What is the maintenance cost of Volvo and Mercedes Benz?
By
Vroomouk
In this article, we compare the maintenance cost of Mercedes Benz and Volvo and answer the following questions: what are prepaid service plans in Mercedes and Volvo? Which is more reliable: Volvo or Mercedes Benz
What is the maintenance cost of Volvo and Mercedes Benz?
The following table shows the approximate cost of maintenance for Volvo and Mercedes Benz.
| Service type/company | Service A | Service B |
| Mercedes Benz | 200$ to 500$ | 600$ to 1000$ |
| Volvo | 250 $ to 500$ | 550$ to 1000$ |
Both companies have similar service intervals of 10,000 miles or 1 year, Volvo also goes one step further by offering a small service every 7,500 miles for doing tire rotation, changing oil and oil filters and checking the condition of the battery.
This type of close service interval is good for maintaining reliability but the overall maintenance cost can keep on increasing with the age and mileage of the vehicle.
Therefore the average maintenance cost of Volvo over 10 years is more than Mercedes Benz by almost 2500 USD.
Mercedes Benz service schedule is 10,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes early as engine oil loses its properties like viscosity with time and even if the mileage of 10,000 miles is not reached, the engine oil must be replaced at every service.
Mercedes Benz provides two types of service they are service A and Service B. Service A is a minor service while service B is a major service in which additional jobs like replacing cabin dust filters, and fuel filters are performed.
Mercedes Benz service is not just limited to the oil change, Mercedes Benz cars are the most advanced cars on the roads today and there are many critical components present on the vehicle. All the functions are checked according to the service check sheet of respective models.
The turnaround time for Volvo service A is faster as there are few models but Mercedes Benz also offers premium express service in under 60 minutes. Customers can even book service appointments through the Mercedes Me connect smartphone app.
The Assyst Plus service computer is more advanced than the service indicator in Volvo. Assyst Plus can save previous service and oil data records.
What are prepaid service plans in Mercedes Benz and Volvo?
Mercedes Benz and Volvo are premium luxury car companies, they do not offer free first service like the Japanese car companies. As cars are expensive, periodic maintenance is crucial for reliability. Therefore, Mercedes Benz and Volvo offer prepaid service plans to the customers at the time of buying the vehicle.
Purchasing a prepaid maintenance plan from Volvo can save up to 20 per cent on maintenance costs. Volvo offers different service plans for the vehicles sold after 2016 and vehicles sold between 2008 to 2013.
For the newer models sold after 2016, prepaid service plans can be purchased from the authorised dealership at the time of buying the new car or up to 80,000 miles. The prepaid service plan covers service costs for 7 years. The good thing about Volvo service plans is Volvo offers free roadside assistance and a key protection plan (up to 400 USD)
For the older Volvo models customers can only choose from 3,5,7 oil service plans. Only engine oil and oil filters are covered and a multi-point inspection is performed every 7,500 miles. Any additional jobs such as rectifying oil or coolant leaks, replacing brake pads, and brake discs are not covered under the prepaid service plans.
Mercedes service package is called star ease, depending on the market Star ease service packages are available which greatly reduces service times and service costs. These packages can be purchased anytime and can cover the costs of servicing for up to 10 years.
Star ease packages are of two types compact and compact plus. Compact plus covers up to 200000 km/ 10 years. While the star ease compact can be purchased for up to 10 years without any mileage condition.
Is Volvo more reliable than Mercedes Benz?
Volvo makes very reliable and safe passenger cars but they are not reliable, especially when compared to the Mercedes Benz. there is a 30 per cent chance a Volvo car will require major repair in its first 6 years of operation. The dealer network of Volvo is very small compared to Mercedes Benz.
The availability of skilled technicians and genuine spare parts is the cause of poor reliability in Volvo cars. The new models manufactured after 2016 have good built quality but there is no robust diagnosis strategy and after-service support in Volvo.
Customers in the international markets need to wait for weeks or even months to get their car correctly diagnosed and fixed.
The cost of labour and parts is very high compared to other luxury brands like the Audi and BMW but it is cheaper than Mercedes Benz. Mercedes Benz cars last more than 10 years without any major repair work on engine or suspension components.
Mercedes Benz dealership and after-service support are very strong. Mercedes Benz even gives goodwill support to old models if there is a critical malfunction.
Mercedes Benz offers a standard warranty of up to 5 years depending on the market and components like brake pads and brake discs are not covered as they are considered consumable parts.
After 6 years as the vehicle starts to rack up mileage, Mercedes Benz’s superior engineering and build quality shines through and the cost of major repairs bills are significantly less when compared to the Volvo.
Volvo is the first automotive manufacturing company to offer a lifetime warranty on its genuine parts- provided periodic maintenance is performed regularly. Even parts like wiper blades, brake disc, sparkplugs, fuses and bulbs are covered under a lifetime warranty.
A lifetime warranty cannot be transferred to the new owner and it is only valid till the owner of the car. This is not the case in Mercedes Benz as standard as well as extended warranties can be transferred to the New owner of the vehicle.
Other articles about Mercedes Benz you may be interested in
Why does Mercedes Benz have a signature on the windshield?
Which Mercedes Benz has bulletproof windows?
Which is the best SUV: Audi Q7 or Mercedes Benz GL?
Conclusion
Volvo service cost is cheaper than Mercedes Benz and with a lifetime warranty on genuine parts, customers can save money in the long run. However, due to the lack of authorised dealerships and after-service support customers avoid buying the Volvo. Mercedes Benz maintenance cost is expensive but there are service packages and extended warranty plans for the benefit of customers.
