Technophobe
Member
Hi all,
I originally joined this forum years ago but only ever made a single post. I traded the MB and disappeared! Now I'm back and regrettably my first posting is a problem.
5 days ago, I collected my new (to me) 2010 C200 CDI BlueEfficiency. I won't name the dealer. I agreed terms but was ill prepared for the £180 arrangement fee - it wasn't hidden, but it seems awfully large when other finance admin fees are closer to £50! Hey ho - bite the bullet. The finance terms were presented to me as a special deal but turn out to be 4% higher than I would pay via my bank, costing me an additional £800 over the term! Oh well, I've signed up now so no going back….
THEN I collect the car. The dash is warning 120 days to service A and the dealer has a policy of only servicing cars it sells if this is under 90 days. They do me a favour and offer 25% discount of the service when it comes round in September. I get home and look at the multi-point checklist. They have only checked the items for an ex-demonstrator or under 12 month old vehicle and this one is neither - it's a 3 year old car 8 months on from its last service.
I drove the car home and parked it up. First journey the next day, a tyre pressure low indication. Doesn't look flat so I call at the garage to top up; front OS tyre only needed a bit of air so I thought nothing of it. Two short (10 mile approx) journeys later, same tyre is down by 10psi - It's the first dry day so I take a good look at the tyre and there is a bolt sticking out of the inner edge of the tread - OK, it may have happened on my way home from the garage and I can't prove otherwise! Can't get the wheel off so Mercedes assist called who put on the space saver. Dealer can't see to the tyre until next week.
As part of the sales 'spiel', the dealer repeatedly tells me about their policy of changing tyres if less than 3mm. The checklist shows rears to be 6/5/6 and 3/3/3, so I get out my trusty tread gauge and find 4/4/4 and 2/2/3 - the latter also having lots of sidewall cracking and is the only tyre that is original from 2010 (53000 miles ago).
So what does this all mean? - well I had anticipated 12 months of motoring with minimal outlay beyond my monthly payments and fuel costs. Instead, I'm looking at 2 new tyres, £180 arrangement fee and a 25% off service A (about £280). I make that just shy of £700 extra expense to absorb in the first four months!!!! And I thought buying from a main dealer prevented this kind of grief. Makes a mockery of getting the car because it has lower VED and fuel costs in order to save money - It will take 4 to 5 years of trouble free ownership just to recoup this outlay in the first months of ownership.
So I decide to speak to the dealer - sales advisor won't return my calls, dealer principal never in his office and trying Merc customer service returns a "sorry we can't take your call" message! Am I making a fuss over nothing? Am I being unreasonable????
I originally joined this forum years ago but only ever made a single post. I traded the MB and disappeared! Now I'm back and regrettably my first posting is a problem.
5 days ago, I collected my new (to me) 2010 C200 CDI BlueEfficiency. I won't name the dealer. I agreed terms but was ill prepared for the £180 arrangement fee - it wasn't hidden, but it seems awfully large when other finance admin fees are closer to £50! Hey ho - bite the bullet. The finance terms were presented to me as a special deal but turn out to be 4% higher than I would pay via my bank, costing me an additional £800 over the term! Oh well, I've signed up now so no going back….
THEN I collect the car. The dash is warning 120 days to service A and the dealer has a policy of only servicing cars it sells if this is under 90 days. They do me a favour and offer 25% discount of the service when it comes round in September. I get home and look at the multi-point checklist. They have only checked the items for an ex-demonstrator or under 12 month old vehicle and this one is neither - it's a 3 year old car 8 months on from its last service.
I drove the car home and parked it up. First journey the next day, a tyre pressure low indication. Doesn't look flat so I call at the garage to top up; front OS tyre only needed a bit of air so I thought nothing of it. Two short (10 mile approx) journeys later, same tyre is down by 10psi - It's the first dry day so I take a good look at the tyre and there is a bolt sticking out of the inner edge of the tread - OK, it may have happened on my way home from the garage and I can't prove otherwise! Can't get the wheel off so Mercedes assist called who put on the space saver. Dealer can't see to the tyre until next week.
As part of the sales 'spiel', the dealer repeatedly tells me about their policy of changing tyres if less than 3mm. The checklist shows rears to be 6/5/6 and 3/3/3, so I get out my trusty tread gauge and find 4/4/4 and 2/2/3 - the latter also having lots of sidewall cracking and is the only tyre that is original from 2010 (53000 miles ago).
So what does this all mean? - well I had anticipated 12 months of motoring with minimal outlay beyond my monthly payments and fuel costs. Instead, I'm looking at 2 new tyres, £180 arrangement fee and a 25% off service A (about £280). I make that just shy of £700 extra expense to absorb in the first four months!!!! And I thought buying from a main dealer prevented this kind of grief. Makes a mockery of getting the car because it has lower VED and fuel costs in order to save money - It will take 4 to 5 years of trouble free ownership just to recoup this outlay in the first months of ownership.
So I decide to speak to the dealer - sales advisor won't return my calls, dealer principal never in his office and trying Merc customer service returns a "sorry we can't take your call" message! Am I making a fuss over nothing? Am I being unreasonable????
