onsight512

My wife and I drove an R a few days ago for the first time. We were both impressed. We have two young kids and a couple of dogs and have been looking at some different wagons and suv's. Up until we drove the R the Volvo V70 was the front runner in our search. Well, as you folks can probably imagine, that has all changed.

I'm wondering a few things at this point, but my first question is whatare the ongoing maintenence costs like? This will be our first MB. Our vehicles tend to stay in the famil for a long time, so I can forsee our R clocking a lot of miles over the next decade.

If it matters, we are thinking of an '06 R500. It will be primarily driven by me wife (stay at home mom). Aside from errands around town, it will probably see two or three short road trips per year (<500 miles). Total miles per year ought to be something like 8000.

Is the extended warranty good for 100k miles total, or 100k miles from when you purchase the vehicle?

Thanks,
Chris

aggst1

I have a 2006 R500 and I am very happy with it. It is primarily driven by my wife for a few miles per day on average and on family trips throughout the year. This is the second Benz I have owned and have had a very good experience with the brand. As you know, parts and repairs are expensive on all Benzes. I have always maintained my vehicles according to schedule and had only minor problems (none yet with my R class). It is key that you maintain the vehicle according to manufacturer recommendations. The maintenance schedules (namely A, B, C etc) are either an oil change (synthetic, about once per 10,000 miles or 1 year) and checking through all components and computer, or all that plus changing of certain filters at certain intervals. The type of service schedule (A, B, C, etc) that the car needs is dictated via the onboard computer through some sort of an algorithm that it follows. I believe the cost for the A maint schedule is around $200, and B is around $320. One would easily say, "what??? $200 for an oil change and inspecting the car" but if you consider that you change the oil about once per year it isn't bad at all.

I bought the extended warranty from Mercedes, so I have an extra 2 years on top of the 4 year manufacturer warranty plus the additional year given to CPO (certified) vehicles, up to 100K miles. Most people agree that the extended warranty is necessary since repairs of certain components can run into thousands. For instance, I was told that the transmission alone costs in excess of $12,000 new. It is highly unlikely that major components will fail, however there are myriads of electric components, motors, and sensors as the car is quite complicated. For about $2300 you can get yourself some peace of mind for a few years, and for everything that goes wrong with it you can send the car to the dealer free of charge inclusive of a loaner car.

The warranty is up to 100K miles total.

It's a good thing you are looking at the R500. The R350 is a bit underpowered IMO for such a large and heavy vehicle. The R500 is very quick, has a lot of torque and when using the paddle shifters to change gears you feel you are actually in a sports car. One thing you absolutely have to look at is the car's service history. Most Rs had various intermittent shifting problems. Mine had them and Mercedes replaced the valve body free of charge of course. If the service history doesn't include anything then either you are lucky or it will show up after you buy it so don't worry.

Good luck to you

onsight512

Thanks for the info. The A, B, and C services don't sound bad at all. I talked to the local dealer about the extended warranty yesterday. He quoted me $2400 for a year past the original four, or $3100 for an additional two on top of the four (all up to 100k miles). Sounds like the way to go. Now all I have to do is find an R500. :-)

thanks again,
Chris

Ted Flynn

My 2008 just turned 40,000 miles. At 40,000 miles they change the "break-in" transmission fluid to synthetic transmission fluid. That service cost about $1000.

It doesn't bother me, because I bought a MB and I'll maintain it by the schedule so I get the MB reliability and longevity.

My car is the diesel and has been perfect up to this point. Just love it.

I hope they keep making them for a long time.

hmp10

Definitely buy the warranty, and buy it through the dealer so you are sure you're getting a warranty the dealer will process for billing without first requiring you to pay and then apply for reimbursement. Also, these warranties are transferrable on a private sale (as opposed to a trade-in), and that can be a big boon in selling an older Mercedes.

I have owned two Mercedes (an SL500 and SL55) and am considering buying an R-class Bluetec for my next hauler. But things do go wrong with the brand (much more frequently than with something such as a Lexus, of which I've also owned two), and the repairs can be astronomical.

Ted Flynn

They wanted $3700 for a warranty from 50,000 to 100,000.

I took a pass on it because I haven't had any issues.

lkchris

A warranty is a method by which you pay in advance for maintenance.

This of course is NOT regular maintenance but instead unusual things.

If the majority of purchasers of warranties came out ahead, the warranty companies would be out of business. Same as insurance.

Put the cost of the warranty in the bank and earn interest on it. It will be there when you need it.

hmp10

I disagree. This is like saying homeowner's insurance is a method by which you pay in advance for home maintenance.

A car warranty is a form of insurance by which your risk of having extraordinary repair costs is pooled with the risks of others. And the rates for reputable car warranties do not generate huge profit margins such as those offered at exhorbitant rates for home appliances by the likes of Sears or Best Buy.

In a car as expensive to repair as a Mercedes, the warranty rates are really quite reasonable. Many quite reasonable people prefer to have a single planned large expense than the risk of innumerable unplanned, uncapped expenses.

During the factory warranty period, my SL55 had two brake-by-wire system failures, two failed hydraulic pumps, a burned out window motor, several sensor failures, a broken transmission shifter lock-out, a leaking air conditioner compressor, and a burned-out seat heater coil which required the entire seat's leather upholstery to be replaced. I paid just over $5,000 to purchase a 4-year extended warranty and would not have driven the car a single day beyond the factory warranty without it. Nor could I have sold the car for what I did without being able to offer the warranty to the buyer.

Also, the warranties sold by the M-B dealers are cancellable by the purchaser, with a pro-rata refund for the unused portion.

Ted Flynn

If the cost of the extended warranty didn't work out for the company, they would up the price or not offer it.

They are gambling on the benefit tilting in their direction. No company stays in business by breaking even.

The extended warranty is not maintenance. Maintenance is maintenance and it sounds like the SL55 had issues which could happen to anyone.

I've had my car since new, maintained it by the book, and gambling that the durability of these cars will keep my repair costs under $3500 for the next 50,000 miles. I haven't had any gremlins and the car has been issue free the whole time.

Extended warranty is a waste of money in my case.

hmp10

And homeowner's insurance and medical insurance is a waste of money if your house isn't damaged or you don't get ill. Yet most prudent people buy both, unless they can absorb very high costs for unexpected events.

Of course the warranty company makes money, just as the issuer of a homeowner's or medical policy makes money. Would you really expect otherwise? And it does not defeat the benefit to the insured.

You can be sure the purchase price of a new car includes the costs the manufacturer expects to incur in warranty repairs during the period of the factory warranty. An extended warranty simply carries that concept beyond the initial warranty period.

You seem really not to grasp the concept of pooling risk, so I doubt if any insurance product is right for you.

Ted Flynn

Now wait - we're all on the same team here. Helping each other with our Mercedes related issues. You're judgement on what I grasp and not grasp cannot be based on 5 sentences - so throttle back turbo.

Homeowner's insurance and medical insurance can run beyond a person's checkbook and earning potential.

A repair on a car has limits. I'm pretty sure that if my car had issues like the SL55, I'd trade it in on another vehicle before repairs are made. There you go - a cap that is within my reach.

The costs I have with the purchase of a new vehicle are the car company's risk that the car will be okay. After I've run that car for a while, I will judge if that car is worth keeping. Just like you do with your Lexus and Audi - you judge how it will be based on the time you spend with it.

My concept of pooling risk and the insurance products I buy are right for me. Every business article on extended warranties show they are good for the company and not the consumer.

I wish you luck as you go through life will all your extended warranties.

hmp10

Unfortunately, I do not always buy an extended warranty on a car, as in certain circumstances I understand your logic.

And I just got burned.

I have a 2004 Lexus RX330 that has been problem free. The factory warranty ran out late last year and, as I was thinking about buying an R-class to replace it in the near future, I decided not to purchase an extended warranty -- especially since the car was very low mileage.

But then I began hearing rumors of a major facelift pending for the R-class, so I decided to wait until then to trade to the R-class.

This past Saturday morning, I cranked the Lexus and the warning light for the pneumatic suspension system came on. The car jacked itself up to the tallest position and stayed there, so I drove to the dealer and dropped it off. He called late Saturday afternoon to say they were going to need to spend at least two hours diagnosing the problem (at $175 an hour), but it was likely a failed hydraulic pump motor. The motor costs over $1500, not counting the labor to install it. So the dealer said I was probably looking at a total bill over $2000 to diagnose and fix the problem, and he wanted to know if I even wanted to bother, as the car was driveable.

The car has under 29,000 miles on it. Good luck selling or trading it for a decent price with a malfunctioning suspension system.

This one repair is going to cost almost two-thirds what the extended warranty would have cost, and I won't have the advantage of being able to offer a warranty to a potential buyer of what will be a 6-year-old car by the time I sell it.

The cost of a single system repair on a Mercedes can easily cost as much as a 4-year extended warranty. And the liklihood of having such a system failure on a car that complex in the later years of its service life is not remote.

(By the way, I agree with you entirely on extended warranties for consumer appliances and electronics, where the warranty prices are significant percentages of the original purchase price and the products become quickly outdated, anyway. But there are very, very few problems with Mercedes that do not cost hundreds of dollars to fix, many that cost thousands of dollars, and a few that cost north of $10,000. And, like it or not, Mercedes quality and reliability is not what it once was. I work in a hedge fund and have quite a few colleagues who own the expensive brands. I drive an Audi R8, and our parking garage is a veritable showroom of M-class BMW's, AMG Mercedes, a smattering of Maseratis, and my boss' small fleet of Mercedes and Ferraris. The Mercedes owners have been disproportionately plagued with transmission problems, steering and front suspension problems, and brake-by-wire problems -- all very expensive to repair. Audi takes the prize on electronic problems, though.)

bzliteyear

+1 on the warranty and getting CPO...not worth taking the chance, and the upside/dnside favors having it.
PL

hmp10

I just heard back from the Lexus dealer yesterday. The pneumatic suspension repair is going to cost just over $2300. And he warned me that there was a very small chance that a valve assembly that had to be removed from the pump during the swap out could also break and cost another $1000.

I asked them to give me a quote for an extended warranty. It obviously won't cover this repair, but I'm now regretting not having bought the warranty late last year when the factory warranty ran out.

Due to the car's low mileage, a 4-year extension (issued by Lexus) will cost $2400, and a 3-year extension will cost $1750, with no deductibles. The warranty is transferrable to a private buyer, and it has a pro-rata refund if I cancel it.

Given the liklihood that a complex vehicle is going to see some significant repair costs once it gets several years old, I really don't see why so many people think warranties -- at least those sold on these terms -- are huge consumer rip-offs.

supernsx

For a R class, I would definitely get an extended warranty especially for R-class if you decide to drive two or more years after the factory warranty expired. Don't forget that the shop rate is $150 and up and couple hours with parts can easily set you back big money. Even small things such as Sunroof or air suspension problems will set you back $2-3K easy.

I actually pay significant less than $3700 for my extended warranty from Chrysler and I totally think it is worth it. I would definitely search the MB forum on "extended warranty" and many of the owners share stories on how expensive their repairs are and how extended warranty saves the days for them.

Good luck.

onsight512

Thanks for all of the discussion, folks. When we do buy one we will certainly go with a CPO with an extended warranty.