Nathan Salib

The vehicle is great; the dealership experience was not. While a $1,495 charge for a “Zurich Shield” paint protection package was included in the paperwork I signed, it was not clearly or transparently d While a $1,495 charge for a “Zurich Shield” paint protection package was included in the paperwork I signed, it was not clearly or transparently disclosed during the sales process. Management later claimed it was discussed with Darian before I entered finance, which is completely false - it never was. I explicitly declined higher value products I actually cared about, such as GAP and an extended warranty, yet I still ended up with a high margin, low value add on that does not meet any of my needs. At the end of a long day of signing, when we got to the Zurich paperwork, I asked Omar, “Oh, it includes paint protection?” He confirmed it did and swiftly moved on after getting me to sign, never once mentioning the $1,495 cost or that it was entirely optional per the Zurich contract. Every other document was explained at great length, but for some "unknown" reason, this specific one was not. Had this add on and its cost been clearly explained as an optional, separate $1,495 product, it would have been declined. If it was required in order to purchase the vehicle, it would have been an absolute deal breaker. Beyond the lack of transparency, the product itself is unnecessary for my use case; it addresses minor cosmetic issues like bird droppings (my car is garaged) but does not cover real world highway damage such as rock chips. The delivery experience was also poorly executed. I was given the wrong second key and did not receive the Certified Pre-Owned inspection/warranty paperwork at handover, both of which required multiple follow ups after the sale, including several calls to MBUSA just to get the documentation and correct key. The core issue here is not a single misunderstanding, but a broader pattern of communication and execution gaps. Throughout the transaction, I was given repeated assurances that everything had been handled correctly and transparently, but the actual delivered outcome did not reflect that at all. If you buy here, do not rely on verbal walkthroughs or assume all costs are being clearly highlighted. Read and question every line item carefully before signing. Better yet, find another Mercedes-Benz dealership - there are stronger and far more transparent options available in San Diego County, as I have since learned. More

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