ryuan1688

Would you guys consider buying a dealership loaner vehicle that is CPO certified? I test drove a 2018 E300 that had 8k miles and a CPO asking price of $41k. The car is priced similar to other loaners on sale in the area and is around $6k less than other cars with more mileage. My concern of course would be the condition of the engine as a loaner car. I'm worried that I may end up buying a car with a plethora of issues since it was a loaner and people did not take care of it as much. The car has 38 months remaining on its original warranty plus the additional 1 year CPO warranty.

Here are the specs of the car:
Polar white exterior
Black interior
Premium Package 1
AMG Line Exterior
AMG wheels
Rear spoiler

There were some minor cosmetic issues with the car when I looked at it like misaligned front bumper, paint chips, and tires with some curb rash. The dealer agreed that if I were to proceed with this purchase, they would get those all repaired and document each item during the contract signing.

Also, the sales person quoted me a PPM plan of 3yrs for around $2800 and was able to negotiate that down to $2300. That estimate seems pretty high and am pretty sure I am being upcharged for that. Is that the typical PPM price range for this car? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Going to be going back to the dealer very soon to make my final decision. Thanks!

JTK44

From the Mercedes Web site:

PPM for 3 years is $1280
PPM for 4 years is $1760

see: https://www.mbusa.com/en/vehicles/bu...tegory=service

mmgrad

The new car PPM program is only available to cars that are either new or less than 1yr old & less than 10k miles. Since this is a 2018, PPM on this CPO will run higher than a PPM for a New car.

Some things to consider, for a new car, the 2/3/4 year services are known so the cost is fixed. But since a CPO can have variable mileage, the PPM prices are higher since it is likely to include some higher mileage services like engine air filter @40k, spark plug changes @50k, transmission oil/filter change @60k. If the CPO already has 8k, it likely has already done the 1st maintenance service. That means, your next 3 services are B/A/B at 20k/30k/40k and the B-Services will also include brake fluid changes.

ryuan1688

Thanks for the links!

ryuan1688

mmgrad, yeah I was looking at the CPO service history and service A was performed before the car was listed for sale. So you are right, the PPM will cover, B, A, B! My sales person said I would not have to buy the maintenance plan immediately so I still have some time to determine that. I may try to ask the price of the 4 year plan to cover the spark plug changes at @50k as well.

I am asking her to provide the individual prices for service A and B to hopefully get a better sense of how much money I will be saving (if any at all with the higher cost ). I will post the individual prices here when I get them. Thanks for your insight! Definitely put me a little more at easy knowing the CPO PPM is usually higher than the PPM for a new car.

chassis

No concerns with buying a loaner. I have done it twice and don’t regret it. I would do it again. Manufacturer’s warranty and CPO mitigate any downsides.

Inspect the vehicle as you would do for any preowned vehicle.

JTK44

Before you buy a PPM be aware that dealers often run specials on the A and B service.

For instance, my local dealer charges $224.99 for the "A" service:

see: https://www.rallyemotors.com/service-specials/

At other times the "A" service has been as low as $199 and many dealers offer coupons as well.

mmgrad

When I bought my CPO recently, my dealer offered 2 flavors of PPM:

• 3yr/3 services at their dealeship only
  • $799 (A/B/A Service)
  • $999 (B/A/B Service)
• 3yr/3 service at any MB dealership for $2k+ (probably the same $2800 plan your sales advisor is trying to sell you)

Like JTK44 mentioned, dealers often have promos. Take MB of Beveryly Hills right now, they have an Oil & Filter change for $99 (<MY08), which is essentially the crux of the A Service
https://www.bhbenz.com/service/service-specials/?

rraisley

Yes, it is. But does MB then consider the interval service as done, or do you have to pay extra to add the rest of the A service, to have a valid warranty (there are a lot of "checks" in the service). And how much would they charge for that?

JTK44

That is a "Red Herring": do not chase it:

Look at the "A" service: it is an oil change and filter plus inspections.

Further there is nothing in the Mercedes Warranty that requires you to have the oil and filter changed at a Mercedes dealership.

Believe me, I have had this confirmed, if anything else needs attention, the dealer will do it. The service adviser receives "bonus" points for work done in addition to what the customer comes in for as they are paid by Mercedes Benz: it is warranty work.

With prices of new cars so competitive because of the Internet and forums like these, the only place left for the dealership to make money is in service.

rraisley

That is true, but I'm not sure what you're saying. Per the warranty, we all need the "A" and "B" service done at the proper times. Doesn't have to be at the dealership. But wouldn't we have to be sure a third party actually does all the other items as well? My local German Car Shop advertises they do the A and B service, not just oil changes, and I'm sure they're /somewhat/ cheaper than MB. But Jiffy Lube can do an oil change only, possibly with the correct oil and filter (don't know). But they surely won't do all the other checks, so /someone/ has to do them, don't they?

JTK44

Suggest you check the "A" service: it is an oil change and filter plus inspections: Nothing else is done - no work only inspections.

If you decide to have the filter and oil changed, all you need is a receipt. In fact to comply with the warranty you can change the filter and oil yourself!

rraisley

I realize that, and was not saying different. But "inspections" are work, too, so I didn't know if that had to be done and documented, too. Looking at the list, there's actually a good bit of time spent to check everything, properly. And of course, top up fluids and such. I doubt anyone would be happy having their oil changed only to find the following year that the transmission fluid was low or some other thing that might have been caught had the entire checklist been followed. I KNOW my local Jiffy Lube will not be doing all of that, although they'll certainly check things like air filters and such that they want to sell me.

Anyhow, I'm not disagreeing. I just wanted to clarify what was necessary for the "A" service, from a warranty aspect. If you believe this: https://www.yourmercedes.com/schedule-a-service it's a lot more than an oil change.

ryuan1688

Just got back some numbers:

For the 2018 E class:
Service A: $680
Service B: $1280

So with my deal, I'm basically getting the Service A for free if I buy prepaid maintenance. The dealership I'm working with says they only offer the PPM package that can be used at multiple Mercedes dealerships so looks like I'm stuck with that. Going to be going in this Thursday to do a final inspection of the car and if all goes well I'll be signing!

JTK44

Dear rraisley:

You are correct: I forgot that in addition to the oil and filter change the service counter is reset!

Everything else is an inspection: Check tire pressure (you have an accurate TPS system that already does that), check brakes (built into your brakes is a warning system) and complimentary car wash.

see: https://www.yourmercedes.com/schedule-a-service

So exactly what besides the oil and filter do you think is being done in the "A" service that you think is necessary to keep your warranty in tack?

As I previously posted: "That is a "Red Herring": do not chase it:"

BTW, I have the 2 year PPM and included it in my lease, MSRP $970. The PPM is good at any authorized MB dealer. That is the only one to get.

As my residual is 59%, I am only paying 41% of the cost. So the 2 year PPM only cost me $397 plus MF total less than $500 for both the 'A" and "B" service. If you are leasing then it makes sense to put the PPM into your lease as its cost is residualized. To pay upfront for the PPM is problematic: It is probably cheaper to wait for an ail change coupon as mmgrad suggested or wait for a dealer special, as my dealer often runs, or a coupon.

rraisley

A thread on services last year (https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...b-service.html) seem to indicate prices about half of those values, although I know they vary a lot by dealer, etc. I had understood them to be roughly $400 for A, $600 for B. No way would I pay those prices. Mercedes lists 4 years Prepaid Maintenance (2 A and 2 B services, maybe more, actually) for $1760. Which would average out like $340 & $540. 2 years is $970, so something like $400/$570.

ryuan1688

rraisley and JTK44, Ill definitely hold off on purchasing the PPM for now and keep an eye out on coupons when the B service rolls around. I got a quote from another dealer and they stated a 3 year PPM for a CPO E class ranges from $2500 to $3150 depending on the mileage and model. I'm currently located in the Bay Area, so it may be area specific. I'll check around with other dealerships as well and report back.

(Edited to clarify these are prices quoted for a 2018 CPO E class)

rraisley

Sorry, the MSRP prices I quoted from the MB web site are for NEW 2019 cars. A CPO with miles on it will have different pricing, I'm sure. I'm sorry if I added to the confusion; there's enough to go around without that.

ryuan1688

No worries @rraisley , I did not know of the PPM price for new cars, so it helps to serve as some sort of baseline .

cetialpha5

You can check out the extended warranty subforum and ask about extending the CPO warranty an additional two years and also ask about pricing for the pre-paid maintenance. If your dealer is offering them at MSRP, there's not much of a discount, but many dealers mark up pre-paid maintenance so it's cheaper getting it from the vendors mentioned in the forum even though it's basically list price.

https://mbworld.org/forums/extended-...tension-4.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/extended-...-warranty.html

rraisley

Concerning price of A and B service, I called my local non-MB independent service place that is certified in BMW and Mercedes, and they charge $235 for the A and $535 for the B. They also confirmed that while the A service does include various checks, they do that as a free service anyhow, so price of oil change is the same as service A. They also run specials, currently charging $199 & $499. I realize this probably won't help the OP; just wanted people to know a couple prices, and they may well have a similar shop and pricing near them.

Mbracer26

anything more then 120 for a oil change is a rip off, by anyone. dealer or a mechanic. service a is just an oil change.

ua549

True for just an oil change - no filter, no safety inspection, low spec oil, ...
If you want just an oil change done by a high school dropout go to JiffyLub.
If you want a full service A done by an MB certified person, stick with a Mercedes Benz service facility.

whoover

Changing the oil without a new filter is malpractice. I wouldn't want the oil that a $120 oil change would use, whether or not this included a filter change. If it did, I wouldn't want the filter they use either.

JTK44

Of course with an oil change you change the filter! Everyone knows that.

What we are saying is that the "A" service is an oil and filter change, reset the service reminder and a few inspections: most of those inspections you can do yourself, or your car has built in monitoring systems, such as TPS for tire pressure, brake warning for brake wear, etc.

All that is needed to keep the warranty in effect is the oil and filter change.

Dealers often run specials on the "A" service: the special at my dealer is now $224.99

Express Service "A" Special

Starting at $224.99

Get in-and-out with this Express Service Special! Schedule your appointment online or contact our service team to learn more. Due to the efficiency of this service, no loaner vehicles are available.

• Mercedes-Benz Synthetic Motor Oil Replacement
• Mercedes-Benz Genuine Fleece Oil Filter Replacement
• Tire inflation Check & Correction
• Brake Component Inspection
• All fluid level checks and corrections (dependent on factory-recommended service intervals for your vehicle’s year and model)
• Reset Service Maintenance Counter

see: https://www.rallyemotors.com/service-specials/