Do you pay the $500-600 dealer advertising fee when you bought your new C? Yes or No?
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,914
Likes: 5
LOADED 08' C350 & 14' GLK-350 Diamond White (P1, MM, AMG Pkg, Ln Trkng, Htd Sts, Keylss Go)
Do you pay the $500-600 dealer advertising fee when you bought your new C? Yes or No?
Just curious, I know sometimes this fee can be waived, but it is a fee that is charged to all dealers on every car they sell by MB corporate, and normally the dealers tack it on to the price of the car...
I could see some dealers waiving it one side but then charging closer to msrp on the other side to make up for it, and vice versa...
Why I am curious is because I paid invoice + this $500 advertising fee for my loaded c350, and was just wondering how mandatory it really is and if all dealers put it on the final price... I am just trying to figure out what the real story and application of this fee is in real life from all of your experiences so I have a little firepower to get a better deal on accessories from my dealer since he told me before I drove down to pick up the car that I would be paying strictly invoice and tax and tags, but then he gave me the dealer invoice with the extra $500 advertising built in...
Thanks in advance for reporting your experiences with this...
I could see some dealers waiving it one side but then charging closer to msrp on the other side to make up for it, and vice versa...
Why I am curious is because I paid invoice + this $500 advertising fee for my loaded c350, and was just wondering how mandatory it really is and if all dealers put it on the final price... I am just trying to figure out what the real story and application of this fee is in real life from all of your experiences so I have a little firepower to get a better deal on accessories from my dealer since he told me before I drove down to pick up the car that I would be paying strictly invoice and tax and tags, but then he gave me the dealer invoice with the extra $500 advertising built in...
Thanks in advance for reporting your experiences with this...
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,104
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio
2008 C350
I did not pay it per se...meaning it was not an individual line item on my final price sheet. I did pay about $1200 over invoice total for the car, so the dealer may have just included the fee into that.
The only fees I paid were licensing and state inspection fees of about $125 and sales tax.
The only fees I paid were licensing and state inspection fees of about $125 and sales tax.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,986
Likes: 6
From: SEATTLE WASHINGTON USA
'08 C300 Lux Barolo Red Beige Leather P2 MM 18" wheels '84 944
Extra fees
You would think that these dealers tacking all those extra charges would at least include a large tube of Preparation H.
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Mazda
I paid the $500 ad fee.
I guess a lot of us paid for it without knowing it.
If you negotiate over the invoice prices, you will find that dealers' invoice prices are usually about $500 more than the edmunds invoice prices. I talked to three dealers, and none of them are willing to waive that.
I guess a lot of us paid for it without knowing it.
If you negotiate over the invoice prices, you will find that dealers' invoice prices are usually about $500 more than the edmunds invoice prices. I talked to three dealers, and none of them are willing to waive that.
Trending Topics
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,914
Likes: 5
LOADED 08' C350 & 14' GLK-350 Diamond White (P1, MM, AMG Pkg, Ln Trkng, Htd Sts, Keylss Go)
I paid the $500 ad fee.
I guess a lot of us paid for it without knowing it.
If you negotiate over the invoice prices, you will find that dealers' invoice prices are usually about $500 more than the edmunds invoice prices. I talked to three dealers, and none of them are willing to waive that.
I guess a lot of us paid for it without knowing it.
If you negotiate over the invoice prices, you will find that dealers' invoice prices are usually about $500 more than the edmunds invoice prices. I talked to three dealers, and none of them are willing to waive that.
I did get the $250 MB giftcard, 2 blankets, 2 keychains, a hat, pen, and leather binder, so in the end I think that equates to pretty close to KBB invoice
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,914
Likes: 5
LOADED 08' C350 & 14' GLK-350 Diamond White (P1, MM, AMG Pkg, Ln Trkng, Htd Sts, Keylss Go)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,063
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte, NC
2002 S430, 2004 Cobra, 2004 Tahoe
The fact that you got your C350 at invoice already seems odd to me...but you are right, the IRG fee is attached to each individual car per MB corporate.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,914
Likes: 5
LOADED 08' C350 & 14' GLK-350 Diamond White (P1, MM, AMG Pkg, Ln Trkng, Htd Sts, Keylss Go)
ya i got hooked up by a dealer... look lots and lots of emails and said I wanted to pay invoice only... he agreed because he said they beat anybodys price and are the best, and wanted to get me in the family now with a good first experience...
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,914
Likes: 5
LOADED 08' C350 & 14' GLK-350 Diamond White (P1, MM, AMG Pkg, Ln Trkng, Htd Sts, Keylss Go)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,104
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio
2008 C350
Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
2008 - S550 4Matic, 2010 - E350 4Matic, 2010 - C350 4Matic
Processing Fee? That is easy. Whatever they like to charge me as a processing fee, I have the same "Payment Fee" which makes it a wash.
Jorg
Jorg
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,423
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, AZ
2014 Ghibli S Q4 & 2008 C350
When he was explaining to me what his actual 'costs' on the car where vs. kbb invoice, he said there was a marketing/advertising fee in there along with dealer prep and all that, but all those 'fees' are included in the MSRP price, so if you paid MSRP then maybe you paid it. I haven't heard of any 'fees' like that on top of MSRP though. That would be bunk, but if a dealer can get someone to pay more that's good for us who try to get cars for less 
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 402
Likes: 3
From: Jet City, USA
'08 W204.081; M 272.948 KE30; Colour Code#792
Sounds fishy, but it's not. Here's a direct quote from Edmunds.com:
"The invoice price does not include any fees that may be charged by the manufacturer to dealers in a particular area of the country, such as local advertising fees, dealer association fees, or docking and storage fees. Edmunds.com does not track or provide such local fees.
If a local fee appears on the invoice, it is an actual cost that the dealer paid to the manufacturer when buying the vehicle. In other cases dealers may choose to write in their own ad fees on the consumer sales contract. However, in either case these local fees are a part of the dealer's cost of doing business."
Hope that clears things up. Personally, I think they didn't need to do any advertising on such a wonderful, high demand car.
"The invoice price does not include any fees that may be charged by the manufacturer to dealers in a particular area of the country, such as local advertising fees, dealer association fees, or docking and storage fees. Edmunds.com does not track or provide such local fees.
If a local fee appears on the invoice, it is an actual cost that the dealer paid to the manufacturer when buying the vehicle. In other cases dealers may choose to write in their own ad fees on the consumer sales contract. However, in either case these local fees are a part of the dealer's cost of doing business."
Hope that clears things up. Personally, I think they didn't need to do any advertising on such a wonderful, high demand car.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,642
Likes: 13
From: Caribbean/Florida/Colorado
E-ZGO 53hp., 1999 E 430 sport, 2004 E 55, 2008 Tahoe LTZ on 24"s
That is dumb, why would you pay that?
Advertising is 100% tax write off.
The dealer just made 2X his money from you.
Advertising is 100% tax write off.
The dealer just made 2X his money from you.
