Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I will read more on this. 
Depends on how much an independent mechanic charges in your area and whether you prefer to bring the car to the dealer service station or not. I think the general consensus is that you probably at least break even, if you take your car to the dealer service station. The closest MB dealer service station to me literally charges like $175+ for a service A, I think. Or, at least, it used to. I haven’t owned an MB in a few yrs…
What do you mean by the top-tier plan? AFAIK, the plans are based on time (2 yr/3 yr/4 yr). If you’re leasing a car, there’s no need to purchase a plan that covers more than the lease duration.
I see what you’re saying. I went to the dealership website and an A service is $199. I plan on taking the car to an independent shop here called Star Tech Mercedes. I will try to call and find out their price for A and B services to compare.
At the time of signing, the dealership brought this brochure and each “tier” had services beyond the maintenance plan. I remember the first column had maintenance plan only, then the middle column included windshield protection and something else, then the last column included the maintenance plan with a lot of other services. I apologize for the confusion.
I wish I had researched a bit about the prepaid plan before visiting the dealership because at the time, I felt the sales person presented the plans in a way that was a bit confusing to me. He just presented how much each one would increase my monthly payment.
I was trying to think about what I did for my bmw for maintenance because I received complimentary maintenance on it, but I remembered I paid out of pocket to extend the maintenance plan. Thank you for helping me better understand the prepaid maintenance plan with Mercedes 
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They do that on purpose
Don’t worry about bygones now but keep an eye on the dealership website for service specials. Not just the usual coupon offers but sometimes you can prepay at 40-50% off.
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I am 2 1/2 years into my E300 lease and I can tell you basic maintenance on this car is very easy if you or anyone you know has any experience working on cars. I have changed oil twice (using a fluid extractor I bought at Harbor Freight for well under $100) and my costs were about $45 per oil change. Using the extractor means you don’t even have to get under the car. I did bring it into the dealer once for a brake fluid flush and alignment for under $250 total cost with a dealer promo. The dealer charges quite a bit for the A and B services which mostly include “inspections and checks” on many items that have no issues until you put on a lot more miles. If you do any work yourself remember to keep receipts for all oil and filters in the event they question you at lease return, but I have heard from others that is rarely requested.
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Congrats on the Car!
I have almost exactly the same car, except mine is a 2017. My lease is up this coming January, so now I am lurking around here again. Mine was a loaner too that I had to search for at the time.
The car has been great for me. I have 15k miles per year, as I have a long commute. But I get around 30 MPG, which I think is great for such a big car.
I’d like a little more Oomph out of my next car (although the 4 cylinder is surprisingly good when you have to get on it), but when you step up to an E53, the lease deals aren’t as great, in my experience as compared to the E300. Plus, finding an E53 loaner is harder.
I never preferred silver cars before leasing this. I always liked black. But this Iridium Silver has really grown on me. Doesn’t get very dirty, and when washed it really sparkles as a “liquid metal” type paint shine. It seems a wee bit more rare on the E300 as compared to Black or White.
Enjoy! The car has been great for me. A good mix of everything I wanted.
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Thank you very much! I’m so happy to hear of your positive experience . I agree that I’d love to get into the 6 cylinder, but like you’ve already mentioned, the deals just aren’t as sweet! What are you thinking now that your lease end is approaching?
Now? Well, if things were “normal” for me right now, I would be looking at extending my lease (which I have always done for an extra 3 to 6 months with MB USA), but when you lease a loaner, you already have 4k or 5k or 6k miles on the car, and I have 15k miles per year allowance, so I will be close to “not being in warranty” at the end of my lease. And the last thing I want to do is extend my lease and then not be in warranty. Or during normal times I would be looking at leasing another loaner E300 or C43, if I could find one.
But, things are not exactly “normal” for me currently, and I am thinking about getting the new C8 midengine corvette as a fun car, and then getting a cheaper commuter car or suv. My wife went from an SUV to the C300 Coupe recently. She loves it, but now we have no room for anything or for travel, especially when my 6’8" son is with us (he is in college but home now due to the pandemic). So, I may get another MB loaner, or I may go crazy and get the new vette and a cheaper, commuter car or SUV for extra utility.
Regards,
Todd
@AutoCompanion has some hot C43s right now, Sun Motor had a 19 c43 demo at like 29% off in May, so unlucky timing.
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