Piston Slap: The S5's Life Saving Mercury?

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta
Chris writes:

Hi Sajeev,


I have a 2010 Audi S5 with about 45k miles. My local mechanic recommended Mercury Warranty for mechanical breakdown coverage… is $4,700 a good deal for 5 years, or an additional 52k mileage in coverage?

I’m worried that it would be easy to add up to that $ in repairs.

Sajeev asks:

Needing the warranty is a safe bet, good for you. Question is, can you service the S5 at the Audi dealer with that warranty? What’s the deductible? Are loaner cars covered?

Chris answers:

Yes, loaner cars are covered and I can have it serviced anywhere that I want. $100 deductible. It’s their platinum level exclusionary policy…

Sajeev concludes:

Yeah, that’s good stuff: but shop around because someone might sell it for less. So what’s the only problem here? It’s not a factory warranty, with factory customer service.

Will this company dump your AWD high performance coupe after a certain payout threshold? It is possible. But, from what I’ve seen with people far braver than I, the moment your 4+ year old German bahnburner raises the ire of the underwriting department is after the warranty paid for itself.

Perhaps asking an Audi dealer about the chance of an extended warranty is also in order.

And now let’s see what the Best and Brightest add into the mix!

[Image: Shutterstock user Castleski]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Secret Hi5 Secret Hi5 on May 28, 2014

    Make sure the insurance provider has an established history. If it suddenly goes out of business, kiss your up-front payment goodbye.

  • Hybridkiller Hybridkiller on May 28, 2014

    I never bet against the house.

    • DJTragicMike DJTragicMike on May 29, 2014

      True but you can get lucky or choose to bet wisely. See my story above. Sometimes the house doesn't really know the odds... In the case of the Audi, I wouldn't bet against the house, though.

  • Mechaman Mechaman on May 30, 2014

    Seems what you'd wind up paying besides your deductible is about $940.00 a year on insurance. Seems cheap to drive an Audi ... I'd take that deal now on a 2010, but I had one of the old 5000's, a beater from a contractor (I could have stocked a Menard's with the drywall screws, etc, I fished out of every cranny of that wagon) and the basic build was solid. The 'accessories', were dead, dying or mutated into something they weren't designed to be, and he'd left stuff like the brakes (rear) in shabby shape as well. The suspension wouldn't let me get past the Illinois smog check, so I dumped it. Radio, a couple of stations (I learned to hate Mancow Muller) no a/c, sometimey heat and defog, and all the little others had died as well, no underdashlight, stuff like that. It started and ran, I even jumped a couple of big suv's off that under the back seat battery. I'd say 900/yr is cheap insurance, if it's GOOD insurance.

  • Namesakeone Namesakeone on Jun 10, 2014

    An extended warranty on a used Audi is probably a good idea, but I wouldn't buy one from anyone other than a reputable source--like perhaps a new car manufacturer. That said, I bought a used Mazda 6 from an Infiniti dealer, with a Nissan extended warranty. The warranty from Nissan covered everything as if my car was a Nissan or Infiniti, and not an off-brand. It more than paid for itself.

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