Non MB history cars - how have you found selling them?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

theclass

Active Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2014
Messages
97
Car
c class
Hi All

Wanted some advice from more experienced members, I've got a 61 plate W212 that so far has full MB service history, keeping the car another 4 years, from your experiences would I gain much if I kept the Mercedes history going or does it not matter much by the time I sell it pricewise? if I didnt use MB I would definitely stick with a known indy from this forum.

I find the dealer service really bad so its not just a matter of cost however also worried if i'm going to lose out quite a bit when selling..

Thanks
 
So it will be what 10 years old at sale time. I think 10 year old cars sell on condition as much as service history. What do you expect it to be worth and how does the extra cost of MB servicing compare with that.
 
Just one opinion, others may differ, but if it was a good Indy I'd almost prefer it. Wouldn't worry me if not maintained at the main dealer after the first few years.
 
General rule of thumb I'd say first three years at main dealer, indie aftwards.
 
Main dealer by first owner / independent later

I've been buying sub 40,000 mile, expensive cars at 75% off (i.e. 6+ years old) for the last 30 years.

Most "good" cars seem to be serviced at the main dealer by the first owner or up until four years old. It's a rare car that stays with main dealer for 6-10 years. (But they do exist, and I do "try" to find them).

I doubt that there's much of a differential in used values at 6+ years between main dealer and main dealer then independent servicing.

The Big Issue is all those clowns who think that the garage with a rubber stamp is an independent, and those folks who think that a 3-4 year 30,000 mile gap is full history. They're the sellers who find it takes much longer to sell their car. For good reason.

A good independent knows what he's doing, has the specialist kit, and charges half the hourly charge.

Main dealers, whether it's MB, BMW, Jaguar, Range Rover or Audi, carry all the overheads of being a big corporate, and have clients who often don't care what it will cost.

As someone's already said, at ten years old / 100k miles (say), your car is only going to be worth 10-12 % of it original value, so the difference of pricing is unlikely to be that significant - it's just that you'll sell the full MB history faster and at a small premium.
 
Last edited:
SPX said:
General rule of thumb I'd say first three years at main dealer, indie aftwards.
^This, or unless you enjoy being fleeced by the main stealers!
 
As someone's already said, at ten years old / 100k miles (say), your car is only going to be worth 10-12 % of it original value.

This does not, however, apply to AMG (but almost certainly not "AMG Line") cars. What model is yours?
 
^+1. If <3-4 years old main dealer history (providing it's backed by invoices not just stamps) would help, but after that I'd prefer history from a known good indie as it demonstrates that the owner has done homework on keeping his car in good shape without breaking the bank.
 
Not sure why 99% here assume a Indy is always cheaper

Consider a service plan

https://servicecarerates.mercedes-benz.co.uk/

A service at Mercedes renews European wide breakdown cover ( mobilo )

https://cars.mercedes-benz.co.uk/ow...st/roadside_assistance_and_rescue_assist.html

If any additional works are required get a quote from a Indy and have them done there IF cheaper

Indys are not always cheaper so worth doing some research, cars over seven years old qualify for a Mercedes Benz value service which is pretty much an A service which is £149 for a E class and includes a health check, a video highlighting any work that may need doing and a quite comprehensive vehicle check with no pressure to have the works done, definitely good value for money at £149.

The value service does not include Mobilo.



https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk/myoption/show/value?token=Z013947
 
Last edited:
Agreed - AMG will certainly retain more - if not written off....

This does not, however, apply to AMG (but almost certainly not "AMG Line") cars. What model is yours?


My comment about 10-12% residuals was a "plucked out of the air" number of maybe £6k advertised / £5k dealt price for a 2007 E320CDI worth £50k new and then having 100k on the clock.

If your car is an E63 W212 the residual will always be stronger - count them by the handful - if they've survived to reach their 10th birthday. (A third of AMG's will... die .... before they're 10)
 
Last edited:
JattAmg said:
Not sure why 99% here assume a Indy is always cheaper Consider a service plan https://servicecarerates.mercedes-benz.co.uk/ A service at Mercedes renews European wide breakdown cover ( mobilo ) https://cars.mercedes-benz.co.uk/ownership/roadside_assistance_and_rescue_assist/roadside_assistance_and_rescue_assist.html If any additional works are required get a quote from a Indy and have them done there IF cheaper Indys are not always cheaper so worth doing some research, cars over seven years old qualify for a Mercedes Benz value service which is pretty much an A service which is £149 for a E class and includes a health check, a video highlighting any work that may need doing and a quite comprehensive vehicle check with no pressure to have the works done, definitely good value for money at £149. The value service does not include Mobilo. https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk/myoption/show/value?token=Z013947
It's not just the costs involved, 9/10 dealers are incompetent, And most importantly i can safely say I trust my indie 100%.. can I say that about stealers.....
 
If you sell a car after 10 years or so, even if you do get a better price for full MB-Dealer history (which I am not sure you would), then on a £2k-£3k-£4k car the difference in actual Pounds will be far less than what you would have saved by opting for Indy servicing from year 3 onward. Hope this makes sense.
 
It's not just the costs involved, 9/10 dealers are incompetent, And most importantly i can safely say I trust my indie 100%.. can I say that about stealers.....

Fully agree, the car I just sold to a fellow forum member had 3 MB services, then 3 Olly PCS services, then 2 Terry WG services... it does not get any better than that :D

BUT - the OP asked about resale value, and this is what I replied to....
 
It always perplexes me why main dealers are slammed and their technicians according to some are useless.

I have never found this to be the case, dealerships will mostly cost more but not always.

Most independent specialists are more than likely ex technicians from a main dealership, do the leave the dealership and take a magic potion that transforms them into wonderfully skilled people?

I confess that the last few cars have been brand new so repairs or recalls have all been done at main dealers and as yet I have not had any issues, the cars have always been returned with the job completed and the car clean and undamaged.

If I keep the current car then I may use an independent but I'm not sure at this stage.

Main dealers I believe work from fixed times for said job so if the job is allocated 2 hours and they complete it in less then that's good for them but if it takes longer then the time allocated remains 2 hours.

My last car an E300 Hybrid had the GPS aerial pack up so required fixing, the older models I was told required the rear roof lining dropping the aerial unclipped and a fairly easy job to replace with new unit.
Not so on my model as Mercedes in their wisdom did not put an electrical connection in it and the lead ran the full length of the roof requiring the complete lining to be dropped.
I believe something like 3 to 4 hours allocated for this but it took them a whole day as it was the first one they had done like this and they know how fussy I am.
I'm not sure if independents work from hour sheets.

I would personally look for a full main dealer service history because unless the car is sold locally there is a good chance the independent who did the services would be unknown to me.

In short there are no doubt good and bad technicians in dealerships and some independents.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
JattAmg said:
Not sure why 99% here assume a Indy is always cheaper Consider a service plan https://servicecarerates.mercedes-benz.co.uk/ A service at Mercedes renews European wide breakdown cover ( mobilo ) https://cars.mercedes-benz.co.uk/ownership/roadside_assistance_and_rescue_assist/roadside_assistance_and_rescue_assist.html If any additional works are required get a quote from a Indy and have them done there IF cheaper Indys are not always cheaper so worth doing some research, cars over seven years old qualify for a Mercedes Benz value service which is pretty much an A service which is £149 for a E class and includes a health check, a video highlighting any work that may need doing and a quite comprehensive vehicle check with no pressure to have the works done, definitely good value for money at £149. The value service does not include Mobilo. https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk/myoption/show/value?token=Z013947


I forgot to add all the main dealer services including the value service include a wash and hoover.
 
9/10 dealers are incompetent,

And most importantly i can safely say I trust my indie 100%..

can I say that about stealers.....

Where did your indie get his Mercedes training?
 
Dealers vs Indys

I think the issue here is that Independent garages are run solely for the purposes of servicing older Mercs whereas the main dealers are getting most of their money from sales of new and newish cars, thus they naturally focus their management time on that. And many of us see the consequences when trying to get them interested in doing a good job of repairs to older cars.
 
Somr of the Indie benefits, which will likely apply to forum members:

You get to speak to the mechanic working on your car. At the dealer you would be talking to a 'Service Advisor' who is actually a salesperson whose main area of expertise is pricing-up the service itens correctly and you will probably find that yoy know about servicing more than he or she does.

You can go with the mechanic around and under the car and get a first hand explanation about issues. As opposed to handing over the keys to be whisked away through a back door to the shop floor, then getting them back two hours later with a bill.
 
It always perplexes me why main dealers are slammed and their technicians according to some are useless.

I have never found this to be the case, dealerships will mostly cost more but not always.

Most independent specialists are more than likely ex technicians from a main dealership, do the leave the dealership and take a magic potion that transforms them into wonderfully skilled people?

I confess that the last few cars have been brand new so repairs or recalls have all been done at main dealers and as yet I have not had any issues, the cars have always been returned with the job completed and the car clean and undamaged.

If I keep the current car then I may use an independent but I'm not sure at this stage.

Main dealers I believe work from fixed times for said job so if the job is allocated 2 hours and they complete it in less then that's good for them but if it takes longer then the time allocated remains 2 hours.

My last car an E300 Hybrid had the GPS aerial pack up so required fixing, the older models I was told required the rear roof lining dropping the aerial unclipped and a fairly easy job to replace with new unit.
Not so on my model as Mercedes in their wisdom did not put an electrical connection in it and the lead ran the full length of the roof requiring the complete lining to be dropped.
I believe something like 3 to 4 hours allocated for this but it took them a whole day as it was the first one they had done like this and they know how fussy I am.
I'm not sure if independents work from hour sheets.

I would personally look for a full main dealer service history because unless the car is sold locally there is a good chance the independent who did the services would be unknown to me.

In short there are no doubt good and bad technicians in dealerships and some independents.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The really good techs do tend to leave. Independents pay better and better working conditions/enviroment. Happier techs = better work.
 
After the first 3 or so years I'd actually rather see a good indy service history than a dealer one. The best cars I have bought have been looked after by enthusiastic owners (my C55 I bought from a member here was a great example) and they like the service a good indy provides.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom