30 quid collection charge for servicing

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As the car is getting older the service plan may look a little expensive especially as the mileage may be fairly low due to retirement.
Now that one of the biggest jobs is out of the way, it will just be oil and filters for a good few years.
What is the mileage by the way ?
 
As the car is getting older the service plan may look a little expensive especially as the mileage may be fairly low due to retirement.
Now that one of the biggest jobs is out of the way, it will just be oil and filters for a good few years.
What is the mileage by the way ?

What it boils down to, is whether the owners intends to keep the car maintained to the manufacturer's service schedule once it gets older.

For those who do, the age of the car and the low annual mileage will not have any effect on the maintenance regime and therefore the dilemma between Service Care Plan and Indie servicing will remain the same throughout the years.

But for those who want to cut back on servicing as the car gets older, the only option is an Indie, since it is not possible to do this on a Service Care Plan.

As for keeping the car serviced to the manufacturer's schedule vs building your own 'as needed' service schedule, I am not advocating either, just pointing-out the cost implications.
 
What it boils down to, is whether the owners intends to keep the car maintained to the manufacturer's service schedule once it gets older.

For those who do, the age of the car and the low annual mileage will not have any effect on the maintenance regime and therefore the dilemma between Service Care Plan and Indie servicing will remain the same throughout the years.

But for those who want to cut back on servicing as the car gets older, the only option is an Indie, since it is not possible to do this on a Service Care Plan.

As for keeping the car serviced to the manufacturer's schedule vs building your own 'as needed' service schedule, I am not advocating either, just pointing-out the cost implications.
I hear you, but if it is now doing a low pleasure mileage most things will not wear out or need replacing, air filters, brake pads etc.
It may only need oil and brake fluid every two years, so reducing his annual cost dramatically. His Main point was he was on £80 a week and reluctant to add £30 for service collection.
I would have thought an Indie would be the way forward as wouldn’t make any difference to the resale value or quality of servicing, but may be better value ?
 
That is expensive. I had a 'major' service which was oil (10L), filter, pollen filter and all spark plugs (10x which were around £20 each). Mine came over £200 less than that at an Audi dealer, be it not in London. I also got a Courtesy car which had a £15 insurance fee but it got waived as it took longer to do than they had said.

Can they provide you with a car to scoot around in? You can stay out of the showroom if you wish. Perhaps book a test drive for the same time?
 
I hear you, but if it is now doing a low pleasure mileage most things will not wear out or need replacing, air filters, brake pads etc.
It may only need oil and brake fluid every two years, so reducing his annual cost dramatically. His Main point was he was on £80 a week and reluctant to add £30 for service collection.
I would have thought an Indie would be the way forward as wouldn’t make any difference to the resale value or quality of servicing, but may be better value ?

I do not disagree. My point was that some people will want to continue and maintain their cars to the manufacturer's schedule, some won't. I wasn't suggesting that the manufacturer's schedule is inscribed in stone or that car service schedule is an exact science.... :D
 
£30 collection:mad: Ask for a courtesy car & go for a drive or ask for the first slot in the morning, then you should be in & out pretty quickly.
I had my S63 in for a service a couple of weeks ago, no charge for courtesy car & I asked about topping up the fuel I used. Don't bother they said.
Land Rover charges about £20 I think for insurance, the car comes with a full tank & they ask for it to be returned full. which is fine by me.
 
I a couple of weeks my car is going for an 'A' service, year 5 so ATF is included.
Price is about 960 at a London MB outlet, plus 30 quid for collection.

I know it's on a Service Plan and we're talking "London prices" but how on earth is an A service plus ATF £960? It's only that price to try and make you think ServiceCare is good value. I wonder how much the dealer gets paid by MB for doing that work?

As for getting them to waive the £30, well, why would they? Service departments live and die by screwing as much money out of customers as possible. Everyone working there gets bonused on that basis.
 
I know it's on a Service Plan and we're talking "London prices" but how on earth is an A service plus ATF £960? It's only that price to try and make you think ServiceCare is good value. I wonder how much the dealer gets paid by MB for doing that work?

As for getting them to waive the £30, well, why would they? Service departments live and die by screwing as much money out of customers as possible. Everyone working there gets bonused on that basis.
Is it the 9 speed box? Do they charge around £500 for the ATF change, so charge £460 for changing the oil ??
 
Is it the 9 speed box? Do they charge around £500 for the ATF change, so charge £460 for changing the oil ??

That's what it sounds like.

And yes, Service Care Plan prices are only good value when compared to the PAYG prices.

And the same goes for independent specialists, they are good value when compared to MB franchised garages, but their prices aren't exactly cheap either.

The initial high price from MB sets the pace and trickles down the chain.
 
As far as I can see from the online service menu/price, just the atf and oil and filter change and it's an A service
 
Anyone re the 30 quid how i can save it? Don't want to hang around for 3/4 hours during Covid.
 
You are right about almost impossible to contact the garage direct unless you have their old, direct numbers.
 
£30 seems like a good deal to me.
We have a service on the slc coming up soon.
I will follow Mrs Ted in the Jeep and she will then want me to take her shopping for things we don’t need, with money we don’t have and THEN expect a lunchtime meal at some overpriced pretentious eating establishment before a leisurely drive back to pick the car up.
£30? Pah!! Bloody bargain if you ask me.
 
Anyone re the 30 quid how i can save it? Don't want to hang around for 3/4 hours during Covid.
Jesus buddy you are paying a £1000 for an oil change and a gearbox service , I wouldn’t sweat the £30 . Are you sure you don’t want to go to an Indy and save £500 ??
 
I read his post to say that this is what the service would have cost had he not serviced it under Service Care Plan?

I did too but as Rory beat me to it above, how on Earth does any dealer come up with that cost for an A service with ATF.

Unbelievable.
 
There are obviously extras involved, put up a screenshot of the quote.
 
Jesus buddy you are paying a £1000 for an oil change and a gearbox service , I wouldn’t sweat the £30 . Are you sure you don’t want to go to an Indy and save £500 ??
I get the impression that the car is on a service plan and the quoted service cost is what it would have cost if he was paying as a one-off rather than what he 'has to pay' on the day.

Yet again, though, it just highlights how much some of the dealer service rack-rates have risen in recent years.
 
As far as I can see the OP's 2016 GLE 250d Automatic needs this year a Service A, and ATF change, and AdBlue fill-up.

And yes, the OP has confirmed that the car is on a 3-year Service Care Plan, and that £960 is what he was quoted as the price he would have to pay if he didn't have the Service Care Plan.
 
And yes, the OP has confirmed that the car is on a 3-year Service Care Plan, and that £960 is what he was quoted as the price he would have to pay if he didn't have the Service Care Plan.

It's kind of predictable ... company pushes annual service contract .... then quotes high prices for out of contract maintenance.

And then we get the posts about what good value the service plans are ..... because .... well at dealer service pricing ... they are.

Forget that MB dropped the longer service interals (for the benefit of the customer ..... of course .... oh yes and they will tel you customers were asking for it or saying they prefered it .....)

So of course on that basis the £960 quoted makes perfect sense to the vendor who wants to reassure their customer that the service plan is terrific value.

I wonder what they would actually charge somebody not on the service plan ..... ?

Odd that older cars can become cheaper to service ... or that MB dealers might offer 'value' servicing.
 

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