Mercedes Benz Maintenance: What Determines the Cost?

When you buy a vehicle from a highly respected and trusted manufacturer like Mercedes, you expect certain standards, such as the quality of the build and a certain level of motoring performance. In addition, you would expect that their service and maintenance standards are also five stars

If you buy from a Mercedes Benz Sprinter dealer, you can expect their servicing options to be equally as impressive as the vehicle itself. This is very often the case, but as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. That means that Mercedes maintenance costs can be higher than the industry average when comparing all brands. In return for this premium, you can expect good warranty options, top-notch servicing standards, and a reliable parts network to fall back on, when a replacement item is needed.

You could reasonably argue that Mercedes Benz maintenance costs are actually reasonable when you see what you get for your money. One of the key questions is what determines the cost of repairs and maintenance?

Here is a look at some key points surrounding all aspects of maintaining and servicing your Mercedes vehicle.

Charges are in line with other premium brands

When it comes to industry averages, what you pay for Mercedes servicing and maintenance is broadly in line with the charges levied by rival premium brands such as BMW and Audi.

As you would expect, certain models are cheaper to service and maintain than others. In general terms, your Mercedes could cost as much as 30% more to repair than inferior brands. However, this is reflective of the fact that quality parts are being used and technicians are trained to exacting standards.

If the parts last longer and perform better, and your vehicle is being repaired and maintained by high-quality technicians, you could argue that the slightly higher charges than the industry average, will even out over time.

What might determine your maintenance costs?

Mercedes is fiercely proud of its brand reputation and builds its vehicles to last and perform to a high standard. It is this renowned reliability and longevity that helps stretch out your potential maintenance costs.

It is highly likely that your Mercedes won’t need any additional work done at various service intervals, other than a few minor adjustments or small low-cost repairs. That means you could potentially go a few years paying for servicing and a few minor additional extras, before needing something more major, when you reach certain mileage milestones.

If you average out the costs you pay for servicing and maintenance over a period of 3-5 years, it should make your ownership and running costs realistically affordable.

Staying in line with maintenance schedules

As you would expect, if you drive an average amount of miles and look after your Mercedes, it should last well between servicing intervals.

Mercedes advises that you have two main service intervals, occurring every 10,000 miles, on average. If you have Service A or Service B, of their maintenance schedule, this will determine how much you pay.

Service A is not as extensive as Service B, for instance. Although both provide the usual component checks and fluid replacements, such as oil, filters, and other primary fluids, certain items like spark plugs, don’t need changing each time you book your vehicle in for a service.

You could manage your maintenance costs better with a prepaid plan

If you are running a vehicle, like a Sprinter, for business purposes, it makes sense to try and gain some level of certainty on your budgeting for service and maintenance.

A good way of doing that would be to take advantage of a Mercedes prepaid maintenance plan. You can get various packages on this scheme, ranging between one year to four years. This means you can gain certainty on your servicing costs and keep better control of any repair costs by locking in prices at the beginning of the plan.

Understandably, maintenance plan packages and availability will vary according to the age and model of the Mercedes vehicle you are driving. You can usually choose from the full range of maintenance plans if you have a Mercedes Benz model that is under one year old, or has covered less than 10,000 miles. It is still perfectly feasible to negotiate a fixed plan even when your vehicle is older and has done more miles.

If you want to fix your costs, and budget with a greater degree of certainty, it is worth considering whether a Mercedes prepaid maintenance plan might work for you.

Extending your warranty could be another option

Although an extended warranty is unlikely to cover the cost of standard maintenance items, it does provide a safeguard against some unexpected breakdowns and repairs that are needed after your standard factory warranty has expired.

It works by paying a deductible amount for each repair rather than the whole cost. Again this could prove to be a savvy way of keeping a lid on your maintenance and repair costs.

As already highlighted, Mercedes repairs can be more expensive that some other standard makes and models. This reflects the fact that Mercedes vehicles are engineered to a high specification, using top quality parts. With this in mind, it can be reassuring to know that it is not uncommon for the cost of your extended warranty to cover your repair expenses over the specified period. This will lower your overall running expenses and give you a better level of certainty when it comes to all of your repair and maintenance costs.

There are all sorts of different circumstances and scenarios where you might pay more or less than the industry average for serving and repairing your Mercedes. It depends on the vehicle you drive and how you use it, and look after it.

Mercedes Benz is a premium brand. That means their vehicles need specific parts and a certain level of servicing to keep them running at their peak. This is reflected in their purchase price and ongoing running costs.

However, you know you are getting a vehicle that has been built to exacting standards when you buy a Mercedes. You can also help determine the cost of maintenance and repairs when you look at the various options available, such as extended warranties, and prepaid maintenance.