Pekkle

Since I bought my car used, will dealer still sell me the extended warranty?
or do I have to buy them off warrantydirect? btw, what does ELW stands for?

jimmydagreek

+1 I have WD and no problem so far, everything I've taken the car in for is repaired. To avoid most "previous or pre-existing problem" excuses WD offers a $99 pre-inspection service that comes out and verifies that there aren't any issues with the car. I had that done and when I complain something is wrong, the problem wasn't there when the car was inspected so it gets repaired.

KennyDFW

I just requested a quote from warrantydirect for my '05 E500 w/ 38k on the clock. Their top tier "true bumper to bumper" Secure Care policy for 4yr/100k was quoted at $5643 w/ a $100 deductible !!!???

nikon

When I was looking into extended warranty, I was quoted just about the same amount which evens out to about $1900 a year. I didn't think it was worth it.

gnma

Take your $1,900 and invest it. Leave it and think of it as an MB service/repair acct. In the meantime, it will grow at today's paltry interest rate, but grow nonetheless.

nikon

It is exactly what I did. It is much better that having paid for something and get aggravated because I paid for a warranty and have a claim rejected. nonetheless I don't want to discourage anybody from getting one.

Polar Bear

Another thing regarding warranties that I feel worth considering is the fact that under a manufacturers warranty, most people want their car "perfect." If there is one little thing that just isn't right, many people will take it in to get it at least looked at. But how many of these problems are really serious problems? How many would you pay out of pocket for (glitchy COMAND, noisy wipers, etc.)

It seems that I hear very little problems with the actual powertrain in a W211. I have heard of some transmission problems but generally they are all taken care of before the cars 4/50 warranty expires.

If the car is maintained, I don't think there will really be many failures on these cars. The Airmatic would be something to consider, but the price of the warranty is more than having the Airmatic serviced.

The warranty IS priced to make a profit. This is common sense. It all comes down to the peace of mind that it is offering. You are essentially telling yourself that your car's maintenance and repairs are taken care of for the next three years/100k if I spend this much $$$. If that peace of mind is worth it to you, it might be a wise investment, but the fact is the warranty companies are not stupid and WILL make a profit on these in the long run. Yes, there will be a few exceptions where they lose, but it tilts much in their favor in the end.

whodean

I just bought a 2005 e500 off lease it has 24K miles (factory warranty is good through dec '08), I'm trying to decide among a couple of extended warranty options. I plan on driving it 10-12k miles per year.

First, MB offers to extend the manufacturer's warranty (no deductible), prices are:

3yrs and 100k total miles is $5676
3yrs and 75k total miles is $4065
2yrs and 75k total miles is $3560

Second, Easycare offers ($100 deductible and requires a $125 inspection)

3yrs and 60k total miles is $2491
3yrs and 75k total miles is $2784
3yrs and 100k total miles is $3252

Third, Warrantydirect offers ($100 deductible)

4 Years and 60K total miles $ 3,306
4 Years and 75K total Miles $ 4,047

And finally, from Universal Warranty Corp (? deductible)

36 months + 36,000 more miles on the odometer = $2,345
48 months/up to 75,000 miles on the odometer = $2,151
48 months/up to 85,000 miles on the odometer = $2,254
60 months/up to 85,000 miles on the odometer = $2,458
60 months/up to 100,000 miles on the odometer = $2,727

So, we are wondering if anyone has comments/suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

nikon

Go with the mb warranty, I think it is the best way. My next choice warranty direct.

TTopJohn

The calculation varies depending on the cost of the warranty , what it covers, and how complex your car is. Base E320 + Expensive warranty ($4000 for 3 years is expensive in my book)? Maybe I'd go with the "investment plan." E500 4-Matic Wagon w/ nav, dynamic seats + reasonably priced warranty (say $2700 for 4 or 5 years) that will cover the airmatic and gadgets? Then I'm doing the warranty.

MBs were never cheap to fix, and required fairly regular cash infusions even in what I consider the glory days - the era of the W126. Whatgood is it? Well they just feel so good, and provide so many objective and subjective benefits to the driver. And when you do fix them and maintain them, they feel just like a brand new car, no matter how many miles and years. I call them "durable" not "reliable"

TTopJohn

I've heard good things about Easycare. Several folks on the E38 Bimmerboard have them and haven't had any problems getting claims paid.