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Mercedes Sprinter: Extended Warranty

2017-08-02 • SEND FEEDBACK
Related: Mercedes Sprinter

Photographer and cyclist and Mac expert and software engineer Lloyd Chambers is available for consulting on general Sprinter considerations at his usual consulting rates via phone, or in person in the Palo Alto, CA area. Save yourself hours and mistakes by discussing issues up-front. More about Lloyd....

This page contains a tip on how to save significantly on the extended warranty; scroll down further.

This information was drawn from the 2017 Mercedes web site. For 2018 and later, be sure to check on specifics, which might have changed. Always check all the particulars for yourself; this page is intended only as a general outline and may contain mistakes or errors.

The Mercedes-Benz warranty and maintenance page discusses warranty coverage. In essence, you buy extra years on top of the 3-year / 36K base warranty and also get a few other benefits, like towing if certain parts fail and disable the vehicle.

Here is the summary; discussion continues below.

Warranty that comes with purchase of Mercedes Sprinter van

The extended warranty adds onto the factory warranty above, so that "4 years" means 3 + 4 years = 7 years total coverage.

Extended warranty for Mercedes Sprinter van extends up to a total 7 years / 175,000 miles

Is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van extended warranty worth it?

The issue in pre-paying is whether you’ll be keeping the vehicle long enough to use the warranty. However, Mercedes web site seems to indicate that it is refundable at any time:

No risk to you; may be cancelled any time prior to the New Vehicle Limited Warranty expiration for a full refund

First, the way to approach this is by including your own usage context:

  • Particularly if upfitting a van at considerable extra cost which is presumably an investment well beyond 3 years, taking on the risks after three years of usage only makes sense if one expects low mileage and thus low wear and thus a low likelihood of issues.
  • The total cost of an upfitted Sprinter van can easily exceed $90K—the perspective should be the cost of the extended warranty relative to the total vehicle cost and cost of ownership (fuel, maintenance, insurance, tax and licensing, etc).
  • The warranty is also transferable, which increases the resale value, should plans change and the vehicle need to be sold.
  • Because 4x4 Sprinters have not been around for more than about two years (as of 2017), no one really knows what the reliability of the 4x4 drivetrain will be. Thus, the extended warranty may be your smart move for a 4x4 Sprinter, particularly since 4x4 use on rough roads may inflict more wear and tear, causing failures.

Pre-paid Maintenance = huge rip-off

I got suckered into buying 4 "cycles", and even at 30% off it is a huge ripoff, and the Mercedes-recommended oil used is terrible oil for the Sprinte diesel.

First, some terminology: A “cycle” is 20,000 miles *or* one year, whichever comes first, which includes an “A” and a “B” part; those compose the “cycle”. And except that starting in 2018, Mercedes halved the interval to 10000 miles or "change of season". Since the engine did not change, this means that owners relying on 20K mile changes are likely damaging the longevity of the Sprinter engine and related. While a "B" service might include an engine air filter, both are basically an oil and filter change, with the oil almost certainly pumped out (not good, leaves sludge) instead of being drained out the bottom of the crankcase. Failure to drain the crankcase means that sludge accumulates at bottom.

Smart move: change the engine oil every 5000 miles. You can buy far better oil and a genuine Mercedes oil filter and have it changed at Jiffy Lube or similar or any good mechanic at 1/3 the price. See Mercedes Sprinter Maintenance: Engine Oil. For warranty reasons, be sure to keep records proving the service is being done.

... original info below...

As of mid 2017, Mercedes was offering a promotion including two years, that is, two cycles.

Apparently, pre-paid maintenance can be bought at any time, but prices may rise over time—that’s part of the incentive.

Cycle cost is lower for more cycles (all prices approximate and may change at any time):

  • $2749 for 4 A+B cycles = $687 per cycle
  • $3911 for 6 A+B cycles = $651 per cycle
  • $5073 for 8 A+B cycles = $634 per cycle

The incentive is lower cost, but what the full cost is if paid out of pocket (without the pre-paide plan) is not information available without further inquiry.

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