Just purchased Mercedes Service Plan

[wongl]

My wife's W169 A180 CDI is due a four-year B-Service this month costing £587 at my local MB dealership. Despite the impending service, the service department suggested that I take out a service plan costing £720 covering the next two services or £1440 covering the next four services. The plan can be paid for in one lump sum or monthly over 12, 24 or 36 months.

Looking the two-service plan at £720 and subtracting the £587 price quoted for my impending service, this leaves only £133 for the subsequent A-service. This looks like a good deal as I doubt I will be able get an A-service done for £133 in the following year.

After some consideration, I decided to go for the 4 service plan which will cover the upcoming service and 3 more after that. This costs £40 per month for 36 months. Looks like a good deal given that servicing costs and parts seem to go up every year.

 

[Dryce]

Looks like a good deal given that servicing costs and parts seem to go up every year.

What would a good idependent charge?

My suspicion would be that the dealers have every incentive to up the service costs to make the service plans look good.

 

[GLK]

I have recently renewed my Service Care plan for another two years - as far as I'm concerned, it's an excellent value for money, particularly for an older car: the whole bunch of stuff came up as due (on top of a regular B service) last year, and was done without costing me a penny extra, as everything that's due, according to MB schedule (e.g. spark plugs, fuel filter, PAS, etc) is covered, not just annual service.

Would have easily cost me double at even the keenest indy.
Plus I get a full MB Breakdown Assistance and ½ price MOT.
Not bad for a nearly 14-yr old car, with 107k on the clock

 

[christopherwk]

I also took out a plan last time I took the car in for a service. Cost £1332 for 3 services over a year.

The last service was £400, and the next service is going to involve the transmission oil change, so that does look good, at worst, I will break even.

Servicing take a chuck out of my income every few months, so the plan helps with cash flow. Previosuly I used a 0% interest credit card to pay for the servicing and spread the payments until the next service is due.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I have recently renewed my Service Care plan for another two years - as far as I'm concerned, it's an excellent value for money, particularly for an older car: the whole bunch of stuff came up as due (on top of a regular B service) last year, and was done without costing me a penny extra, as everything that's due, according to MB schedule (e.g. spark plugs, fuel filter, PAS, etc) is covered, not just annual service.

Would have easily cost me double at even the keenest indy.
Plus I get a full MB Breakdown Assistance and ½ price MOT.
Not bad for a nearly 14-yr old car, with 107k on the clock

I didn't realise that Mercedes offered service plans on cars older than 6 or so. Is this backed by Mercedes or a local thing offered by your dealer?

 

[GLK]

I didn't realise that Mercedes offered service plans on cars older than 6 or so. Is this backed by Mercedes or a local thing offered by your dealer?

I'm not really sure, it is the Sytner's Mercedes-Benz Service Care Plan, but since all the paperwork is on "Mercedes-Benz UK Limited, A Daimler Company" letterheads, with MK address; the DD goes to MBUK LTD, and the MobiloLife card is a standard MB one, I'd say it's unlikely to be just a dealer initiative.

BTW, the full MobiloLife didn't kicked in until after the second service, it was a limited roadside cover at first.

 

[KennyN]

This costs £40 per month for 36 months

Is it just me or is £40pm a wee bit expensive for an A class , my `10 CLS350 is only £2pm more

Kenny

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Is it just me or is £40pm a wee bit expensive for an A class , my `10 CLS350 is only £2pm more

Kenny

I was thinking the same. My C350 is £27pm for a four-year plan (from new).

 

[GLK]

I'm actually only paying £27pm for mine ... I suspect I spend more on coffee

 

[Minz]

I was thinking the same. My C350 is £27pm for a four-year plan (from new).

Same here.

 

[wongl]

Is it just me or is £40pm a wee bit expensive for an A class , my `10 CLS350 is only £2pm more

Kenny

Depends on how many services and over what duration - I opted for the 4 service plan which costs £1440 and should cost £30/month over 48 months. But due to my impending service which is due now, I can only spread this out over a maximum of 36 months.

Incidentally I have also just taken a second 4-service plan for my own W169 A180CDI. On this plan, since the next service is not due until March 2015, I was able to spread the payments over the maximum of 48 months which works out at £30/month.

Ultimately MB is charging £1440 to cover 4 services for the A-Class - which comes to £360 per service. This is what one must consider to decide if the plan is good value for money. The monthly payments only serves to spread the pain out over a period of time.

 

[wongl]

I was thinking the same. My C350 is £27pm for a four-year plan (from new).

I think MB charges a lower service plan rate for new cars. Sadly mine is second hand and at four years old far from being new.

The service plan for a new A-Class is only £24/month if spread over the maximum permissible duration.

 

[wongl]

I'm not really sure, it is the Sytner's Mercedes-Benz Service Care Plan, but since all the paperwork is on "Mercedes-Benz UK Limited, A Daimler Company" letterheads, with MK address; the DD goes to MBUK LTD, and the MobiloLife card is a standard MB one, I'd say it's unlikely to be just a dealer initiative.

BTW, the full MobiloLife didn't kicked in until after the second service, it was a limited roadside cover at first.

The service plan rates for new and used cars are published on the MB MyService website and I was told that the direct debits will show up as MBUK Ltd. So I imagine this is an MB UK offering, and the gentleman who set up my plan told me that the servicing dealer will invoice some MB organisation directly.

Mercedes-Benz UK - Service Care - Rates

 

[KennyN]

Depends on how many services and over what duration .

Mine was 4 services over the four years , I took it out six weeks before its four year service was due.

Which works out at £500 per service , spread over the four years which ,as you say, makes it a bit less painless.

Kenny

 

[Borys]

I literally took a plan for my S class yesterday. 47£ per month - 24months 2 services
It just makes it a bit less painful as just mentioned

 

[wongl]

I literally took a plan for my S class yesterday. 47£ per month - 24months 2 services
It just makes it a bit less painful as just mentioned

Definitely less painful - for me £47 is like a 2/3 tank of diesel - so it is like having to fill up one more time each month than normal to cover the annual service. For me this is actually a more realistic running cost of the car as I tend to forget to factor in the annual road tax, MOT and servicing and only to be hit by them as and when they are due!

 

[wongl]

So here is my first experience of using the MB Service Plan...

When I booked the service for my year 2010 W169 diesel towards the end of December 2014, the MyService portal is showing a B-Service with the obligatory 4-year additional items of Brake Fluid Change, Dust Filter, Air Filter and Fuel Filter totaling £580 with a loan car. I was offered a two-service service-plan at a total price of £720 which works out to £360 per service. I was informed by MB that the W169 alternates between major and minor services so the service costs will even out over two services. Still I was told it would be good value to take the 2-year service plan as the second service will work out to be less than £200 which wouldn't be the case if I went for PAYG option. Being a fool for a bargain, I opted for the 4-service service-plan at a total cost of £1440.

So today I dropped the W169 off for its B-Service and picked up a 63-plate A180 loan car. While waiting to be seen, I double checked on the MyService portal and to my surprise it was showing a new additional service item - AFT oil and filter change required, making a total bill of £769 with a loan car!

I pointed this out to the service agent as the job sheet he had did not contain the AFT oil and filter change. When I picked up the car at 5pm, he gave me a service sheet showing that all the items including the AFT oil and filter change. Interestingly the air filter was not change. Not sure why? They had to change the rear wiper blade due the rubber splitting but did not charge me for it as I had to wait for over half an hour in the morning while they sorted out my loan car. So total bill for this service is a big fat zero since everything except the rear wiper blade was covered by the service plan. Great result.

All in all good value I would say. Here is a photo of the loan car.

 

[Borys]

After my recent experience with MB service cancelled my plan as from today
Never again will stick with my Indy

 

[wongl]

After my recent experience with MB service cancelled my plan as from today
Never again will stick with my Indy

Sorry to hear about your service plan woes. Care to share?

 

[Rory]

My suspicion would be that the dealers have every incentive to up the service costs to make the service plans look good.

I think MB is leaning on them now not to discount service work for cash paying customers.

I had the major service, ATF and brake fluid change etc on my car 3yrs ago for £430, and another member on here paid £400 at the same dealer for the same work.

People seeing £800 quotes is just bonkers, but last time I took the car in I had the devil of a job negotiating them down even a bit - they really did not want to budge.


You have to have your wits about you though - people paying cash will be told they need all sorts of work. On ServiceCare they'll do the absolute minimum possible - if it doesn't come up on the ESS they won't do it.