Mercedes-Benz future owners, listen up.
Before judging the title alone, this is a post meant to be helpful. We’re here to give you the unfiltered, honest truth about what it’s like to own a Mercedes-Benz and how you can avoid expensive pitfalls by following your Mercedes-Benz repair manual.
Lucky you – you get to drive one of the most luxurious cars on the market. But with luxury, as they say, comes great responsibility… and great costs.
And of course, Mercs don’t come cheap so you might be wondering if you’re putting your money at risk by getting your hands on one. We don’t blame you – there are quite a bunch of cons they don’t tell you about when buying your first Mercedes-Benz.
But don’t worry – we still think they’re some of the best cars on the market, and at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference, as long as you are informed of the potential risks. So, if you love your Mercedes-Benz and feel like it was worth every penny, kudos to you!
Still, keep reading to find out why owning a Mercedes-Benz might not be such a great idea after all, or at least a little more challenging than a walk in the park.
5 Worst Things About Owning a Mercedes-Benz
There’s no doubt that a Mercedes-Benz is a luxurious car. After all, it’s one of the most prestigious brands on the market and has a reputation for being reliable and very well-made. However, since nothing is ever perfect, there are also some downsides to owning one — namely, the higher maintenance-related bills and the difficulty of getting the repairs done.
Indeed, as surprising as it may sound, not every repair shop accepts to work on Mercs, which is also why several owners choose to get their hands on a Mercedes-Benz maintenance manual and take the DIY route instead.
The Value Drops Very Quickly
As with any car, the second you drive it off the lot, its value begins to drop. However, when it comes to luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz, that happens at an even faster rate – up to 40% in the first year alone, in fact!
So if you’re planning on keeping your Benz only for a short period and selling it shortly after, don’t expect to get top dollar for it. Indeed, you might not even recoup half what you paid for it.
For example, let’s say you buy a Mercedes-Benz S-Class for $100,000. After one year of ownership, the car is already only worth $60,000 — that’s $40,000 down the drain!
Crazy, right?
Expensive to Maintain
Your Mercedes-Benz maintenance manual says that your vehicle should be brought in for a first Service A at 10,000 miles and then alternate between Service A and B every 10,000 miles more. Both services include a general inspection, an oil change, a tire rotation, and several other things depending on their condition.
Mercedes-Benz also recommends a more extensive and, of course, more expensive Service C at around 30,000 miles — but your service advisor will only mention it as needed.
All of this is assuming that you don’t have any problems with your Mercedes along the way. If you do have problems, be prepared to open your wallet even wider because labor alone is quite costly.
So if you’re thinking about buying a Mercedes, just be aware that it will likely cost you quite a bit more to maintain than a more common car.
Parts are Expensive and Not Readily Available
If you do have the misfortune of having to repair your Mercedes, you’ll quickly find out that parts are also both expensive and frequently difficult to come by.
It’s not uncommon for auto parts stores and repair shops to have to order parts directly from the manufacturer since aftermarket ones are sometimes hard to come by.
Luckily, your Mercedes-Benz shop manual will not only help you troubleshoot some of the issues and keep your Merc’s maintenance cost on the lower side but will also prevent some of those from occurring in the first place — what’s not to like?
And if you aren’t quite sure where to look to find a shop manual for your Merc, I would suggest having a look at eManualOnline. Their repair manuals contain everything you need to fix your vehicle but will also pay for themselves after the first oil change you do at home.
Not as Reliable as You’d Think
Despite their reputation for being well-made and rather reliable, Mercedes are actually not as dependable as you might think. In fact, they often rank near the bottom of reliability surveys.
One survey even found that Mercedes were the least reliable cars on the market! So if you’re looking for a dependable car, let’s just say there are better options out there.
Complicated Systems Make Repairs Complicated (Though not Impossible)
Another downside to owning a Mercedes is that their complicated systems can make repairs quite challenging.
While a Mercedes-Benz shop manual contains all the technical mumbo-jumbo and provides a wealth of information for DIY’ers, some repairs are still best left to professionals. For example, if your Merc needs a new transmission, it’s probably not a good idea to replace it yourself.
The same is true for major engine work. Unless you’re an experienced mechanic, it’s probably best to take your car to a shop and let the experts handle it.
Of course, there are some repairs that you can do yourself if you’re willing to put in the time and elbow grease. And if you do decide to go DIY, a Mercedes-Benz maintenance manual can be very helpful for smaller repairs. Still, it’s essential to know your limits and take your car to a professional when required.
Wrapping Up!
Ok, there’s a lot to unpack here, but we hope you learned something useful today. We know it was a bit of a downer, but we wanted to give you the cold hard truth about what it’s like to own a Mercedes.
So, if you are a new owner or currently thinking of getting one soon, we hope this blog helped you set some realistic expectations.
And if you’re an experienced Benz owner, hopefully, this blog gave you a good laugh. Because at the end of the day, we still love Mercs despite all their quirks and faults. After all, you can’t own a luxury car and expect to shell out the same as if you owned a Honda Civic, right?
