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Hello! I hope you find this information very useful. This is my experience over the last year with the European Delivery Program (EDP).


New car delivery.

EDP grill badge.
First thing for you to know is there are very few dealers in the US who know anything about the EDP. They know it exists, but because it is mainly a customer service program, this means the dealer and salespeople do not make much money. So, not much money in the dealer or salesman's pocket and a lot of customer service means you'd better select wisely when you decide who to buy through.

I had a little bit of a unique situation in that I was an Army Reservist stationed in Germany on a one-year tour. When I first arrived in Europe, I had two choices to buy a new MB; buy through a vendor off-post in Germany (special contract rates for US military) or leverage the EDP. I knew I wanted a new MB. Initially, I tried to go through the vendor, but they were in the middle of a contract dispute with MB and were unable to create new factory orders. Nothing in their existing inventory interested me. I then tried to make an EDP purchase through my local dealership in Alabama but they totally ignored me and were basically lost when it came to answering questions about the program. That's when I got online and found Herbert Haemmer.

Let me tell you right now - if you are going to do an EDP purchase, use HERBERT HAEMMER. The reason is because the EDP isn't just about the sale of the car. You are going to need quick, competent support from the initial stages of the purchase all the way through the point your dealership re-delivers the car back to you in the US. MOST DEALERS WILL NOT PROVIDE THIS LEVEL OF SERVICE. It's just a fact! Herbert has a superb customer service ethic and the El Cahon, CA, dealership provides him with the support he needs to make the EDP an outstanding, professional experience.

A lot of people are concerned about cost. So, typically there is around a 7% reduction in price when you participate in the EDP. Additionally, dealers offer anywhere from 3-5% in additional savings. Understand however, this can change at any time with any model and one frequently sees less savings in the more expensive models (i.e. AMG). My car is a 2020 E450 4MATIC Luxury model.

Even if you are only in Germany a short period of time, you might need to call for support on your car. The best thing you can do is contact ADAC and purchase a support package which will cover you while you are driving in Germany. ADAC is like AAA in the US and operates all over Europe.

I was already in Germany, so I just took a couple trains to get to the factory and drove the car back to Wiesbaden. If you are traveling to Europe, make sure you arrive at least two days before delivery, so you have time to adjust to jet lag and the time change which will have an impact on your experience if not properly managed. I would also recommend you stay in the local hotel one more evening after delivery so you don't have to drag your luggage all over the place. When you arrive, you will not be separated from other visitors unless you purchased a certain model (the more expensive ones). I don't know where that cutoff is, but there were a group of high-end buyers who were separated from the rest of us. They got the royal treatment; separated in a nice quiet room, ate a very nice meal, received gift bags, etc., etc. If you did not do that then you're in the "other" group with the rest of us. I was pretty shocked at how many visitors arrived that morning. They are everywhere. You will have to compete with them in lines for everything which does diminish the total experience for buyers. To add to that mess, the center was understaffed that day. You can imagine what that was like with a couple thousand people running around. I could not wait to get out of there.



I did receive an EDP car badge as part of my package and will be putting it onto my front grill.

I suggest you complete the factory tour as it will show you how your car was built and is very interesting. I also suggest you eat lunch at the cafe near the waiting area. It was actually very good food. Just expect long lines. Eventually, your turn for delivery will come and someone will come to get you. Let's talk about the car.

Make sure you get the technician to change your speedometer to km/h so you won't have to perform mental math while driving. Ask your technician about your tires; what is their rating and what is their maximum speed? Even though I still had several months left in Germany, they put 'H" rated tires on my car. Germans will not allow you to exceed the speed rating of your tires, so the factory installed a governor on my car which would not allow me to exceed about 210 km/h (130 mph). This is important to understand when you are driving on the Autobahn. Also, double check for a spare tire and the standard toolset required to change your tires. On some models the Germans are installing run flats, there is no spare and no tools to change tires. This is not a big deal in Germany, because even in remote places, you can get pretty quick service. However, when I returned to the US, I purchased a new spare tire (run flat), wheel, pressure indicator and all tools required to change the tire myself. Make sure they loaded the US and Europe maps into your car. If they did not load the Europe maps, make them do it before you leave the factory.

Make sure you pay attention to what the technician is trying to convey to you! You are going to have a lot to learn in a very short amount of time. I suggest you ask the technician about CarPlay. This is important because many of the US features will not be activated in Germany. Sirius radio, ability to call for maintenance help, accident detection and subsequent call to you, etc., do not work on US cars in Europe. CarPlay will allow you to use Samsung or iPhone applications like google Maps, Waze, etc., to help you navigate Europe and their extensive camera systems deployed everywhere to reduce incidents of speeding. In my car it took me a little while to figure out I had to connect my iPhone to the car to activate CarPlay. Bring the iPhone USB cable with you to the factory.

The insurance coverage is tied to your German export tag (red license plates). You must not change either your front or rear license plate while you are in Germany. If you have an accident and the correct tags are not on your car, the insurance company may place all liability for the accident onto you. I went to Italy and was trying to navigate a very small carpark. I scratched my right front fender, wheel and tire. When I returned to Wiesbaden, I made an appointment with a local MB dealer and they fixed the whole thing, no questions asked! Excellent insurance coverage.



If you are stationed with the US military in Germany, remember, you must return the car to the US within 12 months of delivery, or you will have to pay thousands of dollars in German Value Added Tax (VAT). Also, before you make the purchase, go to US Customs locally and ask them about how you are going to license the car in the US military car registration system so you can leverage the lower fuel prices (about 50% less than on the German economy). In my case, they simply added my German export tags to their system, but they might not agree to do that again!
You will eventually select a drop-off point someplace in Europe and drop off your car for shipment back to the US. When I dropped off my car, I just trusted the people to perform the inspection and add the small chip in my hood as damage. I told them about the chip, but it never appeared on my shipping inspection documents. So, I suggest you run through a carwash just prior to drop off and then insist you be allowed to perform the shipping inspection with the technician. Make sure you point out every single problem you want repaired and make sure he records it on his inspection sheet.

I dropped off my car on 16 April 2020. COVID19 was a pretty big problem at that time and only got worse in the months following. My car, along with a few other EDP cars became known as “COVID” cars by the shipper and none of their personnel would drive them. I had to get MBUSA to contact the shipper after nearly four months of waiting. Only then, did the shipper finally agree to ship my car. The whole process took around five months.



My car was shipped to Brunswick, GA, a huge Georgia shipping port. The MB Vehicle Preparation Center (VPC) is about five miles from the port. Additional inspections are supposed to be performed here, but they also did not see the chip during this inspection, so I wondered how closely they are actually inspecting these cars. Only the dealership where you purchased your car can see its progress at the VPC. They can view the status in NETSTAR in the European Delivery Order update section. The destination dealer (for me, in Alabama) cannot see this information.



Make sure you understand your potential tax liability. Alabama viewed my car as a used car, so I did not have to pay any sales tax. California did not make me pay sales tax on the purchase. The Germans did not make me pay the VAT. However, every State is a little different. Some of them are exceptionally greedy, so ensure you know what is going to happen before you buy.



So, the car finally gets to the destination dealer where it is supposed to be inspected again and delivered to you like it is a new vehicle. Hah! Little different for me. So, my dealer thought it was a new car in their inventory and slapped an MSRP sticker on the left rear window. I called about the car and they said, “Uh, yeah, it’s here. We thought it was part of our inventory. Let me contact the dealer where you bought it and see what we’re supposed to do.”



When I arrived, the car was dirty, the front plate (German export tags still on it) was thrown into the trunk along with two screws. There was no evidence of any dealer inspection. They handed me the keys and waved goodbye. It was raining outside and close to closing on a Friday. I could not make any kind of inspection for additional damage which may have occurred during shipping. When I got home and cleaned up the car over the next couple days, the only damage I found was that pesky little chip in the hood which miraculously survived three “inspections”.



Now, Mr. Haemmer is helping me get that resolved.



If you really want the support you deserve then I emphatically suggest you use Herbert Haemmer as your salesman. His reviews were glowing when I purchased my car and are the reason I selected him. He does an excellent job and he will help you resolve any problem. He speaks German fluently and is generally a lot of fun to work with. He had to come to Germany when I was still there, so we had dinner in Stuttgart. He and his lovely wife, Lily, are a great couple.



I understand the EDP is currently on hold and likely will be until a vaccine is produced and life gets back to normal. I wish you the best of luck on your purchase!