oknish

Very nicely summed up, oinick.

scottybdiving

Well, the lawyers forgot to inform the sales and finance managers because they all seem to think it adds 1, 2, or 3 years and 50K miles to the end of the original 4yr / 50K warranty.

Oh yeah! There's that plausible deniability thing. Maybe the lawyers don't want them to know everything.

oinick

Scotty,

I think it unlikely that the dealers are in the dark about this. It is more likely that they just don't want to explain it clearly because they know lots of people (like you) would not take the warranty with a clear explanation. The disappointing part is that they want to sell the warranty more than they want to please a customer buying an expensive car.

What's more disappointing is that the GM extended warranty is really what it's purported to be, 7 years/100k miles. (Or at least it was when I bought my 2003 Escalade.)

If these MB dealers want to be upfront about it, it takes a lot of time to get the customer to understand it. For most folks that the 7 year/100k deal is the best, but that assumes that the owner will keep the car for either the time or the miles. The complicating factor for the dealer is that they know most of us won't keep a car that long. I suspect this is why they offer the 5 yr/ 100k deal at a reduced price.

scottybdiving

You are probably right.

I had the same experience as GM with my Fords. 5yr / 100K meant exactly that. There was no deception. We drove it 4 years, 11 mo, and 3 weeks and sold it with 10 days and 8,000 miles left on the warranty, which was transferrable. Kristen is so programmed, to work, to the gym, and back home every day, that her consistency allows us to know exactly which package fits best.

Funny thing about the 4 yr, 11 mo, 3 wk. I received the title to the Excursion in the mail on Friday afternoon before we picked up the GL on Saturday. I litterally had it in my hands for less than 24 hours. I wanted to keep it for two more years but when she first saw the GL, it was all over.

scottybdiving

Just an update. The out of town dealer where I purchased my GL didn't get back to me for an update yesterday. However, I did contact a sales rep at a small dealership outside of Austin. Although I didn't purchase my vehicle from them, I have developed a good repertoire with him and will be taking my GL there for all my services.

He absolutely believes that the intent of the warranty is 5yr / 100K, period. He is going to arrange for me to come in and meet the manager of the dealership next week to get his perspective, since he is the former service manager.

idiesel

If you have Geico insurance, they have a 7yr/100,000 mile warranty, but it's only available for new cars under 15,000 miles. The price is very reasonable and cheaper than any factory or 3rd party warranty.

GL Troll

So Jen paid $1989 for 6yr/75k and $200 deductible and I heard $2300 for unspecified coverage. I think I’ll look into this – maybe try my insurance co. I asked at time of purchase just out of curiosity what an extra year would cost. They said $3800. Sounded like a bad deal then and now. Maybe there was no deductible. I certainly don’t mind a $100-200 deductible when the concern is getting slammed with a huge repair bill.

Looks like some of us would be interested in any info/experiences with 3rd party coverage.

JDT1

Hi GL Troll. Check out my posts in this thread (Nos.2 and 5). You may be referring to my coverage as the $2300 unspecified coverage. As I stated in number 2, mine is a total covererage of 7/75,000 w/$100 deductible for $2350. FYI...I also splurged and bought dent coverage for $300 and wheel protection (I have aftermarket chrome wheels), also for $300. Both of these coverages are for 5 years.

GL Troll

Thanks. Yeah, I guess I lost track by the bottom of the page and multitasking my surfing this morning.

patsy1099

Geico charges me $66/year for my GL 550 for a 7yr/100,000 mile warranty that runs concurrently with the MB warranty. So I guess it's really a 3yr/50,000 of additional coverage. It has a $250 deductible (maybe you can pay to have it less, not sure) and seems to cover everything: engine, tranny, brakes (not pads), all electronics. I'm not sure if you need to be under 15k to add the coverage or not, they might just make you get the car inspected by one of their authorized stations. It is definitely worth exploring because it is so damn cheap.

JimBarnhart

Hi everyone, sorry I took a long weekend to Las Vegas, but looks like I've spawned a good thread here. I saw a white GL, but was thinking I'd see Nevada Jack cruising the strip.

For those that feel they got misled, my dealership told me the MB extended warranty is not transferrable and also not refundable.

I did buy an extended warranty on my GL, via the dealership and from a 3rd party. It's cancellable, refundable and transferrable. I'll have to post who it's from and how much it cost. The dealership recommended it because of the transfer/cancellation policy, plus it's good at nearly any repair shop - whether it's an MB shop or someone else if you have a breakdown somewhere.

It also seems to cover nearly anything. It mentioned it doesn't cover rattles and wind related noises. Of course it doesn't cover maintenance issues like brakes, bulbs, etc.

scottybdiving

Jim you did spark a conversation. As you can see, the dealers around here have a whole different interpretation of the warranty than what you found. I will get an answer from the one that will do my services very shortly.

The warranty I purchased is transferrable but not refundable. See the attachment.

philip12

Being one of the people who bought the MB warranty, I have been following this thread. I bought the warranty based on the brochure the dealer has to show the customer. Ok, here it goes, the brochure says that the coverage is extended either +12 months/up to 100,000 miles, +24months/up to 100,000 miles or +36 months/up to 100,000 miles. I think any first year law student could effectively argue that the offer is being made to extend the existing warranty a additional year, 2 years, or 3 years, and up to 100,000 total miles, whichever occurs first. This is the program I bought. BUT,, and there is always a BUT, in the small print, the coverage begins at the end of the 4 year/50000 mile (whichever comes first) orig. warranty. The thing is I would advise not bringing the car back for warranty service with over 50,000 miles on the clock, unless you have owned it for 48 months from the date of delivery. But, I think the once again, the 100,000-mile limitation is very clear. the car will be out of warranty whenever the 100,000's is hit, I don't care if it happens in year 1, or year 2 etc. Once again, if the 100,000 is not hit, I think the warranty will be in effect until term is up, or 100,000 miles is hit. Sorry I am confusing myself also. LOL

JimBarnhart

For the service team at the dealership it's pretty easy to tell if your warranty is valid. They enter in a part number that needs replacing and the computer tells them whether its covered by warranty. It must be all automated because when they went to plug in my warranty they found the part (water pump in this case) wasn't covered and then looked to see my warranty had expired.

infamily

I agree. We bought 7 yrs 100 k MB warranty and there is no confusion in our mind. The warranty is for 7 yrs or 100 K which ever happens first. So in effect we have extended our new car warranty by 3 yrs or 50 K miles.

scottybdiving

One would think so and all the dealership people I have spoken with so far agree, but JimBarnhart found out the hard way that there is a "Gotcha" in the fine print.

infamily

I guess I must be a little slow in understanding, I still don't see a "Gotcha" in Jim's case. He bought 5 yrs 100 k extended warranty, which translates to additional 1 yr and 50 K from factory warranty. Again the term or mileage condition applies which ever comes first.

We had extended warranty on our Yukon XL and GMC also has similar terms.

scottybdiving

As did I with the the previous Ford warranty. Of course the Ford Excursion 7.3L Powerstroke never saw a mechanics shop in 92,000 miles other than for a National recall on the intermittent wipers control. Read Jim's post #10 and you will see where all this came from.

oknish

Good eye, Scotty. Must be from all that diving

I have been following this thread am also confused now.

JimB - what warranty did you get and from where? The 1 year clock from the first warranty claim is definitely a big gotcha. Can't say I have heard of it before.

Maybe I should organize a conference call so we can debate this in person

JimBarnhart

LOL I spend a good portion of my day on conference calls.

Philip12 said it best. I bought an MB extended warranty that gives me +12 months/up to 100,000 miles from the expiration of your factory (4/50)warranty.

My warranty always expires on miles, so I concentrated on that. I figured with a +12/up to 100K warranty I was covered for 100K miles. But that's not the case. You are covered for 12 months after the expiration of your factory warranty.

So in my case I hit 50,000 miles after around 3 years of age. The factory doesn't really know what day you hit 50,000 miles until you bring it in for service. When you get service after your car has over 50,000 miles (or 4 years), they expire your factory warranty and start the clock on your extended warranty. From that day you have +12 months or up to 100,000 miles on your extended warranty. If you drive your car to the 100,000 mile limit prior to +12 months, your warranty lasted 100,000 miles. In any other event your warranty expires in +12 months from the expiration of your factory warranty.

So Philip12 got it right - I purchased a +12 month/up to 100K mile extended warranty. I equated that to a 5 year/100K warranty, but they are not the same.

scottybdiving

Seems everybody but the computer is confused. If that is the case then no matter what a service manager or store manager tells you, the computer will reject it, when they run the parts numbers through it.

BJ021

Boy, after reading all this I sure am glad I leased for 33 months!!!

Good luck all.

JimBarnhart

That's how we found out my warranty was expired - service manager called me with the bad news. They did work a compromise with me because they understood my frustration and didn't charge me anywhere near full price for my repairs. But thank the good Lord it was a water pump and not a transmission or something.

Remember warranties expenses are paid for my MB, not the dealership, so any concession the dealership gives you comes from their pocket.

lwain56

I agree with BJ021. I'am very hesitant to own my benzs past the factory warranty due to the advent of complex electronics that require expensive parts and service. I drove my 2002 S-500 till a week before warranty expiration and trade for my GL.

scottybdiving

Here's the latest. Today when I took my 320 in for Service A, the service rep confirmed what Jim Barnhart has been saying. The funny thing is, every sales person in the dealership and the Finance Manager all thought they were selling 5 yr/ 100K warranties. They are going to bring it up at their next sales meeting.

The sales and finance people at the dealer where I purchased the 320 all believe the same thing. I am going to try to pursuade them to let me pay for the extra two years, but I am not very optimistic.