As part of preparing and exhausting my due diligence before taking delivery of my very first MB in November, I've amassed an ever-growing spreadsheet of all my concerns and rough calculations of short and long term 'cost of ownership'. As I plan to keep this car for the next 7-10 years ( estimated 3-4k miles annually) what remains to be calculated and considered are the decisions around EW, VSC & Prepaid Maintenance. And so far I've gathered the following - while I realize lot more options are out there, I've yet to discover:
In your maintenance calc add in 2 brake fluid changes. Recommended every 2 years I believe. Covered under PPM, but not part of standard A or B service. I’ve found PPM worthwhile as a hedge on increasing labor costs. PPM of 4 visits will cover you for 4 years in your usage scenario and pay-as-you-go cost for A and B are likely to increase over that time (in my opinion).
Extended warranty answer needs more of a crystal ball and there are obviously different camps. Current vehicle is 2019 CLS53 and I opted for the ELW from MB. Main thought at purchase was that the 48V system and engine was newer and so a hedge against reliability issues on it. Vehicle also has air suspension and historically there seem to have been issues with that system generally, though it seems to have improved.
Here (Canada) we don’t see the same deals on ELW that are offered by some US dealers, but I know that here ELW can be purchased at any point prior to expiry of new vehicle warranty (whether time or distance expiry) so you don’t necessarily need to make that decision now. Anecdotally I’ve heard some dealers want to charge an inspection fee if ELW is purchased later though I think this is in cases where the vehicle has been serviced outside the MB network and they don’t have a complete maintenance history.
Anyway, for me, had a 2013 C350 with ELW and didn’t need it. Have a 2019 CLS53 with ELW and covered recent repair of a multi-contour seat. Cost for that repair would have probably been less than the ELW though. I agree with sgawiser above on MB only; I wouldn’t consider a third party for extended warranty, but that is just me.
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
