Greetings this is my second post and forgive me if I'm in the wrong area. This is not model specific, but more a general discussion on CPO worth it or not and my general distaste for it, now that I went with it. I send this to MB USA via their website.

"I've always been skeptical of CPO vehicles and paying the extra dollars for having them "certified". It seems as though Mercedes adds a premium to the price of about $2k and adds a year of warranty, and if the customer doesn't have $2k of work done, MB wins the hedge.

I've always thought the 150+ or 300 point inspection or whatever they tout is a sham. My thoughts were confirmed when we brought home our CPO GLE 350 and the Drivers side Mirror would not retract as there is a separated and cracked piece of plastic on it preventing proper operation. Seems like this would get noticed during the "multipoint inspection".
I've owned almost every luxury car brand and this is my first Mercedes. The first week of ownership hasn't been great."

What do you all think about the CPO and the multi point inspection they are so proud of? Do you think they really go over it, like they say? I'm sure this is dealer dependent as well.

Please chime in
Thanks
CJWolverine

 

I've owned three CPO BMWs and am currently driving my first CPO MB. In my experience, the highly-touted "multi-point inspection" has consistently been a sham. All of my cars have had issues - some minor, some not so minor - that should have been detected during the certification process.

When I was shopping for my current vehicle, I first purchased a very similar model from a different dealer. When I was going over the car with the salesperson, I noticed what appeared to be overspray on the upper edge of the front grille. The salesperson assured me that it was just something in the air from a nearby business that had landed on the car, and that it would come off. I was highly skeptical, but because it was certified, I went against my better judgement and bought the car. When I got it home, I performed a more detailed inspection of my own and discovered tape lines which clearly showed that the entire hood had been repainted. I called the dealership and informed them of what I'd found and they asserted that previous body damage did not automatically disqualify a vehicle for certification. I disagreed and advised them that I would be returning the car immediately for a full refund. They tried to tell me that I would have to pay them for paintless dent removal which they had already performed on a very small ding in the hood of my trade-in BMW, but I refused on the grounds that they shouldn't have done any work on the trade-in until the 5-day money back guarantee period had passed. In the end, they took the car back and I received a full refund.

The only thing that certification does is extend the warranty, so that the dealer has to fix anything you discover (assuming it's an issue that's covered by the CPO warranty). There is very little, if any, actual inspection.

 

All depends on the dealership.
Some are better then others.
and some perform th CPO better then others.

Also negotiate a better price on used car so CPO does nto cost $2000K.

Mine was practically free with the car I bought but all deals are different.

 

Buyer beware on this one.. mine has been a headache since I bought it.

1) The adaptive high beam camera blocked message came up as I drove it out of town (bought in Illinois, drove to Georgia via Ohio). Went to dealer in Ohio who couldn't diagnose right away and said take it to Georgia. Also had a tire replaced w/ 250 miles on it Dealer fixed the issue in Georgia - camera installed incorrectly. Also misdiagnosed a couple rattles - changed the dash cover but more rattles. Also, dealer scratched my driver door while it was there.
2) Backup sensors were not working. It took a new bumper and re-calibration by the bodyshop to get them working properly
3) Rearview mirror rattling like crazy. Had replaced, now garage doesn't program. Taking back on Friday.
4) Driver seat cushion / bladder appears busted. taking it in Friday.
5) Interior trim around cupholders flaking - replaced by warranty
6) Dash cover was replaced 2x already now.
7) Remote start doesn't work all the time- passenger rear window rolls down slightly by itself at random times which disables the ability to remote start. Tried resetting, but it works a couple days and returns.

Granted, I saved a big $ buying CPO vs new, but man - I haven't kept the car in my possession for an entire week since I got it back at the end of Nov.

 

I feel your pain. While mechanically sound, my car has had an array of minor nuisance issues since day one. To make matters worse, every time I pick it up from the dealer, I discover something they damaged while they had it. So far, the dealer has replaced the chrome door sill plates three times because they dented and scratched them; they've replaced various plastic trim parts (both interior and under the hood) that they damaged by prying on them with inappropriate tools; they got black grease all over the rear floor mats, and although they said replacements were ordered, it's been about a year now and they still haven't come in; they've refinished one of my rims because they scraped it badly on a curb; they've replaced the headliner because they got black fingerprints on it that wouldn't come off; and the list goes on.

The single most annoying thing about my car is a vibration/rattle in the roof that has occurred repeatedly since I bought it. The car has been in and out of the service department countless times over the last two years and they still haven't managed to fix it. Right now, it has been there for six consecutive weeks, and this is the third time they've had it for such an extended period.

 

Hopefully mine doesn't follow the same suit.. the local dealer here in Savannah GA (Critz) scratched my door and wouldn't cover the actual cost for me to get it repaired myself vs. at their buddies shop who would do it cheaper. Not planning to go back there. Thankfully, Hilton head Mercedes has been pleasant to deal with and they seem to react quickly and well. Will see how this current visit goes.

 

I've been shopping for a 2-3-year-old wagon, and I've noticed that several are missing the cargo area covers. Those are standard equipment, but MB USA responded to me that they're not directly addressed by the CPO inspection, so it'd be between me and the dealers to negotiate over the cover ($1000+ part). If the CPO program can't make the pretty basic guarantee that vehicles will include all standard equipment, I really fail to see the value of it. If dealers can potentially strip the car of parts that aren't specifically on the inspection, I'm pretty much still in the Wild West market of private-party sales and non-MB lots.

Here's what MB USA wrote:

 

Exactly. It's an extended warranty and no more. If any missing equipment, malfunction, or damage is present on the car they're "certifying", they will ignore it (unless it's painfully obvious) and hope you don't discover the shortcomings until it's too late, so they don't have to pay to fix it.

 

That's the impression I'm getting: all marketing schtick with nothing beyond the dealer's reputation and a 12-month warranty behind it.

Mercedes is saying that, even if you do catch any missing equipment, they're under no obligation to provide it. Say you close on a new E450 and the dealer pulls the vehicle around with the passenger seat and hood removed, I think you'd have some sort of recourse (other than just refunding the sale). MB is saying that, with a CPO vehicle, they're under no obligation to give you a seat or hood if those are explicitly not included on the inspection checklist.

After seeing the problems with the program, I'm much more likely to deal with a reputable non-MB dealer if I find a car that otherwise meets my specs. (That said, I want something with at least a few thousand miles and a few months left on the original warranty, and most of those are CPO cars.)

 

I will say that both the BMW and MB dealers have provided me with missing parts that I've reported shortly after purchase (within 24 hours). However, I don't recall ever requesting something as large as a rear cargo cover; I'm talking about parts like wheel center caps, tire valve caps, trunk lining fasteners, and the plastic covers for child seat latches. I did have a BMW dealer install an alarm system on a CPO car that appeared to have one, but turned out to have only the basic wiring. They weren't happy about the idea and it took some pushing on my end, but they eventually did it.