slowroll

I bought my SL this past March with the standard 4yr/50K warranty. I'm thinking about extending it (with an actual MB factory warranty) and was quoted around $4400.00 This is including a $500 premium for not purchasing it within the first 30 days. This seems high to me, what do you guys think?

slowroll

Robertpel99

I think you can enjoy the car for the next nearly four years without worry and at that point if you are going to keep the car for a few more years then you can get the same or in some ways better coverage from Warranty direct or Mercury for about the same price you are being quote now that will add another 3-4 years up to 100k miles

i think buying a factory warranty when it is new is just throwing money away. A lot happens in 4 years...............

slowroll

That's what I was thinking too but many of those aftermarket warranties don't cover the convertible top. If it breaks, it'll cost an arm and a leg to fix...

bilise

I have an '05 SL500 and bought the extended MB warranty after 14K mi. and a year after purchase new. It was for 7 yrs./100K mi. and cost about $2200 at the time (almost a 50% discount). The price was highly negotiable among several out-of-state dealers and there was no premium for being "30 days out". Interestingly, I live in FL and no FL dealer would discount the price, stating that this was "the law"...I later was told that FL treats these things as an "insurance contract" and thus the price is regulated. Contrastingly, other states treat these as "service/maintenance contracts" and no such regulatory price restrictions appeared to exist. I recommend you consider shopping for a better price to your liking. Another point to consider under the MB warranty (at least on my copy) is an exclusion for the COMAND/NAV unit, tho other dealers have told me this is actually covered. I hope not to have to test this.

Robertpel99

My extended covers the COMAND and all electronics and also the motors for the convertible top. It will not cover trim pieces or latches but those are not what goes anyway

Mercury and Warranty Direct have very good exclusionary policies that for the most part cover everything outside of brakes, tires and cosmetics.

The only thing i am not sure of is does a MB ext Warranty cover ABC struts. Mine will cover all parts of the suspension except the struts themselves which is usually what fails but they are simple to replace and you can usually find them online if you look for about $500 a piece vs the $1500 the dealer wants

What are the real chances you are going to keep this car more than 4 years anwyay. I am only 31 and i can't tell you how many times i was going to keep a car forever LOL. The longest i have lasted is just short of 3 years. I love my SL but i am sure there will be something else in the toy slot in the garage a few years from now

Variety is the spice of life. Drive the snot out of your car until right before the warranty expires and then dump it for something different

slowroll

Which out-of-state dealers did you go with? I'm in IL and the one place I checked with won't discount at all.

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slowroll

I will look into Mercury and Warranty Direct. I agree that variety is the spice of life but I'll have to wait and see the state of my personal finances at that time...

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HSESL500MB

I checked with Mercury yesterday and was told they don't insure certain vehicles which includes the SL series. Despite my request, no explanation was given. I tried Warranty Direct and got a $6000 price for 7 years/100k with no deductible. Any better (i.e., cheaper) options out there?

Robertpel99

Hmmm that is BS about Mercury now doing SL's, they will not do AMG's but I have a contract from them on my SL500 right now i just purchased 12/08

Call Automotive Experts in Stuart, FL, Google the number, ask for Harold or Garen and see if they can sell you one (Garen is the manager). They use Mercury A LOT and whil you will have to i am sure pad them a few hundred bucks in profit it should still be much cheaper than this. They paid right around 3 k flat for my warranty and the retail was around 4. I'll bet they might be able to help you get a 3 yr / 100k from today exclusionary contract for around 3500

HSESL500MB

ROBERTPEL99:
You were right on the money (literally). Called Garen at Automotive Experts (772-287-7111) and got a quote substantially less than the Warranty Direct amount. I'm awaiting the contract for a good read but am hopeful this will seal the deal. Good call.

Robertpel99

Great, glad I could help.

Tell Garen you got his number from the guy in NC he sold the SL500 to this month and I deserve a kickback LOL

Robertpel99

BTW this will be the bulk of your contract wording

https://www.penfed.org/productsandra...latinum.nw.pdf

HSESL500MB

Actually, I did mention that to him right up front and he was very pleased about the referral. Now, whether he'll be sending you any $$...
Thanks for the contract. It appears that there are two different Mercury outfits providing this type of warranty. Per my message above, I had erroneously called the Mercury affiliated with Ford which said it does, in fact, offer ext warranty coverage to non-Ford vehicles like M-B but just not the SL line.

shaffras

Just my opinion but I have been looking at extended warranties as well and find the contracts very full of loop holes. The companies can find many resons not to pay. I have also found tons of consumer complaints on the internet about service under this type of contract, particularly Fidelity warranty Services. Between the loop holes and exclusions I wonder how much one would be able to collect in the end. I'm going to work with a good independent shop and "role the dice"

HSESL500MB

According to my local dealer, MB has recently changed its policy to now allow cars still under the original factory warranty to purchase an extended service plan without any additional surcharge, etc. He commented that previously you had to purchase this coverage at the time of purchase of the new vehicle but that has now been changed. He said this coverage is the exact same as the original car's warranty. I'll post the policy when I get it.

bigben320e

I already have an MB Extended 7yr/100K purchased in October 08. I can scan the warranty and post it as a pdf link from my website a little later today. So you can the terms, conditions, etc.

One important clause is: The car cannot be a previous CPO. MB will not allow you to get an extended warranty in that case.

That is correct, MB changed the policy late last year, I got my warranty right at 49K. The coverage is pretty close to the original warranty, just a few things that are different. One is the batteries are not covered, but that is understandable.

slowroll

When did this go into effect? About 3-4 weeks ago, I stopped by my local dealer to check on extending my warranty. He told me prices had skyrocketed and quoted me approximately $4400 for a 7/75,000 and $6500 for a 7/100,000. These prices include a $500 surcharge for not buying the warranty within 30 days of purchasing my 2008 SL550 (last April).

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mikeinsf

I kept my last car for almost 10 years and plan to likely do the same with this one, so extended warranties are of great interest to me. I'll be referring back to this thread when my CPO warranty runs out in about 17 months.

Could the skyrocketting cost of MB warranties be due to the economy? Perhaps sales of new cars are suffering and putting a pinch on their ability to underwrite what are effectively insurance policies on older vehicles.

bw53

I recently purchased a warrenty from Chysler. The guys name is Michael and you can find him in this forum by search. My price was $1700 for 7 yrs up to (I believe) 70K miles. The 7 yrs is from 2005 since thats the age of the car. So I have coverage until 8/2012. The warrenty covers everything...even the command system as well as the top. I did check with Mercury( a warrenty I bought for my daughter's CLK last yr) and they didnt cover the command system and we had a discussion about the top which I was very uneasy about. There is something in some of the warrenty companies that only cover the motor but its my understanding when researching, there's a bunch of other parts that can go wrong. I thought Direct was way to expensive. I would wait for a few yrs and the purchase...I only have 18000 miles on my car so I wasnt to concerned about a warrenty with high mileage.

jazzphile

I did the same thing as BW53...purchased the Chrysler warranty thru Michael Case. I believe he's in Chicago...and it's thru a Chrysler dealer there. My '05 SL500 also had low miles....around 22k at the time I purchased the warranty. It takes me out to either 50 or 60k (I can't recall which) and I chose the $50 deductible.

The Chrysler warranty is VERY comprehensive and nearly mirrors the factory warranty. This doesn't surprise me since this car is a Daimler-Chrysler product. It was CLEARLY the most comprehensive and cheapest warranty, by far, available. I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,350 (again, can't recall exactly).

Here is my one worry: With Chrysler nearly out of business, what happens to this warranty if they go bankrupt? Since Daimler still owns 19.9% of Chrysler, I wonder if this warranty will remain in effect? Anyone given this any consideration?

Regards,
Jazzphile

slowroll

I called and left a msg with them. FYI, their website is currently not working due to exceeded bandwidth.

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slowroll

Update: I still have not heard from Michael Case and the website still doesn't work...

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bw53

here u go..found it in my emails:

Hi Bill,



Please see the attached .PDF sample copy of the Maximum Care Plan Provisions.



My direct line is (630) 231-3464…



Regards,



Michael Case

President

www.ChryslerServiceContracts.com



Office (866) 278-8823

Direct (630) 231-3464

Fax (630) 566-4197

mikefili

I too bought the Daimler-Chrysler warranty for my SL 500 from Michael Case, car has since been in twice for warranty through them, my dealer contacted Chrysler, and they o.ked the repairs on both occasions no problem, no if and or buts, quite a surprise, very pleased with the product, and with Michael Case.

Steven

I purchased my exclusionary extended warranty through Triple A. If they don't stand behind it, I would be surprised!