[Peter Travisano]

Looking to purchase 16 passion. Just worried that they are doing away with the gasser. Will it be hard to get repair parts and service in the near future? Thanks

 

[OliverB]

Manufacturers are required by law to provide parts for a minimum of 10 years. Daimler has one of the better track records regarding parts availability, providing parts often for many years. We won’t know for certain until time passes. I have a 2016 Passion and am not concerned. I still easily find parts for my 1977 and 1990 Benz sedans.

 

[Jo e Lefors]

Manufacturers are required by law to provide parts for a minimum of 10 years. Daimler has one of the better track records regarding parts availability, providing parts often for many years. We won’t know for certain until time passes. I have a 2016 Passion and am not concerned. I still easily find parts for my 1977 and 1990 Benz sedans.

Myth: 10 year parts law?
OliverB
While you can still find parts for your cars. I have tried my best "Googlefu" and can find the Printed Law requiring manufacturers to provide parts for a minimum of 10 years. Perhaps you can provide a link. The only thing I can find is the following.

Orphan Cars And The 10 Year Parts Myth. I believe our ICE smarts are now Orphans.
By Bozi Tatarevic on July 17, 2015

Every automotive enthusiast has an opinion when it comes to car buying and many are quick to point to an orphan car for a good deal. While some orphan cars are a bargain for their genre, maintaining some of them can be an exercise in futility. Internet commenters and forum aficionados are quick to defend their recommendations and point to some parts law that supposedly forces manufacturers to provide parts for 10 or 20 years after they kill a model, but no such law exists. While there are laws like the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act that provide some protection in certain situations, it’s nowhere near the 10-year mark.

According to the FTC, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act provides rules on warranties for all consumer products, and in the automotive world it forces automakers that provide warranties to produce parts for the term of the vehicle warranty. In some cases this can be as short as 3 years after the sale of the last model. Once that term is up, they do not have any further obligations to the consumer. The entity providing the warranty can also choose to stop manufacturing parts before the warranty expires, but in that case they may be liable to replace the product or provide a refund.

The other piece of the warranty puzzle is emissions coverage that is mandated by the EPA that provides for 2 years of coverage for any emissions performance issues and 8 years of coverage for any defect related to the emissions system. While this coverage is notably longer than the usual powertrain warranty, it does not necessitate that the manufacturer must provide parts or service. It only states that they must cover the cost of any required repair.

 

[OliverB]

Be it myth or fact I really can’t say. For the past 50-60 years I have heard it said about the 10 year requirement. Personally, I think the concern about parts support going into the future is much ado about nothing. Any model auto that has had its production run ceased could also be called an orphan. I stand by my belief that Daimler won’t abandon world wide parts support for the smart - including those in the U.S. Yes, the number of Mercedes dealers servicing the car may be very small in number but there will always be independents to fill in. For my 29 year old Benz and my 42 year old Benz I can still source just about any part needed, either through the dealer network or through independent sources. A couple years ago I replaced the exhaust system on my ‘77. Of course the parts weren’t in stock in the U.S. warehouse but the dealer sourced them without difficulty directly from Germany. And my model of the W123 was only offered for 2 years in the states.

 

[1stiski]

Daimler usuallly has parts Available for their vehicles many years in advance , historically speaking . B

 

[phillysmart]

Remember - even though the ICE models are no longer sold here, they are still being sold in other areas of the world.


The 'advantages' of the global economy and the internet provide a parts source. Lots of web vendors in England and Germany.


-Barry-