Will it void my warranty if I don't service at the Dealer?

No. The Magnusen-Moss warranty act passed by the US congress in 1975 prohibits manufacturers of any consumer product from requiring that it be serviced by the manufacturer or authorized dealer to maintain warranty protection, unless such service is free or they recieve a specific waiver. In April of 2018 the Federal Trade Commission warned six (un-named) companies that they were in violation, and directed them to revise their practices. If you are told you are required to service your new car at the dealer, tell them to do it for free! Please let us know if you experience this. See link.

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/04/ftc-staff-warns-companies-it-illegal-condition-warranty-coverage

Maintenance Schedule Links

Look up the exact maintenance recommendations for your vehicle.

These maintenance manuals for MY 2000 and later were available online at the official MBUSA website until the beginning of 2019. They have since been deleted. Thanks to the dealer in Raleigh NC we have an even easier to use interface to these manuals. Thank you Lieth Automotive! See link.

https://www.mercedesbenzraleigh.com/service-intervals.html

For MY 2009 and later MBUSA still provides access, see link below

https://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/outside/220561/web/index.html

Pre-Paid Maintenance

Should I buy the pre-paid maintenance package offered with my new car purchase? What if I am leasing?

Post in process...

Extended Warranties are not all equal

The decision to purchase additional warranty is a roll of the dice. Remember that the rates are calculated by experienced actuaries to make a profit for the company. Like insurance, they may protect the individual from catastrophic expense, but overall will be a loser for the consumer. Not everything is covered that you might hope.
Your Mercedes-Benz comes with a four year 50,000 mile warranty that covers defects, but not maintenance items such as filters, wipers, brakes and tires.  An Extended Limited Warranty is available to extend some of the benefits of the original warranty which can be purchased any time before the original warranty expires. ELW coverage is quite specific and does not cover many items such as seat covers, trim items, batteries, C/V boots and more.  MBELW repairs must be performed at a Mercedes-Benz dealership.

Consider that when you purchase Extended Limited Warranty, that coverage will start when your car exceeds the four year 50,000 mile limit of the original factory warranty. At that point the vehicle will still be in pretty good shape, less likely to suffer catastrophic failures. Until about 100,000 miles, you probably won't have much trouble, so will it be worth the thousands they ask for the coverage?
There is sales commission in the cost of ELW, so the cost is negotiable.

Products also known as "Extended Warranties' are also sold by used car dealers which are not backed by the manufacturer. These are actually insurance policies, and these companies have to be registered with the State of California Department of Insurance.
Repairs under these policies can be performed by any licensed auto repair shop, but must be authorized in advance by the company, after diagnosis has been performed at the insured's expense.
Some of these, such as USAA are great, others are pretty slippery.

There are two types of policy, inclusionary, where an item must be listed in the policy in order to be covered, and exclusionary, where only items listed in the policy are not covered.

The exclusionary policy is prefferable, as you have a better chance of determining what will be covered. The inclusionary policy might look good at first because it has lots of words, but it may come to pass that many of those words describe components that never fail, or your vehicle does not have. Disagreements sometimes occurr over the description of a components, for example, a shock aborber may be covered, but a strut containing the shock absorber isn't.

Buyer beware! If you need advice before you purchase one of these policies, bring the entire contract to us for review.

Below is a link to the California Dept of Insurance site with extensive information on these policies.

As stated on the State of California website, "warranties" predicated on you pouring a liquid product into your oil or coolant are frauds, and should not be purchased, and should be reported to the Department of Insurance.

One last tidbit, you can cancel and recieve a prorated refund on these.

http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/01-auto/servcontextwar.cfm

Used Cars   You're Swimming with Sharks!

Looking for a used car? Don't pay or sign anything until you have it inspected. That nice used car salesman might tell you that you can return the car within two days if you change your mind. He's not doing that out of the goodness of his heart, he's compliyng with the California Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights, which states that any licensed dealer must offer the buyer of a used car (that costs $40,000 or less) the option to purchase a 2-day cancellation before signing the contract.
If you purchase the option, you have the right to cancel the sale within two days for any reason.
If you decide to return the used car, you must return it to the dealer within two business days by closing time (unless the contract gives you more time).
You will be charged for this option regardless of whether you exercise it. It will be alot of trouble to unwind the deal, and they probably won't be as friendly as they were in the beginning.

Better to have the car inspected and be sure you want it before commiting. If the dealer is unwilling to cooperate on this you might wonder why, and choose to move on.    See link below.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr35

Recalls, Look up by VIN Number if any apply to your vehicle

Look up any federally mandated recalls for your vehicle.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls