A Mercedes Benz is one of those luxury cars that begs to be driven and often requires a warranty of some sort. Unless you have a ton of money on hand to help fix issues that pop up, warranties are a great way to protect your rather sizeable investment when it comes to your new Mercedes-Benz.
If you can get a factory warranty for your Mercedes-Benz, this is always recommended. Factory warranties however often only cover a certain mileage or a certain age of the car. Most warranties that come from the factory fall along the lines of 3 years or 100,000 miles but may vary dependent on where you purchase your car. So this begs the question, what can you do if the factory warranty simply isn’t cutting it? This is where third party warranties come into play.
What is a Third Party Warranty?
A third party warranty, put simply, is a warranty that is offered through a third party; be it the dealership, an independent insurance agency, or another agency offering the warranty. Third party warranties often go above and beyond what is offered through the factory warranty.
You can purchase third party warranties at any time that you own the car and can adjust them according to what level of coverage that you need or that you feel you may need.
The power train or initial warranty that you get with most cars from the factory is going to cover your power train and most major issues that might pop up while you own the car and while it falls into the specified categories and parameters that have been set. Third party warranties often cover a longer span of time, a large number of miles, and other issues that might pop up.
What Does a Third Party Warranty Cover?
In most cases, third party warranties are considered extender warranties. This means that they extend the coverage that you had when the car was new and you were still under factory warranty. As with any type of warranty, you can buy different plans that cover different things.
Most cover major issues that occur with the engine and with moving parts and most will cover damage that occurs due to the car running and operating. It is important to take the time to go over each and every part of your warranty to see what it covers and to determine if you even need to buy a third party extended warranty.
Who Needs An Extended Warranty?
Not every car owner might feel the need to purchase a third party warranty. Those that are buying a new car are going to be covered under the factory warranty in most cases so you may not want to buy a third party warranty right out of the gate.
For those that are going to be driving their car often and are going to be racking up the miles, third party warranties are a good idea because they help to cover the car even if you have gone above the number of miles on the factory warranty.
You may also benefit from a third party warranty if you are going to be purchasing the car with no down payment and if you feel there is any likelihood that you are going to have an issue fixing your car if something does happen. For those that are buying from a dealership, most dealerships will offer great deals on third party warranties that are worth taking a look at.
You can always go back and adjust your coverage and adjust your warranty if you feel you do not need it or if your needs change over time. Third party warranties are a great way to keep your car safe, especially when it is a very pricy car like a Mercedes-Benz.
Where to Buy Third Party Warranties
You can almost always buy a third party warranty from your dealership that will cover anything that might happen to your car. You can also purchase third party warranties online and through different agencies.
In most cases, dealerships have working relationships with those companies that offer third party warranties and as such they can direct you to the policy and the company that is going to work best for you. Since not all buyers are in need of a third party policy, it is advised that you speak with your dealer and sales team to determine just what type of coverage you might need and what type of coverage you can benefit from.
Third party policies are a great way to extend coverage on your car and to help make sure that it is going to stand the test of time and be in great shape for the duration of the time you drive it.