shak

Is it a good idea? I normally work on my own vehicles, and try to avoid dealers as much as I can. From what I read, W212 is very reliable is much better than the mid 90's models plagued with electrical gremlins. Looking at E350, no amg models.

The dilemma is, a good CPO model is 4-6k more for 2010+ models, and given that CPO only gives extra year, basically I will be paying that much over for 12 month of warranty. The models I will be looking at will not be the p2 package, I dont need all the extra electronics, and normally will hold on to the car for few years. I know I can buy extra 2 years from MB, add another 2-3k for that too.

Does W212 uses standard OBD2 system, or it needs a specific MB diagnostic machines that only Dealers have?

Last time I worked with MB was years ago on 98 CLK230, lets just say it was not a well build vehicle, hoping the build quality of the cars was dramatically improved.

Anyone with expired warranty out there with some feedback on this?

Thanks.

sleewell

mine is out of warranty now and is doing just fine. I bought an extended warranty on my C class and never used it. I got my E class thoroughly checked out and keep up with the maintenance and so far it has been perfect.

Tjdehya

The fact that you can work on the car yourself then I would say that going without a warranty is less risky for you than most others. Give the vehicle a good look and check the history before buying and you should be safe.

DubVBenz

ODB2 is an interface standard, and yes, Mercedes uses it, but don't expect to be able to do much with it unless you have a Star SDS or Autologic system, which only dealers and really good independent shops have.

I can scan my car with android and a bluetooth odb2 dongle, but it's very, very basic. You can reset a few codes, but not many. Also, that'll only do engine stuff. a Star SDS or Autologic does basically everything in the car (it's mind blowing to see the diagnostic tests available and the amount if information that can be read with the proprietary tools).


You can always look at spending a few grand on a chinese clone, but don't expect much in the way of support or updates.

thefisch

Also check the sticky on service bulletins that apply to the car. Since you wouldn't get these covered under warranty, I would make a list of deal breaker issues for the car and then thoroughly check for those issues before you buy.

With VIN, a dealer can check the service record if it's been taken to any MB dealer.

Also, an inspection by another mechanic may be a good idea. Not judging you at all, just think a second pair of eyes may be beneficial to you. MB dealer will check it over for $150-250. An independent may do it for free.

shak

Thanks for the feedback, I will definitely have a second pair of eyes inspect the vehicle, and if out of warranty I can get MB dealer inspect it.

pca7ggr

Like you, I'm a DIY guy. Unfortunately these newer cars are not really "repaired" anymore. The drivetrains are more or less bullet proof.

It's more about hooking up a proprietary "interface, reading the fault code then "R & R" (removed and replace) the faulty module. And the cost of the "modules" is the costly issue.

When I got our '11 E550 coupe last December, it had less than 17K miles on it and the warranty goes through November of this year. Even though I bought it from a broker, it qualified for the MB extended warranty which covers pretty much everything except wear items for a total of 7 years/75K miles with no deductible.

The cost was a bit more than a couple of the multitude of "modules" in our MB with P2 options.

C280 Sport

I have had plenty of MB's out of warranty. Currently I only have 2 under warranty(06 and a 12). Either way they have been fine. E350's do not have anything crazy that would worry me. ABC is one thing. Standard V6 E Class. It will be fine. Get a quality PPI from the dealer. It is always cheaper to own a used car and set aside money for repair then to have to keep trading in for a new one under warranty.


Read the bulletins and also hang around here. You will learn lots.

C280 Sport

Indi shop will do a PPI for around $50-$80 usually.

2BenzGarage

I'm definitiely of the school of thought that I'd much rather take the $$ spent on the CPO premium and/or warranty, set it aside in a repair fund, and have it ready if needed. Warranty companies are only in business/profitable because as a whole, the average warranty costs the consumer more than the sum of their repairs. I'll take those odds...

thefisch

Warranties are mostly for piece of mind. The question is how much are you willing to pay for it.

If you owned the car while it was under warranty and got a sense for how reliable that car was, then you'd have some background for that specific car. But if you are buying it out of warranty (like I did with mine) then you have to decide if you have enough information from its prior maintenance history.

I purchased mine through Carmax and got a warranty that will last me 5.5-6 years (based on how much I drive a year) for $3k. Warranty qualifies for a prorated refund before expiration. At that price point, I went for the piece of mind. If it had been more, I may not have. For example, dealer quoted me $6,600 for the Fidelity warranty which would have covered me for another 3/36.

tiyyara

I have owned several European cars,(for the household) bought new and then kept them for about 8 years.
First 2 were nearly bullet proof and I barely made back my "investment"
It turned out to be an investment in peace of mind.
On the 3rd car I decided not to. c300 4 magic 08. Bought new from dealer, serviced at dealer.
1 month after warranty, minor oil leak where the solenoid for the camshafts come and at the transfer case. After some "kicking and screaming" MB USA covered it.
18 months later, the car would not hold charge. Turned out to be the fuse box under the hood which in turn fried the ECU. 4500 USD, after a lot of come and go, I paid only 1/2 of the bill.
Conclusion.
Odds are you will not use it. If odds were that you will use it, the dealer/company would not be selling it. The Question is, how at peace would you be if you had big problem?
Keep in mind, nowadays, you will not take your car in for a ball joint or things of that sort. It will be your A/T, an electric module or something of that sort.
Ask yourself do you want to pay to sleep well? If yes, buy it? If you are buying it to "beat the house" most likely you will not. Welcome to Las Vegas!

thefisch

Prior to purchasing an ELW for this car, I have only bought ELW's on two other cars out of six. One I didn't use at all. It cost $1,200 but the warranty had a return provision if unused. I got all my money back except a $100 admin fee. So the extra piece of mind for 4 years cost me $100. Had it not been for that feature I would not have done it.

Second one I got I used to the tune of about $2,000 in repairs on a cost of $900. Most of that was on one $1,700 repair.

My W212 is my first German. I decided to get an ELW as the repair cost is out of sight on these cars compared to my previous Japanese cars.

In Vegas terms, I had some house money so I made the bet. I may lose but it's all part of the game.

kash2014

I got a deal on my ELW because of this site, saved almost 1000 grand, coupled with the savings I got from not buying a CPO car, I bought a lease return with 10 months of factory warranty remaining. I am enjoying the peace of mind my warranty brings.

1) new bumper
2) center console cup holder wasn't sliding back properly - fixed
3) muffler rattling noise - heat shield?? - fixed

All problems that I failed to recognize when buying the car after a good inspection

4) just yesterday battery died at 9 pm. at 930 a Mercedes Benz technician arrived with my new battery

Oh and the use of a hassle free loaner

IMO the 2010 models aren't the year you want to go without a warranty

thefisch

Kash, you are still under the b2b warranty, correct? I didn't think any ELW, even the Mercedes one, covers batteries. Granted those first three items you mentioned may be covered under the ELW depending on the cause.

My main concern for the ELW was the airmatic, but after reading all the service bulletins applicable to my car, I realize there is more than may go wrong. That thread on engine replacement scared the $@#% out of me.

mbuster25

$4K for a one year warranty does not make sense.
I agree with tiyyara is is for peace of mind. These cars are expensive to fix, but what is the likelihood that you will experience that in the one year to the tune of $4K... I would say slim.

While under factory warranty I had an intermittent backup camera problem.... the COMMAND system replaced under warranty because dealer says corporate Mercedes was telling them to do so. The part alone was over $2K.

kash2014

Yes the ELW does not cover the battery. Just so happened to be detailing the car and had the radio on, lights on off with doors opening up and closing. Luckily it decided to die this weekend, I am pretty sure if I just used it for day to day driving it would of lasted until September and I would be out a couple of hundred dollars.

Also scared of the potential engine problems with the 2010

good luck to the OP

kash2014

4k does not make sense, especially if financing that amount. Too much money

got the ELW for 3 yrs/75k for around 2100.

shak

I was quoted the extended warranty from local MB, 3/75k for $2800, but as far as I know, the car has to be under warranty when purchasing ELW.

kash2014

Correct. the price also varies based on mileage of car, dealer etc

thefisch

Yes, the car does normally have to be under warranty, but you can ask if they will make an exception. My car was 400 miles out of warranty and the finance manager called and got an exception approved by MB. Didn't buy that one, but it was an option.

MA-E320

My CPO warranty paid out. It probably is a one off case, but I got a new engine right at 52K miles as my former engine scraped and pitted itself.

thefisch

Your story was the one I was referring to earlier. Glad they covered it. Did they even say how much it would have been?

MA-E320

Figured it out already :-). They didn't tell me the exact figure but my SA mentioned somewhere around $17,000 including parts and labor. MBUSA allocates 13.5 hrs for a total engine swap job that, apart from the engine itself, includes about 30+ seals, gaskets, o-rings and other miscellaneous stuff such as oil, fluids etc. I am not sure whether the price includes engine core refund or no.