When Mercedes-Benz Malaysia first launched their hybrid vehicles, the warranty provided on their Lithium-ion batteries was just a 2+2 years/unlimited km warranty.
Buyers at the time did not care about this warranty as they were getting a high specification luxury car at a high import tax reduction price.
This buyer behaviour was also found in BMW and Volvo hybrid/plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car buyers. The huge tax reduction for these cars was the selling point and really nothing else.
Buyers did not look into the pricing for replacement Lithium-ion batteries as they were either looking to own the cars for four to seven years or just not aware.
Now some years later, a handful of PHEV and hybrid car owners have had battery issues and when confronted with the replacement costs they shudder with fear as the proposed prices are as high as the current resale value of their PHEV’s. What’s more, used car dealers are also worried about taking in used PHEVs.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has now taken steps to introduce a new Hybrid Battery Extended Warranty Programme for older Mercedes E 300 BlueTEC Hybrid owners and Mercedes S 400 Hybrid owners as their cars are now passing the four-year ownership mark.
This new warranty offers either eight years or 180,000 km to existing owners from the date of registration, whichever comes first, so they have another three to four good years of PHEV battery relief.
Mercedes-Benz has put some conditions to their extended warranty – owners must come into a Mercedes-Benz dealership to be eligible for the extended warranty plan:
1. The vehicle must be registered for less than four years at the time of signing of the extended warranty agreement.
2. A vehicle inspection must also be completed at the time of signing the agreement before the extended warranty can be offered.
3. The hybrid battery must be in 100% working condition.
4. The PHEV or hybrid car must be serviced and maintained by an authorised Mercedes-Benz dealership throughout.
This extended warranty covers replacement costs and repairs if needed as long as the four criteria above are met.
Current Mercedes-Benz C 350 e and E 350 e PHEV owners do not enjoy this extended warranty as they already have an ongoing six-year/100,000 km warranty for their Lithium-ion battery system.
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