Hi! My 2016 Smart will be delivered to me tomorrow. ..24000 miles on it and just passed inspection. Obviously the warranty is expired. Should I purchase a 3rd party warranty? Car shield quoted me at $79.99 a month ( he started at $129 and kept lowering it trying to rope me in). It can be canceled at any time... no contract. My payments are under $200 a month for car so I’m having a hard time deciding if it’s worth it. I’ve heard Smarts can be unreliable and don’t want any nasty surprises. Advice?
Should I buy a warranty?
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Personally I’ve never purchased either an extended warranty on a new car or a used car warranty. I prefer to be “self insured” but you need to do what you think is best for your situation. Just remember, those warranties are designed to make money for the seller and some of them are difficult to make claims on.
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We own 5 cars. A couple we put lots of miles on. The manufacturer warranty ends fast. With today’s electronic, if something fails. It can be really expensive to repair. One of our cars, we got our money worth, out of the extended warranty. It can be crap shoot, if you need one or not. Extended warranties do not cover wear and tear, brakes, clutch plates, expensive LED lamp replacement, corrosion, etc. Be for taking on out, read the fine print carefully. A tear down of the broken item is require. If part is not covered, you will be liable for paying for the teardown.
I have a 2012 Prius C that the door actuator has broken on. I have to use my manual key now, which I frequently forget to get out, and is very frustrating. I know what you mean by those expensive electronic parts. It will cost me almost $600 if I decide to fix it and that’s just one of the four doors that could break!
Does anyone have luck with Car Shield? It’s $80 a month and you can cancel at any time. You do have a $100 deductible each time you need a repair. Now I’m thinking I should have gone with the 2017 Smart that still had 8 months remaining warranty! (About $2500 more though to purchase and I liked the appearance of this one better).
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My 2008 451 was really reliable. MB service was expensive, even basic maintance.
Here is a article about reliability in the UK.
How reliable are Smart cars? An honest look at the city cars - OSV
Love them or loathe them, Smart cars have made a lasting impact on the car industry. But, how reliable are Smart cars? We look at how...
www.osv.ltd.uk
Used 2016 smart fortwo Consumer Reviews - 20 Car Reviews | Edmunds
View all 20 consumer vehicle reviews for the Used 2016 smart fortwo on Edmunds, or submit your own review of the 2016 fortwo.
www.edmunds.com
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2,165 Posts
I've never bought a warranty on a car, a computer, a refrigerator or a toaster. In the long run the insurance companies always win. However some people need/want one to sleep better at night.
The warranty on the car was four years, so there is a chance that it might have a little bit left, but it sounds like you've checked that.
Len
The warranty on the car was four years, so there is a chance that it might have a little bit left, but it sounds like you've checked that.
Len
My 2008 451 was really reliable. MB service was expensive, even basic maintance.
Here is a article about reliability in the UK.
How reliable are Smart cars? An honest look at the city cars - OSV
Love them or loathe them, Smart cars have made a lasting impact on the car industry. But, how reliable are Smart cars? We look at how...
Used 2016 smart fortwo Consumer Reviews - 20 Car Reviews | Edmunds
View all 20 consumer vehicle reviews for the Used 2016 smart fortwo on Edmunds, or submit your own review of the 2016 fortwo.www.edmunds.com
Thanks!My 2008 451 was really reliable. MB service was expensive, even basic maintance.
Here is a article about reliability in the UK.
How reliable are Smart cars? An honest look at the city cars - OSV
Love them or loathe them, Smart cars have made a lasting impact on the car industry. But, how reliable are Smart cars? We look at how...
Used 2016 smart fortwo Consumer Reviews - 20 Car Reviews | Edmunds
View all 20 consumer vehicle reviews for the Used 2016 smart fortwo on Edmunds, or submit your own review of the 2016 fortwo.www.edmunds.com
well the Edmunds article makes me feel good but not the other one! I don’t know... might get a warranty. Sigh.... another big decision!
Welcome to SCoA!
Unreliable - not any more so than any other vehicle with hundreds of moving parts. It is a niche vehicle from a brand no longer sold in N.A. which can present some challenges?
Don’t know where you live but if you have a good EURO mechanic in the CITY you may be fine? Don’t count on the “local” smart/M-B stealer as they aren’t interested in your problem, only your credit card!
With 24,000 miles all the warts & pimples may have been taken care of and you should have a reliable car?
With so many exclusions in an extended warranty you may be better served to go “self insured.” Extended warranties have huge PROFIT margins and are written to minimize the payouts.
I have had numerous new/used vehicles and have regrettably purchased two extended warranties (one our MY08 smart) - never made a single claim!
Caveat - if you live in rural America any repairs beyond a simple oil change could be challenging?
Advice, drive like you stole it while grinning from ear to ear - it’s a smart thing that only an owner truly understands.
Owner since 2008 with 3 smarts - confirmed CRAZY!
Thanks. I know I worry too much. The quotes I’ve gotten have been 2-3K for 3-5 years. That’s a lot of money for a $10K car! I was talking with a Mercedes Benz rep about it. With that said I do have the car financed so don’t want to have big repairs on top of it. ( Plus I have my 2012 Prius to maintain....praying the Hybrid battery lasts)
I live in Richmond, VA USA. There‘s a Mercedes Benz dealer across town but don’t know who else can care for it!
i plan to have lots of fun!
I live in Richmond, VA USA. There‘s a Mercedes Benz dealer across town but don’t know who else can care for it!
i plan to have lots of fun!
Well there are 2 Benz dealers in my city. The one closest to me does NOT service them but the other one does. The question is.... for how long? Will they all stop servicing them eventually? The warranty they sell is from the company “Zurich”.
We're in similar places. Took delivery about a month ago of a 2017 cabrio, basically the same mileage as yours. Factory warranty dies in December so I've been researching warranties. Carshield and Carchex are seemingly the biggest but also the most expensive. Duh. You might want to check out Liberty Bell; 3yrs/36k miles/$50 deductible for their top tier plan quoted at about $47 monthly. A newer company is Olive, whose top tier plan with $100 deductible came in at less than $35 monthly. My car payment is basically $200 so I have a hard time justifying a warranty payment at much more than $50. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the information. I had gotten a call of a quote from a JR Autoprotect that sounded good but I decided to call the local Mercedes Benz dealer and ask if they were indeed the direct warranty insurance for Smart (as they had claimed on the phone). She said they weren’t. Your car may be eligible for an extended warranty through Mercedes since you’re still under warranty. Mine wasn’t but she said they use Zurich for used Smarts (which can only be purchased through dealer) . She sent me information but it’s around $2500 for 5 years. It does have 0 deductible though. Like you my car payment is around $200 so hate to buy such an expensive policy. However, looking at the manual, there seems to be a lot of electronic components that could go wrong so I’m worried to be making payments but not have protection. Then we have to worry about the expensive maintenance which warranty doesn’t cover.
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