2017 SL63 CPO. I extended the one year CPO adding 2 additional years so I am still covered. The trunk partition no longer extends when activated. It stops halfway but if you manually give it a tug, it will lock in and allow the hardtop to retract normally. Unfortunately, if I’m driving and it’s not extended, I cannot drive topless.

My dealer said the CPO won’t cover it. Says the part number is rejected. Will cost $1,100 to repair less the $300 he charges for the diagnostic. I called MBUSA and they said it will take them 1-2 days to decide whether to offer a courtesy repair.

The language in the CPO says Retractable Hardtop: Mechanical linkages, hydraulic unit, valves/solenoids, switches and sensors.

If a system, item, part or accessory is not listed in the section of this agreement entitled “What is Covered,” it is not covered by this agreement.

Do I have a leg to stand on if I litigate?

 

How much are you going to spend to litigate? Do you have more lawyers than Mercedes? Is this your first rodeo? It certainly isn't theirs.

I would be kind, courteous, and grateful if they offer to do anything. Is the CPO extension cancelable? Many Extended Service Agreements are cancelable by law, depending on where you are. California? Who knows?

 

Tricky. The trunk divider could be viewed as part of the retractable roof but it actually isn’t.

That said they should absolutely cover this, courtesy or not. Work with the dealer/Service manager.
They can easily get this covered for you…

 

why would I , or anybody else, pay for a CPO/extension or dealer offered warranty if they won’t cover the most spendy problems?? I’m buying out my 2020 SL550 but i will shove it somewhere before the warranty is over if nobody has a good CPO/warranty idea including the retractable hardtop. I have a year to figure it out. Report back! They should cover it- and to the haters- you can file everything yourself- you’d be favored over MB suits in court. They’re the a holes.

 

There are some good Vehicle Service Contract (VSC) companies and some not good ones. I happen to have Endurance for my 2015 SL because they do cover the roof and had positive feedback in my research. I have Fidelity for my daughter's 2018 Honda CR-V, which I got through one of the sponsors here (Trenton at http://www.highline-autos.com/). I hear Freedom is good, as well.

Before getting a VSC, I actually talked to my Mercedes dealership's service manager about their experience with VSC companies and was told that both Endurance and Fidelity have good payment reputations based on the dealership's experience. They could not actually recommend a VSC and could not offer an extended warranty through Mercedes because of the age of my car. I have used Endurance once to cover a failed hydraulic line for the trunk. Endurance covered the repair (~$1000) and paid the dealership quickly. Since you have a little time, do some research with the local dealership or whatever shop you use and see what they say.

With regard to litigating, it's never as simple as people believe. It's much better to try to work things out without involving lawyers. (I think that's also Biblical.). Unless there is significant money at stake, it's often more expensive to litigate in terms of time, money, or both. In my state, there is no jury for a small claim, so you are relying on the judge to make a decision. If you don't like the decision, you may appeal it to a higher court, which becomes more expensive. And some states don't allow recovery of attorney fees, even if you win. My experience with courts is that (1) there are no guarantees, no matter how strong you think your case is, and (2) they should be avoided if possible. I personally don't consider $1100 to meet the threshold of litigation. As a matter of principle, it sucks that Mercedes is not covering this problem.

 

Wolfman is right -- the divider is part of the trunk. Just like when my hydraulic line that operates the trunk split, it was a trunk repair, not a roof repair (and that makes sense). Right now, I occasionally get the warning that the roof isn't fully closed when it is. If my divider is in place, I can press the lever to close the roof and the warning goes away. However, if the divider is not in place, I end up having to manually open the trunk with the key and lock the divider in place. At some point, I will take the car to the dealership and have them fix the sensors for the trunk/roof operation.

 

When you buy out the car, the dealer will suggest to CPO the SL for the additional CPO warranty sales and to charge for the CPO process. Don't. If you leased the car new you can actually buy the extended new car warranty which covers more (similar to factory warranty). You can get a discount on it from the dealer (up to 25% usually). The good thing here is that the warranty only starts after the factory warranty ends and if you decide to sell the car without the extended warranty you can cash it out at full value or partial is already used for a while. The cars value is higher with a warranty and the warranty is transferrable to another person but not to a dealer. You cash it out when sold or traded to a dealer.

You can also go 3rd party as suggested but I recommend the factory extended warranty for a car coming off a lease it is still covered by factory warranty and because of the cash-out option.

 

Ah interesting Wolfman; thanks. I’ve inquired with Trenton at Highline about a Fidelity policy. I’ll definitely ask the dealer because of the points you’ve made here and report back after attempting to read the fine prints. I have no idea if Fidelity would cover same,more or less than the extended new car warranty. I’ve only ever had basic rice burners or cars that are under new car warranties. Actually, exception- the 2002 911 turbo that was literally always broken. That ,that would have been a great candidate for a warranty.

 

Trenton can provide you copies of the policies from the different companies they offer. Be sure to read the fine print of what is included and what is EXCLUDED, and ask if you have any questions.

 

Excellent information @JettaRed , you're on it!