First Main Dealer Service experience

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AMGeed

MB Club Veteran
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Joined
Nov 1, 2008
Messages
18,790
Location
Bournemouth/Poole Dorset
Car
W210 E280 x2, w211 E55, W212 E63 biturbo, S204 C180K
So the E63 went into MB Poole this morning, my first time as a Mercedes owner that I've used a main dealer for a service. It's on 31,999 miles and was due a B2 service.

Turned up 10 minutes early at 7 50am to find a couple of other customers waiting for the doors to open.
8am on the dot, a receptionist opened the door and started to take the reg and name of each customer and we were all allocated a different service manager.
I'm beginning to see why main dealer services are that much more expensive than an indy. Like the NHS, its management top heavy. I looked into the office and at least 6 people were sat in front of PC monitors. Is servicing and repair work really that busy?

Anyway, my details taken, driving licence photocopied and a quick recap of what work was being done, I was led out to my courtesy car. Jamie the Service manager apologised it was only a 69 plate 5k mile C220CDi but I was perfectly happy. It gave me a chance to check out the W205 and I have to say I'm impressed. Took me a while to find the seat heater that had been turned on and was burning my ar$e it was that effective. I like the dash layout, the comand screen that many hate, and the drive itself. If I had one criticism of the car I had it was the steering wheel is too busy with so many functions laid out there. But I'd get used to it in time.
I noticed it was an AMG line with AMG monogrammed floor mats and alloys but at least there wasn't a boot badge. A 220CDi will never be an AMG. There, I've said it;)
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Around 10 30 I received a video message with the MB tech Ben checking the tyres, brake discs and pads, suspension components inc air struts at the rear, lack of oil leaks from the engine/gearbox and diff, and the exhaust system for corrosion. Got a clean bill of health with the pads front and rear at 6mm and 50% worn. A chance for MB to advise I needed new discs and pads? Well they didn't so fair play there.
I'm surprised the P Zero front tyres are still at 6mm after a year of ownership and who knows how long before. I have to say they wear well. Rears are down to 3mm left and 5mm right so a new set (Goodyear As 5's) will be going on in the next month or two before the winter arrives.

Got a call around 4pm saying the car had been serviced and the map updated to V19.0 2019/20 and it was ready to pick up.
I'd asked them not to wash it and thankfully it wasn't. Paid £99 for the map update and checking the Service print out I'd had oil/filter, ATF/filter, brake fluid change, (which MB Chelsea missed in 2018) air filters and new key fob batteries.

All told, a pleasant and positive experience. Thumbs up to MB-Poole.:thumb:
 
Good to hear of a good main dealer experience!
 
My experience with MB Chelsea the past 3 years has been really good except pat service where they wouldn't do the spark plugs as part of the service plan. In the end they gave in but I suspect the issue was they charge more then the service plan offers. Also, the broke the spark plug base while attempting to remove the spark plugs which they replaced themselves free of charge.
 
My experience with MB Chelsea the past 3 years has been really good except pat service where they wouldn't do the spark plugs as part of the service plan. In the end they gave in but I suspect the issue was they charge more then the service plan offers. Also, the broke the spark plug base while attempting to remove the spark plugs which they replaced themselves free of charge.
That's odd - why did they refuse to replace the spark plugs under the Service Care plan, and how did you manage to convince them ?
 
I used to swear by Main Dealer servicing.

Then I found out I know more about the cars than the "Service Manager". ;)

That has always been my experience, with every single dealer service I ever had of any marque.
 
I must admit I always had a very good experience at my MB main dealership in Swindon. They even took a real interest in the upgrades and mods I had done on my C class, to the point of helping with coding and printing WIS docs for me, all FOC :thumb:
 
Sounds good. Do you wan't to tell us how much?

I could take a guess and say around £700 - £750.
I'd base that on the A service taken out the day before I bought it that cost £349.
Add £250 for an ATF and filter, another £100 for the brake fluid and £60 for the air filters
And don't forget the key fob batteries;)
 
I thought updates were covered in a service plan at no extra charge?
 
Hi,
Roger, glad you had no issues and its all sorted.
I bought my E350 Cabriolet from MB Poole and have to say very pleased with their service.
I did have a need to visit them just before lockdown as there was a mismatch with what the car was telling me and when they said it needed a service, and Jamie couldn't be helpful enough in sorting it out, completely different to the way Southampton dealt with me kept me waiting for nearly an hour to speak to someone then the conversation with the service manager was relayed by a young girl going backwards and forwards, only to say MB Poole will have to sort it
This experience made me decide that MB Poole would be servicing it under the service plan even if it meant driving nearly 40 miles there and back.
As it was the service was due during lockdown and I couldn't use Poole as the Sandown website said because of restrictions no courtesy cars at the time so the car was going to picked up dropped off I would have to use MB Salisbury as they were nearer my address.
The service, latterly the failing of the NOX sensors which got diagnosed, FOC replacement approval from MB and the sensors replaced within two hours of me arriving which was originally just to book it into investigate the EML and Adblue warning, and having the recall for the ECU and update of the Command Software which was FOC and the Sunroof recall for the CLS 55 all carried out promptly hassle free and very professionally.
Have to say MB Poole and Salisbury (Sandown Group) excellent service, thoroughly recommend, I will be using them all the time I have a service contract at least, and possibly buy the cabriolets replacement.
 
Genuinely glad you were pleased, a MD service plan is a reassuring option on buying a car.
I guess helping run a very busy INDY who service mainly high end luxury cars, I get to chat to a lot of disgruntled owners who find MD pricing these days a bit of a Holmes mystery. We have invested heavily ( so we should ) in the very latest and best diagnostic available ( with a gifted techie on board) and coupled to the fact we only use manufacturer approved parts and a timed four hour minimum full service regime it’s no wonder we, and many other specialist INDY’s under the GGS are busy.
We gather the local MB dealer is possibly £200/hr + VAT so it’s no wonder then we’re snided when we charge £46.50 + VAT. That’s with a set of guys with many years of experience btw.
Some might argue that we can‘t compete as our 15 courtesy cars are merely C1’s and Aygo’s but better wheels can be arranged if needed, gaffer happy to lend his car of the week.
This is not meant as a bleat on behalf of us smaller guys, but as a genuine question as to why use a MD and pay through your trunk as it were. Look out Good Garage Scheme.
 
We gather the local MB dealer is possibly £200/hr + VAT so it’s no wonder then we’re snided when we charge £46.50 + VAT. That’s with a set of guys with many years of experience btw.
Some might argue that we can‘t compete as our 15 courtesy cars are merely C1’s and Aygo’s but better wheels can be arranged if needed, gaffer happy to lend his car of the week.
This is not meant as a bleat on behalf of us smaller guys, but as a genuine question as to why use a MD and pay through your trunk as it were. Look out Good Garage Scheme.

Blimey - your hourly rate is low. Do you make it up some other way to cover the cost of all the diagnostic kit you've had to buy? Used a local garage for service and MOT on daughter's Honda a couple of weeks ago. Total price was about what I expected - not cheap, but a little less than it would have been at the dealer. It was only on looking at the invoice that I saw their rate is £66/hr, plus VAT.

I've found on both our Mercedes and VW that the indie's have moved their prices up - so they maintain the "bit cheaper" level, but not by much.

It's also unusual in my experience for the indies to have courtesy cars, never mind 15 of 'em! I used a VW dealer for recent cambelt change on wife's car partly because of that - indie is good, but only slightly cheaper and it's a faff finding a day when we're both freely available to drop off and collect.
 
Blimey - your hourly rate is low. Do you make it up some other way to cover the cost of all the diagnostic kit you've had to buy? Used a local garage for service and MOT on daughter's Honda a couple of weeks ago. Total price was about what I expected - not cheap, but a little less than it would have been at the dealer. It was only on looking at the invoice that I saw their rate is £66/hr, plus VAT.

I've found on both our Mercedes and VW that the indie's have moved their prices up - so they maintain the "bit cheaper" level, but not by much.

It's also unusual in my experience for the indies to have courtesy cars, never mind 15 of 'em! I used a VW dealer for recent cambelt change on wife's car partly because of that - indie is good, but only slightly cheaper and it's a faff finding a day when we're both freely available to drop off and collect.
 
Search out your local Good Garage Scheme. They are duty bound to follow a strict regime of servicing and issue you with a very comprehensive servicing pack showing exactly what has been done, by who, using what, in detail. Our costings earn us a decent profit and that’s one of the reasons why we’re so busy. Goes without saying that an in-depth lengthy fix by our techie comes at an extra cost.
 
I can add that I had three services (under Service Care Plan) at MB Brooklands, and I can definitely recommend them :thumb:
 

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