Main Dealer Or approved MB garage for servicing?? HELP!

[MYE63]

Hi All

My service on my car is due and mercedes quoted me around the £600 mark for service b on the car

I looked at approved MB garages that do the service using genuine MB parts and service goes on the system for history ect on the digital service book for less than half the price !!!

Does this still count as full service history from dealer if I went to a approved garage?

Is it worth paying the extra and getting it done by MB them selfs ?

How does this effect the sale price if it does do people really care if its main dealers or not ?

Any help / advise will be much appreciated

Thank you all

 

[Charliecloud]

You don't say if your car is still under warranty from MB, as that may have an impact if you needed a claim. Once a car is outside of the factory warranty I would always use a MB specialist.
It wouldn't and hasn't put me off owning a car that had been maintained like that.

 

[MYE63]

You don't say if your car is still under warranty from MB, as that may have an impact if you needed a claim. Once a car is outside of the factory warranty I would always use a MB specialist.
It wouldn't and hasn't put me off owning a car that had been maintained like that.

No it's not under warrantee at its an 2018 car however I have thought about getting extended warrantee is it worth it ?

 

[markjay]

The cheapest way to get dealer servicing is via the MB Service Care Plan. Or, alternatively, a good independent specialist.

See also:

Servicing and ServiceCare FAQ | Parts, Maintenance & Servicing

Disclaimer The authors of this FAQ are not affiliated with Mercedes-Benz in any way. The information in this FAQ is provided in good faith and based on knowledge the authors have acquired through their personal research and experience. The accuracy of the information provided cannot be...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

 

[Rory]

I looked at approved MB garages

Can you give an example of an approved MB garage?

There used to be quite a few - they were the old MB dealers who got canned many years ago now, but there's probably less than a handful of them left now.

Of course there are loads of specialists / independents - I used one for years. But they're not "approved MB".

 

[E55BOF]

Many independents have full STAR access, and can update the MB electronic service record. On a four-year-old car, and getting older each day, provided the service record is updated it will not make a significant difference who does the service. Indeed, prospective purchasers who know about much about cars might well prefer indie servicing; at the dealer it's just another car, and the big flashy showroom, with free coffee, biscuits and newspapers, is part of their overheads and has to be paid for somehow, but the indie's sole livelihood is servicing and repairs, so the incentive to do a good job is greater.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

No it's not under warrantee at its an 2018 car however I have thought about getting extended warrantee is it worth it ?

An extra 2 years warranty with MB on my 2018 C250 was £700 , probably more for your E63s , which I think was good value. 6 months left but no claims yet.
Paid for my first service and then took out a four year service plan , £52 a month for 36 months , which will mean my final one will cover the 9g gearbox service. Good value compared to an MB specialist , I don't know , but I will have full MB history just in case I do have a warranty claim.
I'll probably get another 2 year extended warranty when this one ends.

 

[MYE63]

Thanks All

I think I was getting my self in a twist! It's an independent specialist 1 garage did mention approved by MB now its got me wondering if he just ment independent Specialist

I'm getting quoted £250 for the service and MB are saying £600 there is quite a substantial difference hence why I'm thinking the same service same part ect is it worth the extra money?

Something simple like a tyre replacement MB quoted me £480 including fitting for Michelin pliot sport 4 and you can get them fitted for £220 ! Thats a no brainer however when it came to this I wasn't to sure which route to go down.

Taking out the service plan will spread the cost but inevitably I'll be paying the same amount for the service??

 

[AMGeed]

I kept a full main dealer service history on my 64 plate E63 that proved very useful when I sold it.
Everyone, and I mean everyone wanted to know if it had a full main dealer history and I was prepared for rejections on that alone.
Myself, I'd buy an AMG if it had mainly specialist history, but many won't. Something to consider when it comes to selling the car if it already had FMDSH.
I took out a service plan for 3 services when the B service was due, and over 3 years would have cost £1872 or 36 x £52.

 

[MYE63]

I kept a full main dealer service history on my 64 plate E63 that proved very useful when I sold it.
Everyone, and I mean everyone wanted to know if it had a full main dealer history and I was prepared for rejections on that alone.
Myself, I'd but an AMG if it had mainly specialist history, but many won't. Something to consider when it comes to selling the car if it already had FMDSH.
I took out a service plan for 3 services when the B service was due, and over 3 years would have cost £1872 or 36 x £52.

Ok great ! I think you've given me my answer being that it so far has FMDSH & being an edition 1 I think I'll keep the ball rolling with the dealers I'll take out the service plan, any particular MD you recommend I've not heard very good things about the one in Leicestershire

 

[Smart320]

Service contracts with mB work out cheaper , buy 3 years starting with B service , even better if it covers the year when a gearbox service is due as that will be included

 

[AMGeed]

Ok great ! I think you've given me my answer being that it so far has FMDSH & being an edition 1 I think I'll keep the ball rolling with the dealers I'll take out the service plan, any particular MD you recommend I've not heard very good things about the one in Leicestershire

I had my services done at MB-Poole, an AMG dedicated service dealer. Too far from Leicester. But they were very good.
Try and find one recommended closer to home. MB-Poole is part of the Sandown group. I'd look for one in that group.

Incidentally, keeping main dealer history gives you Mobilo breakdown cover which could be handy.

 

[markjay]

...Taking out the service plan will spread the cost but inevitably I'll be paying the same amount for the service??

No. Under a Service Care Plan, the price of each service is fixed, regardless of what is actually being carried out on the car. If you plan it carefully so that the services covered under the plan are mostly the 'big' ones, e.g. Service B, automatic transmission fluid, spark plugs, etc, you can save ££££.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

When comparing service pricing you need the garage to confirm exactly what is included in the service price. The reason being that there are additional items which are age and/or mileage dependent which the main dealer will definitely include, Mercedes specialists might include, and all-marque garages definitely won’t include.

Excluding those additional items makes the price look appear much more competitive than it really is! Additional items can be a significant part of the total service cost, especially in those services which require spark plug and automatic transmission fluid changes. There will occasionally be a service with no additional items due too, but they really are occasional.

Use the Mercedes ESS to find out exactly what is due on your specific car at your mileage, and post the list of additional items in this thread for comment.

Mercedes-Benz UK | Electronic Service Sheet

Also get online quotes from a variety of main dealers using the online quite tool. The difference in pricing between neighbouring main dealers can be dramatic so try every main dealer you are prepared to travel to.

Online appointment booking | Mercedes-Benz

Book appointments for a main inspection or another service at a workshop near you – conveniently and online with Mercedes-Benz appointment booking. Find a date that suits you right now!

www.mymercedesservice.co.uk

Again post the results for members to share their thoughts.

 

[Smiley]

I would prefer to see a service history with main dealer to start (understandable during warranty to avoid any potential problems with claims) and then a good MB specialist - ie one that is established and has access to Star. Why? Because I think the specialists generally do a better job and you are more likely to be able to speak directly to the expert rather than the front of house "service assistant" - which becomes more important as the car gets older.
If you are thinking of buying a MB extended warranty then make sure that you read all of the terms and conditions; do not assume that it will cover everything. The one I looked at had a very very long list of items not covered by the warranty.

 

[ToeKnee]

I've not heard very good things about the one in Leicestershire

I've always been an advocate of MB Leicester and often sung their praises, that is until my last service this August which was a complete shambles. Now I would advise people to stay away. For Leicester, which is where I live, I'd recommend MB Loughborough, Star services near the general hospital or Mercland Nuneaton, all of which have had good reviews. HTH

 

[Skd884]

I've always been an advocate of MB Leicester and often sung their praises, that is until my last service this August which was a complete shambles. Now I would advise people to stay away. For Leicester, which is where I live, I'd recommend MB Loughborough, Star services near the general hospital or Mercland Nuneaton, all of which have had good reviews. HTH

Why was it a shamble?

 

[ToeKnee]

Why was it a shamble?

I'm just about to head off to work but I'll start a new thread later this morning with full details

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I'm just about to head off to work but I'll start a new thread later this morning with full details

Blimey that doesn’t sound good!

 

[BfgSLKMan]

Hi All

My service on my car is due and mercedes quoted me around the £600 mark for service b on the car

I looked at approved MB garages that do the service using genuine MB parts and service goes on the system for history ect on the digital service book for less than half the price !!!

Does this still count as full service history from dealer if I went to a approved garage?

Is it worth paying the extra and getting it done by MB them selfs ?

How does this effect the sale price if it does do people really care if its main dealers or not ?

Any help / advise will be much appreciated

Thank you all

There is a very good independent MB place in Nottingham. Can't remember the address but its just after the bridge over the river near the MB commercial dealer. The only reason why my car is still serviced by MB is that my local dealer is "only" a service point (that actually specialises in Commercial vehicle/vans but do cars). You don't get coffee or flashy premises, but then I don't get the 50% higher bill charged by the flashy main dealer group in town! For a humble 220d then no issues, but I suspect for the E63 it might be perceived as a false economy to take it outside of the MB network (if you can afford an E63 then you should be able to afford to maintian it might be the arguement?) [not suggesting this is you but a more general observation from the next buyer unless you intedn to keep it 20 years!]