will send there own independent engineer whom after just 5 mins looking at the car walked away.
the customer was than contacted by warranty direct who refused the claim and said this is comes under wear and tear.
Also I found out that warranty direct can refuse a claim if they choose regardless of the issue.
WD cover wear and tear, they are an insurance policy.
I know a few people who have had turbos replaced with them.
You do have to pay for the repair and then get the money back, but you will know the repair has been authorised before work starts on your car, so not a real issue.
I have always had the cheque through within 10 days or so.
I have had front wishbones replaced, BMW said they would not have covered that as it is wear and tear, rear trailing arm bushes replaced, rear springs (a Merc weak point) and loads of other things with WD.
I have heard more people annoyed with main dealer warranties than with WD, and lets face it, the main dealer warranties are just the same, ie underwritten by a different insurer.
I would avoid Warranty Direct, especially if:
1) you change you car regularly and there is a chance you buy a new car with a warranty from a new garage
2) or if you were unlucky like me, your car had to be returned just after 1 month of owning it because it had bad history (to which I got a full refund on the car)
Reason being their cancellation policies are unreasonable. I had to pay nearly 50% of my annual premium (£400) after owning the car just over a month, of which most of that time the car was spent in the the dealer garage under investigation. After numerous letters of complaint to Warranty Direct requesting they show some compassion given the extenuating circumstances, they stated that it was not their fault my car had bad history! So what they are saying is they don't put the customer first, they have no customer care, and all they think of is themselves.
So if you want to pay huge cancellation fees if you change your car regularly, or you only want the warranty short term, dont buy through these guys.
1) you change you car regularly and there is a chance you buy a new car with a warranty from a new garage
2) or if you were unlucky like me, your car had to be returned just after 1 month of owning it because it had bad history (to which I got a full refund on the car)
Reason being their cancellation policies are unreasonable. I had to pay nearly 50% of my annual premium (£400) after owning the car just over a month, of which most of that time the car was spent in the the dealer garage under investigation. After numerous letters of complaint to Warranty Direct requesting they show some compassion given the extenuating circumstances, they stated that it was not their fault my car had bad history! So what they are saying is they don't put the customer first, they have no customer care, and all they think of is themselves.
So if you want to pay huge cancellation fees if you change your car regularly, or you only want the warranty short term, dont buy through these guys.
@ OP - I use Auto Protect on a 2002 SL55 for a premium of £249 per year. Have to say I haven't read the small print, as the warranty was simply included with the original purchase, for which I have since extended. Granted I have had to pay for repairs up front with my local indie, but 2 claims over the past 12 months have been fully honoured and reimbursed including parts and labour, and within 48 hours of receipt of the final invoice. Both for common SL faults (Intercooler replacement and PSE pump replacement). I shall be staying with them for this reason. Hope this helps.
Keith
Keith
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