Extended warranty for C63 AMG
Discussion
I've a three year old C63 AMG Coupé - with 22,800miles on the clock…...FMBSH etc…
Having just shelled out £850 on the big service,£580 on insurance and £750 on tyres - you could say that it's been an expensive week!
Trouble is - this recent expense could be clouding my judgement when it comes to parting with yet more cash for extended warranty!
So I'd really appreciate some sensible advice, gut feeling or pragmatic opinion please regarding whether I should bother with an extended warranty at all?!
The cost with Mercedes-Benz Extended Warranty is £980 per year (or if paying monthly @£104 per month or £1250 per year!)
Then there's Warranty Direct - at £929 plus £70 pre warranty inspection - payable though every quarter (for no premium) at £232.25
Cover on both policies is as good as exactly the same as far as I can see - so I'm not bothered which warranty provider I use UNLESS any one knows different or has experience of either and could share that information please!
My questions are:
1) Is it a bit of "over-kill" getting warranty on such a young and low mileage car that's in such good condition ?
2) The Service Manager at MBW Brooklands very kindly gave me his honest opinion in that they hardly ever see these C63 vehicles in there maintenance bays with persistent or major problems - so he thinks warranty is not absolutely vital at this stage - but has any one had a bad experience with a C63?
Of course it wouldn't take much to rack up a parts & labour invoice for £1000 - so it is a gamble either way. "Peace of mind" comes at a cost!
Aaaargh - I used to be decisive - but now I'm not so sure!!
As ever - thanks for your thoughts
M
Having just shelled out £850 on the big service,£580 on insurance and £750 on tyres - you could say that it's been an expensive week!
Trouble is - this recent expense could be clouding my judgement when it comes to parting with yet more cash for extended warranty!
So I'd really appreciate some sensible advice, gut feeling or pragmatic opinion please regarding whether I should bother with an extended warranty at all?!
The cost with Mercedes-Benz Extended Warranty is £980 per year (or if paying monthly @£104 per month or £1250 per year!)
Then there's Warranty Direct - at £929 plus £70 pre warranty inspection - payable though every quarter (for no premium) at £232.25
Cover on both policies is as good as exactly the same as far as I can see - so I'm not bothered which warranty provider I use UNLESS any one knows different or has experience of either and could share that information please!
My questions are:
1) Is it a bit of "over-kill" getting warranty on such a young and low mileage car that's in such good condition ?
2) The Service Manager at MBW Brooklands very kindly gave me his honest opinion in that they hardly ever see these C63 vehicles in there maintenance bays with persistent or major problems - so he thinks warranty is not absolutely vital at this stage - but has any one had a bad experience with a C63?
Of course it wouldn't take much to rack up a parts & labour invoice for £1000 - so it is a gamble either way. "Peace of mind" comes at a cost!
Aaaargh - I used to be decisive - but now I'm not so sure!!
As ever - thanks for your thoughts
M
The workshop manager at my local MB dealership said much the same thing to me. He's also an ex Neighbour and a mate of a close friend so he knows me reasonably well and wouldn't give duff advice. He said they are pretty unbreakable and they very rarely see them between services. His advice to me was go with a service plan rather than a warranty. You spread the cost of the big service items monthly and you get roadside assistance included.
I like the peace of mind of a warranty. Yes, you could get to the end of the year and feel you have had no benefit for £1k. But you do benefit by being able yo enjoy driving it and not wondering if a warning light appears what the cost attached is.
If you sell privately, it's always good to point out that as well as a full service history, it has been run under full warranty so is fully sorted.
If you go with a warranty, stick with Mercedes. As long as you keep up the service history, they will generally try to help you as a customer.
If you sell privately, it's always good to point out that as well as a full service history, it has been run under full warranty so is fully sorted.
If you go with a warranty, stick with Mercedes. As long as you keep up the service history, they will generally try to help you as a customer.
I used to have a similar internal debate annually when the renewal quote for my M3 arrived.
If it's the principle [rather than ultimate affordability] that grates, I'd say extend the warranty with MB. In addition to obviously providing you with peace of mind, if you decide to sell, you'll more than get your money back by selling privately rather than to the trade. These are wonderful cars but potentially expensive should anything go wrong. Hence many buyers in the used market at this level will only consider Main Dealer cars with the comfort of warranty.
All IMHO, of course!
If it's the principle [rather than ultimate affordability] that grates, I'd say extend the warranty with MB. In addition to obviously providing you with peace of mind, if you decide to sell, you'll more than get your money back by selling privately rather than to the trade. These are wonderful cars but potentially expensive should anything go wrong. Hence many buyers in the used market at this level will only consider Main Dealer cars with the comfort of warranty.
All IMHO, of course!
Mine's been out of warranty for the last 3 years and I haven't taken up the option of an extended warranty. One of the CAM position sensors went last year and it had to be transported to the dealer. FMBSH so the recovery was free (free roadside assistance following every MB service) and repair bill was around £600. I'd be £3k out of pocket if I'd kept up the warranty so I saved myself a good few tanks of fuel. Does depend on age and mileage of course, a few more years and miles down the line and a warranty might start to pay for itself.
Mines a 2014 C63 with 24k - Manufactures warranty ended in March but the used approved warranty is 2 years yet so i have another year left.
when it does expire i doubt i'll be renewing it to be honest. Very similar to the above, when mine expired in march the sales manager at the time said it was up to me but he has rarely had a C63 for anything other than a service (Cardiff Gate).
They are generally bullet proof mechanically. I think if it has a full dealer history going forward and serviced at the correct intervals not a lot can go wrong, atleast in your ownership. I did however put my car on a service plan - two services for £950 odd. the big service was £900 on its own so it was a no brainer to get on it!
However, i noticed a cap above had a 2009 C63. I would probably look into a third party warranty for sure if i had a pre face lift car due to the headbolt issue i constantly read about, although that could be scaremongering id rather not take the chance. I dont know of any regular or common mechanical/catastrophic fault with the facelift car/coupes to be honest.
If it was me.. i'd put it on a service plan as opposed to spending the money on the warranty and just enjoy!
when it does expire i doubt i'll be renewing it to be honest. Very similar to the above, when mine expired in march the sales manager at the time said it was up to me but he has rarely had a C63 for anything other than a service (Cardiff Gate).
They are generally bullet proof mechanically. I think if it has a full dealer history going forward and serviced at the correct intervals not a lot can go wrong, atleast in your ownership. I did however put my car on a service plan - two services for £950 odd. the big service was £900 on its own so it was a no brainer to get on it!
However, i noticed a cap above had a 2009 C63. I would probably look into a third party warranty for sure if i had a pre face lift car due to the headbolt issue i constantly read about, although that could be scaremongering id rather not take the chance. I dont know of any regular or common mechanical/catastrophic fault with the facelift car/coupes to be honest.
If it was me.. i'd put it on a service plan as opposed to spending the money on the warranty and just enjoy!
I would read the fine print very carefully in an Extended Warranty, even an MB one.
I had the "noisy power fold mirrors" on my previous C63, fixed no questions asked under MB standard 3 year warranty.
On my later C63, but now in a MB extended warranty period, I developed the same issue with the mirrors, but this time was told this was a "wear and tear" item and not covered.
When I looked at the fine print of the Extended Warranty a lot of potential issues can fall into the "wear and tear/commensurate with age of the vehicle" category and will not be covered.
I had the "noisy power fold mirrors" on my previous C63, fixed no questions asked under MB standard 3 year warranty.
On my later C63, but now in a MB extended warranty period, I developed the same issue with the mirrors, but this time was told this was a "wear and tear" item and not covered.
When I looked at the fine print of the Extended Warranty a lot of potential issues can fall into the "wear and tear/commensurate with age of the vehicle" category and will not be covered.
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