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.......Please give me any advice you can. I probably need some help. My wife has had a bad couple of years with chemo and surgery but she is doing fine now....fingers crossed. One thing she always wanted was a Mercedes SL roadster. We test drove and shopped and read. Financially a new one was not a good fit. And we found a one owner 2017 metallic blue she fell for.... and we bought it. It has a few months of warranty left and less than 40K miles. Is is not a CPO car.
I have owned Corvettes and big SUVs...this is the first car that scares me a little as far as knowing what I have and how to treat and care for it and not break the bank......but you never know how long you have to do things like this and it made her happy...so here we are.
I will probably be around asking questions...... Are there other forums I should explore? This one seems well thought out.
Please help me with any advice you see fit. This car makes her smile so I hope it is something that keeps her smiling. Thank you for any advice.
Prayers for your wife, so hope she wins the fight! I love my blue SL550! One thing about SLs (and I dont know about one with 40k miles) is the scheduled maintenance can get a bit pricey- so be sure and know what you are up against there.
Nothing magic about taking care of a SL. Just have regular maintenance done and enjoy the car. See if you can find a local independent that specializes in German cars. Mine charges in general 1/3rd. less than a dealership and can fix any Mercedes problem with his eyes closed. If you live near a large city find the local Mercedes Club and find out where it’s members prefer to go, either a favorite dealership or independent.
I personally change my own oil, air filters, windshield wipers etc. not because I have to financially but because I enjoy tinkering on my cars.
Last edited by Utopia Texas; 02-17-2020 at 10:09 PM.
SL550 Designo Crystal & Red Interior - SL55 Silver & Black Interior - E550
Originally Posted by Utopia Texas
Welcome to the group!
Nothing magic about taking care of a SL. Just have regular maintenance done and enjoy the car. See if you can find a local independent that specializes in German cars. Mine charges in general 1/3rd. less than a dealership and can fix any Mercedes problem with his eyes closed. If you live near a large city find the local Mercedes Club and find out where it’s members prefer to go, either a favorite dealership or independent.
I personally change my own oil, air filters, windshield wipers etc. not because I have to financially but because I enjoy tinkering on my cars.
Got to agree with Utopia. A German Car Indy is extremely valuable and IMHO actually does better work that the dealership.
It has a few months of warranty left and less than 40K miles. Is is not a CPO car.
Since you have some time left on the original warranty, I'd take it to your local dealer and ask that they check if there are any outstanding recalls or software updates and ask that they check out the car for any other issues that may or may not be covered by warranty. Then you can decide whether to have the non-warranty items fixed by the dealer or an independent.
Be sure to enjoy the ride with the top down and the air scarf active and wind screen, even in cool whether when you'd expect to be uncomfortable driving in a convertible. You'll be surprised how comfortable it is. And yes, prayers and best of care for your wife and for yourself.
me: 2015 SL400 & 2015 ML400; wife: 2022 GLC Coupe kid: 2017 GLC SUV
A neighbor convinced me to buy an extended warranty on my 2015, based on the complexity of the retractable roof alone. Paid about $3800 from a dealer recommended on these forums, cited below. My 40,000 mile Service B was about $900, but I had a $150 coupon that both local dealers were offering (my wife's C-Class 60,000 Service B was over $1400, after a discount!) I'm a 17+ year cancer survivor and a happy willing support person for anyone who needs me, and my thoughts and prayers are with you and her in any event. I love the 2017 SL, and I love SLs in blue. Happy safe motoring!
Thank everybody for their replies. I like the car but it is a little spooky owning it with what a major failure could cost.... I do plan to buy an extended warranty for it. We live in small town in a rural state with a Mercedes dealerhip about one hour away. Chances of there being a qualified Mercedes tech around us are slim, but I intend to ask around. I think I will handle the extended warranty with them because they will be doing the service almost all the time.
I have a question regarding the tires and possible flat tire but I am going to start a new thread so subjects are titled correctly.
Thank everybody for their replies. I like the car but it is a little spooky owning it with what a major failure could cost.... I do plan to buy an extended warranty for it. We live in small town in a rural state with a Mercedes dealerhip about one hour away. Chances of there being a qualified Mercedes tech around us are slim, but I intend to ask around. I think I will handle the extended warranty with them because they will be doing the service almost all the time.
I have a question regarding the tires and possible flat tire but I am going to start a new thread so subjects are titled correctly.
Prices for an extended warranty vary between dealers, sometimes by more than $1000, and you do not need to buy the warranty from the dealer you plan to use for service. I shopped around and the best price was from Jeff Jackson at MB Louisville. Easily done by email and phone, but has to be done before the original warranty expires. Do yourself a favor and get a quote from him before deciding.
I really dont know what I am doing with some of this.... I have never had to deal with anything but factory warranty on cars before. This is new to me. So I called the service manager at the dealership where the car will be serviced most of the time. He told me that he had a girl that did nothing but try to get these warranty companies to pay for a repair. They evidently take people's money then don't want to authorize or pay for anything.
He said he is to the point of not accepting any of them and let the customer pay and then collect from them. He said it ils just a fight sometimes. They sell Zurich warranty. He said he has no problem with them and the rep is great. I figure if I buy it from them then they will help when the bill comes due or with authorization.... I really don't want to be caught inbetween. He says he has the reps cell phone and never has a problem with them because they sell them... it is under factory warranty for now so I can tackle this elephant later. I do understand what you say though, I have seen all types of pricing and reviews and consumer complaints.... it looks like the wild west.
I really dont know what I am doing with some of this.... I have never had to deal with anything but factory warranty on cars before. This is new to me. So I called the service manager at the dealership where the car will be serviced most of the time. He told me that he had a girl that did nothing but try to get these warranty companies to pay for a repair. They evidently take people's money then don't want to authorize or pay for anything.
He said he is to the point of not accepting any of them and let the customer pay and then collect from them. He said it ils just a fight sometimes. They sell Zurich warranty. He said he has no problem with them and the rep is great. I figure if I buy it from them then they will help when the bill comes due or with authorization.... I really don't want to be caught inbetween. He says he has the reps cell phone and never has a problem with them because they sell them... it is under factory warranty for now so I can tackle this elephant later. I do understand what you say though, I have seen all types of pricing and reviews and consumer complaints.... it looks like the wild west.
No, no, no...You’re referring to third party companies. What you want is an Extended Limited Warranty directly from Mercedes Benz. That extends warranty coverage up to three years and 100,000 miles. This comes directly from Mercedes, not a third party, and can be bought from any MB dealer and is good for service at any MB dealer. It just has to be done before original factory warranty expires. Look it up on mbusa.com. There’s nothing wild west about it, except that the purchase price varies and you can get one a lot cheaper from a couple of select dealers like the one I mentioned, rather than your local dealer. They are sold through the Finance department, not Service.
[QUOTE=allfortheunion;7985375]No, no, no...You’re referring to third party companies. What you want is an Extended Limited Warranty directly from Mercedes Benz./QUOTE]
Agree completely. I have an extended 7-year MB FACTORY warranty on both my SL and CLS due to the complexity of the SL's roof and the CLS53 mild hybrid 48-volt drive train. Shop around as suggested but avoid the private warranty companies.
We bought this car used... it is a blue 2017 SL450. It is not a CPO car although it does have a few months of factory warranty left. It was not bought through Mercedes dealer. It is a one owner car and was leased from Mercedes Financial Services. It has about 37K miles and has Mercedes warranty until about September. Once again... it is not a CPO car. But there is not one scratch on it, tires are great, Carfax is excellent, all maintenance done, interior is excellent, never hurt and no maintenance issues ever.
I wanted to buy the Mercedes factory extended warranty as we thought we could. I called a nearby dealer to buy it. He said since it did not come through a Mercedes dealer and CPO that we could not buy the Mercedes extended warranty. I called MBUSAand was told by them that it was not available even though Mercedes Financial Services sold it to the dealer (who is not a MB dealer) and it is a one owner MB Financial car..... so I tried to buy the extended factory warranty already. We thought we could when we bought the car since it has warranty left.
So that is where we are. I can't believe they are turning down money for the warranty on a perfect car that they leased...then we bought it. Never another owner. But I have not had luck here
We bought this car used... it is a blue 2017 SL450. It is not a CPO car although it does have a few months of factory warranty left. It was not bought through Mercedes dealer. It is a one owner car and was leased from Mercedes Financial Services. It has about 37K miles and has Mercedes warranty until about September. Once again... it is not a CPO car. But there is not one scratch on it, tires are great, Carfax is excellent, all maintenance done, interior is excellent, never hurt and no maintenance issues ever.
I wanted to buy the Mercedes factory extended warranty as we thought we could. I called a nearby dealer to buy it. He said since it did not come through a Mercedes dealer and CPO that we could not buy the Mercedes extended warranty. I called MBUSAand was told by them that it was not available even though Mercedes Financial Services sold it to the dealer (who is not a MB dealer) and it is a one owner MB Financial car..... so I tried to buy the extended factory warranty already. We thought we could when we bought the car since it has warranty left.
So that is where we are. I can't believe they are turning down money for the warranty on a perfect car that they leased...then we bought it. Never another owner. But I have not had luck here
Contact Jeff Jackson as was recommended and see what he says on the subject.
+1 for Jeff. If there is any way to buy a genuine MB Extended warranty do it and buy it from Jeff. If this is not possible ask Jeff if there are any 3rd party warranties the he feels are reliable. I've been burned a couple times so I am gun shy.
Looking at deals on new 2019 and 2020 but then I see very low milage 15-17 for half the price. Do I need warranty on this car....seems like few issues ?
Looking at deals on new 2019 and 2020 but then I see very low milage 15-17 for half the price. Do I need warranty on this car....seems like few issues ?
After 11 years on this forum I believe you already know the answer... 😊
Left MB in 2012 when 08 lease expired no idea on quality of 2015+. Owners opinions are valued an 231 forum indicates there are few issues, especially if driven regularly.
Originally Posted by Utopia Texas
After 11 years on this forum I believe you already know the answer... 😊
Thank everybody for their replies. I like the car but it is a little spooky owning it with what a major failure could cost.... I do plan to buy an extended warranty for it. We live in small town in a rural state with a Mercedes dealerhip about one hour away. Chances of there being a qualified Mercedes tech around us are slim, but I intend to ask around. I think I will handle the extended warranty with them because they will be doing the service almost all the time.
I have a question regarding the tires and possible flat tire but I am going to start a new thread so subjects are titled correctly.
My car is coming up for 3 years old (end of warranty). I've decided against an extended warranty (about $1500 / year here). There seem to be very few reported issues on the R231 and with my low miles (15,000) I 'm happy to take the risk of self insuring.
My car is coming up for 3 years old (end of warranty). I've decided against an extended warranty (about $1500 / year here). There seem to be very few reported issues on the R231 and with my low miles (15,000) I 'm happy to take the risk of self insuring.
We bought the extended warranty. I live in a smallish rural resort town. There is no Mercedes independent tech around. The dealership is about an hour away. We have a friend of a friend that had convertible top trouble. Mercedes took care of it, but without the warranty the bill would have been about $10,000. What they charge for the warranty is cheap peace of mind for me. This is my wife's car and she has waited quite a while to find the right one. I want her to be happy with it. The warranty will help insure her happiness with her SL. A bunch of expensive repair bills would kill her smile she has when she drives it so that makes it worth it to me.
I traded in my ‘17 for a ‘19 knowing I will be keeping this SL for a long time so I bought the extended warranty just for the insurance for the retractable hard top and ABC system. I have had two soft top convertibles in the past and hated them.
How does one extend coverage beyond the 2 year CPO extension? I'm not a fan of 3rd party warranties. Got burned when Warranty Gold went out of business.
We bought the extended warranty. I live in a smallish rural resort town. There is no Mercedes independent tech around. The dealership is about an hour away. We have a friend of a friend that had convertible top trouble. Mercedes took care of it, but without the warranty the bill would have been about $10,000. What they charge for the warranty is cheap peace of mind for me. This is my wife's car and she has waited quite a while to find the right one. I want her to be happy with it. The warranty will help insure her happiness with her SL. A bunch of expensive repair bills would kill her smile she has when she drives it so that makes it worth it to me.
02-17-2020, 06:49 PM
