MBProS320

My 2003 S500 is going for service next Wednesday the 10th, and my 4yr/50K warranty ends on the 14th! So, since this is my last service that can cover parts under warranty, can anybody give me tips on getting a proper last service?

Anything in particluar I should have checked. Car needs break work done, which will not be covered under warranty, but otherwise, after 40K miles, running strong with not a single other problem.

whoover

I'd ask the service advisor to check things over with a fine-tooth comb. They may want to charge you a couple of hours for diagnostic time, which I would consider a good investment. They will find anything that's findable because they get reimbursed for any warranty work they do.

Was there really a gold rush in 1949?

s55toyy

You should get a longer warranty or sell it.
Do not keep it out of warranty.

Mark_K

Ditto!!!!!!!

blackE55

Get rid of it? Gotta pay to play...

Just do as "whooever" advised. Then look into aftermarket warranties the dealer offers and shop some different dealers.

MBProS320

Thanks for the advice everybody. I contacted an auto warranty broker, and they came back to me with a great extended warranty plan this morning.

-Additional 3yrs, or 75K miles on odometer
-$100 deductible
-Covers everything from wear & tear, seals & gaskets, towing, rental car, road-side assistance, and full parts and labor.

Plus, the company pays the dealership directly using the corporate credit card, so no need of reimbursements and all that crud. The lady said she has cheaper plans with a few less features, but its a Benz... anything can happen, and when it does, what a price tag!

If anybody has other suggestions on specifics to be checked, pleae fill me in.

Thanks.

P.S. There was a gold rush in California in 1949...hence the footbal team name, San Fran. 49ers.

s55toyy

If you are going to keep it get the Starmark From MB do not trust a third party Company. You will only be caught in the middle plus alot of them go out of buisness.

Pay to play is buying a new one every year or so not driving it into the ground

whoover

Go Niners!

But they were named for the 1849 gold rush, not the 1949 one.

whoover

Starmark is only for cars that the dealer sell used. MB also has an extended warranty for cars they sell new, but you have to buy it within the first year.

s55toyy

I thought that a Dealer could starmark it to the Original owner for a fee?
If not I would try and work with your dealer for a warranty plan that they support.

MBProS320

1849 actually sounds right... Copied the quote from my cousins email.

I'm going to the dealership tomorrow to see the rep regarding the extended warranty, but I have a feeling I'm going to walk out with a new car. Im in the slow season for my business, so it'll be a tough decision, but if I do walk out with a new car, it'll be my first v12!

Will keep you guys updated, thanks for the advice.

s55toyy

Not worth the 145k
If you must buy one stay away from the v12 always loss the most value, and hard to sell used. Good luck!

blackE55

Go for it, it'll spank an S55. Who cares about resale, have fun!

s55toyy

I guess if you only have one car and need it to do everything So So, then that is a way to look at it. The s55 gets driven for everyday getting around and is plenty good enough for that job. As far as racing it, it does very little to get the blood boiling, Sorry.

whoover

There is nothing like it. The driving experience is totally different. The effortless power delivery makes the V-8 seem crude. Yes, it'll spank any V-8, but the way it drives puts a smile on your face at any speed. The much better interior of the V-12s is icing, but baby-butt leather and wood, with no plastic to be seen, is worth another grin or two.

The main problem is getting ruined for anything else. I used to love my wife's C55, but now I hate bringing that car to redline because it feels like the engine's going to fly apart. In the S65 you can't feel any vibration even at redline. You can cruise at 80 in second and nobody in the car has any idea you're not in fifth.

tmushy

hmm is there supposed to be a deductible with starmark? I had some things wrong with my car and they fixed it with no deductible. Was valued at $2000 in damage I think

JAM

I hear ya and agree. Had a 97 SL600, incredible engine. Working on picking my next V12 right now. Really miss that engine. Benz makes awesome engines, but there is nothing like the V12.

JAM

$0 deductible with Starmark and Benz CPO warranty.

Arnie

Try warrantydirect.com. I've heard that they are very good.

Mark_K

I thought that the only warranty you can get from MB now is the CPO. They dont offer the Starmark anymore. Did CPO replace Starmark? I have the CPO.

wizkid

May I ask why so many people are for trading the car in? It seems overwhelming from the posts above that keeping a 2003 S500 around would be insane if it were not in warranty.

Are they that bad? Not flaming but I want to pick up a 2003 or 2004 in a year or so and I am trying to do my homework now. I thought the 03's and up were good to go?

whoover

Keeping a 2003 S500 around would be insane if it were not in warranty.

Things break on these cars, and they're ungodly expensive to fix. Things are very complicated to diagnose, parts cost a fortune and labor rates are astronomical. A slipping transmission can cost $8,000 to fix, a dead battery can be $2,000, an intermittant heater blower can be $1,500. These things happen.

wizkid

Are 2004 and up models this way too? So this is par for the course with the S class?

Wow, you make it sound like the build quality is worse than the C class and I didn't think that was possible.

$2000 for a battery. They must have McGyver doing their diagnoisis.

whoover

I have heard enough stories confirming that even late-model 220s suffer from many of the electrical and other problems that were logged on early ones to be wary. Don't get me wrong -- I love the car. I just bought a new one, but wouldn't consider one without a warranty.

The $2,000 dead battery (S55) was a bad mirror control module taking out a seat control module taking out the rear SAM, which prevented the CAN-B bus from going to sleep when the key was removed, which drained the battery. Apprarently this was fairly common. I think part of their "fix" involved deleting the parking mirror-dip feature in 2006. Gimme a break. On warranty, these episodes are kind of fun. Yes, you have to drive a loaner instead of your beast, but when you realize how much the factory is paying the dealer for the repair it feels like you've won the lottery. Without the warranty it's tragic.