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I'n not normally a fan of extended CPO warranties because the are pretty pricey, but on the G, I got one anyway given that repair costs to stay in the G club can rack up. So I took my '14 G550 is for a drive train vibration and because the heated windshield was not clearing snow/frost. Diagnosis: Failed heating element in the windshield glass and both front axle CV joints were bad at 60K miles!. MB is installing a new windshield and two new complete axle axle assemblies with all new gaskets/seals, swipe seals, and bearing washers. It's taking a dealer tech three full days to R&R the front axles alone! This must be costing MB a pretty penny and without the CPO warranty, it would be costing me a fortune! Sure glad I did it.
I'n not normally a fan of extended CPO warranties because the are pretty pricey, but on the G, I got one anyway given that repair costs to stay in the G club can rack up. So I took my '14 G550 is for a drive train vibration and because the heated windshield was not clearing snow/frost. Diagnosis: Failed heating element in the windshield glass and both front axle CV joints were bad at 60K miles!. MB is installing a new windshield and two new complete axle axle assemblies with all new gaskets/seals, swipe seals, and bearing washers. It's taking a dealer tech three full days to R&R the front axles alone! This must be costing MB a pretty penny and without the CPO warranty, it would be costing me a fortune! Sure glad I did it.
Did you ever pull a Carfax report on the truck? Any reason why CV joints should fail so soon? This can't be normal for a $125K military derivative.
I still don't have my truck back yet. The tech found that there was excessive bearing play in the front/rear transfer case bearings, so they replaced it. Whole new TC and and shifter motor! I asked the tech to inspect the driveshafts while the were disconnected from the TC and viola, the rear driveshaft's U-joints were seized. Unfortunately, this is common with the non-greaseable U-joints on the new style shafts. New driveshaft on Monday. They also had to flush/bleed the brakes because there was an air bubble in the lines causing a spongy brake pedal.
Hopefully, that will be it! I will post the total if I can get if from them.
I still don't have my truck back yet. The tech found that there was excessive bearing play in the front/rear transfer case bearings, so they replaced it. Whole new TC and and shifter motor! I asked the tech to inspect the driveshafts while the were disconnected from the TC and viola, the rear driveshaft's U-joints were seized. Unfortunately, this is common with the non-greaseable U-joints on the new style shafts. New driveshaft on Monday. They also had to flush/bleed the brakes because there was an air bubble in the lines causing a spongy brake pedal.
Hopefully, that will be it! I will post the total if I can get if from them.
By the time they're done, you'll be entitled to "Certified Re-manufactured" status.
New front axle shafts & CV joints, all new seals, left & right - CV boots ruptured on both sides
New transfer case w/ shifter motor - excessive output bearing play
New rear drive shaft.- U-joints seized
New engine mounts - one side cracked
New transmission torque converter - judder on lock-up
New master cylinder.- seals leaking
Road force tire balance - the ubiquitous G tire balance sensitivity
New rear wiper - it was shot so I had them replace it
Total cost to MB: $18K+
Total cost to me: $236 (balance and wiper)
My G is now as smooth as a baby's bottom! The dealer did an outstanding job! And all of the usual G failure items have been taken care of. I should be good for many more miles.
I've never bought a CPO vehicle (haven't bought a used vehicle in 40+ years), but based on your experience, it seems to be nothing more than a gimmick to lure a buyer into paying top dollar for a vehicle that's inferred to be professionally inspected by a certified mechanic. A dealer that doesn't even replace a trashed out rear wiper that he procures for $5 wholesale clearly did zero service to the truck before running it through the car wash and pasting the CPO label in the window (adjacent to the "Sold As Is - No Warranty" sticker, no doubt). The cooperation you received from the dealer in providing $18K in repairs makes it apparent that the CPO Warranty you purchased was being underwritten by someone else. Any dealer that had to write a check that large to a customer would yet be on suicide watch.
I've never bought a CPO vehicle (haven't bought a used vehicle in 40+ years), but based on your experience, it seems to be nothing more than a gimmick to lure a buyer into paying top dollar for a vehicle that's inferred to be professionally inspected by a certified mechanic. A dealer that doesn't even replace a trashed out rear wiper that he procures for $5 wholesale clearly did zero service to the truck before running it through the car wash and pasting the CPO label in the window (adjacent to the "Sold As Is - No Warranty" sticker, no doubt). The cooperation you received from the dealer in providing $18K in repairs makes it apparent that the CPO Warranty you purchased was being underwritten by someone else. Any dealer that had to write a check that large to a customer would yet be on suicide watch.
CPO is almost always a manufacturer warranty. MB didn't anticipate this car to have that many issues this early. OP must've had some sort of bad luck for his car to poop out like that, good thing he had the CPO.
CPO is almost always a manufacturer warranty. MB didn't anticipate this car to have that many issues this early. OP must've had some sort of bad luck for his car to poop out like that, good thing he had the CPO.
How does a PO vehicle become a CPO vehicle, and what does the manufacturer's CPO warranty state?
I've never bought a CPO vehicle (haven't bought a used vehicle in 40+ years), but based on your experience, it seems to be nothing more than a gimmick to lure a buyer into paying top dollar for a vehicle that's inferred to be professionally inspected by a certified mechanic. A dealer that doesn't even replace a trashed out rear wiper that he procures for $5 wholesale clearly did zero service to the truck before running it through the car wash and pasting the CPO label in the window (adjacent to the "Sold As Is - No Warranty" sticker, no doubt). The cooperation you received from the dealer in providing $18K in repairs makes it apparent that the CPO Warranty you purchased was being underwritten by someone else. Any dealer that had to write a check that large to a customer would yet be on suicide watch.
This entire episode was under written by Mother Benz herself. I know there are mileage/age requirements and a required inspection for MB CPO, but I do not know the details. Some of these issues should have been caught (like the broken CV boots and the torque convert judder) and some are only inspectable upon disassembly (like the driveshaft U-joints). All of them are common G failure points so I'm glad they were addressed under the warranty.
This entire episode was under written by Mother Benz herself. I know there are mileage/age requirements and a required inspection for MB CPO, but I do not know the details. Some of these issues should have been caught (like the broken CV boots and the torque convert judder) and some are only inspectable upon disassembly (like the driveshaft U-joints). All of them are common G failure points so I'm glad they were addressed under the warranty.
What's the duration of the CPO warranty and what are the CPO extended warranty options?
Update: I got the check brake wear message and knew it had to be the rear brakes and the fronts were new from the CPO process. So I ordered the parts through the MBUSA/Revolution Parts online discount program (got a hell of deal on the pads because of a pricing error). When they came in, I put the G up on the lift and the horror story revealed itself. Three out of four pad linings were cracked with three at 50% and one at 5%. Two sets of pads were frozen in the carrier on the left side so I had to bang them out with a hammer. I was worried about breaking the carrier! And a caliper slide pin was frozen on the right side so only the inner pad was making contact with the rotor. Effectively I was braking on only one pad in the rear! I managed to get everything cleaned up and fully functional and now my braking is 100% better.
Unfortunately my lift suffered a malfunction and experienced an erection lasting longer than four hours. I eventually managed to get it to release and get the G off the lift.
Again, I am disappointed that this was missed as part of the CPO inspection process.
Last edited by Floobydust; Apr 18, 2021 at 10:01 AM.
Again, I am disappointed that this was missed as part of the CPO inspection process.
I admire your self control -- I'd be as mean and angry as a hornet about this. I've done only about 6 brake jobs in my life, but I've never seen or previously heard of cracked pads like yours.
Is your extended CPO warranty now expired?
Attached (for everyone's information) is MBUSA's inspection checklist for CPO vehicles. I think the dealer's mechanic was out on holiday when your G was put on the front lot.
This must be infuriating. but its done and you just got to look at the big picture. Glad nothing untoward happened and the brake pads are peanuts anyway.
I admire your self control -- I'd be as mean and angry as a hornet about this. I've done only about 6 brake jobs in my life, but I've never seen or previously heard of cracked pads like yours.
Is your extended CPO warranty now expired?
Attached (for everyone's information) is MBUSA's inspection checklist for CPO vehicles. I think the dealer's mechanic was out on holiday when your G was put on the front lot.
I've done many a brake job and over the years and I have seen one or two cracked linings in that time, but never this many on one car! Even though I enjoyed getting my hands dirty on a G again, I am a little miffed that it wasn't caught at the CPO inspection. The 5% (which may have been 10 - 15% at the time) pad should have triggered a rear brake job.
Serious bonding defects there. I'd be more worried about the pad quality of the replacements. There are a few high quality pad manufacturers like Cobalt and Federo that won't fail like that since they are bonded and riveted. I think even Raybestos could do better.
I'd say the vehicle had an extremely abusive life - goes to show you even CPO designation means little.
I grew up back east where northern states throw rock salt on the winter roads as if it's confetti on New Year's Eve. The rust, corrosion and disintegration this causes to automobiles is incredible. If I still lived there I'd be doing 3 year leases on a Kia and be leaving the problems to someone else. It would be tough leaving a G parked in a garage for half the year.
Call me crazy, but these brake pads look like they got wet, rotors rusted a bit, and the pads stuck to the rotors slightly. Maybe the previous owner or the dealer who had it for sale washed it all the time and didn't drive it afterward to dry off the rotors.
Call me crazy, but these brake pads look like they got wet, rotors rusted a bit, and the pads stuck to the rotors slightly. Maybe the previous owner or the dealer who had it for sale washed it all the time and didn't drive it afterward to dry off the rotors.
Water will create an oxide layer on steel that tends to protect the metal against further oxidation. Saltwater causes the steel to disintegrate. With brake pads, there could even be an electro-chemical effect taking place due to charge buildup with friction. The photos look as if there is corrosion on the pad bonding surface. With the metal plates falling apart, it's no wonder the pads cracked. The previous owner would have better off had he washed it all the time with fresh water.
See https://www.materialsperformance.com...e-pad-failures for a detailed discussion.
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