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Mercedes Sprinter Warranty = Big Win, But Also a Disappointment with Dealer Practices
My Mercedes Sprinter extended warranty is 7 years, 175000 miles, with 2.8 years remaining. I paid for it with the vehicle after negotiating a discount. It has paid for itself already, so I am ahead on that score. I expect it to pay for itself many times over. So that’s the good stuff, the Big Win.
But when you buy the Mercedes Sprinter extended warranty, it will be a guess as to what will be covered to make things work right when some components fail. And they are only going to be replaced when the fail one-by-one, so the pressure will be on you to pay to replace dubious parts, lest you ruin a trip at an inopportune time.
For example, the steering rack failed last spring. It was replaced, and an alignment done—warranty covered both.
Why is a required alignment not covered by warranty?
Note: my service advisor is terrific, but he cannot make the calls on warranty or pricing. The dealership sets the policies and controls the overall process.
Now here in late November, the left rear shock is leaking/kaput. Warranty covered replacing the shock, but does NOT cover the alignment, which is necessary to make it right!
My local dealer (Autobahn Motors of San Carlos, CA) quotes $500 for an alignment, when Mercedes of Reno quotes $170—that’s a 3X price difference.
Furthermore, the right rear shock has not yet failed, but the mechanic strongly recommends replacing it (another $500, not covered by warranty as it has not yet failed). If not replaced now, yet another alignment would be needed, though if it fails within the warranty period, the warranty would cover the shock replacement itself.
In short, the dealer wants another $1000 to make things work right, when if the left rear shock had not failed, I’d be free of that financial hit.
Shocks work in pairs. I 'get' that the right rear shock has not yet failed. But I do not 'get' how alignment is not included, or why it has to cost double the market rates locally, and triple what another dealer 250 miles away is quoting me.
