Hello MBWorld! I finally found my ideal family hauler and it's an 2021 CPO'd E63 with 25k miles. CPO warranty carries it through December 2026, or roughly 2 years from now. I have the option to extend it by 2 years for $6500 with unlimited miles, but to be honest I don't see myself putting on more than 10 - 12k a year given that I daily my 911 when I'm not carrying teens and their sports gear. The catch with extending the CPO is that I need to buy it now. You guys have a recent post summarizing the options with Fidelity warranties, which I have no experience with but they seem a more reasonable price point.

Would you buy the CPO warranty now or purchase the Fidelity down the road? We have 3 dealerships in my metropolitan area so I'm not beholden to one service department but I always like the customer service and loaner that dealerships provide (at the exorbitant labor rates). And I like the psychological safety of having a manufacturer warranty go for 4 years where I don't have to worry about anything other than expendables. I also have a great independent shop that is the most honest crew I've ever experienced. Shout out to Matrix Integrated.

$6500 for CPO now vs. purchasing Fidelity down the road?

Thoughts? I'm super excited to be joining the AMG crowd. thank you!

 

Fidelity down the road, hands down for me.

Nosce te up sum - know thyself. Sounds like you're comfortable with the dealer and manufacturer warranty - therefore maybe best to do that.

 

I'm in the same boat, warranty expiring soon. My initial thoughts are that OEM is best for sure but they also have a direct line to dealer and their computers. I think aftermarket might be better if you plan to mod. Dealer wants the repair work for sure, but they also have strict rules and punishments for working on modded cars. Seems like they'd be more inclined to raise alarm bells if MBZ is picking up the tab vs 3rd party.

I could be wrong, hoping someone weighs in.

 

At the very least, get a quote from @Highline-Autos.com

 

I had an extended CPO on my last CLS550. It cost $4k at the time. The car had 28k miles and slightly over a year left on the warranty when I bought it. It had approx 110K miles when the extended warranty expired, During that time the extended warranty paid for a $529 repair that I could have had done for less than $200 at an independent shop (the coolant overflow tank was rubbing on something and it wore a hole in it). The $1700 repair for the massage function on the drivers seat was NOT Covered (the pump motor failure was considered wear and tear). One of the springs on the cup holder failed. The dealer wanted $489 for the repair. I bought the part used online for $50 and did it myself.

You're paying $6500 for your Peace of Mind in case of a major mechanical failure (like the turbo goes belly up and takes the motor with it. Although I'm not certain MB wouldn't consider that wear and tear). When I bought my E53 2 years ago I invested the $4500 they wanted for the extended warranty. That account now has a just under $7k in it and I have 2 years left on the factory warranty. In another 2 years the account should be around $10k.

If you're really worried about a major Non wear and tear failure you might want to rethink the purchase. Or plan on selling the car before the original CPO warranty expires. If you just want it for your own 'Peace of Mind', Have at it.

And I know the E53 is not a "real' AMG so it's not as prone to failure as the E63 but it's still a Mercedes and the Dealers price the repairs at the AMG level. Which is to say Sky High.

Just my 2 cents on extended warranties.

 

I would actually purchase the Fidelity as soon as you can as it is cheaper at lower miles i think, and it will extend out past the factory warranty. Check with Austin at Highline, he sold me my ELW on my 19 S63. There are known issues with the M177 motor like RMS leaks and valve cover leaks that can cost upwards of 10K to fix so it was worth the 4.8K to me. It kinda depends on how long you want to keep the car as well. I purchased my car in 2021 when it had around 9K miles on it and I am now at 40K miles with no real issues but these cars can develop issues past 50K and I wanted protection for up to 70K or another 3 years. At that point the car will be 8 years old with probably 60K+ miles so I will just sell it with a little warranty left. It will be a very hard car to replace though as I absolutely love the car.

 

This may guide you in your ownership

https://mbworld.org/forums/w213-amg/...fixes-diy.html

 

Every situation is different when it comes to where on the "value scale" you land with the CPO + Fidelity coverage into the future.

Basic goal posts are Fidelity's mileage based pricing tiers, and pricing adjustments for future contracts that happen on first of every year.

Always too, Non CPO + Fidelity Coverage is a cheaper cost and better value than CPO now, Fidelity later.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

FYI, I got a quote from a MB dealer for 2 additional years to CPO for $4610- and a 15% surcharge if purchased 30 days after delivery. If interested, I can share the contact person.

 

Still, for $100 more you can get Fidelity Platinum for 6 years / additional 60K miles form the purchase of the coverage... 3x longer coverage for $100 more, no surcharge.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

Thanks, that is good to know as another alternative. Is this 3rd party extended warranty the same, less or better than the OEM extended warranty?

 

When my 2014 e63 was almost out of warranty, I ended up buying the MB extended warranty from Jeff Jackson at MB Louisville. I seem to recall it was two years/75K total (or maybe three years?) for $6K+. My local dealer wanted over $1K more. I went with MB for simplicity's sake and I wanted to be able to take it to any dealer. I probably broke even on the repairs as my car developed a suspension problem in the front left, though I think the dealer just threw parts at it since it was all under warranty. Never had a Fidelity warranty but I will say that's always been an option whenever I've owned an MB or a BMW.

EDIT - found it. It was $6328 for three years/75K total miles back in August 2017. Super easy transaction with Jeff.

 

I would shop around with different dealers for a factory ELW. We negotiated a fair bit lower price when we bought the E53 and on our e-tron.

 

Comparable to, and what Mercedes-Benz CPO coverage was drafted off of.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

100% go Fidelity.

 

I purchased a Fidelity Platinum $250 deductible, 6yr/85k mile for ~$3.5k, for my 2019 E63S Wagon when I purchased the car 3/2023 with ~18k miles. Haven't had to use it yet but at that price it was well worth the peace of mind for protection against the usual culprits that can pop up on these cars once >50k miles. It is an exclusionary policy so covers virtually all the main pain points on these cars (e.g. RMS, ABC suspension, transmission culprits). Can't speak to personal experience with using the warranty but have seen lots of positive reviews on MBWorld and Renntech forums. One thing I have heard from my indy mechanics regarding the warranty is that these warranty providers typically only pay for labor at a rate that's less than the actual rate shops charge, and so that can lead to negotiation and having to foot a bill for the difference. But YMMV

 

No problem using Fidelity coverage at INDY's, and the labor rate is definitely not a problem, Fidelity pays our customers Southern California dealership rates, over $300+ an hour without issue. As long as the INDY is charging the same for labor hours and part prices as the dealership, no problems.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

The 212 CPO warranty in my ownership from 50k to 160k kms paid out over $120k on a car that I bought off lease for $80k. Dealer never blinked, everything just fixed every time, with loaner cars. Too easy.
The 213 has already needed a complete transmission replacement. I bought the extended warranty when I bought the car, as they say, for peace of mind. I'd much rather NOT get my monies worth... but they are cars. AMG cars.

 

Any idea of what labor rate they pay out in the NJ/NYC area?

 

Fidelity pays whatever the posted labor rate is in the service department. As long as the service department is billing Fidelity the same amount as Joe Public, no problem.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

Can you DM the contact person? That seems cheap for an AMG.

 

sorry for delay response, haven't come on here for awhile


jjackson@mblouisville.com

Jeff Jackson

Financial Services

Mercedes-Benz of Louisvllle

2520 Terra Crossing Blvd

Louisville, KY 40245

502-894-6829