supernsx

Ok... just come back from the dealer today.

4 problems:
Steering Pump Reservoir Leaking
Left Front Axle worn out
Transmission Conductor Plate malfunction
Engine Gasket Leaking

Three days and $3600 later, just get the car back. Now, the total extended warranty has paid out over $11K after 3 years.

supernsx

This is getting crazy. Less than a week and I am heading back to the dealership. The rear airmatic shock is leaking air starting this morning and this is so not cool.

supernsx

I am so happy today because another side of the rear airmatic shock is also leaking. One deductible to replace two shocks.... glad that I waited.... another $3-$4K+ on repair. (seriously, this is getting on my nerve.... if I don't have extended warranty, the R is a long goner)

I just want to use this thread to keep track of all my repairs, so you can decide to buy an extended warranty or not. My hope is you do... for the peace of mind... especially if you have airmatic.

sabbadoo32

It sucks to get the lemon. Sucks more to get the lemon and not have an extended warranty.

supernsx

The mechanical problems that I have are very typical to not only the R-class but the M and GL too. The worst part is they are very expensive to fix. I hope Mercedes has stepped up the game lately on the reliability of their SUVs.

Btw, unlike the R-class, my back to back C-class (08 and 11) are very reliable.

pacoman

Thinking about getting the 2011 R 350. It's the last R model year with the "old" engine (M272, I think) and I'm just hoping/thinking they perfected that engine before switching to the new engine in the 2012 model year. Same thinking goes for the rest of the vehicle. Anyone have a compelling reason to choose the 2012 model year over the 2011 model year?

Iceblade

May I ask how you knew your airmatic was leaking? Just an obvious sag or were there weird sounds, or you would always hear the pump going but no raise or drop in height?

Spud_Racer

Yeah, I'd like to know as well. I'm a new R500 owner (1 week) and my car is a CPO vehicle. The front air springs have already been replaced along with the Airmatic compressor, the power steering pump, the rear hatch fix, and the transmission valve body replacement. So, I think my exposure is just the two rear air springs and I have the CPO warranty. And thanks to this forum I now know about Arnott.

But I'm curious as to what exactly fails so reliably on these Airmatic suspensions. Is it just the air bladder or the whole strut assembly? Compressor? Air lines?

I'm surprised that there hasn't been a class action lawsuit for these suspensions or a Mercedes recall since it's potentially a safety issue. And at a minimum it's a huge black eye for "German engineering".

supernsx

The wheel will drop below the wheel well after the car parks overnight. It is very obvious and you will not miss it. The airmatic suspension makes sounds all the time and I believe it is normal.

Btw, not sure true or not but mine fail during cold weather.

supernsx

The car is at the dealer right now to get the full rear suspension treatment with both shocks and value replacements. Some part of power steering is leaking again ($500+) and the whole thing is going to set my extended warranty for another $5k+. Another year and half to go for my extended warranty and I am definitely selling it before the end of it. Wondering how much more bills the car runs up before I sell it.

Spud_Racer

Hmmm.......mine failed in about 29 deg F weather Friday.

supernsx

Just got my car back and the rear air suspension is cheaper than I thought. The part (OEM rear air shocks) is $1000 for both side and the labor is $330. The total for this trip to dealership is $3K.

bluetec4us

09 r320 bluetec purchased 6 months ago (Aug 2012) 34k miles. Check engine light has come on 3 times maybe 4 since purchase.
1. Computer update (CPU?)
2. Heater in AdBlue tank replaced
3. Rear tailgate actuator replaced, master window contol replaced and glow plug module replaced.
4. During 40k service I discovered engine oil leak at rear of motor, oil cooler was leaking near 2 weeks and intensive labor to repaired.

All has been covered under the factory warranty (4yr/50k) which expires this July 2013.

With 5' tall 13 year old twins we love the design/saftey, the seating of 7, the mpg and performance of the vehicle.

Looking for advise on extended warranties? Fear of problems with 7 speed trans, all wheel drive, suspension or any other high dollar failure...

Thanks (very helpful to state the year of you R along with model)

supernsx

I am pro extended warranty and I would definitely get one in longer duration than 3 years if you decide to stay with the vehicle for a long time.

The key is make sure you get one from a reputable company (will not belly up) and aware of all the known issues of R-class is being covered by the policy. Also make sure the company has a good record on not rejecting claims. Also, I would try to pay less than $1000 a year. Good luck.

supernsx

Slowly losing power steering since last week and the dealer said it is the power steering pump. Don't know how much but have to thanks Chrysler for it's "continuous support". Best decision ever made to buy the extended warranty and it still has 15 months to go. Probably should sell the car to the next owner before it ends.

supernsx

Just got the car back from the dealer and they replaced the power steering pump for $1,500. Car is definitely getting up in age and it is going to cross the 100K miles mark by about two months.

ODIOUS

Gotta few questions for you guys:

With regards to the air suspensions failing... someone mentioned that cold weather maybe a factor. Are your R-Class garage kept or parked outside exposed to the elements?

Are you guys planning on selling when the Extended Warranty expires?

Any way to get Extra-Extended Warranty available?

Anyone have a link to the Chrysler Extended Warranty website? I see a lot of funny websites when I try google.

supernsx

I think cold can be a factor but my car always park inside our garage.

Regarding extended warranty, everyone is different but I will be selling mine to give the next buyer at least six month to a year to fix up all the problems he/she sees using the existing extended warranty.

Regarding Extra-Extended warranty, I am unsure you can get one from a reputable company and I would rather not have one instead of buy one from a shady company.

About Chrysler, they pulled out on offering extended warranty for Mercedes about one year ago. Biggest bummer ever since I was hoping to buy another one for my next Mercedes.

ODIOUS

Thank you very very much for the detailed answer NSX.
I thought this thread was dead for a minute but I see she still has a little bit of life still left on her.

Shame Chrysler pulled out of the Benz warranty game. Im eyeing a '11-'12 model.
No reputable extended warranty makes me real skittish after reading all the horror stories....

One thing I noticed is (out side of drive train work) the scariest part of about all the other repairs seems to be the prices the dealerships are quoting people. Hundreds of dollars to replace a latch on a door? I mean come on! If I weren't handy then the idea of doing myself my scare me but I think with the right tools, proper motivation, help from a great forum like this and that STAR DVD I could get a lot of this stuff done myself.

But for the price you guys are paying I dont think anyone feels they should be tinkering in their wheel wells.

supernsx

I agree with your comment about labor cost but the parts for the R-class even with discount are not cheap either. If you decide to keep the car 4-5 years after the warranty expire, I will seriously consider extended warranty. You can tell from this thread that it works well for me.

If you are looking at 11-12 (good choice by the way. I almost traded my R500 in when it first came out. Only reason I did not is hard to jump from a V8 R-class to a V6) and I will definitely go with a car that is still under factory warranty even with little. You will then have better options on extended warranty and I will definitely research about Fidelity (be careful since there are couple Fidelity copy cats out there). There are many good feedback from other sections of the MB forum.

I also heard good thing about this guy but I have not check it out myself. I got his name from both here and BMW forums. He is a reseller of Fidelity and has good price.

http://fd-warranty.com/

ODIOUS

Thank very much for this response. Research is currently under way...

gypsy.feet

What is the best place to buy this warranty. do I buy from the dealer finance department or is there a better avenue?

Thanks.

supernsx

ODIOUS, if you can share what you have found out, I believe many R-class members will be benefited by it.

supernsx

It depends on your situation. You can definitely buy one from the MB dealer for the original MB extended warranty and it is the most dependable but also most expensive.

If they offer non MB warranty, I would do some research of the company before I go for it. If the extended warranty goes out of the business, the dealer will not stand behind what they sell. Also, don't expect the dealer will do anything for you if the extended warranty company rejects the repair even it is included as part of the contract. They may put up a fight for you but if the extended warranty stands firm, you are on your own.

End of the day, most important is the extended warranty company and it is not where you buy it from. I heard Fidelity offers good warranty and I included a link of a reseller (Toyota dealer) couple posts up that you can do some research on.

ODIOUS

I just came across this thread that might have some useful info for anyone interested in Extended Warranties


Mercedes Benz FACTORY Extended Warranty