Mercedes info

I have a C-350
I absolutely love my car but the warranty is expired and taking it in for services is so expensive!

Any ideas for extended warranties/ someone reliable to service the car besides the dealership?

I won't take it to just anyone, this car is my BABY.

I wouldn't get an extended warranty. Waste of money, especially with the car you have. If you're gonna keep the car for 3-4 years you'll probably spend more on the warranty than what the repairs it covers would be.

Regular maintenance (oil, filter, fluids changes, etc.) will avoid any major problems.

You might look at trading it in for a slightly used one that would include a good warranty.
My neighbor has the same car and he flips his at the dealer every 2-3 years. The loss on trade in is less than buying a warranty. The dealer even includes free oil change/ service for 2 years so his cost of ownership is very low & he gets the latest technology by trading.
Let me know if you want his dealer info.
You can also get a Lexus & worry much less about repairs & maintenance.

Welcome to owning a MB. I've had several and it just goes with the territory if you're going to get the miles out of your car that it's engineered for. I've never come out ahead on a extended warranty. Last one I bought was nearly 30 years ago. You've received great advice. Scrupulously have the routine maintenance done. Don't abuse the car. It "should" last you 150,000 miles, plus. I've only had one MB out of four or five that I haven't gotten that many miles out of. (And I've had 10 out of 10 BMW's that I've gotten 150,000 miles out of!)

Find a good independent shop that specializes in either Mercedes or European cars. You'll pay a lot less for routine services than at the dealer. Sorry I don't know any that specilize in Mercedes.

Really good people, the owner is a bit anal but in a good way when it comes to repairing your car:

http://loefflers.net/

I have used this place for light work. Usually 2/3 or 1/2 of price of MB or BMW shops
European Auto Care
1440 S State Highway 121 #8
Lewisville, TX 75067

and

German Autowerks
550 N Mill St, Lewisville, TX 75057
(972) 221-3029

Daphne, you're not going to like what I have to say. I spent my entire career in the car business. I worked for one of the manufacturers after graduating from college. I was running a dealership when I was just over 30.

You have already figured this out but wished it wasn't true. You never want to own a MB that is out of warranty. That is why over 80% delivered new are leased. They don't want these cars out of warranty.

A good friend of mine was trying to sell his. It took him over six months to get rid of that car. The shop had it most of the time. He spent $13K on a car with only 75K miles. The air conditioning went out and that bill was over $3K and the air compressor went out four months later and they wouldn't warranty it because it was over 90 days. That car was nearly $100K. He is the General Sales Manager at that dealership.

TushHog said you should be able to get 150K miles out of it but at what cost? Most any car, sold today, will do that.

Nino @ Euro Connection on 75 @ Royal is a great guy to deal with.

Daphne, you're not going to like what I have to say. I spent my entire career in the car business. I worked for one of the manufacturers after graduating from college. I was running a dealership when I was just over 30.

You have already figured this out but wished it wasn't true. You never want to own a MB that is out of warranty. That is why over 80% delivered new are leased. They don't want these cars out of warranty. I do not agree They cannot afford to pay for the car and find leasing as method of financing requiring less money down and lower payments without the obligation of a long finance agreement or the possibility of owing more than the car may be worth at the time of sale or it's demise. The C class is the most leased MB"s due to inexpensive cost to get in the car and low payments.

A good friend of mine was trying to sell his. It took him over six months to get rid of that car. The shop had it most of the time. He spent $13K on a car with only 75K miles. The air conditioning went out and that bill was over $3K and the air compressor went out four months later and they wouldn't warranty it because it was over 90 days. He is the General Sales Manager at that dealership.

I am calling BS! As the GSM he would not only have got an internal rate for repairs with generous parts and labor discounts. If the compressor was replaced than MB would covered the parts and labor under warranty as it comes with a 1 year warranty!!!!!!


TushHog said you should be able to get 150K miles out of it but at what cost? Most any car, sold today, will do that. Originally Posted by OldLRRP

No most any car, sold today, is a POS by the time it is 10 years old and had 150K miles on it. Drive trains , engines especially, have improved due to improved design and manufacturing so cars are said to last longer. The rest of the car has much to be desired at that age and mileage, Mercedes builds a car that is still a quality automobile at 150K Miles and beyond if basic scheduled maintenance is preformed.

Remember that the C class is cheap, the E class is economical, and the S class is superior.


If you purchased a fine automobile and did not inquire as to the cost of ownership I present this information based on purchasing a 2013 Mercedes C350 coupe when new.



Results for
Dallas, TX

* Based on a 5-year estimate with 15,000 miles driven per year.
Total Cash Price $46,309
Cost To Own $68,698

5 Year Details
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 5 Yr Total
Depreciation $11,645 $4,212 $3,708 $3,287 $2,949 $25,801
Taxes & Fees $2,804 $62 $64 $64 $54 $3,048
Financing $1,412 $1,121 $819 $505 $181 $4,038
Fuel $2,367 $2,438 $2,511 $2,586 $2,664 $12,566c.
Insurance $2,154 $2,229 $2,307 $2,388 $2,472 $11,550
Maintenance $335 $1,251 $1,004 $3,010 $3,718 $9,318
Repairs $0 $0 $0 $940 $1,437 $2,377
Tax Credit $0 $0
True Cost to Own ® $20,717 $11,313 $10,413 $12,780 $13,475 $68,698

This doesn't include car washes, detailing or any "farkles" you may have added such as illuminated door sills or satellite radio, or service options such as flushing transmission fluid,wiper blades, tires, etc.

Over 5 years it costs about $11,500 to maintain and repair this car with the star on the hood.

You are not the first who bought a mid priced Mercedes to be surprised at the cost of maintaining and repairing the car since you are out of warranty.
I have always found referrals through my local MB owners club as far as after market service goes. Most of those guys ditch the dealer as soon as their warranty is over.

I own 5 collectible MB's including a hand built car built in partnership with Porsche.

No most any car, sold today, is a POS by the time it is 10 years old and had 150K miles on it. Drive trains , engines especially, have improved due to improved design and manufacturing so cars are said to last longer. The rest of the car has much to be desired at that age and mileage, Mercedes builds a car that is still a quality automobile at 150K Miles and beyond if basic scheduled maintenance is preformed.

Remember that the C class is cheap, the E class is economical, and the S class is superior.


If you purchased a fine automobile and did not inquire as to the cost of ownership I present this information based on purchasing a 2013 Mercedes C350 coupe when new.



Results for
Dallas, TX

* Based on a 5-year estimate with 15,000 miles driven per year.
Total Cash Price $46,309
Cost To Own $68,698

5 Year Details
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 5 Yr Total
Depreciation $11,645 $4,212 $3,708 $3,287 $2,949 $25,801
Taxes & Fees $2,804 $62 $64 $64 $54 $3,048
Financing $1,412 $1,121 $819 $505 $181 $4,038
Fuel $2,367 $2,438 $2,511 $2,586 $2,664 $12,566c.
Insurance $2,154 $2,229 $2,307 $2,388 $2,472 $11,550
Maintenance $335 $1,251 $1,004 $3,010 $3,718 $9,318
Repairs $0 $0 $0 $940 $1,437 $2,377 = $4754
Tax Credit $0 $0
True Cost to Own ® $20,717 $11,313 $10,413 $12,780 $13,475 $68,698
That is $14,072 in repairs and maintenance over the firs 5 years of ownership ...terrific vehicles! Wait until it's out of warranty
This doesn't include car washes, detailing or any "farkles" you may have added such as illuminated door sills or satellite radio, or service options such as flushing transmission fluid,wiper blades, tires, etc.

Over 5 years it costs about $11,500 to maintain and repair this car with the star on the hood.

You are not the first who bought a mid priced Mercedes to be surprised at the cost of maintaining and repairing the car since you are out of warranty.
I have always found referrals through my local MB owners club as far as after market service goes. Most of those guys ditch the dealer as soon as their warranty is over.

I own 5 collectible MB's including a hand built car built in partnership with Porsche. Originally Posted by RandB fan

The fact is my friend did spend thirteen thousand in repairs over 6 months. The biggest expense was the suspension system. He was letting a guy test drive the car. When they got back to the house and raised the hood, fluid was dripping down from the hood liner all over the engine. The car looked like it was laying down on the wheels the next morning. He had to have it towed. I'm going by what he told me about the air compressor. He said they charged him $1200 for another compressor that had only been on the car for 4 months. He didn't want to tell me because I kept laughing at him. He had that car towed, to the shop, more than all the cars I have ever owned. He paid all that money for a car that was a POS.

Dealerships usually give a 10% discount to employees. It is cheaper to take it elsewhere. He lost his ass on that car and said he would never own another. He did lease a 7 series BMW. I guess he learned a lesson owning German cars out of warranty.

I did consulting for two of the Lexus stores in Phoenix. About 85% of the cars, they delivered, were leased. About a third of those were one pay leases. Yes, they paid the whole lease amount up front for a bigger discount.

The fact remains that keeping a MB cost much more than most any other car. Yes, they have beautiful fit and finish. Parts and labor remain outrageous and the incidents of repair is high. Take a MB in for trade at 100,000 miles and see what they give. Don't look at the book because you can throw it away when banks will not finance it.

I have an old GMC S15 Jimmy that I use to pull my fishing boat. When I had the oil changed, I was told that I had leaks in the transfer case and transmission. I knew that the rear end was making noise. I took it to my local shop. They put in two front axles, two front hubs, resealed the transfer case, rebuilt the transmission and rear end. I don't want to be out in BFE and have my truck lay down with my boat attached. Total cost $3200. 1 year unlimited mile warranty on those items. It has 156K and the only thing that has ever been done to the engine is two throttle body cleanings, radiator flush and plugs and wires. The only things that I have had replaced are the EBCM, emergency brake pedal, brake booster, brake pads, tires and oil and filters. That is 14 years of service. I beat the shit out of this truck.

After 40 years in the car business, I don't smell the new car smell. I'm not impressed with vehicles. I take which ever vehicle I can find the keys to. People want to drive high dollar cars...great. The car business was very good to me.

Maybe I'll lease a Maybach and pay it forward, according to my addition if I put
$300,000.00 down, my lease payments for 3 years would only be $677,660,00 paid in a single payment and it would be my business car so therefor a tax exemption. I could write the whole amount off on this years taxes. Plus all the insurance, fuel, car washes, detailing, tires, service and anything else I can expense against the car each year and only claim to use it for personal use say 12% of the time.

#00 an hour for interior detailing sounds like a fair price for a $1.3M automobile. But you know NOBODY would want it after it's out of warranty!!!!!!!!!!:th umbup::thumb up:

Like they say in the car business, "there is an ass for every seat". I did really well separating idiots from their money.

Like they say in the car business, "there is an ass for every seat". I did really well separating idiots from their money. Originally Posted by OldLRRP

I bet you are the only person you know who grossed 10K on a used car too.

I think if you're a car guy you should tell us more about your buddies adventure into buying a Mercedes that was treated like your truck.

I am guessing a mid 2000's W220 or W221 but I would love to know.


year? model? who bought from? You know if it was it a back line wholesaler or did he get it sideways on a deal?
What did he give for it and when? Did the car have records and a clean car fax?


I love to hear about other peoples whining about getting it in the shorts when they are normally the guy at the bar bragging about how he.. wait for it, here ya go...
"I did really well separating idiots from their money"

Your buddy was or should have been knowledgeable about these cars as he was/.is a General Sales Manager of a Mercedes Benz Store, am I correct? He deserved to lose his ass on that car and better yet he deserves to drive a cheap BMW 740i that BMW can't give away for a couple of years on a lease he can't get out of.
Us "real" car guys like to point and laugh at the likes of him. Sucks to be him!
I will see if you tell me more about your buddy's "Mercedes Horror Story" I think we will see if Leno will do a segment about him on his show seeing that Jay's favorite car of all his collection is.. wait... you sitting down? a Mercedes 600SEL. P.S. I have family that work for him.




[COLOR="Blue"]OK. so your can't look at numbers and understand them. I'll help you out

Maintenance $335 $1,251 $1,004 $3,010 $3,718 $9,318
Repairs $0 $0 $0 $940 $1,437 $2,377 = $4754

NO it's Repairs $0 $0 $0 $940 $1,437 = $2,377 NOT $4754

TOTAL REPAIRS FOR 5 YEARS IS $2377 you added 6 numbers.
That is $14,072 ( NO IT"S $!11,695) in repairs and maintenance over the firs 5 years of ownership ...terrific vehicles! Wait until it's out of warranty

I stated and you incorrectly added to make your statement incorrectly.

I said "Over 5 years it costs about $11,500 to maintain and repair this car with the star on the hood."

And that is with being out of warranty for 27K miles as warranty ended at 48K.

Please make you're statements correctly!!!

Now lets move on...

now here's something you'll really like



this ones for you !!!

The Best warranty out there is Easy Care - I used it on couple of my high end cars and they paid for everything at the dealership. If your car is still under warranty simply take the car into one of the dealerships that sell the warranties for them to inspect it and they will run you a quote. Although when I owned a Benz, the cheaper warranty was with Mercedes themselves so you might want to look there - it doesnt cover oil changes and wearable parts however Pep boys are cheap for that.

Actually simply take your car to pep boys if its out of warranty and they all charge standard prices and Welcome to the world of Mercedes where nothing comes cheap.