I have a 2021 AMG GLE53 Coupe with 11,000 miles on it. It is not a daily driver. The warranty will expire in August and an ELW will run me around $5k. Would you keep the car and buy the warranty or trade it in on a 2025 model? There are positives and negatives to both... just curious to hear opinions.

Thanks,

C

 

Personally, I'd keep it. I don't think the facelift is worth the upgrade, even more so because you have such a low mileage GLE. I would also get Fidelity Platinum instead of ELW. While I've never made a Fidelity claim, I've read about many happy customers and very few unhappy customers. You might find more happy customers over on rennlist.com; that's where I first read about it when I was cross-shopping a Cayenne with the GLE a few years ago.

If you still decide to go with ELW, contact Jeff Jackson of https://www.mblouisville.com/dealership/staff.htm. He gives the best prices. If you decide to go with Fidelity then @Highline-Autos.com is the way to go.

 

Who is the $5k warranty seller/insurer and what level of coverage is included?

 

Well the warranty that seems to be endorsed on this forum is through Fidelity. And I have already posted questions about that warranty. Trenton has been great in answering them but I am still hesitant based on two factors. One, when I research the warranty I see very mixed reviews and a BBB rating of B. Two, they have conflicting language in their contract which Trenton has tried to clarify but what is in the contract is what will hold in court.

So the safe bet would be the Mercedes ELW but I haven't yet decided.

C

 

ELW is an extension of the factory warranty with few exclusions, and I assume you've been pleased with it for four years. My wife had that on her 2018 GLC. Under ELW she had one repair, an oil leak, covered in full. That would have cost 2K. She bought the extension two years before that from J Jackson. The cost was 2.1K

 

I was faced with the same decision in March when my 2021 warranty expired. Mine is a daily driver and I have about 45,000 mi now.
I kept my 53 SUV.

After consulting with my service manager (not an online forum) I decided to buy the Fidelity Platinum service policy (it's not a "warranty") for 4 years 48,000 mi, at just under $3,900.
I bought it through my dealership F&I department and it was $12 more than Highline Autos, Jeff. I got quotes from both but didn't divulge Jeff's quote to my dealership. I thought the $12 was worth it because I actually knew the person.

In addition to the obvious bonus of "it's paid for," I'm glad I made the choice to keep my car instead of "updating."

I already knew that MBUX had been dumbed down and it was less configurable. And I knew the prices had gone up.

But after looking at the configurator for 2025 models, I'm more convinced that I made the correct choice.

I don't like the way the options are packaged.
Going through the options list and buying (almost) the same options as my 2021, My $100,000 AMG 53 would be over $120,000. Yikes.

There are options I'm forced to take that I don't want, and there's others that aren't available any longer. You can't even get the Big Red Brakes anymore.

My current value is approximately 50% of my original cost, which is better than expected, and an acceptable level of depreciation.

Before I made my decision, I also cross shopped Cayennes, but I don't particularly like their engine lineup anymore. They have eschewed buttons and switches for capacitive touch goofiness, and their prices are even higher.

At 4 years, my interior is still immaculate, but my ceramic coating is starting to give up. So I might just get a full polish and ceramic renew, and keep my car towards the 100,000 mile point, as I have done with my cars in the past.

Hope this helps.

 

I probably would have purchased the MB ELW but it does max out at an additional 3yrs where Fidelity offers 7yrs. The downside of fidelity is that the policy starts the day you buy it. My original warranty ended in a Feb and I purchased fidelity in Dec (just a couple months before factory would expire) to avoid the annual price increase (I think it was around $500), so I had a couple of months overlapping.
​​​​​​

 

@PeterUbers has a number of links to the positive Fidelity experiences members here on MB World have shared.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

Check this link out:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...fixes-diy.html

you'll find posts in this sticky on warranty coverage (look for Fidelity, extended warranty, rms) for the RMS issue on the m177 platform vehicles - a hefty $5000-8000 repair that Fidelity handily covers time and time again. I've seen many positive fidelity stories on this forum and there are several posts about these including within this thread also:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...fail-club.html

Additionally of note: Trenton @Highline-Autos.com has been a tremendous asset to the forum and to his clients regarding the fidelity product he sells and supports after the initial sale of the warranty.

Buy Fidelity from Trenton with confidence

I have never bought anything from Trenton and don't carry a Fidelity warranty on any of my cars. I have no stake in the game other than my observations that I am reporting.

 

You forgot to mention ARC, that is not something you can easily get anymore I heard. Imagine a sporty vehicle like the GLE 53 with a more compliant ride of a GLE 450 in comfort, that is the power of ARC.

 

AMG ARC is now available as a stand-alone option for around $2,500. That's part of my options packaging Comment above. It now looks like most of the dynamic plus package, DPP+, originally about $5,000, which included ARC and quite a bit more, can be had separately but at greater expense than the previous package. But Big Red Brakes are NA.

Also, in order to get what used to be included in the top Napa leather with diamond stitching package, nearly $5,000, looks like it requires a $10,000 Manufaktur package. For that money, it looks like they've included a Manufaktur logo on the headrests.

I don't want the fragrance package because it takes up too much glove box space, and 3D Burmester is gone.

In all cases, I hope Tire manufacturers come up with better selections for our staggered 21-in wheels. And 22s.

 

It’s too bad the air balance option is a part of a package and can’t really unoption it.

Re: Tire selection is why I went with smaller 20” wheels. Much prefer the 22’s, but for a daily, didn’t want to run around town trying to find Michelins that work for me.

 

It is rare though right? I mean you can't find much actual stock at the dealership optioned with it?

 

I understand the MANUFAKTUR program opens up so much stuff if you go further you choose custom colours, I guess sort of like porsche's paint to sample.

 

It's rare, although I think it's standard on a 63s.
The guy who orders cars for stock says the "take rate" is low for ARC, so he doesn't order them. Kind of a negative feedback loop. But his color selections are very nice.

OTOH my Porsche dealer is an enthusiast, and orders cars that match my criteria. That's the only dealer I know that does that.
They almost always had a 918 Spyder in stock, and their clientele flew in from everywhere. I think they were the #1 918 Dealer in the country.
They are one of few Porsche Classic Centers, and there's usually several vintage cars under restoration.
You should see their used car showroom. Italian Supercars, McClarens, and the only Porsche GT I've ever seen that wasn't on Jay Leno's Garage.
Fun store. Super Service. Colorado Springs.

 

Great : ( sort of like MBC on the W222 is rare, not because it is a disliked feature, it is because customers can't experience it to determine if they like it or not especially if they like to buy from dealership stock.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience with porsche, I am glad to hear they treat you how you should be treated as, a loyal customer. We need more dealerships like these.