A well done to a car dealer for a change!

[Crispian22]

A lot of threads about less than expected service from garages on forums,this is one of excellent service!

I purchased my Ml63 at the end of February this year from Sytner select in Wakefield, due to covid and the distance involved,I was unable to view the car and in effect purchased it blind.

I was assured it was a good example,having only one owner from new(2013),and a full and comprehensive mercedes service history.

After having owned the car for only a few days,it became apparent that certain things on the vehicle needed rectifying,most apparent was a loud screeching sound upon acceleration and a lot of whip in the transmission, along with clunky gear change.

Spoke with the garage who said to get it booked in at a garage local to me as the warranty would cover work needed.

I managed to get it in at a local 'specialist ',who diagnosed a big oil leak and a worn gearbox mount,I got the car booked in for the following week.(wasn't using it due to the oil leak)

I dropped the car off for the remedial works,after a couple of hours,I got a call to say it needed a sump plug washer,gearbox mount(on back order apparently) and the tracking doing,I asked them to do a oil and filter service if they were dropping the oil to renew the sump plug washer,which they agreed to and the car would be ready later that day.

I returned to pick the car up to be met by a bill of a couple of hundred pounds,fine I thought,if its had a oil and filter change,no problem.

What I actually got was a bill for tracking and topping oil up,as well as replacement washer,not really what we agreed on.

To make matters worse,the tracking which was carried out(i didn't ask for it as it was driving true before)was so out,the car pulled to the left and the whole of the under tray was still covered in the oil from the leak!

Having given up on their abilities, I took it next day to a trusted friend of mine who got it on his 4 wheel laser alignment machine who told me all 4 wheels were out,great I thought,waste of £60 at previous garage!

I spent the next day with the car on ramps on my drive cleaning the old oil off the underside and checked for any more leaks,thankfully there wasn't.

Having got quite a sour taste with the car after only a few weeks,I sent a email to the supplying dealer to vent my frustration with the car.

After a very serious chat with the branch manager,where the word rejection was mentioned,he agreed to have the car booked in at Mercedes Northampton.

Once it was booked in I gave them a list of all my concerns about the car.

Once they pulled up the history on the car,I asked if it had ever had a gearbox/diff service,the answer was no and it was overdue by quite some time.

To be fair to the service guy at Mercedes, he put all my concerns to the supplying dealer,including the missing service's, who without quibble,authorised any works to get the car right for me.

I picked it up last night after a week of them sorting it out,and its like a different car,I'm back in love with it and can't praise the staff at mercedes Northampton and Sytner Wakefield enough for their efforts,praise where praise is due!!!!!!!

(Excuse the long post,its been 'emotional')

 

[Rubyred]

Great to hear some positive actions taken by a main dealer, quite rare I believe.
Well done you on pushing it through to a satisfactory conclusion.

 

[raspy]

@Crispian22 Glad you got it sorted in the end, but sounds like a stressful and time consuming experience from a customer's perspective, given the supplying dealer assured you it was a "good example" before you purchased it from a distance due to the pandemic

 

[Crispian22]

@Crispian22 Glad you got it sorted in the end, but sounds like a stressful and time consuming experience from a customer's perspective, given the supplying dealer assured you it was a "good example" before you purchased it from a distance due to the pandemic

To be fair to them,they did present me with a copy of the digital service,which was up to date, however, it wasn't until I did some digging with mercedes Northampton, that it was discovered the missing diff/gearbox service.

It was very stressful tbh,I've had over 70 cars over the years and can count the bad ones I've been caught out with on one hand,very lucky in that regard I guess.

It's when you start googling symptoms of whats wrong and you see posts of £50k engine replacements etc that the fear really sets in !

 

[Crispian22]

Great to hear some positive actions taken by a main dealer, quite rare I believe.
Well done you on pushing it through to a satisfactory conclusion.

To be honest I'm a bit of a pushover,but after chatting to a friend in the trade he told me how I should deal with it.

 

[Dryce]

A lot of threads about less than expected service from garages on forums

Indeed

,this is one of excellent service!

Hmmmmmmm ...... ?

I purchased my Ml63 at the end of February this year from Sytner select in Wakefield, due to covid and the distance involved,I was unable to view the car and in effect purchased it blind.

I was assured it was a good example,having only one owner from new(2013),and a full and comprehensive mercedes service history.

After having owned the car for only a few days,it became apparent that certain things on the vehicle needed rectifying,most apparent was a loud screeching sound upon acceleration and a lot of whip in the transmission, along with clunky gear change.

Spoke with the garage who said to get it booked in at a garage local to me as the warranty would cover work needed.

So let's get this straight - you handed over a wodge of hard earned - or signed away your soul on a finance agreement on the basis you were getting a quality checked and approved product.

And ..... let's continue to get this straight ....... IT WASN'T

Once it was booked in I gave them a list of all my concerns about the car.

Once they pulled up the history on the car,I asked if it had ever had a gearbox/diff service,the answer was no and it was overdue by quite some time.

To be fair to the service guy at Mercedes, he put all my concerns to the supplying dealer,including the missing service's, who without quibble,authorised any works to get the car right for me.

I picked it up last night after a week of them sorting it out,and its like a different car,I'm back in love with it and can't praise the staff at mercedes Northampton and Sytner Wakefield enough for their efforts,praise where praise is due!!!!!!!

(Excuse the long post,its been 'emotional')

So you've had an emotional and stressful experience because one of these dealers handed over a potential lemon.

And you thank BOTH of them?

Come on ......

Be honest with yourself .... you didn't get excellent service from both.

Reality check ..... you had a poor purchase experience ..... it was eventually remedied after stress and effort on your part ....

 

[markjay]

Indeed


Hmmmmmmm ...... ?



So let's get this straight - you handed over a wodge of hard earned - or signed away your soul on a finance agreement on the basis you were getting a quality checked and approved product.

And ..... let's continue to get this straight ....... IT WASN'T



So you've had an emotional and stressful experience because one of these dealers handed over a potential lemon.

And you thank BOTH of them?

Come on ......

Be honest with yourself .... you didn't get excellent service from both.

Reality check ..... you had a poor purchase experience ..... it was eventually remedied after stress and effort on your part ....

Agreed.. I read the thread, the usual appalling dealers attitude etc etc, and was waiting for the twist in the tale where the excellent service comes-in... but I was left disappointed as it never materialised.

The supplying dealer sold the OP an 'Approved Used' car that should have never been sold in the state that it was, then after the OP threatened to reject the car they agreed to have the issues sorted (by a local dealer). No mention of an apology and an offer of financial compensation for the angst and wasted time (free next service? An additional year of MB warranty for peace of mind? Etc). And am I correct in thinking that apart from the time wasted, the OP is also "a couple of hundred pounds" out of pocket now???

The OP is very happy with the car now that it's finally sorted, and I wouldn't normally be looking to spoil his joy, but sadly this looks like a pattern with too many MB dealers - Approved Used cars bring sold unprepared, then faults are rectified only once the customer complains and at a huge waste of time to the customer. I guess they must have worked-out that it's cheaper for them to fix only those faults that the customers actually spotted after the sale, than to fix all faults in advance to the sale. Makes you wonder how many unsuspecting owners are proudly driving crooked cars bought as Approved Used?

I wonder when someone will get Trading Standards involved. If it could be proven to be a deliberate pattern rather than an honest mistake, it could potentially lead to criminal prosecutions.

 

[Connoisseur]

Sytner Select don’t sell MB approved used, or for that matter, any other manu approved used. Sytner Select are absolute cowboys, please don’t ask me how I know, but honestly they are

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

My understanding is that Sytner Select are not manufacturer approved cars and do not come with manufacturer-backed warranties - I believe they come with a 6 month dealer backed warranty.

 

[Atavus]

Hopefully you can get on and enjoy the car now. MB Northampton is another Sytner garage.

 

[markjay]

Sytner Select don’t sell MB approved used, or for that matter, any other manu approved used. Sytner Select are absolute cowboys, please don’t ask me how I know, but honestly they are

I see, I misread the header, it said 'car dealer', and Sytner was later also mentioned, so I assumed it was referring to Sytner Mercedes-Benz.

 

[geoffus]

What I actually got was a bill for tracking and topping oil up,as well as replacement washer,not really what we agreed on.

Who was the indie that did the first work on your car ?
And how did they manage to change the sump washer without draining and changing the oil ?

 

[oldguy57]

Agreed, I would describe the service as the opposite of excellent. I guess though that people's expectations vary considerably. If it had been mine it would have been rejected immediately.

To be honest I'm a bit of a pushover,but after chatting to a friend in the trade he told me how I should deal with it.

As long as you're happy now that's all that matters, but I would be very wary of any branch of Sytners.

 

[philfacey]

Hi guys can anyone help in trying to start a thread /ask for help with my 2007 ml 420 w164 , I have a cam shaft hall sensor fault , and would like to just replace all of the cam shaft sensors BUT !! How many are there ? Best place to get them (peace of mind I’ve bought the car 2 weeks ago and want to replace them all ) also a new crank case positioning sensor ? Is there 1 or 2
Many thanks guys

 

[philfacey]

Hi guys can anyone help in trying to start a thread /ask for help with my 2007 ml 420 w164 , I have a cam shaft hall sensor fault , and would like to just replace all of the cam shaft sensors BUT !! How many are there ? Best place to get them (peace of mind I’ve bought the car 2 weeks ago and want to replace them all ) also a new crank case positioning sensor ? Is there 1 or 2
Many thanks guys

Hey all I’ve found the way to start this on a new members thread , sorry for jumping on

 

[Crispian22]

Just to clarify a couple of points.

The garage it was purchased from is Guy Salmon Land Rover, part of the sytner group.

I traded 2 cars and cash for the purchase(not that it matters)

Before I picked the car up,it was subject to a big service,this was at a non Mercedes dealer,the bill for which was around the £1500.00 mark according to the invoice i was shown.

Any monies that I spent have been fully refunded by the dealer.

The bill for the work at Mercedes Northampton, which included gearbox/engine mount renewal gearbox service and reset of adaptions,v belt renewal,diff service,was,I estimate, the thick end of £2k.

I won't be naming which specialist messed up,It could have been a simple mistake.

The only expense I had,which was for my peace of mind and to get the mobilo cover back on the car,was a oil service at mercedes Northampton for £211.00.

Hopefully I won't need it,but I insisted on a 12 months warranty as opposed to the standard 6.

From my point of view, the people who haven't done their job and were the cause of all this frustration, were the 3rd party garage who did the alleged big service prior to me picking the car up.

At the end of the day,its a used car,I'm what you would describe as a very finicky customer where everything has to be just right,and in my opinion,they did everything to ensure that my car is now perfect.

 

[Dryce]

Just to clarify a couple of points.

The garage it was purchased from is Guy Salmon Land Rover, part of the sytner group.

I traded 2 cars and cash for the purchase(not that it matters)

In which case portions of my last post do not apply ....

At the end of the day,its a used car,I'm what you would describe as a very finicky customer where everything has to be just right,and in my opinion,they did everything to ensure that my car is now perfect.

I think you were let down but recovered the situation well.

I hope you enjoy your MB as much as I did the last one I actually owned.

 

[Spro368]

I bought my car from MB in Bath (Sytner) also via internet during Covid restrictions.The car was well prepared with two new rear tyres , although the wheels were “smart” repaired and a bit poor. I had them done in gloss black at Pro Alloys and they are much better.
The LED light on the top of the boot was full of condensation and they swapped that straight away. They changed the transmission oil by mistake before I took delivery ( I had asked for the differential to be done ) and they have agreed to do the diff for free.
The tyres they put on are Pilot Sport Cup 2 as they could get ones or match the front (Pilot Super Sport).
The rears are like slicks so a bit dangerous but appear to be MB recommended.

The dealer has tried very hard to put everything right and be helpful , retuning my calls and I am very obsessive And difficult to please.(I send my old oil samples to Miller Oils for their Lab to run a report for peace of mind).

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

So

I bought my car from MB in Bath (Sytner) also via internet during Covid restrictions.The car was well prepared with two new rear tyres , although the wheels were “smart” repaired and a bit poor. I had them done in gloss black at Pro Alloys and they are much better.
The LED light on the top of the boot was full of condensation and they swapped that straight away. They changed the transmission oil by mistake before I took delivery ( I had asked for the differential to be done ) and they have agreed to do the diff for free.
The tyres they put on are Pilot Sport Cup 2 as they could get ones or match the front (Pilot Super Sport).
The rears are like slicks so a bit dangerous but appear to be MB recommended.

The dealer has tried very hard to put everything right and be helpful , retuning my calls and I am very obsessive And difficult to please.(I send my old oil samples to Miller Oils for their Lab to run a report for peace of mind).

Sounds like the dealership has been as responsive as you could wish for.

Pilot Sport Cup 2 are an amazing tyre but are not suited to cold and damp UK roads at all. The difference in grip between front and rear axle will be marked so take care on cold days and and when the ground is moist - when it’s wet drive like a daisy!

 

[noogieman]

Why didn't dealership fix the problems before they handed over the keys to you?
They sold you a car with problems for you to find out vehicle had issues and and then complaint after you purchased the car.

That can't be serious or good business.
You can be pleased they took care of the problems and you should now be a happy owner.

Good luck with the ownership