I bought my 98 E300 TD from a Houston dealer found through eBay. He assured me that the Starmark warranty was transferable, but I just found out that it is not. Only if you buy direct from the previous owner does MB honor their Starmark warranty. Rather surprised! I probably would have still bought the car, but that warranty, for what amount to nearly a year, was a major part of my decision on this car. I am going to try to work with the dealer concerning his mis-representation on this matter. We will see if anything happens. Love the car still!

Anyone have any expereince with Starmark warranties?

Be aware that they are not simply transferable regardless of what the dealer says.

Stan of Boulder

Mercedes no longer offers " Star Mark". Only " Certified" Used cars like other dealers. I just bought a 1999 E300TD. This was a "Certified" car. That means it was turn key. New tires, brakes, rotors, calipers, lower control arms and new floor mats. An 80000 mi. car. Mint! All service was complete when I bought the car. I have had it for two months or so .....I like it ….. You will be very pleased with this model. There is no warranty in effect .......Too many miles. However you can purchase an extended warranty ….. I think its just not worth it. I believe the factory warranty was 50,000 mi.
The Factory warranty will transfer to the new owner. What’s left ….. on a low mileage car. Make sure you register the car with Mercedes when you buy it. Call the 800 number on the visor they can answer all your questions. I spoke with George the regional rep. In fact we met at the Philly Auto Show. Very nice Man.
-Anthony

The Starmark warranty is transferable if you purchase the car directly from the previous owner as you say. I also thought that the warranty was transferable if you bought a car through a Mercedes dealer, not any car dealer, but an authorized Mercedes dealer. You can always call 1-800-FOR-MERC(EDES) and find out for sure.

Len

As I Previously mentioned, Mercedes no longer offers " Star Mark".
Only " Certified" Used cars.

You are correct on the Starmark warranty, but there are still some left around on cars and I would think that Mercedes would be bound to the original terms of the contract until it expires.

Len

Thanks for your comments! If you google starmark you certainly get several hits from MB dealers making these cars sound exceptional. I do think mine is mint - I am troubled that the eBay dealer didn't realize that the warranty was not transferable. I have come to terms with the likelyhood of spending $1000 or so more on this car then a Camry in yearly maintenance. And I do think it will be well worth it to me - it is so much more of a car. Happy dieseling! (32-33 MPG is looking pretty good right now) Stan

I would be troubled by this, and I'll tell you why.

While your car probably is in great shape, runs right, etc, that warranty has the potential to be very valuable if it were in effect. I bought a 99 wagon for my wife last spring with 40K on the clock, and it was (is) a great car.

However, on the first visit to the dealer for service we incurred 5K in repair, all covered by Starmark. While MB may have switched programs from Starmark to Certified, that doesn't mean that there aren't Starmark's still out there in force.

Good luck to you.

__________________
1993 300E
1999 E320 Estate

Starmark ends when the car is traded at an MB dealer, in addition to any other type of dealer or 3rd party. The only way to purchase a Starmark car and have the warranty in effect is to purchase it directly from the individual owner. It's quite plainly stated in the Starmark warranty booklet.

As best I have been able to determine, most used car warranties are terminated if the car is sold through a dealer. They only survive individual-to-individual sales.

- JimY

Definately good information to remember.........

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Did the auction listing state that the warranty was good? Or did you call the guy and he just verbally said it was good?

__________________
1987 300TDT
1981 VW MKI Caddy 1.6 diesel, waiting on engine swap
1983 D-50 Power Ram 4x4 "Mitsubishi" 2.3 turbo diesel
assorted gas powered crap and motorcycles

RIP: 1984 300TDT, 1982 300TDT, 1984 190D 2.2, 1992 300D 2.5, 1987 300TDT, 1982 Maxima LD28, 1983 Maxima LD28, Isuzu C223 P'ups X3, 1983 Holiday Rambler 6.2 Banks turbo diesel, 1984 Winnebago LeSharo 2.1 TD, 1985 Allegro 6.5

Great info here! Thanks again. The eBay listing said clearly that the warranty would be in effect for the new owner and even gave the date of termination or 100,000 miles - "whichever came first"

So, yes it is a moral question for the eBay dealer. I'm not sure what to do here. I bought the car outside the bid process, i.e. I was the high bid but did not meet the reserve price - so we negotiated a deal that was very reasonable outside of eBay. The dealer - Luxury Car Warehouse of Houston has been very good. They did an excellent job in describing the car and it's condition. No exaggerations! It is as the say it was - except the warranty. I'm not sure what to ask for or expect in this situation. They were clearly wrong on the warranty - yet right on everything else. Suggestions?

Stan
98,E300TD
and a 87 560 SL
(plus an unmentionable 98 4 Runner)

The MB Dealer I purchased my 99 from told me that this car was only covered to 50,000 miles or 5 years. Right or wrong........Its a nice car. If you read the fine print in the warranty it doesn’t cover much. It appears It would only cover major drive-train parts.
The extended Warranty starts at $2500. I do my own work so it don’t mean too much to me.

By the way I purchased another car on E-Bay.......Turnd out to be a rust bucket.
I can clearly prove my case ....Even with an eye witness.
E-Bay turned away. Square deal ?....Useless.................
Your on your own.
Lesson learned........Fly out and look at it!

Theres different versions of starmark certification. Most common is the 100K warranty, but there are a few lesser versions out there with more specifications and less coverage. Thats probably what you had.

__________________


1980 500SE/AMG Euro
1981 500SEL Euro
1982 380SEL
1983 300TD
1983 500SEC/AMG Euro
1984 500SEC
1984 300TD Euro
1986 190E 2.3-16
1986 190E 2.3
1987 300D
1997 C36 AMG
2003 C320T 4matic

past: 1969 280SE 4.5 | 1978 240D | 1978 300D | 1981 300SD | 1981 300SD | 1982 300CD | 1983 300CD | 1983 300SD | 1983 380SEC | 1984 300D | 1984 300D | 1984 300TD | 1984 500SEL | 1984 300SD | 1985 300D | 1986 300E | 1986 560SEL | 1986 560SEL/Carat | 1987 560SEC | 1991 300D 2.5 | 2006 R350

Yes one negative feedback is better than being stuck with a piece of overpriced junk

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche