Kelvin Mckenzie The Sun Merc rant

[tali]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/columnists/kelvin_mackenzie/article1843882.ece "A MONTH ago I was critical of Mercedes-Benz who gave me a £1,500 estimate to repair a two-centimetre square scratch, which in the end I had fixed at my local body shop for £350.

I challenged the management of Mercedes to explain this astonishing divergence.
And they have . . . here’s the answer from a letter by Neil Williamson, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Retail.
Mr Williamson says: “Your car features advanced paint including nano-particle Clearcoat.

Pricy ... repairs


“Put simply, this water-based lacquer is three times tougher than regular paint, and 40 per cent ‘shinier’.
“Nano-particle Clearcoat helps the car’s bodywork resist scratches and abrasions much more effectively than regular lacquer.”
So it’s all down to nano nano.
He goes on: “The bodywork of your car comprises a number of materials — aluminium, steel alloys and other composites.
“Each requires specialist techniques to be employed to ensure our paint repairs are carried out to the highest standard possible.”
I am grateful for Mr Williamson sparing the time to write.
However, I still find it impossible to understand the near 500 per cent difference in the two prices.


Especially when my body shop man had spent the previous 27 years working for . . . Mercedes-Benz."

 

[Birdman]

Methinks the dealer network is a bit strapped for cash right now.
Their paint shops are an important part of their cash flow.
As is the repair shop - so we can look forward to a similar trend. Light bulb change, anyone?
Desperate times means desperate measures...

 

[pint6x]

Mr Williamson says: “Your car features advanced paint including nano-particle Clearcoat.
“Put simply, this water-based lacquer is three times tougher than regular paint, and 40 per cent ‘shinier’.
“Nano-particle Clearcoat helps the car’s bodywork resist scratches and abrasions much more effectively than regular lacquer.”

So why do the bloody things rust so badly then? :bannana:

 

[Donza]

I remember reading this article a while back. A lot of damage to Mercedes reputation.

There may be some grain of truth regarding the scratch and the nano paint. But they guy made a fair point.

Mercedes need to take a leaf out of other car manufacturers book and quit financially raping customers.

You would have thought they would have learned by now. Mercedes are no longer the brand they used to be.And dont have a monopoloy on the customer base they used to enjoy.

Their is huge choice now for the consumer. Lexus, BMW, Audi even Honda and other manufacturers.

Sorry but thats the cold hard truth.

To save costs they should look at their business/manufacturing processes. know they are big fans of Kaizen/Just-in Time processes.

Sorry but it just p!sses me no end that we get ripped off by dealerships like that.

 

[vincenz]

No one made him have the repair at MB, If I want a new bathroom and a plumber quotes me £40k I look else where, and thats whats happened above.

Why waste the time writing an article to explain what is essentially common sense.

 

[N/B]

Mercedes need to take a leaf out of other car manufacturers book and quit financially raping customers.
You would have thought they would have learned by now. Mercedes are no longer the brand they used to be.And dont have a monopoloy on the customer base they used to enjoy.

Try waiting in reception at MB Hampstead for an hour or so. The slew of desperate housewives having the odd colour-coded heated electric mirror or replacement bumper fitted to their ML-Classes seem to positively enjoy burning the plastic.
Admittedly, the Lexus RX400h is king in W London, but I can't imagine the average repair bills from Lexus and MB are so different?

 

[maddog]

No one made him have the repair at MB, If I want a new bathroom and a plumber quotes me £40k I look else where, and thats whats happened above.

Why waste the time writing an article to explain what is essentially common sense.

Well actually if he has the repair done at a non-mercedes approved bodyshop then any subsequent claims against the paintwork or corrosion warranty for that panel will be voided.

After having a lot of goodwill repairs done to my W210 i know full well most bodyshops would be able to do a far better job, the price MB charge the customer clearly has no reflection on what they actually pay the bodyshop and my dealer seems to be using the cheapest crappiest place they can find

 

[Robbie T]

Possibly beside the point, but i have it on (very) good authority that while at said Merc dealer he used the "Do you know who i am" line ...

The bloke's column, although mildly amusing, often smacks of local newspaper offerings. I've read it for a couple of years now and i've lost count of the amount of local issues he brings up in the national press, i mean who in Yorkshire cares about the parking situation at Weybridge station?!

 

[Roger Jones]

"Why waste the time writing an article to explain what is essentially common sense."

How much common sense do you think is out there? Why write the article in a mass-circulation rag? Perhaps to illustrate to the vast majority of the not-so-savvy general public that you can get ripped off very easily by placing too much faith in a main dealer. Most people are too insecure to explore other options.

"Local newspaper offerings"? Perhaps the local and specific is the best way of illustrating matters of general interest.

The difference between the local approved MB bodyshop and the bodyshops I use is that the former has offices and suits, the latter a well worn reception desk and everyone in overalls. I've been unable to detect a difference in the quality of the work. When I ask the guv'nr in overalls how his posh rivals can justify their much-higher prices, he shrugs his shoulders.

[I'm no fan of Kelvin MacKenzie.]

 

[C43AMG]

Local MB Body Shops have other customers other than MB.

The only MB Body Shop thay i am aware of on a MB premises is Brentford.

 

[crockers]

I had my car keyed .. took it to local MB dealer in Swindon - they took photo and sent it to approved bodyshop in .................Bristol.

Bristol emailed me with a quote for near on £700.... I had my local guy do if for £200....and so I get no bodywork warranty on that door.....my choice.

What gets me is how Bristol can quote on a photo...


MB used to use D*ck Lovatt bodyshops and they are brilliant..so I got a quote from them too....£450.

 

[Birdman]

I suspect that bodyshops practice two-tier pricing. One for insurance companies and another for the private customer.

Or, putting it differently, if it's the NU they dictate the price. If it's you, the bodyshop names the price. And it's to you they look for their profits.

Then there is the question of MB-approved work for the private customer being necessary for the 30-year bodywork warranty, whereas non-approved work can be repudiated. All this is quite understandable and at the same time pushes approved prices through the roof - for the private owner.

 

[Duncan Beaumont]

Maths is obviously not Mr MaKenzie's strong point.

£350 compared with £1500 is 330% more - not 'nearly 500%'.

 

[nick mercedes]

Local MB Body Shops have other customers other than MB.

The only MB Body Shop thay i am aware of on a MB premises is Brentford.

And ironiocally the bloke who painted it for £350 was trained by and used to work for MB Brentford.

 

[gary350]

No one made him have the repair at MB, If I want a new bathroom and a plumber quotes me £40k I look else where, and thats whats happened above.

Why waste the time writing an article to explain what is essentially common sense.

There are alot more bathroom showrooms and plumbers than there are MB dealers. What kind of bathroom are you getting for £40K?

gary

 

[tali]

Good on KM for his rant .Makes a refreshing change from Brits who love getting ripped off.Trousers and pants willingly pulled down as they bend over and get rammed up the ****- and now KM is giving it back with intrest