mikegrr

I'm ordering a new 08 sl550. The price is down because of the new 09's I think. Anyway, I may keep the car past the 4 year/50,000 mile warranty as I put on a lot of miles per year. Do I need an extended warranty? What is the maintaince track record of sl's? They want about $3500 for a 100,000 warranty. i'm trying to figure out if it's worth it. Thanks, Mike

JackStraw

I bought one, but I plan to keep my SL forever. As my car approaches the 4 year mark, I am glad I did. How long do you plan on keeping yours? Also, the price is negotiable, try to get him to knock off 10-20%.

HLG600

An out of warranty Mercedes can require some nerve-racking repair costs, especially as the mileage climbs. Try to work out a deal with them, and drive it with peace of mind for the next 100K miles.

mikegrr

Thanks for the replys. The $3600 is a reduced price, down from $3900. I do plan to keep the car up to 75000-100000 miles. I'm sure they're expensive to fix, but I'm not sure what commonly goes wrong and what to expect repairs to cost. My current car is a 645 with 93000 miles. I think I just about broke even on the extended warranty, but I don't really know what the cost was of the few things that were covered by the warranty. I didn't need many repairs. Mike

SDSL

A few points that may sound like overgeneralizations but match my experiences and those of many fellow owners and mechanics I've talked to in the last ten years of BMW, Porsche and now Mercedes ownership:

1. Cars driven regularly suffer fewer glitches than garage queens, point being that racking up miles as you do doesn't equate to increase repair costs, just more scheduled maintenance. Furthermore, how and where you drive plays more of a role in repairs than the number of miles accrued. If I drove 75k in the NY metro area I'd be much more inclined to get an extended warranty, than in California.

2. Even cars with decent reliability records require some potentially expensive servicing/repairs at the 60-75K mile mark, and then continue to run reliably for another 60-75k. It would be good to have those covered under warranty, which leads me to...

3. It's difficult to establish a reliability baseline for cars like the R230 or say the 997 Porsche 911 because the majority of these cars have not yet seen high miles. It's clearly just a guess, but I would say the average mileage on all R230s out there is significantly less than 50K.

lovemysl

3. It's difficult to establish a reliability baseline for cars like the R230 or say the 997 Porsche 911 because the majority of these cars have not yet seen high miles. It's clearly just a guess, but I would say the average mileage on all R230s out there is significantly less than 50K.[/QUOTE]

My R230 has 78k miles on it, running strong. I did have the hydrolic pump and the front struts spring a leak. In the shop they also found a few other minor things. $3,500.00 later my SL is fixed. My warranty picked up the tab. It is worth the $$.

AMGNSX996TT

Can you afford not too should something happens (just a matter of time)???

SL2003driver

If you are the original buyer you can buy the extended warranty up until the time your original factory warranty runs out. I am waiting until then to decide if I am keeping my car beyond my warranty.

SSS

Got my 04 SL last year. As soon as the car got home the roof wouldn't open. Took it to the dealership and it was a worn out bearing on the plastic flaps. (which apparently happens often according to the tech) At that point in time my car had 3 months left on factory warranty so it was covered.

Had this problem occured 3 months late, it would have been 1400 out of my pocket for a 'common problem.'

I would get an extended warranty, it's better to be safe than sorry.

mjr24

I took a chance and didn't get an extended warranty. That was risky considering how many problems my CL had.....

That being said, the car has been great. It still looks, feels, drives like new. It has 75k miles on it. I bought it with 30k on the clock in July 2006 so like you I put alot of miles on. I have had two issues since the warranty ran out.....one was a crank position sensor which was stalling my car while driving....cost about $200 (got lucky). My top wouldn't go up and I needed a sensor fixed which was $1k out of pocket. It probably can't hurt to have one....but it seems the SL was made pretty well. That or I have been very lucky.

mikegrr

Thanks for all the varying feedback. I guess I have to decide how long I'm going to keep the car. My last car, a BMW 645 had 93,000 miles. I would definitly get the warranty if it would add to the trade-in value, but I don't think it does. With new models of the BMW and the SL coming out in a few years, it's harder to make a decision. I don't pick up the car till next week, so I still have time to make a deal when I pick it up, if that's possible. Mike

SL2003driver

You don't have to decide until your new car warranty is getting ready to run out. So you have 4 years and or 50K miles. Then go into the dealership and you can buy a Mercedes extended warranty. Yes it may cost you more if you wait but it won't if you don't keep the car past the original warranty period. That is what I will do. I would rather keep my $4K now and "maybe" spend a little more then that if in 4 years I decide to keep my SL550.

kokanee

SL2003 has it right. I have 10k left on the ML63 before I have to decide. I will probably get it as I plan to keep it. The new ones are no better, I've suffered the depreciation, and its a blast to drive.

bnz.

The truth is that ppl on the road don't know ***** what benz you drive, CLK or SL. Both look like Merc to them and it is what that matters to them, believe it or not, but with CLK you have minimum monthly payment, little "maintenance" $$ and same respect as with Sl. Sad but true. Can any one disapprove my statement? - I will pay you 1000 at once, no kidding. Tell me do you really need all those HP of Sl? or ventilated seats? bs, All you need is respect of ppl.. and the thing is that ppl don't have a clue between CLK and SL! What for to spend $$$$$ for SL if you have THE SAME RESULTS with a cheaper model (like CLK), same comfort, and a lot of saved money to spend for Hawaii, your favorite hobby or just a lot of girls? Trust me I know what I am talking about. Just sharing my expierence with you maybe because little drunk today

dunderhi

Many Audi, BMW, & Merc drivers definitely know the difference. Corvette drivers that want to race me know the difference. My co-workers, who could care less about my $70k Merc SUV, know the difference. I know the difference. My butt knows the difference. I found the CLK sport seats in the 550 to be uncomfortable - too tight and lack sufficient adjustments. The CLK's soft top is non-starter for driving into the city. Ventilated seats are a must have for me - I wish my GL had them. It really doesn't matter since they are optional on the CLK. Similiarly equiped, the CLK 550 convertible costs only 27k less (75k vs 102k.)

Steven

I would call other MB dealers to see what they offer for pricing. I have purchased a few extended MB warranties from Herb Gorden in MD, I believe, they discounted the factory MB warranty. My dealer, with whom I have bought a half dozen cars would not discount the extended warranty. They had no problem working on the vehicles under the warranty, though. Also, if you sell the vehicle in the future, it pays big dividends on the resale market, since it is tranferrable. When we sold my wife's ML430, that was the selling point, an extended factory warranty.

SL2003driver

But if you trade it in like most do with high dollar cars it is worthless

Steven

Granted, if you trade it in it is of no value, but it can be pro-rated before you trade it in, especially if it has quite a bit of time left on it. When I bought my warranties, I was only able to purchase it as the original buyer of the vehicle and within the first year of the warranty. MB, I believe has changed the time frame to be able to purchase it while within the still valid original warranty period and/or mileage. My warranties have paid for themselves as the electrical glitches are what eats up repair costs. Rarely are they mechanical.
Just my 2 Cents.

SL2003driver

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New Vehicle Limited Warranty All new Mercedes-Benz vehicles are covered by our New Vehicle Limited Warranty. It covers any defects in material or workmanship for 48 months or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. All you have to do is bring your vehicle into any authorized Mercedes-Benz Dealer, where you'll find expert technicians who know your vehicle inside and out.

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1. Option to purchase coverage after 12 months from the new vehicle delivery date available for Model Year 2005 and newer vehicles. A surcharge will be added to the Suggested Retail Price if purchased after 12 months from the new vehicle delivery date as follows. 13 - 24 months: 10 percent surcharge. 25 - 36 months: 15 percent surcharge. 37 - 48 months: 20 percent surcharge. Restrictions and limitations apply. Extended-warranty products are transferable between the original owner and private purchaser as long as the new vehicle warranty or extended warranty coverage is in effect.