El Cid

Just found out that it has changed. Car must be under an MB warranty to be covered, either original or extended. Otherwise, they will charge if you call them. Examples I heard were $71 for tire change or jump start. Towing is free IF car taken to an MB dealer for repair.

mtrevelino

It has been like that for at least a couple of years. I hear that if MB performs any type of service to your vehicle, you are covered for one year. I just had my brake fluid flushed this week, so I am covered for one year. If you stagger one service per year (oil change for example), you will have nothing to worry about.
Mike T.

El Cid

This all changed Jan 01, 2014 per MBUSA Customer Care. The above was correct until then, but MBUSA changed the rules. I specifically asked about this scenario and was told that vehicle has to be under an MB warranty to be covered for Roadside Assistance.
What I find disappointing is that in the past MBUSA would send out letters to owners when they changed the rules. They did not this time and apparently are not planning to. If your car is not under an MB warranty, might want to call MBUSA Customer Care center.

dfordham

I called roadside assistance a couple of weeks ago and there is a recorded message outlining the changes mentioned.

Regards,
Don

pdjv

If you are not close to a dealership you'll most likely get a third party response.

Just last year I was roughly 60 miles from my preferred dealer and 41 miles from the nearest dealer when the starter battery failed on my SL (covered by an extended CPO warranty). I was told the distance was too far for Roadside Assistance. The customer care center called out a third party (a local towing company). The first driver was clueless about the car and the solution was to put it on a rollback and haul it to my preferred dealer. Fortunately we were close to home and weren't left out in the cold.

MBUSA is cutting costs and Roadside Assistance is no longer what it once was.

instantfob

I can see Roadside Assistance being useful with the older Mercedes. I remember the days when Roadside came out to my house to change the batteries on my W163 and W210.

Current day Mercedes have so much coding that the tech can do very little on the spot. At certain point Roadside will be nothing more dealers keeping a fleet of flatbeds trucks.

boltonblue

http://www.mercedesroadside.com/road...y-and-coverage

mtrevelino

That sucks! Anyhow, I have AAA and towing insurance through my American Motorcycle Association (AMA) subscription. I had the AAA Plus for my motorcycle (for motorcycle towing specifically) but just downgraded to their Classic plan. AMA just started doing roadside assistance as part of your annual subscription. AMA offers 35 miles towing free. AAA Classic offers 5 miles towing free. They both offer the other typical roadside assistance services. I may be dropping AAA after this year. In either case, I would not allow anyone (except Mercedes) to jump start my Mercedes vehicle.
Mike T.

El Cid

Most insurance companies have roadside assistance riders. USAA permits getting it only for specific insured vehicles if you prefer.
However, most policies will only cover towing to nearest facility that can repair it. Could be an independent garage or the shop operated by the towing company. Also, towing company will probably be the low bidder for the area, so no telling what kind of truck will show up.