BMW vs MB Warranty

[jfmiii]

Looking at either a '16 X1 or '16 GLC300 for my wife. both similar in price. ive had both brands in the past, an '04 M3 and an '08 C350. My M3 was under warranty the entire time I had it and the only issue I had with it was when my SMG pump failed and the car was undriveable. BMW gave me a loaner and fixed it at no cost to me. The C350 I still have and have only owned it while out of warranty. It has been good for about $1500-2000 in maintenance a year. I have a great indy mechanic but am getting tired of dealing with my wife not having a car for 3-5 days, dealing with a rental, etc etc. Anyway, Ive heard anecdotally that BMW has gotten worse and MB better in the last 10 years in terms of reliability. Im not sure if that is true or not. BMW seems to have a better warranty from what Ive read and since this will be a car with a majority of its new car warranty still applied, that is plus. Anyone have any opinion on which is better in terms of reliability/cost of maintenance for a low mileage year old model? Any opinions on CPO for either brand? Thanks TRF!

[JasoninDenver]

I have two friends who each have bought several CPO vehicles. One from MB dealer and the other from BMW. Both have been very happy with the reliability of their late model vehicles (2010- 2014). The BMW owner does flip hers every two years (not sure whether due to warranty running out of just wanting the newer model) whereas the MB owner keeps his from 4-5. Neither one has had problems with any vehicle bought under a CPO program. And I have asked your same questions as I will probably buy a GL350 CPO soon.

[breitlings]

Lexus or toyota comes to mind if reliability is what you are after. My prius I owned about 7 years and I don't think there was any work done that wasn't covered by recalls. In fact I don't really think it needed any work at all. I updated the shocks and put in new speakers myself. Brake pads and three sets of tires. Did the oil and transaxle oil changes myself. But overall 0 cost for repairs. Rx f sport or the nx maybe worth considering.

My grandfather drove a lexus for more than 20 years. The only issue with it was the radio went out. Still looked new as he kept it in the garage.

[Thatguy]

Originally Posted by breitlings

Lexus or toyota comes to mind if reliability is what you are after. My prius I owned about 7 years and I don't think there was any work done that wasn't covered by recalls. In fact I don't really think it needed any work at all. I updated the shocks and put in new speakers myself. Brake pads and three sets of tires. Did the oil and transaxle oil changes myself. But overall 0 cost for repairs. Rx f sport maybe worth considering.

This has been my experience as well with Toyota and Lexus. I have friends that sell MB and BMW and while nice cars they recommend not owning one out of warranty. My wife has a BMW 3 series and it has been a money pit starting at 80k miles.
All depends on how long you plan to keep it and how many miles you drive in a year.


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[Chewbacca]

i've had BMW, MB, Volvo and Audis as CPO's. my best was a volvo because they really wanted to conquest german buyers -- and keep them happy. but on paper, they're all pretty similar in execution but my MB experience was the worst of the bunch with many hoops and fires to go through for answers. the other thing is the dealer rating because they'll go to bat for you against the manufacturer.

however, just as important than the cpo is the predicted faults of the make and model you're looking for. then you can ask if common issues have been dealt with.

last thing, is that the more complex the model, the more issues. and if its an M, RS or AMG, it'll require more attention and shorter service intervals which are NOT covered.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/1...-programs.html

http://www.autotrader.com/best-cars/...or-2016-253073

[jfp2476]

I'm on my second BMW (both Z4's, both purchased CPO). The first one was phenomenal, no problems to speak of at all. This second one has been nothing but headaches and is currently for sale. Looked at MB, and their CPO warranty (on paper) is not nearly as good as BMW's. From a reliability standpoint, had you asked me a year and a half ago which was better, I would've sang BMW's praises. Now I'm not so sure. That's part of why I'm now looking to Porsche, LOL.

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[rr-nyc]

I've had both. MB stopped including scheduled maintenance on their cars. I believe BMW pulls the included maintenance off used vehicles even if within the original factory warranty.

[jfmiii]

Originally Posted by rr-nyc

I believe BMW pulls the included maintenance off used vehicles even if within the original factory warranty.

wow. i had no idea this is true. this was not the case when I owned an E46 M3 about 10 years ago.

thanks for the replies everyone, these are most helpful.

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by rr-nyc

I've had both. MB stopped including scheduled maintenance on their cars. I believe BMW pulls the included maintenance off used vehicles even if within the original factory warranty.

untrue,

http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/conte.../warranty.aspx

[Rolex addict]

Get a Crown Vic, put gas it, and drive. These have the lowest overall costs of any car I've ever had. Of course, people will give you Hell for driving Grandma's car.

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by Rolex addict

Get a Crown Vic, put gas it, and drive. These have the lowest overall costs of any car I've ever had. Of course, people will give you Hell for driving Grandma's car.

but then you go out and get a flashy sports car with no bike racks!

[Danny83]

Those cars are both very reliable so they wont start breaking down for about 6-8 years. I would go with the Mercedes out of the two.

[flw]

I have a 2007 MB C class I bought used a few years ago ... well out of warranty. I've put 50K miles on it in a bit less than 4 years, and apart from scheduled maintenance, I haven't had a lick of trouble with it - easily the most reliable car I've ever owned. Stick with it - if you take care of it, it'll take care of you.

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by Etschell

but then you go out and get a flashy sports car with no bike racks!

I still have two crown vics and two Grand Marquis. Those are still my favorites.

[tommyz24]

I personally like the looks of the Mercedes better . As far as reliability , my dad bought a rx350 brand new . Has put 340k kms on it and has only done oil brakes and 2 wheel bearings . Oh and 1 sensor but that was his fault . Went slightly off road and ripped it on this ice boulder


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[rr-nyc]

Originally Posted by Etschell

untrue,

http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/conte.../warranty.aspx

I didn't say anything about the warranty but the included maintenance.

This is what I was refering to:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ceprogram.aspx

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by jfp2476

I'm on my second BMW (both Z4's, both purchased CPO). The first one was phenomenal, no problems to speak of at all. This second one has been nothing but headaches and is currently for sale. Looked at MB, and their CPO warranty (on paper) is not nearly as good as BMW's. From a reliability standpoint, had you asked me a year and a half ago which was better, I would've sang BMW's praises. Now I'm not so sure. That's part of why I'm now looking to Porsche, LOL.

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Go thru a porsche shop. On all but the panamera and some of the suvs they use this one bolt in timing (I want to say iwc? Or something it has a name) which is a failure point and its like 3k to fix if you catch it and like 8k to fix if you dont.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by flw

I have a 2007 MB C class I bought used a few years ago ... well out of warranty. I've put 50K miles on it in a bit less than 4 years, and apart from scheduled maintenance, I haven't had a lick of trouble with it - easily the most reliable car I've ever owned. Stick with it - if you take care of it, it'll take care of you.

I don't know if you can blanket statement say all bmws or mbs are good or bad. My dad had an cl500 which had many electrical issues.

[chet]

I wouldn't use the warranty to decide between the two vehicles. Buy the one that speaks to you.

FWIW, my DD is an S65 AMG so I know which way I'd lean.

[flw]

Originally Posted by breitlings

I don't know if you can blanket statement say all bmws or mbs are good or bad. My dad had an cl500 which had many electrical issues.

I agree completely. All I meant was that I've had a great experience with mine ... certainly every car company can (and does) produce the occasional lemon, and MB is no exception.

[dph473]

You're lucky you had your SMG pump replaced under warranty, That's an expensive repair item. I had it done on my 03 M3.

In regards to both BMW and MB, We've owned several BMW SUVs and have always kept them under warranty for good reason. Never owned MB since my wife said only "old" people drive those, maybe I'm old then because I like the way they look, but I do notice a lot more gray hairs driving MB after she said that.

If you haven't looked, try Porsche, We've had 2 of the Cayennes and have never taken them in for warranty service. They always drove great and handled so much better than the BMW or MB (test drive only). They have the Macan now that is the competition for the X1 I believe and they look pretty sharp.

[Laszlo]

GLC hands down. But I'm biased.

[mschafer]

Buying a CPO Benz is not a bad way to go. We just got a GLE a couple of month ago and are very happy. So I would go with a GLC, figure out how long you're gonna kept it, get warranty and maintenance plan and be done with it. Personally, I think the best deal for a lot of people...