ua549

IIRC my A service a year ago was ~$162 at the dealer.

BJEB

I have joked many many times about the exorbitant stealership prices for a glorified oil change, but “Service A” and “Service B” must be performed at correct intervals to keep your warranty in tact. They are more than oil changes, or the “Service A” would say “change oil” only. Likewise with “Service B”.

The entire service can be done anywhere as long as it is done correctly and completely. Correctly means using correct types of parts and fluids (approved by MB) and completely means taking necessary corrective actions indicated by proper inspections.

You can, for example, change your own oil and filter and conduct your own inspections, but you must keep a maintenance log (date, time, mileage, receipts for parts and fluids AND document in your log all aspects of each “Service A” and “Service B” including conducting required inspections and corrective actions taken if any).

Yes, the vehicle has monitoring systems and warning devices, but the inspections are intended to verify the monitoring and warning systems are not missing anything i.e. not working. Kind of like checking tire pressure with a gauge once in awhile, etc.

If you go to the stealership for all recommended maintenance, the warranty coverage is kept in tact most assuredly without further question regarding proper maintenance. If you do it yourself, have someone else do it, or use a combination of these methods you better have good records should a warranty claim be necessary.

A few bucks can be saved going to well qualified independent shops, but not worth it to me while warranty still applies.

A lot of money can be saved going to the “local wrench turner” or even more by doing it yourself, but keep meticulous records demonstrating ALL items including inspections were completed including corrective actions taken and receipts for everything showing proper parts and fluids were used.

One last note... anyone can make a mistake. If your stealership screws up you get taken care of... what if your local Quick Oil Change place makes that same mistake? You’re out of luck! I know it’s rare, but it has happened where oil is not replenished after draining the old oil, for example.

For my peace of mind, the welfare of my vehicle and those that drive it, and the security of an intact warranty without the spotlight being turned on me for proof of correct maintenance, I choose the stealership for maintenance. YES, THE PRICES ARE TOO HIGH, but I guess the same could be said about what I paid to buy the darn thing (which I have heard to no end from some people).

It comes down to personal choice just like which car you bought, whether or not you buy extended warranty coverage or prepaid maintenance, and how you drive. There are pros and cons to all of it, so gain as much knowledge as you can to understand the various advantages and disadvantages then make a choice you can live with regardless of what happens beyond your control.

BJEB

To the OP’s original question, I see nothing wrong with buying a loaner CPO.

Theories abound about how cars are treated based on vehicle history. I have owned all kinds of used and it’s a crapshoot. Some one owner cars are babied, and some are driven hard by the same one owner the whole time. Some one owner cars are well maintained, and some never have the oil changed.

You don’t want frame or flood damage and you won’t get that in a CPO.

Do you’re due diligence as you would any other used car and go for it if it checks out.

Good luck!

ryuan1688

Thanks for all the responses so far. I plan to email some of the people mentioned in the links above that recommend calling dealerships in other states to see if I can buy the PPM from them at a cheaper price. I'm also going back to the dealership later tonight for a final inspection and documenting all pending fixes before signing the contract. They plan to give me a loaner vehicle for 3-5 days so they can touch up the paint/rim and anything else I pointed out with the car. Hopefully all goes well today!

mmgrad

My local dealer charges $195 for Service A & $495 for Service B. They have a promo going on for A Service for $149.

rraisley

The only problem with Specials on service is that we get our cars serviced once a year, basically, and what are the chances they'll have a good deal when you need it? Maybe /someone/ will have a special then, though. My luck just doesn't seem to be that good.

JTK44

Even though MB says one year or 10,000 miles whichever comes first, the reality is that oil being synthetic does not have to be changed every year but every 10,000 miles with filter of course..

So when you get to 8,000 miles, start waiting for your dealer to run a special and when he does do your service. If you have to wait to 11,000 miles no damage will be done nor will your warranty be voided.

That should give you enough leeway to schedule your service when your dealer has a special.

rraisley

When I get to 8,000 miles, it will be over a year since the last oil change, and I may have warranty problems. ;-) Dirt is the main reason to change oil, and synthetic doesn't stay any cleaner. But in any event, Mercedes specifies service to be every 10,000 miles or 1 year. In my case that will be 1 year. If I pick up my car in December, every December I'll be looking for a special deal on service. Too early, and I just moved the next service up. Too later, and I void my warranty (or at least have problems). So, maybe Xmas specials? :-)

BJEB

I agree with rr. We don’t get to dictate the terms of warranty coverage. MB says 10,000/1yr. If you have a warranty claim involving anything covered by 1 year oil and filter change or in those pesky inspections and don’t have records proving they were done at one year/10,000 mike intervals maximum, well... you leave yourself open to denied warranty claim. Worse, you may in fact be neglecting to perform the very inspections that really could have avoided whatever trouble you’re now experiencing under warranty or not. I probably check most of the items listed in the inspections several times a year for my own safety i.e. tire pressure, washer fluid, oil level, etc on all my cars not just the Benz. Sometimes on Saturday or sometimes while fueling up. I don’t keep a log as I rely on the dealership to document the minimum owner maintenance required.

mmgrad

If retail price for A Service is roughly $200 and B Service is roughly $500, then its pretty simple math to compute whether or not a PPM is worth the cost.

rraisley

You'd think so. ;-) But if you're leasing, and include the PPM in the price of the lease, you're probably paying just a little over 50% of the $970 MSRP for 2 years, or a little over $500. And of course that's for genuine MB service. But you you buy at the end of the lease, you'll pay the rest of that $970. And the $200/$500 prices may or may not be available when you need them. Nothing is that simple, it seems. ;-)

JTK44

I think you are way over thinking this: too much time with too many spread sheets. At the end of the lease you can decide what to do. I suspect the car will be so under water you will just turn the car in as over 90% of lessees do.

Make the best deal you can now, enjoy your new Mereceds and stop worrying about what it may or may not cost you in three years!

rraisley

I was going to add to my post above, but didn't, "Regardless, properly maintaining these cars is not cheap, should be an expected cost, and either any you do it, it probably won't cost or save you that much more. But yes, I am over thinking it, and everything else I do. It's what I do. It's part of me, and I enjoy it. Others' mileage will vary.

cetialpha5

Yes, the PPM is the craziest deal on a lease. You roll it into the purchase price and you have a residual value of the car. It's just that there's no residual value on a PPM when it's used up.

One other thing too, things like spark plugs and transmission fluid aren't included in Service B, it's usually an additional charge by the dealership. But it's included in the maintenance package and they let you buy it up to 80k so it's a decent deal if you hit it at the 50/60/70/80k marks where plugs, fluids might be needed.

rraisley

Are you saying that when you buy a new car, you can get the PPM for 5-8 years, not just 2-4 years? Have you seen any pricing? I assume you have to buy it upfront? And then there's that Lease thing again. ;-)

cetialpha5

On a new car, you can only go up to two or 4, but once you own the car, you can always buy more. You can buy them up to 80k so you could get a 4 pack just before 80k and have service thru 110k. Although you can buy them anytime before you hit 80k, the prices keep going up so you do lock in the price a little bit if you buy them now.

If you're doing a lease, it's a crazy good deal because if it's 2k, it gets rolled into the purchase price and if the residual is 50%, then you only end up paying 1k for it on the lease and in theory at the end of the lease, the PPM has a 1k value when it reality it doesn't. Crazy math.

There's not much of a discount on them, you can check the extended warranty subforum for various vendors that sell them. But what seems to be common now is that the dealers mark them up over list price so it's still a decent deal if you buy them from the vendors mentioned in the subforum.

ryuan1688

Ended up signing the contract Thursday night. I was able to negotiate down the PPM to $2000, which will cover the 20k, 30k, and 40k service. Unfortunately, I did not have time to reach out to the dealerships selling extended warranty to see if they could sell me the PPM for cheaper, but overall I'm happy with the result! The original PPM price I was quoted was $2880, which is crazy. I also didn't buy any of the extended warranties the dealership was selling. The price breakdown for those that I received are below:

MB CPO Ext LTD Warranty: $3899 dropped down to $2588
MB PPM: $2830 dropped down to $2000
MB Tire and Wheel Plus: $2599
Appearance/Windshield Protection: $1798
Theft Protection: $719
Dent Protection: $899

These are just some numbers for MB in the Bay Area. Ended up paying around $48k for the final price for the car with PPM.

BJEB

Enjoy!

chassis

Congratulations. Please post a photo of the E.

rraisley

Congrats! I'm aware of the other protection plans, but not Theft and Dent. Wouldn't your auto insurance cover Theft? I can understand the Dent, as you wouldn't want a lot of small claims on your insurance, I guess.

mmgrad

Congrats!!!

ryuan1688

Happy to be joining the W213 fam

ryuan1688

Haha yeah I agree! Most of the car buying guides online point these out as being a scam. Here's what the theft protection warranty by MB is supposed to cover:

1. ID Number marked on vehicle acts as theft deterrent
2. Pays benefit if vehicle is stolen and declared a total loss
3. If vehicle is stolen/recovered not declared a total loss
4. Includes Identify Theft Program

I did not know MB now sells identity theft protection

mmgrad

Odd, why does your car already have a plate? Shouldn't it come with the temporary paper plate?

BJEB

You can transfer plates if you want to keep your existing plates for convenience of remembering numbers or if you have vanity plates for example.