For all considering a used GLS, CPO cars should be your only consideration, or better yet, vehicles still under the factory MB new car warranty. This is most likely a no brainer (even more so for 550’s and 63 AMG’s), however this should be stressed again and again as there is always the temptation of vehicles appearing for sale at non MB dealers cheaper in price, visually clean and perhaps the perfect color combo/options, yet out of factory warranty.

I just purchased a CPO 17 GLS550 with 41,000 miles from a local MB dealer. After this experience, I don’t think that I would purchase any vehicle CPO or not sight unseen or out of state. There were so many things that were not caught on the CPO inspection, and neither did I notice on my test drive.

Things that I discovered after I took delivery of the car:

1. Buzzing rear speakers.
2. Broken rear AC vents
3. Door Rattle in drivers side.
4. Misfire/shaking while idling
5. Leaking drivers side CV axle boot
6. Slight vibration at highway speed.
7. Loose fender trim piece

The dealer is absolutely standing behind this car and is doing everything to get it corrected, even though it is out of factory warranty and some of the fixes are not covered by CPO. Of course there’s an inconvenience of me driving it back and forth to them, however all repairs done are no cost to me. This WOULD NOT be the case if I had purchased this GLS at a non MB dealer not CPO’ed. If there were this many overlooked issues on a CPO car, just think how many unknowns are possibly on a vehicle traded in to a non MB dealer, washed and thrown up for sale?

In the 2 weeks I’ve owned the car the dealer has replaced the rear speakers which still buzzed so they ordered new grilles as well, they duplicated the door rattle to a window switch and ordered a new one, they road forced balanced the tires, replaced the broken AC vents, replaced the entire driver side axle, ordered new fender trim, and proceeded to do new spark plugs and engine mounts for the misfire/vibration.

This has also given me the motivation to extend the CPO warranty by an additional 2 years.

So just because a vehicle is CPO does not mean it will be without issues, however if you purchase from any decent MB dealer, you have a much better chance of getting issues taken care of at no cost to you IF you catch them right after purchase (even things that normally wouldn’t be covered by CPO).

 

Strongly agree with all above.

 

In my experience, the CPO has taken a real hit. MB does not seem to cover issues like it did in the past. My GL is a CPO and I just had to spend around $1k on repairs that, in my mind, should have been covered.

 

Mind sharing what was not covered and you had to pay out of pocket for? Big ticket items like Airmatc, Turbos etc. which CPO does cover makes it worth it imo. But yes, there are some things that aren’t covered which seems like it should. For one, the leaking axle boot was not covered by CPO, but the dealer had to replace it in order for me to pass state inspection.

 

just bought a 2018 cla45 amg with 20k miles on it, CPO 5 days ago. despite the cpo inspection, i found the brakes and rotos needs to be replaced when i had to bring the car in for a state inspection conducted by a MB different than the one from where i bought it. i wrote to the originating dealer of the sale to me, waiting to hear back. hope they do the right thing.

 

If the assessment is true, who cares about the originating dealer, MB must fix it for you, any dealer. No money out of your pocket

That is the whole point of CPO program

 

the mb dealer service shop told me to first contact the mb dealer from where i bought it to make the arrangement for payment. but what you say makes sense.

 

Courtesy call to make it right, so it does not show on the records: they miss the 1000 point inspection

 

What motivation does a dealer have cheapening out on a CPO vehicle? Isn’t it true MB pays for the repairs to get a vehicle up to CPO standards and not the dealer?
Brakes and tires are a biggie. Even some of the worst CPO vehicles I’ve seen they’ve always thrown on a set of tires and at least some pads front and/or rear. It’s easy to get by on an excuse of "hey we accidentally overlooked this oil leak or door lock motor", however brakes and tires are based on clear minimum measurements of the MB certification checklist. If they actually provided you a signed CPO checklist (which they should have) then that’s fraud.

 

I avoided being so blunt, but I agree with you 1000%

That is what I meant by a courtesy call from a fellow stealership: get it fixed idiot, or someone may come after you, either MB or a customer's lawyer.

 

I would even have the 2nd party dealer CPO re-inspect the whole vehicle. If the first dealer missed brakes and tires which are visual, what else did they miss that is not? My take is MB takes their CPO program seriously by having that standardized checklist which is binding. Of course some things are open to interpretation they can fight you on and say "that’s not really covered by CPO" like a slightly worn steering wheel or paint scratch, but brakes and tires are not up for debate. They either fall within spec or don’t. And before going to corporate MB on this, I would first contact that dealers service director and if they are unresponsive, then the GM of the dealership. My take is that they will want to make things right on a falsely certified vehicle before it being escalated to corporate.

 

trying the nice way first. i emailed the dealer this morning, the salesman said he sent it 'immediately' to his manager, but i havent heard back. will wait a few days at most, and then take further action if necessary. trying to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. these times seem to require that much at least.

 

Great attitude and smart approach. I notice more often than not, remaining courteous, calm and considerate even when you could act like a jerk and rightfully so, issues seem to resolve themselves and you leave the situation feeling good.

I dropped my GLS off on a Saturday for issues to be addressed and it was handed to a service advisor on Monday. I felt as if he was not keeping me informed and following up with me enough on the status of my vehicle. Until I drove up to the dealership, finally met him in person, and saw the guy on crutches with a walking boot. He told me he’s slowly returning to work part time and leaves early. My attitude changed, I showed concern for his injury, I wished him well on his recovery and have taken a liking to him as he’s pretty cool and down to earth. And he’s actually gotten some things taken care of for me that shouldn’t have even been covered.

 

I've had to pay for radiator coolant lines - not covered under CPO. Active curve seal failure - not covered under CPO. An oil separator to keep cylinder #4 plug from fouling and triggering the CEL - CPO did not cover. Also had a failure of an air line in the multi-countour seating - CPO did not cover. There were some other items that were eventually covered after I complained to MBUSA. They ended up doing as goodwill. It was a PIA to go back and forth with MB and the dealership. Really have been disappointed in their CPO coverages.

 

CPO covers the really important and expensive staff. New M157 engine alone is more than CPO GL63 to buy. It is very similar to people complaining that medical insurance is bad because of high deductible. 5 days stroke stay is $100K. Hip replacement $45K. Heart attack, cancer, etc. So what is 5-8K deductible against those bills? It is exactly the same with cars and exactly why I buy extended for M157 engined cars with their enormous complexities and costs of replacement "big" ticket parts.

 

Previous MB CPO issues were always covered. Not so much now. Say what you will but it seems to be getting watered down as time goes on.

 

Anyone has experienced with Easycare? Local MB dealer(part of Autonation) recommends it.
thank you,
Bob

 

Mercedes CPO is a bottom of the barrel INCLUSIONARY warranty. The list sounds good until it isn't. Always an out for them to pay. Anything in the grey area gets denied. The best warranties on the market are exclusionary warranties - everything is covered with the exception of what is listed (usually wear and tear items, brakes, windows, damage from accidents, misuses, etc...)