WillieMack

New here just purchased CPO 2014 ML350 with 48,000 miles. Solid vehicle!

Have the opportunity to purchase 2 year unlimited mile Mercedes ELW for $2475 which picks up after the CPO runs out.

Would you recommend the warranty or is the ML pretty trouble free? Would this be money well spent?

Thanks!

The G Man

Extended warranties are design to make money for the insurer, for the owner, you can sleep better at night knowing you are still under warranty. How much is that worth to you? Have you consider putting that $2500 in the bank and self insure?

peter2772000

We ponied up $3k USD to add another 3 yrs to the Beemer warranty coverage even though the truck sits in a garage in Florida for 8-9 months a year.


Personally, it gives me piece of mind, but I doubt that my decision would have made me Forbes magazine "Investor of the Year"

Barry45RPM

There is no real repair that can be done on an MB for $2500. Get the Warranty. An A/C evaporator installed in a Benz is $4400!

The G Man

If that were true that all Mercedes will have repair exceeding $2500, all extended warranty companies would be out of business or the cost of the extended warranty will be much higher. The truth is that most Mercedes do not have repair exceeding $2500, that is what keep the lights on in these insurance companies.

WillieMack

Thank you all for the replies.

Of course, an extended warranty on a Toyota Camry would be a waste of money, however a Benz is a different animal and this is my time owning Mercedes. But I am not new to German cars. However, I am trying to make my decision based on probability that I will spend more than $2500 in two years. Are the ML350's known for having multiple failures of electrical components at a high rate when the car gets to the 5-7 year mark? Or are they pretty solid vehicles that can last with routine maintenance and replacing typical wear and tear items?

Fortunately, it doesn't have air matic, which is a very expensive ticket item where a warranty is worth it (I come from Audi A8 with air suspension).

What items are common to fail? Transmission, oil leaks, sensors, power lift gate, Command navi system, Harman Kardon amp, suspension parts, AC etc?

Fortunately, I bought a CPO car with 48,000 miles and my model year is a 2014. CPO gives you an additional year of warranty unlimited miles after your 4 year 50k factory warranty runs out. Build date on my ML was 9/2014 so CPO warranty should take me 9/2019. Is that good enough warranty or should I spend the extra $2500 to extend it an extra 2 years to 9/2021 unlimited miles?

And of course, after warranty I would take it to an Indy shop for repairs instead of dealer.

Thanks

The G Man

According to many surveys, Mercedes is the most reliable brand out of the German big three luxury car makers. Having owned all three, I can attest to that. As far as the probability that you will spend more than $2500 in two years, the insurance companies have already done that for you, that's how they set their rate. The powertrain on the ML350 is pretty solid, no turbo and the ZF transmission is pretty reliable. German electronics is not as reliable as the Japanese, but they have come a long way. Oil leaks and sensor failures, all cars have them, rather its Japanese or German. At the end of the day, it is what makes you sleep better at night.

Barry45RPM

Almost every single Mercedes operated in the USA is leased. There is a reason for that. Nothing rides like a German car, but 6-8 years is the usual limit to afford to be able to maintain one. That is why you can explain the success of Lexus, which is pretty much a loaded Toyota. They are long term keepers. But everyone has their opinion. I love a Benz but it is a luxury way to go. They are not cheap to keep.

The G Man

There is some truth to that, people tend to buy more reliable cars if they want to run it to the ground, but there is more to the high percentage of lease German luxury sedans than just unreliability, great lease deals and business model comes to mind, by the way, only 67% of Mercedes are leased. The success of Lexus is their low price point and customer service, the reliability rate between Lexus and Mercedes are not that far apart. To the first time luxury car buyer, Lexus offer what they are looking for, a dealership that will kiss their butt, a cheaper price point and the perceive large gap in reliability due to Lexus marketing. In my opinion, it will be expensive to maintain any modern cars with all its electronic for more than 7 or 8 years, Japanese or German.

nookie

This a Bluetec?

If you have CPO a lot is covered already regardless.
If you're keeping it forever get ELW.

Don't forget- most MB dealers will look at maintenance history VERY VERY closely to dodge any warranty claim when it goes south- so keep maintenance/records in good order.

WillieMack

It is funny you mention Lexus reliability. I had a GS430 with multiple issues such as failing Mark Levinson amp, door lock actuators, window motors, engine knock sensors, oxygen sensors, lower ball joints (common problem) and other little nagging headaches.

WillieMack

This is not a Bluetec. Gas V6

The G Man

I also had a 2008 GS350 which was the most unreliable car I have ever owned. It was in the shop for 6 weeks within the first year with different problems and Lexus refuse to lemon it. There was a severe dash board rattle that Lexus attempt to fix 4 times with no avail. There was also a intermittent starting problem as well as a window regulator problem. The latest J D Power 3 year reliability survey show Lexus on top with 110 problems per 100 owners within 3 years, Mercedes has 131 problem. The gap is closing, I remember in the old day, German cars use to double the number of problem when compare to Japanese cars.

mustbebenz

Price shop it from the discounters search this site to find lists, CPO has unlimited miles so that might sway you if you drive lots. CPO extensions fully refundable before use if change mind, but you'll lose chance to buy it real soon.
(MB ELW not apply to CPO cars, BTW.)

The G Man

Is the refund prorated from day one like all the other extended warranties?

mustbebenz

If prior to start time of the extension, it's a full refund. I can't recall what if after the period begins, but it's a no-brainer to park the money on the CPO +2 now even if you might sell/trade prior to the period beginning given the full refund provision. Hell, if your initial years of basic warranty and standard CPO prove out that your car has no issues, you may cancel the +2 before the end of the standard 1 year CPO and then simply bank the full refund sum as your self-insurance for years 6 and 7 if you're a gambler and plan to hold it longer. Keep in mind that CPO transfers, IIRC, so it can facilitate a sale (as a differentiating factor and decision helper, not necessarily a price hiker) should you sell your car during the extension period.

Krecko

I talked with both Endurance and CarChex and a full coverage warranty is over $5000 for a 2014 ML350 with 48K miles. The auto broker (not MB) I bought the car from offered also the same warranty for just over $3000. So that blows the whole,"Don't buy from your Autoseller"

kombifan

Try troy from fdwarranty dirext. He sells fidelity plans.