Ron V

Just purchased a 08 CLK 350 CPO. Shortly after the excitement of getting the car wore off, I noticed that the steering wheel was not clocked right while driving straight. I took it in to service to have it looked at. They said that they would do an alignment at there cost. The service rep. called me and told me that a piece of the sub frame was bent and they are going to replace it.

That's all good, but what dose the CPO process in tail? I would think they should have caught this while doing the certification.

bheng

did you buy an extended warranty? save you the hassle for another extra couple of years

edit: yeah they shoulda caught that tho.

Ron V

Ya, I purchased the extended warranty, so I'm good for a while.

Guess this is just a little frustrating. When I think of Mercedes-Benz I would expect a little higher attention to detail. This experience dose not instill a lot of confidence in me with this dealership

Don't get me wrong. I love the car, and hope to drive it for many years.

csxian

Unfortunately, that perfectionists of Mercedes Benz are not in the US. They are in Germany and other countries, but just not USA. I wish I can sue my dealership for not telling me all the details on the car when I purchased it. BBB does not help.

CarLK500

i have to agree - my cousin in germany has his benz serviced at the local dealer, just like i do here in st louis usa. he gets a free loaner, his waranty book is stamped and signed by the tech, and they go over with you what the parts were used etc.. my dealer can't even figure out how to get the right amount of oil in my car and didn't do all the B service stuff the book says you are supposed to do. i asked my dealer to look at the flex joints, he said they were wonderful thank you... should i believe this guy?
don't get me wrong the car is awesome, but some of the dealers, well, my mercury mountaineer dealer was better than any benz dealer i have ever been to and that ain't sayin' much...

MarcusF

The quality of the CPO is only as good as the previous owner and the selling dealer. As a customer, you have to go over the car with a fine tooth comb. I forgot to check was the first aid kit. Yes, when I checked a week later, it was empty.

This is a link to the CPO inspection list.

There is a "suspension inspection", but the less time the mechanic spends going over the car, the less the CPO costs the dealer. Salespeople (whose sole job is to sell) will tell you a CPO costs the dealer some dollar amount. That dollar amount is based on book time. Most mechanics can work much faster than book time. A good mechanic can beat book AND do a good job.

Now for the mllion questions - Which dealer did you buy the car from? Did it come in from a 39 month lease or a 27? And tell us about the extras they tossed in.

waterlover112

also another thing... CPO is transferrable. So it could've happened after the inspection. I was always under the impression that the CPO was the same as the original warranty and that it just extended it. Well that is not the case. The CPO covers all the important things. Electrical, Drive Train, Transmission, Engine... etc. The things it does not cover is things like belts, hoses, cup holders and stuff like that. What makes me the most un-happy about the CPO is sometimes the dealer doesn't know whether it's covered until they do the diagnostic and enter the part number that is being replaced. I had a whining sound coming from the engine, it turned out to be the AC Compressor Pulley... well that is not covered under the CPO. Lucky for me, when they first looked into the problem last year, it was under the original warranty... so they did a goodwill warranty replacement on it.

I will still never buy another used Benz without it being a CPO... It has saved me tons already.

Ron V

[/quote]Now for the mllion questions - Which dealer did you buy the car from? Did it come in from a 39 month lease or a 27? And tell us about the extras they tossed in. [/quote]

It came from Mercedes-Benz of South bay in Torrance Ca. It must have been a 27 month lease. It first leased in September of 07. It had 18,800 miles on it. Extras, what extras, I didn't get any extras. Oh wait a minute they did give me a key chain. I paid for Lojack and extended warranty. What could have I gotten tossed in?

MarcusF

Extras that are commonly asked for and given away are

Free Saturday car washes for life (the dealer I bought from is 2+ hrs away, so I can't use this)
The dealer pays for your MBCA (Mercedes Benz Club of America) membership for a year
Polo shirt for you and your spouse
Dealer caps for you and your spouse
The key chains - one for each key
Coffee mug
MB water bottle
The leather registration/card/insurance doc holder (I think MB USA sends those by mail)
Fanny pack (I didn't get one)
The laptop sleeve (I didn't get this either)
Has anyone ever gotten a jacket? The MB umbrella?

I added 2 years on my CPO (3 years from my purchase or 100,000 miles). In the last few months of coverage, I told my service writer that a CPO is worthless unless he fixes something, so find something - anything. The F&I guy offerred me a LoJack. I told him 'no thanks'. Allstate won't give me a discount for it, and LoJack really is for them. If the car is stolen, Allstate wants it back a whole lot more than I do. I'll take the loaner until they figure out the car isn't going to be found, and then the cash.

Ron V

Some of that would have been cool. I'll have to remember that if I buy another Mercedes down the road.

My insurance company gives me a 5% discount with Lojack. I tend to keep my cars for a long time so it will pay for its self.

Marcus I noticed that your location is SCV. I'm not familiar with SCV. Where is that?

MarcusF

Santa Clarita Valley. Basically, Magic Mountain. The 405 north until it merges into the 5, and the 5 north for another 10 miles (or so). Santa Clarita is north of the Los Angeles city limits, but just inside LA county. Another 10 minutes up the 5 and I'd be in Ventura county.

Ron V

Ok I know where your at. I purchased my 928 from a guy out in Fillmore.