turbo97se

Hey folks!

I recently had to replace my front air suspension since they were leaking. I bought a platinum plan from USA Warranty and in it, it says it covers suspension components. When we tried to make a claim, they denied the claim saying that they are struts and a wear item. My mechanic has been trying to fight them on this but they are declining the claim. I was wondering if any of you have been through this? To me the suspension on our cars is not supposed to be a wear item. I just wanted to gather info from the knowledgeable folks on this forum to have some ammunition before calling them back up. If I don't have a claim, then I will just let it go but I think I have a claim right now...

Thanks!

guysandiego

Unfortunately -- When I was shopping around -- I specifically asked this question and your company and a few others would not cover air struts in their "Full Bumper to Bumper Plan"

You better to start shopping for rebuilt struts -- They are supposed to be cheap and awesome.

Yuille36

This is the perfect example, why it's better to get a factory warranty instead of going with warranty company. With cases just like this. I know that in some cases, a warranty company is your only bet. After they get your 3-4K, they deny every little thing. With the money you paid for the warranty, you could have repaired your car twice over.

danlnyc

such bullsh*t. technically, the entire car then is a "wear and tear" item no?

GT-ER

They are not wear items. Just because they wear out with time does not mean they are in any way comparable to a brake pad, disc or a tire. These are wear items that require periodic checks and replacement. The airstrut does not require either. They just don't want to pay for it because of the high failure rates and the expense to replace them. Everything, in one form or another, is a wear item. It's BS.

If they say they cover suspension items, what suspension items do they cover? Every single piece on the suspension is a "wear" item. Unless the fine print specifies that they won't warrant air stuts or dampers, I'd sue their *****.

This is why I will never buy an extended warranty. I rather just fix the car myself.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

i have heard of warranty companies that have denied the claim when the airmatic has failed.

Yuille36

Great idea

clkwork

Unfortunately there's a contract somewhere that spells out what types of things they won't cover, and I'm sure that this is on the list. The practice should be outlawed IMO

turbo97se

Thanks for all the replies guys .. I knew I came to the right place for advice!

@GUYSANDIEGO - I never would have thought to ask specifically about suspension.

@Yuille36 - I went on recommendation of many folks here to get one. I have already had a couple of successful claims. All it takes is for seats to go bad, ECU, supercharger, fuel tank etc ... just a few items and you can make it back. I have fixed every other car I had myself. Factory warranty was not an option open to me when I purchased the car.

@GT-ER - I agree with your thoughts .. same as mine. Struts are listed as wear item. But the box says Air suspension.

@Shardul - Sneaky ******* :P LOL joke! .. .I can always rely on you for an answer! I may go this route if I have to.

@ClkWork - Yeah - they suck you in with "Bumper to bumper" Then comes the fine print that's kind of unethical in my book.

novae500

i contacted my warranty company (easycare) just now and they do not cover airmatic shocks. They did not cover my leaky fuel sending unit either when it needed replacedment back in March. I think its time for me to cancel the warranty?? cost me $5k for 4 yrs/48k miles.

xpl0sive

ouch. airmatic is one of the main reasons I want to buy an aftermarket warranty. I am getting mine from Bruce, it's through NAC, their Pinacle plan. I read through their policy, and it also excludes shocks. I asked Bruce about this. He explained that Airmatic shocks are not a maintenance item and that they have covered airmatic shocks for his customers before...

here's what he said

"Airmatic struts are not actually shock absorbers, and they are not called shock absorbers in the part description even though we all call them that. They do not perform shocking action, and they do not have a defined lifespan like a brake rotor where they are considered a consumable item. they are supposed to last for the life of the car, and if they don't it's because they failed and so are covered."

GregMB

True.

My warranty is through NAC also and I was very careful to confirm that AirMatic failures were covered before I agreed to sign anything.

Based on my first service visit with my car ($1100) of which NAC covered about $800 without a compliant.... I'm convinced that the warranty will easily pay for itself over the next few years.


-G

Coalman

I had to replace my front struts last year. Mercury Platinum extended warranty specifically exludes struts. I went with Arnott (sp?) struts which are rebuilt MB struts. Saved a bunch of money ($400 vs. $1,200 each). Not sure about reliability, but they do have a life time warranty.

Maslin

That is only half true. In the rear the Airmatic "air spring" is seperate from the shock absorber. In the front the Airmatic unit is all one piece. While the "air spring" is the portion that actually fails, you are replacing the shock absorber as well.

I can see them having a case for the fronts. If they won't pay to replace shocks, you can not replace the air springs. The rear is simply a spring (an air operated spring.)

GregMB

A lot of it depends on how you phrase what the failure is....

NAC doesn't cover "door handles" but when my keyless go buttons broke on the handles it was filed as a claim as a faulty locking switch. Obviously you can't fix the switch without replacing the handle so they were sort-of-compelled to cover it.

I'm sure there is a way to carefully word the claim to get it through. After all, if the entire car collapses due to an airbag failure then it's function is at least partly that of a "spring".... And not just for damping suspension oscillations.

The shop you work with probably makes a big difference too. Some shops are more willing to fight on your behalf and come up with a claim that will avoid the exclusions of the warranty. Other shops can't be bothered and don't even want to be forced to deal with a 3rd party warranty company.


-G

Vabene7

+1 on Bruce Mendel.
Got my Fidelity Platinum warranty from him and he was dead on with his recommendation.

Nasty50-Five

This is exactly why I didn't go with the after market warranty, they didn't really cover anything that really broke on our cars.

E55Dimon

Aftermarket warranties SUCK! I hate mine for the same reasons listed above.

Pushing_Tin

I do not have a choice, a factory warranty is not available to me since the car is no longer under the factory warranty. That said I can get a 2 year warranty through USAA/Assurant for $2300, no deductible. Since I am also concerned about the airmatic failing I looked at their coverage and it seems pretty good. Under the "advanced technology" section they have this:

Nasty50-Five

Wow, they state pretty clearly that they cover the air suspension, so what are they arguing about. Why won't they cover it????

Pushing_Tin

lol I'm not the OP

lawguy

Thank God I was able to get a 24 month extended warranty from MB quick kicks in after the CPO coverage expires. Worth paying a bit more to get a CPO car.

Pushing_Tin

Hey we have the same model year, it sounds like the warranty was well worth it? Any issues you can tell me about?

benzy03

I'm experiencing the same problem with my warranty company AW Autopro MB says they need to replace my ABC pump and the lines which they say is "second gen" which I feel mb should pay for the lines but I was told I have to pay 9500 to replace pump and lines if I'm not mistaken this is a common problem with 03 R230's then MB should pick up the tab for putting inferior parts in the cars and the warranty company's "bumper to bumper line is straight BS

GregMB

Is it considered poor form to quote your own posts?

I just called NAC about a few new "items" that are broken on my car:

1. Horn (either the High or Low tone) is not working
2. Front accessory 12V (in ashtray) does not work
3. Oil Leaks from valve covers on both sides


All three are covered 100%.... admittedly, the first one is a pretty simple fix (not sure what the part costs) but the 12V adapter is not a fuse or socket issue, so there's probably going to be quite a bit of labor to replace the affected harness. And, from what I've read on this forum already the leaking valve covers are a time-intensive process to get the parts off, cleaned and re-installed.... a few solid hours anyway, plus parts.

I wouldn't be surprised if the bill was up in the $700 - $800 range for this series of repairs (parts & labor)

This NAC warranty is paying for itself in a big hurry.