SLK55 warranty
Discussion
I'm in the process of purchasing an R171 SLK55 (just waiting for a collection date to be agreed!) and I'm considering getting a warranty on the car but I'm not sure what the best option is for a car of this nature, or if one is actually necessary?
I've read plenty that leads me to believe that a well maintained example should be pretty bulletproof, which would be fantastic as I have a nearby specialist so I will be able to look after the car. My worry is that *if* a non-servicable item does go I suspect it would be horribly expensive and the last thing I want to have to leave the car on the drive due to lack of funds.
What route have owners here gone down?
I've read plenty that leads me to believe that a well maintained example should be pretty bulletproof, which would be fantastic as I have a nearby specialist so I will be able to look after the car. My worry is that *if* a non-servicable item does go I suspect it would be horribly expensive and the last thing I want to have to leave the car on the drive due to lack of funds.
What route have owners here gone down?
Mine came from a dealer with a service B and a limited warranty and SGA protection.
I've bought warranties before, but I had a quick look round and couldn't find a suitable one this time. (I'm not interested in one that gives unlimited claims but with a £1k limit for example)
As the SLK55 seems to be relatively uncomplicated, and relatively robust, I decided to proceed without - checkbook ready should something break.
6 months in (but only a couple of thousand miles) and nothing has gone wrong yet.
I've bought warranties before, but I had a quick look round and couldn't find a suitable one this time. (I'm not interested in one that gives unlimited claims but with a £1k limit for example)
As the SLK55 seems to be relatively uncomplicated, and relatively robust, I decided to proceed without - checkbook ready should something break.
6 months in (but only a couple of thousand miles) and nothing has gone wrong yet.
I Have a warranty direct one, i forget the name of it now but it was circa £240 for the year.
it's their 'lite' one, which is basically the same as their full blown grand a year jobbie, except for you have to get the car to the garage yourself in the event of a failure (AA etc) and no hire car etc, but if your SLK like mine is a 2nd car then no worries.
Pretty much covers everything except wear and tear items.
Also watch out for year and mileage, once they get to 8 years old or something you aren't 100% covered, it's like 80% of value on a sliding scale. Example, say something big went, 5 grand bill. you'd be covered to 80% of the claim. as car is over 8 years and lord knows what mileage. It's not guess work, they have it in the policy T&C's and all laid out.
so for me, £240 a year cover for this is good as if i got a 5 grand bill and was covered for 4 grand of it having only coughed up £240 then happy days.
Remember you might never ever claim, so a grand a year for say 3 years on the trott (for a bells and whistles type) is a hell of a lot of cash to spend.
Give them a call and discuss what you want, they will try and sell you the full bore jobbie (they dont even advertise this 'lite' product) but when you actually compare apples with apples i was being quoted about 1k for their bells and whistles and £240 for this much more suitable 'lite' one, basically the thick end of £800 for hassle free recovery.
at £240 a year that's more like it. As mentioned before, car is well known for alot of reliability, motors are good for big miles and the rest is diligent maintenance leading to prevention rather than cure.
Also alot of the guts of the SLK55 R171 is just normal Merc 'of that era' stuff, interchangeable with CLK55's, SL's etc etc.
Hope you enjoy your purchase, i've had mine nearly a year and am very fond of it.
2005 Model.
it's their 'lite' one, which is basically the same as their full blown grand a year jobbie, except for you have to get the car to the garage yourself in the event of a failure (AA etc) and no hire car etc, but if your SLK like mine is a 2nd car then no worries.
Pretty much covers everything except wear and tear items.
Also watch out for year and mileage, once they get to 8 years old or something you aren't 100% covered, it's like 80% of value on a sliding scale. Example, say something big went, 5 grand bill. you'd be covered to 80% of the claim. as car is over 8 years and lord knows what mileage. It's not guess work, they have it in the policy T&C's and all laid out.
so for me, £240 a year cover for this is good as if i got a 5 grand bill and was covered for 4 grand of it having only coughed up £240 then happy days.
Remember you might never ever claim, so a grand a year for say 3 years on the trott (for a bells and whistles type) is a hell of a lot of cash to spend.
Give them a call and discuss what you want, they will try and sell you the full bore jobbie (they dont even advertise this 'lite' product) but when you actually compare apples with apples i was being quoted about 1k for their bells and whistles and £240 for this much more suitable 'lite' one, basically the thick end of £800 for hassle free recovery.
at £240 a year that's more like it. As mentioned before, car is well known for alot of reliability, motors are good for big miles and the rest is diligent maintenance leading to prevention rather than cure.
Also alot of the guts of the SLK55 R171 is just normal Merc 'of that era' stuff, interchangeable with CLK55's, SL's etc etc.
Hope you enjoy your purchase, i've had mine nearly a year and am very fond of it.
2005 Model.
Edited by rgv250ads on Monday 27th October 15:16
Edited by rgv250ads on Monday 27th October 15:19
I did alot of research into this at the time - boiled down to the fact that the only warranty worth spending any money on was Mercedes own "Tier 1" - which was, as of about 2 years ago, £1200/year.
It's expensive, and relies on having a full, MBSH - I believe any breaks in warranty cover will also require an inspection before being re-covered - but it covers everything with little to no quibble.
Otherwise, you'll be better off putting it into a slush fund.
It's expensive, and relies on having a full, MBSH - I believe any breaks in warranty cover will also require an inspection before being re-covered - but it covers everything with little to no quibble.
Otherwise, you'll be better off putting it into a slush fund.
I've had mine for just over 2 years now. Looked into warranties but being cynical thought most would probably find some way of not paying out so decided to just set the money aside and take the hit if anything big happened
As already stated these cars are pretty much bulletproof and the only things I've paid out for are consumables and servicing
if you do want to use main dealers for servicing may be worth considering a service plan- i (wrongly) thought this was just about spreading the cost over several months so wasnt interested at i had already factored in whe i would need to pay. Turns out it a way of discounting for the basic service hoping that you will get other work done there
as an example of savings- I had a major B service including transmission fluid change, brake fluid , oil, plugs etc which was quoted at £1400. By doing a service plan this came down to £1090 and also included the next A service!. If you sell the car you can either get your money back or transfer to the new owner
As already stated these cars are pretty much bulletproof and the only things I've paid out for are consumables and servicing
if you do want to use main dealers for servicing may be worth considering a service plan- i (wrongly) thought this was just about spreading the cost over several months so wasnt interested at i had already factored in whe i would need to pay. Turns out it a way of discounting for the basic service hoping that you will get other work done there
as an example of savings- I had a major B service including transmission fluid change, brake fluid , oil, plugs etc which was quoted at £1400. By doing a service plan this came down to £1090 and also included the next A service!. If you sell the car you can either get your money back or transfer to the new owner
Re: the warranty - the guys over at SLKWorld swear by the T1 warranty, but I'm not so sure. £1200 (it may even be more now, that was a few years back) gets you alot of work done at an indipendant garage (unless you're unlucky enough to have a major gearbox/roof/engine failure).
TBH I'm not sure I'd take an SLK55 to a main dealer, my experiences with various manufacturers have always yielded the same result: that independants are cheaper, more knowledgeable and friendlier. Horses for courses, obviously!
I have an SLK with a Tier 1 warranty and like any warranty there are lots of exclusions. For example, a week after buying the car it came up with an SRS fault. Not covered. So the supplying dealer paid my local dealer to fix it under SOGA. I told them the fault was with the drivers side seat belt latch but oh no , they decided it was wiring and replaced the whole loom. Next day it failed again and this time they diagnosed a faulty seatbelt latch (surprise). Not covered. Supplying dealer had to pay again to have the latch replaced.
Im used to dealers of all brands not being able to diagnose faults then ignore me when I tell them whats wrong and do the old 'poke and hope' parts replacement. As long as someone else is paying I dont mind, but these warranties can IME be worthless they will often find a way to weasel out of paying up.
Im used to dealers of all brands not being able to diagnose faults then ignore me when I tell them whats wrong and do the old 'poke and hope' parts replacement. As long as someone else is paying I dont mind, but these warranties can IME be worthless they will often find a way to weasel out of paying up.
Dodsy said:
I have an SLK with a Tier 1 warranty and like any warranty there are lots of exclusions. For example, a week after buying the car it came up with an SRS fault. Not covered. So the supplying dealer paid my local dealer to fix it under SOGA. I told them the fault was with the drivers side seat belt latch but oh no , they decided it was wiring and replaced the whole loom. Next day it failed again and this time they diagnosed a faulty seatbelt latch (surprise). Not covered. Supplying dealer had to pay again to have the latch replaced.
Im used to dealers of all brands not being able to diagnose faults then ignore me when I tell them whats wrong and do the old 'poke and hope' parts replacement. As long as someone else is paying I dont mind, but these warranties can IME be worthless they will often find a way to weasel out of paying up.
Suprised to hear that - alot of the guys on SLKWorld said how comprehensive it was, and they were getting stuff sorted pretty much quibble free. Even more of a reason to put it into a contingency fund instead then!Im used to dealers of all brands not being able to diagnose faults then ignore me when I tell them whats wrong and do the old 'poke and hope' parts replacement. As long as someone else is paying I dont mind, but these warranties can IME be worthless they will often find a way to weasel out of paying up.
I have Tier One. Not needed it on this car but they fixed a couple of items on my previous SLK with no quibbles. It's nice because it is just like having a new car warranty, take into Mercedes and they fix, no faffing about getting quotes or having to pay and reclaim.
On my car (admittedly not an AMG - 280 Sport) it was £800/year but that's a 2009 car (I think it goes up as the car gets older).
Also, you can opt to pay and excess (£100 or £250 I think) which lowers the premium.
Point is, might be worth getting a quote.
On my car (admittedly not an AMG - 280 Sport) it was £800/year but that's a 2009 car (I think it goes up as the car gets older).
Also, you can opt to pay and excess (£100 or £250 I think) which lowers the premium.
Point is, might be worth getting a quote.
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