Astronomical service cost

[BIGANDYT]

Hi guys,

Looking for some advice before I hand over the cash.
I have a 2014 Mercedes c class and it recently went flagged it needed a service. I phoned up the dealership and they booked me in saying I had a service plan and wouldnt be an issue, Service went ok and i picked the car up.

They have now come back to me saying it wasnt covered under the service plan and I owe them £640. This seems excessive to me.
Basically its an A service.

service in 2015 was an A service (oil and filter change), with no additional items. £325.00

2017 was the A service (oil and filter change) additionally we replaced the air filter, the fuel filter, the dust filter and the brake fluid. £640

They have said the additional items explain the extra cost.

But does and air filter, fuel filter, dust filter and brake filter really cost £315?

If theyd told me when i went in it was going to be £640 and wasnt covered under my plan I would most likely have shopped around.

Am i wrong to be complaining or should I just pay up and accept its the cost of owning a nice car?

Cheers for any advice

 

[renault12ts]

They have a problem...they said it was free (covered).

Offer them £10 per month.

 

[BIGANDYT]

Do they really though? I mean at the end of the day legally surely i have to pay?and Im happy to if its reasonable but £300 for those parts seems like they are taking the piss. If they are theyve shot their self in the foot as I was planning in trading up for an E-Class coupe next year and Im damned if im getting from them!

 

[JohnBell]

The service plan covers ALL extra items that are required at every service whilst the plan is active.

 

[geraldrobins]

The costs are a little on the high side but MB service costs vary from area to area and among different franchises. An A service at my local MB dealer costs about £225 without a courtesy car. Presumably you have done over 48000 miles for the air and fuel filter requirements. Brake fluid is recommended every 2 years.

 

[DSM10000]

Do they really though? I mean at the end of the day legally surely i have to pay?and Im happy to if its reasonable but £300 for those parts seems like they are taking the piss. If they are theyve shot their self in the foot as I was planning in trading up for an E-Class coupe next year and Im damned if im getting from them!

Have you checked out MB parts prices before you decide if the increase was reasonable or not?

Fuel filters can be £70 plus, brake fluid change with fluid and labour probably accounts for £80 or so.......................


But as others have said, you had a service plan. What does this say it covers?

 

[SMed08]

Don't pay

 

[vijilants]

Those items are changed at a specific mileage and are covered in the service plan.

They are service items. If they were not covered there would be no point in taking out the service plan !!!

My brake fluid was due last year and that was covered under the service plan.

Call up head office and kick off about it.

 

[Headhurts]

It seems to me they have messed up and removed your right to pick where you get your car serviced.

They told you that there was a service plan, had you been paying then you would have asked how much for the service and if they had come up with this amount you may well have used a different supplier.

That said I personally would escalate this and try to negotiate a better deal.

Perhaps offer to pay £325 which was the cost of an A service in 2015.

Of course you could take a hard line and refuse to pay but this could ruin your relationship with the dealership.

Good luck,

Robin


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[BIGANDYT]

Hey thanks for the replies:

John & Vijilants it seems that they only sold me a service plan covering 2 services even though i took out a 48month pcp plan Ive had an A and B already car has done about 45K first 2 services were 200 then 300ish so for the 3rd to be £640 just took me off guard. The service plan was £50 a month for 12 months it seems covering two services, so I paid £600, so on the face of it I paid £100 too much. But she has said they would have been more if not under the service plan. I think Im being ripped off.

DSM1000 i will take a look i had a google and saw parts around the £30 mark but will check MB approved.

 

[BIGANDYT]

Hey Headhurts, yes this is the point if id know i would have shopped around, especially with the £640 price being quoted. Im not bothered about the relationship with the dealer given i feel they are trying it on, and i can always buy from another place, i was planning on getting a new one early next year. Im happy to pay whats fair so if £300 for those parts is what i should expect to pay and they do need changing at 45k thats fine. It just seems a bit steep

 

[DSM10000]

Hey thanks for the replies:

John & Vijilants it seems that they only sold me a service plan covering 2 services even though i took out a 48month pcp plan Ive had an A and B already car has done about 45K first 2 services were 200 then 300ish so for the 3rd to be £640 just took me off guard. The service plan was £50 a month for 12 months it seems covering two services, so I paid £600, so on the face of it I paid £100 too much. But she has said they would have been more if not under the service plan. I think Im being ripped off.

DSM1000 i will take a look i had a google and saw parts around the £30 mark but will check MB approved.

You cannot compare non OE MB parts with internet sourced parts, Euro Car Parts have a range of fuel filters for my car ranging from £46 to £63. MB retail is closer to £90.

The dealer will only fit the MB branded or approved part and we know how much extra we pay for the nice new MB box!

It does sound as if somewhere along the line you were mislead or given confusing information. Hope you sort it out to your satisfaction.

 

[Adrian5405]

OK it's a bit older and a petrol but I had a B service done by my local main dealer,
Quick look at the bill reveals
Fob battery
Filter Element (?)
Combination filter
Shell oil
Brake fluid
52k on the clock

Total bill £354

Prices do seem to vary hell of a lot.

 

[Wjk167]

I think that is a disgrace that they lead you to believe it was covered then expect you to pay the full premium price. I would certainly complain at the highest level as it amounts to what is effectively unauthorized work. They cant return the vehicle in the condition they received it in so they best they can hope for is for you to pay them. Many moons ago I once had a fault with the radio in my old car that caused it not to play tapes (showing my age). I took it to the dealer under warranty. They told me it would be covered. Turned out there was a coin in it caused the damage and they tried to charge me £200 for the replacement head unit (which they had already fitted) as that was not covered by the warranty. I argued that they had not made this clear and obviously I would have not authorized the repair had they phoned me to tell me what caused the fault. They apologized and did it for free. lesson learnt - if they carry out repair under false pretenses (even if unintentional) then its their fault and you are in a much better position to negotiate.

 

[DSM10000]

OK it's a bit older and a petrol but I had a B service done by my local main dealer,
Quick look at the bill reveals
Fob battery
Filter Element (?)
Combination filter
Shell oil
Brake fluid
52k on the clock

Total bill £354

Prices do seem to vary hell of a lot.

Models over a certain age (5 year?) are often subject to discounted servicing costs.

 

[Yugguy]

Never mind the rest of it - 325 quid for an oil and filter change, 30 minutes work basically, is scandalous.

 

[Rory]

... first 2 services were 200 then 300ish

Those seem cheap - as it was on ServiceCare did you see the cost?

The second one would have been a B service so at dealers' list pricing would have been a lot more, plus the brake fluid should have been changed and that's probably getting on for £100 at rack rates.

 

[bob6600]

They have a problem...they said it was free (covered).

^^This

Don't pay

^^and this

They cannot quote the price as free and then bring up a bill AFTER the work is carried out

 

[markjay]

^^This

^^and this

They cannot quote the price as free and then bring up a bill AFTER the work is carried out

Talk to the service manager or dealer principal, tell them that as far as you are concerned they can put back the old parts, and that your are legally within your rights to request this, but in the interest of an amicable resolution you will agree to split the cost between the dealership and yourself and pay half.

 

[Tuercas viejas]

Never mind the rest of it - 325 quid for an oil and filter change, 30 minutes work basically, is scandalous.

Outrageous.
Can you give the details of the work done on the R/O
As a shop owner specializing in Euro cars, this seems on the face of it to be a rip off!
Tuercas Viejas