'A' Service = SHOCK Of My Life

[MSG2004]

Indie all the way for me.
Choose carefully and you will not only get better quality servicing - but at a much cheaper cost - and - you will still get your service book stamped providing genuine Mercedes parts are always used.
I dont want a flashy, trendy service centre - or deep pile carpets in the reception lounge. I would rather my money goes in the pocket of someone who KNOWS what they are doing AND cares about my car.

Cheers, I live in SE10 - any goo indie close by?

 

[MSG2004]

The max legal cost for an MOT is £53.10 too robbing ********!

Smarts have set servicing until Merc get their hands on them 'sorry sir we haven't changed the plugs on your B-service even though the service schedule says they are due as you have only done 18,000 not 20,000 since the last B-service' seriously WTF, it causes such headaches for us as an indie, I don't know how you Merc guys keep on top of things when MB get involved!

Kate

Cheers, i though it was steep - will check again as the young lady kept onasking colleagues questions

 

[MSG2004]

thank you allvery much!

Any indie near SE10?
Cheers!

 

[verytalldave]

Cheers, I live in SE10 - any goo indie close by?

Whats your priority?

The best.....or the nearest......or the cheapest?

Dont bother with the cheapest.............it will cost you dear in the end.....

If you want the nearest, look in yellow pages or Thompson Local.

However, if you want the BEST........then send me a PM and I will let you know.......

 

[st4]

How far is Olly's from SE10, it might be worth the extra miles/visit/effort as he has been highly recommended on this forum.

 

[verytalldave]

How far is Olly's from SE10, it might be worth the extra miles/visit/effort as he has been highly recommended on this forum.

My thoughts entirely.

 

[MSG2004]

Whats your priority?

The best.....or the nearest......or the cheapest?

Dont bother with the cheapest.............it will cost you dear in the end.....

If you want the nearest, look in yellow pages or Thompson Local.

However, if you want the BEST........then send me a PM and I will let you know.......

cheers - post away.
SE10 = London/Greenwich park, 5 mins Blackwall Tunnel

 

[A210AMG]

I was in the same position with my wifes A210. A class when it needed a service. The basic price was £460 ish but due to age rather than millage (its a 2003 on 30K_ it would need brake fluid, spark plugs, some other fluid changes I cannot remember..

The price with all this was over £750, oh and then their was the one yr warranty we could take out for around the same price £750.

So for £1500 a service and warranty.....


Sounded a lot to me, so took it to an indy £450 and that included all the above plus fitting new brake discs and pads that I provided (from Mercedes who were actually cheap for these...)

 

[verytalldave]

cheers - post away.
SE10 = London/Greenwich park, 5 mins Blackwall Tunnel

Yes I know the area probably better than you. I grew up in Greenwich/ Blackheath/Charlton and love the area. Lived in Ulundi road/Mayhill road until I was 17. Then moved to sunny Orpington where I still live.
I bought my first Mercedes last July and love driving it today as much as I did over a year ago. Its appeal hasn't diminished.
I suppose I am about 10 miles or so south-east of you. I take my car here for everything.................
http://www.prestigecarservice.co.uk/
Its run by a guy called Ollie and he is a member of this forum. Posts under the forum name of "BlackC55". He is a damn fine mechanic and a nice bloke to boot. And his prices are very fair. He wont rip you off.
OK, its not round the corner, but service of this quality is worth the journey and time. Takes me an easy 90 minute drive. Add on about another 30 for you. You can watch him working on your car and have a chat at the same time. How may garages will let you do that?
Its well worth considering. PM me if you want any more details...........

 

[GordonTarling]

I second Dave! Take it to Ollie! He does a great job, is reasonably priced and is one of the few garages I know that won't feed you bull excrement! It may seem a long way to go, but you can also have a nice day out in Portsmouth while Ollie does the work!

 

[MSG2004]

cheers all.

have pm'd

 

[mercmanuk]

take it to ian at 124 works if you are in the north west and walk away with a smile on your face and money left in your pocket

 

[tony2311]

service of this quality is worth the journey and time. Takes me an easy 90 minute drive. Add on about another 30 for you. You can watch him working on your car and have a chat at the same time.

i know its last year post but for a routine service, how much are you really saving considering it is a 3 hour round trip , £25 fuel? For a major job maybe but for a small service?

 

[hawk20]

A fixed 12K miles interval with a fixed deterministic schedule seems much more attractive than the current situation.

But that is just what we have now. On MB cars from 2006 there is fixed interval servicing at 15,500 miles or once a year (whichever is the sooner).

And it is quite wrong for the OP to see all items as part of the service. The A service costs around £200 and the B service around £300 at my local MB dealer -inc vat.

But there are other maintenance jobs to do that are often age or mileage related. Pads and discs need replacing from time to time. Tyres. Exhausts. Plugs (is it every 50k miles nowadays?). ATF at 38k miles. A lot of these jobs can be done by indies if preferred. But they don't occur for anyone on average miles (12k) or below until the car is over 3 years old and then most dealers give substantial discounts for older cars.

 

[Rory]

But that is just what we have now. On MB cars from 2006 there is fixed interval servicing at 15,500 miles or once a year (whichever is the sooner).

That's fine if you live in a world where everyone buys a new (or nearly new) car and then changes it at 3yrs or so. MB have even managed to muck up the fixed interval introduction - we see many posts from people who ought to be on fixed servicing but aren't.

And it is quite wrong for the OP to see all items as part of the service. The A service costs around £200 and the B service around £300 at my local MB dealer -inc vat.

An oil change and some checks is not "servicing". Everything the OP mentioned is a service item - he didn't mention tyres, exhausts etc.

MB's service pricing is a bit like those absurd gastropubs that have popped up in the last few years where everything is priced separately - so you order a meal for £19.95 only to find that vegetables are an extra £4.95.

 

[hawk20]

That's fine if you live in a world where everyone buys a new (or nearly new) car and then changes it at 3yrs or so. MB have even managed to muck up the fixed interval introduction - we see many posts from people who ought to be on fixed servicing but aren't.


An oil change and some checks is not "servicing". Everything the OP mentioned is a service item - he didn't mention tyres, exhausts etc.

MB's service pricing is a bit like those absurd gastropubs that have popped up in the last few years where everything is priced separately - so you order a meal for £19.95 only to find that vegetables are an extra £4.95.

Same with every other make I've owned. There are basic services and then other items of maintenance that are mileage or age or wear and tear related. They all do it unless you buy a service package (as you can with MB).

Changing pads and discs when worn is not part of the service; nor are plugs and changing transmission fluids or brake fluids. But they need doing every so often on a Mercedes and on any other make of car.

 

[Robbo]

I just see expensive main dealer servicing as a fact of life of MB ownership. You know servicing is going to be expensive before you even buy the car, so there's not a lot of point in complaining really.

Robbo. Who last week spent £900 on a B service on my C320 due to additional service jobs (air, fuel and pollen filters, Brake fluid, spark plugs and new wiper blades, adjust parking brake and front wheel hub adjustment), even though the quoted B service cost was £330!

The coffee was nice though.

 

[Robbo]

But there are other maintenance jobs to do that are often age or mileage related. Pads and discs need replacing from time to time. Tyres. Exhausts. Plugs (is it every 50k miles nowadays?). ATF at 38k miles. A lot of these jobs can be done by indies if preferred.

This is not always the case these days. My dealer said that if the additional service items (filters, plugs etc) were not carried out as part of the service then they would not be not authorised by MB to stamp the service book.

 

[Smatt]

Since introduction of the new fixed price servicing, there is no reduction in price for older cars- the £200/ £300 prices apply to all ages, at least at my local Robinsons Cambridge

 

[w124coupe]

Like a lot in life, you can try to control a situation or just let it control you...if you use a Merc dealer:

The standard dealer approach is to say "we can't give you a price until we hook the car up - it tells us what needs doing".

You then get a low(ish) price for the oil change and quick look (a B service is an A service with a bigger quick look involving the wheels coming off). Cut £60-80 net off this by supplying your own oil from Costco.

On the day, you get a call listing two sets of extras:

a) mileage related (air filter, fuel filter, plugs, ATF).

for these, you get quoted book price for labour as if JUST that job was being done - i.e. paying again for the time to put the car on the lift, connect to STAR, take the wheels off etc.

negotiate and this always come down - a lot....or just decide that you always wanted to be trussed up and baked on gas mark 3 (and then complain at your weakness later).

(there is NO reason why these couldn't be addressed upfront as the ESS application takes your reg/VIN and the mileage you tell them at the time of booking and adds these items on)

b) extra work that "you might as well" get done while the car is in to avoid possible inconvenience later before the next scheduled service (pads, discs, wiper blades, cabin air filter, aircon "service")

nothing illegal here as you are being offered a convenience.

Learn how to look at the disc pads through the alloys and what they look like worn out and new. Make your own decision on how long they might last - they have wear sensors!

Decide to buy the blades/aircon filter from the parts desk with your discount and fit them in the time it takes to drink a cup or two of coffee.

If the a/c stinks, get a can of Comma stuff from Halfords for £11 and make the carpets and seats smell nice at the same time by running the car on recirc for 10 mins.

you need to make them understand you are savvy customer - not a "Merc experience customer" and that you want your car maintained not spoiled by buying it too many expensive presents.