Woman Loses Key Fob To $15,000 Mercedes G Wagon. Then She Finds Out The Replacement Cost: ‘I Wish Somebody Would’ve Warned Me’

Luxury cars often come with a luxury tax, which can extend to parts and components, turning your fantasy ride into a money pit. A Mercedes-Benz G Wagon owner learned this hard way after she lost her car’s key fob.

Taylor B. (@its.tayl0rb) is urging other folks considering purchasing the flossy ride to stay away from getting one. She explained why in a social media post, citing long-term high expenditures as the reason why.

“If your dream truck is a G Wagon, this is the reason why you should not get one, OK?” she begins.

“I lost my key fob this weekend, and I had to get my car towed to Mercedes so … I can get another key because mine, when you buy the car, you only get one key. Well, that’s what they gave me, only one key. So, they quoted me over $2,000 for the key,” she continues, squinting into the camera.

She Was 'Irritated' By The Mercedes G Wagon Fob Replacement Cost

Taylor was in disbelief upon seeing the figure.

“I’m so irritated because I just spent $15,000 on this truck. Literally everything on this truck costs $1,000 and up, no cap. Every time you look up, you need to service A, B, C, A, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P. Then, next thing you know, you need brakes. You need brakes every five, six months—maybe every two months,” she opines to her viewers.

She went on to state that she was shocked by the number of times she was told her vehicle needed its brakes swapped out.

“I need brakes already again. I just got brakes. Brakes start off at $5,000. Don’t let them add the rotors and everything else up in that—a bankroll. It’s just like this car has literally became a headache, and it’s just getting on my nerves. I had it for two years, and I had my time with it,” Taylor says.

Following this, she cautioned folks against purchasing the vehicle outright, estimating that it is not a fiscally viable long-term commuting option.

“I feel like if anybody want to get a G Wagon, I think you should lease it. Just to get the experience so you can see everything I’m saying is a lot. It is the truth, child,” she relays.

In fact, she was so frustrated by the constant expenditures to keep the vehicle roadworthy that she is now trying to get rid of it.

“I’m to the point where I can’t stand it at this point. Like, I’m trying to figure out how do you trade in a car? Because I can’t trade in this car. I got to get up out of it, 'cause they’ve been—no. I’ve never had a car with such a headache. This car a headache. It’s getting on my nerves,” she admits.

G Wagon: Not Worth The Cost

Although Taylor says she “loves” Mercedes-Benz as a brand, she doesn’t believe G Wagons are worth their price tags.

“I love Mercedes. I’ve always had Mercedes, but this one is different. It’s just irritating more than anything. [Expletive], every time you look up it’s something else. Ask any other G Wagon girls if I’m lying. I’m telling the truth. I’m just here to warn y’all. I wish somebody would warn me before I went to go buy it because I sure wouldn’t have got it if I knew,” she concedes. 

In fact, Taylor believes she could’ve purchased multiple vehicles for the amount of cash she dropped on the vaunted German SUV.

“Like, I could have bought me four cars, cash, how much I spent on this car in the last two years,” she remarks before her video came to a close.

Taylor isn’t the first G Wagon owner to decry its high cost of ownership. Motor1 previously reported on another woman who purchased the car and regretted her decision. Like Taylor, she said that maintaining the vehicle cost an arm and a leg. Furthermore, she was upset with the ride’s build quality, mentioning how a piece of the truck “fell out” while driving it. In her estimation, it was “literally the worst car [she’s] ever owned.”

This Reddit user also delineated all of the reasons why they believe G Wagons are a poor purchase. In addition to its “expensive” price tag (a new 2026 G Wagon starts at $155,250, per TrueCar), they called it “unreliable.” Moreover, they highlighted that the car is “bad on fuel” (18 mpg combined) and is “cramped” despite its large size.

G Wagon Maintenance Costs

Edmunds published an overview on what a used, 2020 G Wagon owner should expect to fork over for five years of ownership, and it’s an eye-wincing amount. According to the automotive inventory company, folks should expect to spend around $23,768 on fuel, depending on their driving habits.

Repairs are estimated to be around $7,817, which seems conservative when compared to Taylor’s reporting. Then, there are average maintenance costs, which sit at $9,343. Of course, when it comes to servicing your vehicle, who you bring it to can have a massive impact on your wallet. Dealerships are notoriously known for upcharging on parts and labor costs when stacked against independently owned shops. So if you’re intent on purchasing a luxury vehicle, finding a mechanic you trust to work on it could help you save money in the long run.

As for Taylor’s key fob replacement, if her account is true, this sounds like it could be a case of dealership greed. Mercedes-Benz of San Diego writes that the “cost for key programming ranged from $245 to $367.50.” However, the business writes that this doesn’t include the price of the physical key itself.

Another Benz dealer in San Francisco doesn’t include the key programming cost on its website but does echo that the fob expenditure isn’t “included with the purchase of your key.”

Motor1 has reached out to Mercedes-Benz via email and Taylor via TikTok direct message for further comment. We will update this story if either party responds.