DaveW68

With all of the talk of people pondering whether to purchase an S-class with or without a warranty, I thought I’d chime in with my experience. Some members think it’s a stupid idea to spend the money on a warranty because they don’t think they’d ever be money ahead. Some say they are going to do their own repairs and purchase parts at discounts online and do the repairs themselves, thus saving over dealer repair costs. While others state that they are going to set up an account where they will deposit money to pay for any repairs that come up. Those are all novel ideas, but I don’t think most people who’ve never owned one of these machines before and are purchasing it 2nd, 3rd, or 4th or more hand really know what they are getting into. So I thought my experience might help others in making their decision about whether it’s a good idea to have warranty coverage, vs the other options.

Background: I purchased my one owner 2007 S600 sight unseen from a very reputable dealer in the San Diego area and had the car shipped to the Chicago area. I purchased it with just 24k miles in late November, 2014. The car was originally put into service in April, 2006. I had previously purchased warranty coverage on my E60 M5 through my credit union. It is a “Member’s Choice” service contract that has claims administered through “The Warranty Group”, who also administers claims for CarMax warranties among others. (If you live in the Chicago area, I can help you with a contact to help set it up). I purchased a 7 year/75k miles policy that began on the date I purchased the coverage. I’m covered until Nov, 2021 and 99,xxx miles. I have the Platinum policy, which is their exclusionary coverage. It covers all items on the car, except the items that specifically excluded….which would include items such as batteries, hoses, tires, brake pads & rotors, wheels, glass, body panels, etc. Basically the items that are normal wear items or things that would be repaired by a body shop if you got into an accident. I paid $3287.00 for the policy and I have a $100 deductible per service visit. I got it cheap and for a long time due to the low starting mileage. I can go to any dealer or independent shop to have the work done. Price and years of available coverage are determined by starting miles. Like all insurance policies, the warranty company pays at a pre-negotiated rate, which is usually less than a person without coverage would pay for a repair at their dealer or an indy shop.

I’m going to list items that were covered and paid for by my warranty. If it’s for a non-covered repair or the purchase of normal wear items like batteries, tires, brakes, etc, I will not be including it in this list. I will list the issue, remedy, and total cost of the repair. You can subtract $100 from each claim for my deductible. I will update this list periodically as I have more claims.

1. 2-20-15: Replacement of gearshift lever which my wife broke off: $562.70

2. 6-2-15: Whining noise coming from engine, transmission shifting harsh. New idler pulley installed, as well as MB remanufactured transmission: $7395.35

3. 8-20-15: Check engine light on and ABC dampener very noisy. Vacuum hose replaced and new pulsation dampener on ABC pump installed: $733.54

4. 2-16-16: Excessive vibration during cold weather and running loud. Replace 3 motor/transmission mounts: $923.68.

5. 2-27-16: Check engine light came on and car running rough. Installed left side ignition coil: $1849.75.

Total claims paid to date: $11,465.02.
My responsibility: $500.00

bigkev21

I have never purchased a warranty on any car in my life, until now. IMHO it is insane not to, unless you are an experienced mechanic who knows these vehicles. I am pretty good with tools and can figure most things out watching a YouTube video. However, the prices of the parts, and the chance of potentially screwing something up on a $100k car were not something I'd chance.
I bought my car, 2010 S550 4matic with 46,000 miles on it a month ago. I got similar coverage as you through my credit union and I've already had the front lower control arms replaced. No brainier in my book. When picking my car up, the guy I front of me paid $2,200 for his repairs. I paid my $50 deductible.

mercedesbenzs55

Great thread! I would like to buy a warranty, but there are none for salvaged cars.

Mike, where are you at with your warranty?

just1time

Had a warranty on my previous s550. paid $3200 for it. Paid itself off within 7 months and then some. Didn't get a warranty on my current s550 for different reasons. Biggest senseless decision of my life. Nothing MAJOR to replace (sarcasm of course) except: 3 suspensions to date, 2 upper control arms, 2 lower control arms, battery, rear ac duo valve, ac blower motor and a few other things i cannot remember. probably close to $10k i have spent on maintenance and repairs. Worth it cause my car drives like a dream and i do drive the s..t out of it. (Put about 60,000km in the first year alone).But I just can't imagine the joy i would feel if I had warranty to cover most if not all.

Moral of the story people: Sometimes when trying make a decision on a car, think carefully about the benefit of spending that extra 3-5k on warranty right there and then versus the cumulative cost of maintenance/repairs you will encounter over the period of ownership.
GET A WARRANTY

Mike5215

Mine is a CPO car. It's been covered by MB since I bought it in 2013. $4500 for 36 months/120,000 miles). No deductible. The last bill was $6,000 and there was around $4k in smaller repairs up to that point. I'll get around $1500 back for the unused portion when I trade the car in the next few weeks. So $10,000 in claims, net $3k in premium.

just1time

Big Win Win for you

DaveW68

IMO, to own and drive one of these cars w/o a warranty is a lose/lose situation. I agree with Mike that you must have coverage for the entire time that you plan on owning it. If you can only buy 3 years of coverage, plan on dumping it after 3 years. If you can't get coverage at all, don't buy the car. Find a lower mileage car where you can purchase coverage.

These cars are pretty much money pits. But they suck you in because they drive like nothing else...except for maybe a Bentley, which are even worse with reliability and nearly impossible to purchase warranty coverage. I've owned 4 Lexus LS's that were all very reliable. But none of them compare to the ride and amenities of my 600. That's why I keep putting up with the service visits.

mercedesbenzs55

Head to head says that isn't so.

DaveW68

Head to head says what isn't so?

mercedesbenzs55

They said that the ride in the S600 is better than that Bentleys. At least in the back seat.

DaveW68

That comparison was between a 2015 $400k Bentley and a $200k S600 Maybach. Entertaining video, and the cars in it compare very well, but I'm not sure what it has to do with owning a used S-class with or without a warranty.

mercedesbenzs55

Somehow I thought you were talking about comfort. Lol

tusabes

Many credit unions allow members outside the local area to join usually by joining some association , can you list which credit union this is? Or pm

DaveW68

Baxter Credit Union based out of Chicago area.

bigkev21

Purchased vehicle 1/29/16. $3,700 for warranty. At the dealer twice since purchase.
-Front lower control arm
-starter motor and relay
-trunk lid close assist motor
-drivers seat bladder unit
$3,933.51 total paid out
$100 total out of pocket. $50 each time.
I'm sure there's more to come. If you have any doubts, don't. Purchase the warranty!

T.H.Carrera

i cant seem to find a single california based CU that is willing to do a exclusionary warranty on s class....

The Thomas J

Seriously shopping now for an S class. Looking at 2010's to 2013's. Mileage varies between 48,000 miles to 59,000. My E class was had a contract through RT66. which was an excellent policy does not cover the S class. Haven't spoken to any of the dealers yet about coverage. I like the 2010 because it's the color combo I like. Can a 2010 be warrantied 3rd party?

kn51

Mine had around 29K when I got the warranty six months ago, but with my 07 I was able to get a warranty through Carchex/Assurant with a 5 minute phone call.

With that said, they've been "ok" I guess considering the circumstances. They won't pay my dealer rates, so I was on the hook for overages. Next visit I need will be an indy. Unfortunately harder than it sounds with the area I live in.

Assurant has a "own the car for a month/drive 1,000" before warranty becomes effective. It went in 100 miles for a ton of stuff after that first 1,000 miles were up so I'm assuming they don't think too highly of me.

jahquan3

I'm similiar to @The Thomas J since I'm looking to get an S550 since I need the space for my family. I need a warranty for piece of mind so I've been looking at 2013. However, I was thinking of getting a 2013 E550 with a warranty and using the difference to get a 08-09 R500 to give me the space I need on the weekends. I'm thinking no later than October I'll be making a move on something.

The Thomas J

The quotes I received from the dealer on this particular 2010 with 58,000 was through continental. 3 years, 36,000 miles $4500. I wound up passing on the car because it wasn't what I was looking for. But I did get an idea of what a dealer warranty would cost me.

Open to suggestions about who to purchase a warranty through. RT66 isn't an option. They don't warranty the S class at all.

I know there was a thread around here about who to call about warranties and I can't find it.

jahquan3

The thing that sux for me is that I'm averaging about 25-30k miles a year. So I need a CPO with unlimited miles and the option to extend. I'm thinking I'll be forced to look at 2012 or newer whether E or S.
Of course if I double up on the R , I'd expect no warranty on that one.

DaveW68

If the dealer was selling an exclusionary warranty at that price with that mileage, then it was a pretty good deal.

You might want to call around to a bunch of credit unions in your area to see if they will sell you an exclusionary policy on the car. If it's a named component policy, forget it. If you can't find coverage through a local credit union or a local car dealer, then Bruce Mendel might be able to help you get a warranty, although it might be a little pricey depending on the starting mileage. He has helped out a lot of folks on many different boards with purchasing warranty coverage.

http://www.becksimports.com/html/contact.html

The Thomas J

Dave, are you or anyone else here familiar with a company that Porsche uses called Quality Shield protection plan through Safe-Guard Warranty Corp.

They are quoting me 4 years 48,000 bumper to bumper for $3850.00.

Another car I am looking at is at a Porsche dealer it's a 2011 with 64,000 miles. The salesmen told me this the same policy that Porsche sells to all it's customers of pre-owned non CPO cars and that it's bullet proof. Thoughts?

DaveW68

I don't know anything about that company. But you would need to do your due diligence and research them thoroughly. You will also want a copy of the entire service contract. And it will need to be exclusionary coverage, otherwise it's almost worthless on a car like the S-class.

The Thomas J

I have a copy of the service contract. Honestly it doesn't make sense to me. Kind of reads one way and not what they told me. I could be misreading it.
On your recommendation I emailed Bruce. Hopefully he can better explain it to me or offer me different options.