There seems to be a lot of speculation. No matter what I post, someone else will undoubtedly chime in with different info but here it goes.... On cars that are previous lease returns, MB isn't chasing anyone down for BAP. For a private party sale/transfer however the story may be different. Your best bet is to get a Carfax because they'll tell you the history and if it was a previous lease return.
Buying a 451 ED....
seeing tons and tons of ED's available for incredibly low price...
aware of the "lease program" on the battery, but honestly with a private sale... what's to keep someone from just never paying those fee's to the dealer?
do they have a lien on the title because of this lease or whats the exact details... i honestly see the vehicles come up private seller for 3-5k on a daily basis...
aware of the "lease program" on the battery, but honestly with a private sale... what's to keep someone from just never paying those fee's to the dealer?
do they have a lien on the title because of this lease or whats the exact details... i honestly see the vehicles come up private seller for 3-5k on a daily basis...
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
You might want to read some of the other posts concerning "BAP" or Battery Assurance Plus. The skinny is this: the original owner paid $5k less and leased the battery with an extended warranty. They could have purchased the battery and paid $5k more. But they paid leass, leased the battery, and signed up for the obligation to pay $80/mo. plus tax. This lease also includes a 10 year (from the original purchase) battery capacity guaranty. If the battery fails to achieve at least an 80% charge, MB will install a new or refubished battery at no cost. That is, provided you are paid up on the battery payments and have the battery checked annually (and you get the "dessicant" filter changed every other year).
Usually the first owner was a leasing company. Many leasing companies sold the cars at auction to used car dealers. These used car dealers either were ignorant or claimed ignorance of BAP and sold these cars off to private owners. The paperwork the purchaser USUALLY signed with the dealership clearly stated that the car was "free from any leins or emcumbrances". That meant that the dealer put in writing that they were selling the car outright and the purchaser had no obligation to pay anything further. However, the car DID still have a battery lease. The delaer MAY have slipped the new owner paperwork about BAP but nobody has heard of that happenning either.
So, there are several discussion threads in this forum about who is obligated to do what. And, what can Mercedes Benz Financial Services (who "owns" the battery lease) do to you if you don't pay.
They COULD repossess the battery, although nobody has ever heard of this happenning. They COULD send you some paperwork demanding you make the payments. They COULD alert all M-B dealers to impound the car if it ever comes in for service. Again, nobody has ever heard of any of this actually happenning. There is also a thread suggecting that Mercedes Benz WANTS to terminate all these leases and move on - since the program is not available on the new electric drive cars. Can MB chase after you? They COULD. Can you sue the dealer and win (make the dealer pay)? Quite possibly. Again, nobody has ever heard of it going that far.
After you buy the car you will likely get a letter from MBFS telling you about the program and how you can (and should) make payments.
I am happily making the payments. If the battery goes below 80% capacity, MB will install a new or refurb at no charge. In another thread I compared the costs of paying BAP vs. a "DIY" approach (you buy a refurb battery and have it installed yourself). I paid a very low price for a car with 9k miles in near flawless condition. So it is worth it to me to have the insurance on the battery for what I consider to be, a low monthly payment. I also researched all this before I made the purchase so none of it was a "surprise".
Opinions Vary,
Mike
Usually the first owner was a leasing company. Many leasing companies sold the cars at auction to used car dealers. These used car dealers either were ignorant or claimed ignorance of BAP and sold these cars off to private owners. The paperwork the purchaser USUALLY signed with the dealership clearly stated that the car was "free from any leins or emcumbrances". That meant that the dealer put in writing that they were selling the car outright and the purchaser had no obligation to pay anything further. However, the car DID still have a battery lease. The delaer MAY have slipped the new owner paperwork about BAP but nobody has heard of that happenning either.
So, there are several discussion threads in this forum about who is obligated to do what. And, what can Mercedes Benz Financial Services (who "owns" the battery lease) do to you if you don't pay.
They COULD repossess the battery, although nobody has ever heard of this happenning. They COULD send you some paperwork demanding you make the payments. They COULD alert all M-B dealers to impound the car if it ever comes in for service. Again, nobody has ever heard of any of this actually happenning. There is also a thread suggecting that Mercedes Benz WANTS to terminate all these leases and move on - since the program is not available on the new electric drive cars. Can MB chase after you? They COULD. Can you sue the dealer and win (make the dealer pay)? Quite possibly. Again, nobody has ever heard of it going that far.
After you buy the car you will likely get a letter from MBFS telling you about the program and how you can (and should) make payments.
I am happily making the payments. If the battery goes below 80% capacity, MB will install a new or refurb at no charge. In another thread I compared the costs of paying BAP vs. a "DIY" approach (you buy a refurb battery and have it installed yourself). I paid a very low price for a car with 9k miles in near flawless condition. So it is worth it to me to have the insurance on the battery for what I consider to be, a low monthly payment. I also researched all this before I made the purchase so none of it was a "surprise".
Opinions Vary,
Mike
If I lived in an area where an EV made sense. I buy one in a jiffy. But, alas that's not the case here in North Centra Florida. So I did the next best thing.... purchased a new to me 451 ice cabrio. Good luck I can't see why living in the Tampa area an EV wouldn't be a great buy at $5K.I mean most cars lose that in depreciation in the first year alone. GO FOR IT.
For clarification, I was suggesting that the Original Poster may want to check out other threads on this topic. I was not suggesting that Tony Margulis do so. He appears to be well versed in these matters. For some reason, when I composed my reply to the Original Poster, Tony's reply did not appear. His reply showed up only AFTER I clicked "post quick reply". Kooky.
Cheers,
Mike
Cheers,
Mike
Wait, how many smarts do you have by now rijowysock?
From what I've read, MB no longer really cares about private sale BAP cars anymore because of this insane nightmare. But of course, YMMV.
From what I've read, MB no longer really cares about private sale BAP cars anymore because of this insane nightmare. But of course, YMMV.
Don't worry Mike, it's all good. My knowledge comes from a ton of research I did before buying my used, off-lease 2014 ED earlier this year. As miss Mercedes said, they may even have stopped caring about private party sellers because the program has become a PR problem. BAP "rules" seem to change with the seasons these days.
I just bought one yesterday, 2014, off lease. From Mercedes Benz of Des Moines. Full factory 4 year battery warranty for the remaining umh, like 4 months of those 4 years. I got it in writing. No mention of BAP.
Congrats, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.
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