I've nothing against indy's but.......

[ToeKnee]

Hi all. When I went looking for my SL I only looked for cars for sale with a full Mercedes service history as I'm aware that these cars are complex and the one I bought had a very comprehensive history. It's first service in my ownership was an A service so I took it to Mercedes Leicester which is part of the Inchscape group and I was happy with the level of care and attention they took with my car. I also used them when I wanted the latest maps on my comand system updating as they were the best price. Now looking ahead at future servicing the next B service was a big one including spark plugs and air filter, brake filter etc. then a simple A, followed by another big B with fuel filter, coolant and auto transmission service so I asked my local good indy for a price to do all three services then compared that price to a service plan. As I'm sure you've worked out the indy was cheaper but only by £100 over the three services and that doesn't include any extra if the parts prices go up in the three years, once you include Mobillo it was a no brainer that I took out the service plan, and they've done the first B and the A service.
Now the reason for this post: -
I've noticed a very slight noise at start up lasting only a few seconds and as the M278 engine in my car is known to have a possible problem with this noise I asked my dealer for a price to strip the engine and fit the required check valves and new chain tensioners. They came back with a price close to £1000 so I cheekily asked for a contribution from Mercedes as this is a recognised problem on this engine. I got a call a few days later saying that Mercedes Germany refused the request but that they were going to try again. I later got a call saying that after speaking again to Germany the request was refused but as I was a good customer of the dealers they have decided to offer me a 75% reduction out of their own budget, so I booked it in. Had the job done recently and my final bill was under £250! Now I have no idea whether the reduction was from the dealer budget or from Germany but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have got any contribution at all if I wasn't using my dealer for servicing.
Sorry for the long post.

 

[Martyn_n]

Hi all. When I went looking for my SL I only looked for cars for sale with a full Mercedes service history as I'm aware that these cars are complex and the one I bought had a very comprehensive history. It's first service in my ownership was an A service so I took it to Mercedes Leicester which is part of the Inchscape group and I was happy with the level of care and attention they took with my car. I also used them when I wanted the latest maps on my comand system updating as they were the best price. Now looking ahead at future servicing the next B service was a big one including spark plugs and air filter, brake filter etc. then a simple A, followed by another big B with fuel filter, coolant and auto transmission service so I asked my local good indy for a price to do all three services then compared that price to a service plan. As I'm sure you've worked out the indy was cheaper but only by £100 over the three services and that doesn't include any extra if the parts prices go up in the three years, once you include Mobillo it was a no brainer that I took out the service plan, and they've done the first B and the A service.
Now the reason for this post: -
I've noticed a very slight noise at start up lasting only a few seconds and as the M278 engine in my car is known to have a possible problem with this noise I asked my dealer for a price to strip the engine and fit the required check valves and new chain tensioners. They came back with a price close to £1000 so I cheekily asked for a contribution from Mercedes as this is a recognised problem on this engine. I got a call a few days later saying that Mercedes Germany refused the request but that they were going to try again. I later got a call saying that after speaking again to Germany the request was refused but as I was a good customer of the dealers they have decided to offer me a 75% reduction out of their own budget, so I booked it in. Had the job done recently and my final bill was under £250! Now I have no idea whether the reduction was from the dealer budget or from Germany but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have got any contribution at all if I wasn't using my dealer for servicing.
Sorry for the long post.

This review has come at a very opportune time for me. I have just booked my car into Leicester for a service next month after having some dubious behaviour from the Loughborough dealer. Looks like I have made a good move.

 

[bob6600]

If it was from Germany, it would be very very difficult for an Indy to get them to contribute as they do not work for Mercedes. It's almost the same as you fighting your own corner.

If it was a contribution from the dealership (which it seems to be), they can afford to swallow this easier than an Independent garage. Definitely the reason you got a reduction was because you had used the dealer previously, although sometimes they don't care about that either!

 

[Tonygw]

Good to hear there are some decent main dealers out there. Mostly they get a bad reputation.

I use MB automotive in Loughborough as they are very trustworthy and very knowledgeable. And they are 2 minutes walk from the main dealer in Loughborough. But if you are happy with the Leicester dealer, then that's good news and worth bearing in mind. just a bit far for me (but then I am quite lazy lol)