MB STAR SERVICE

tomthai

I'm buying a 2014 GL550. Is it worth it to buy the MB STAR SERVICE? The car has a warranty and the addition of the MB STAR SERVICE costs $3834.00.

Mr_Shiftright

That's the 5 year plan, right? Seems okay to me. MB claims these plans offer a 30% discount over pay-as-you-go, and there is the added advantage of the plan carrying over if you sell the car--so it does offer added value to the new owner and probably some resale value to you.

tomthai

Thanks for the advice. On the other hand, $64 per month seems a bit high to pay for maintenance over the five years.

Mr_Shiftright

You might think but if you break it down like that, some of the major services cost quite a bit on a luxury vehicle. You might pick out one of the big services in the owner's manual and ask the service department what that costs. Maybe that'll help you justify it (or discard it). I think B Service on some of the AMG cars runs $650!

kyfdx

I'll say this... with them offering the maintenance at that price, upfront.... you can't say you didn't know about high Mercedes maintenance prices.

I'm not a fan of pre-paid maintenance, but that's probably a cost savings, if you know you'll keep the car for five years. I'd be wary about it adding any real value to the car, if you trade it in, before that.

We should bookmark this post for everyone that says the 4 year maintenance plan included with new BMWs isn't really worth anything.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes you have to have made the decision to keep the car the full 5 years I think in order to justify this cost. The Star Service will probably not add value on a trade-in, but it would be an excellent selling tool if you decide to sell the car privately...by selling tool, I mean that if a buyer saw your car and an otherwise identical alternate car with no Star Service contract, he'd probably choose yours.