main dealer service and windscreen wash

[tylerdurden]

last night topped up the screenwash to the hilt.

Motor went in for 1st service this am.
£270 all in of which £5 was for screenwash which no doubt was not used at all.

Frankly I'm not going to question it but its dissapointing to see such stuff from a main dealer. RIP off Britain

 

[Dr-Nab]

It depends what the dealership includes in the service, at my local dealer they include screenwash and will fill it up and charge for it obviously, but then they always leave a new bottle of the concentrate in the car as well which is a nice touch I guess.

 

[MD5]

I had them phone me two services on the trot to say that the front indicator bulbs needed replacing due to fading, even though they had replaced them the first time round!

 

[markjay]

last night topped up the screenwash to the hilt.

Motor went in for 1st service this am.
£270 all in of which £5 was for screenwash which no doubt was not used at all.

Frankly I'm not going to question it but its dissapointing to see such stuff from a main dealer. RIP off Britain

This is an age old issue... not just with MB dealers.

many owners have complained about this, the standard explanation is that the garage does not actually charge for screen-wash. They only charge for checking it, which they have to do as it is part of the service schedule. If it turns-out that it needs topping-up, they top it up for free!

I remember someone complaining about this to Honest John, who was of the opinion that if you do not want to pay for the screen-wash top-up then you should tell the garage in advance 'please do not check the screen-wash'.

HTH...

 

[markjay]

I had them phone me two services on the trot to say that the front indicator bulbs needed replacing due to fading, even though they had replaced them the first time round!

My Renault dealer called to say the other day that the yellow indicator bulbs are fading and need replacing... to the tune of £28.

 

[fuzzer]

Its part of the service that you agreed to pay for...

Its a drop in the ocean compared to what they charged for oil

 

[Smiley]

Its part of the service that you agreed to pay for...

Its a drop in the ocean compared to what they charged for oil

or for the car

next time make sure the screenwash is empty at least you will get something for your fiver.

 

[st13phil]

last night topped up the screenwash to the hilt.

Motor went in for 1st service this am.
£270 all in of which £5 was for screenwash which no doubt was not used at all.

If you look at the Electronic Service Sheet (ESS) the instruction for an A Service (my bold) is:

Windscreen washer system - Use Mercedes-Benz approved part number A 002 986 1471 10 windscreen washer concentrate (remainder to be left in vehicle if any)

Bearing in mind that they couldn't have put it in your screenwash bottle, I suggest you phone them up and politely suggest that they must have "forgotten" to leave the full bottle in your car, and that you'll be happy to pick it up from the service desk when you're next passing.

 

[Rory]

Mercedes is the only make I owned where the remainder of the bottle has been left in the car.

On a VW I complained that it was full when it came in and they said they drained it out and refilled it!

As others have said though, a service is a set price, so as long as you pay that price (hopefully you negotiated a chunky discount upfront) then it's a bit rich to start deconstructing the bill. Apparently the lease companies won't pay oil disposal charges - they tell the dealers to give the old oil back to the driver!!

 

[Dryce]

Mercedes is the only make I owned where the remainder of the bottle has been left in the car.

They also specify a decent grade of screenwash.

As others have said though, a service is a set price, so as long as you pay that price (hopefully you negotiated a chunky discount upfront) then it's a bit rich to start deconstructing the bill. Apparently the lease companies won't pay oil disposal charges - they tell the dealers to give the old oil back to the driver!!

If the service price is agreed and its on the ESS sheet such that the remainder is supplied then it's impicit that it's included in the price.

If the dealer argues otherwise then they can either be accused of misleading the customer as to the service price - or not complying with the MB service as leaid out by ESS.

ie. Their choice as to whether: it's a mistake on the bill, they're scammers, or they don't know how to service the vehicle properly.

OP should point this out and ask for (a) his money back and (b) a bottle of screenwash.

 

[s88]

or for the car

next time make sure the screenwash is empty at least you will get something for your fiver.

you hope! May find out if they do check it?

 

[Beetnik]

Frankly I'm not going to question it but its dissapointing to see such stuff from a main dealer. RIP off Britain

[RANT]So - you'll complain about it on here but not to the dealer.

Have you not thought that if you (and anyone else who's a victim) complain to the dealer they'll stop doing it?

It's not rip off Britain - it's the uncomplaining nature of Brit's that's the problem.

Makes me smile the number of times I hear people complaining in restaurants until the waiter comes across and they're asked 'is everything OK?' at which point they respond 'lovely, thank you.'[/RANT]

 

[s88]

SAAB always charged me for wiper blades!
Told them not to bother, if they were that keen change the shape of the windscreen. And it was not a 900.

 

[tylerdurden]

[RANT]So - you'll complain about it on here but not to the dealer.

Have you not thought that if you (and anyone else who's a victim) complain to the dealer they'll stop doing it?

It's not rip off Britain - it's the uncomplaining nature of Brit's that's the problem.

Makes me smile the number of times I hear people complaining in restaurants until the waiter comes across and they're asked 'is everything OK?' at which point they respond 'lovely, thank you.'[/RANT]

Fair point. Feel bad complaining about that knowing what I earn. I wouldn't mind if they just incorporated the charge into the basic price. Why break it down etc.

 

[Beetnik]

Fair point. Feel bad complaining about that knowing what I earn. I wouldn't mind if they just incorporated the charge into the basic price. Why break it down etc.

Obviously not a Yorkshireman!

 

[st4]

Fair point. Feel bad complaining about that knowing what I earn. I wouldn't mind if they just incorporated the charge into the basic price. Why break it down etc.

Its not about what you earn, its about retaining what you do earn

 

[Doodle]

Mercedes is the only make I owned where the remainder of the bottle has been left in the car.

Jaguar used to do the same. They also included a screen cleaner and screen paste at service time - I still have some kicking around from when my grandfather had his Daimler serviced. It's great for getting grime, dead bugs and crap off that screenwash just doesn't shift

 

[Simon_M]

This always bugs me, and I always fill the cars to the max before they go in for a service. The Mercedes do come back with the left over bottle 90% full (I presume they throw a token amount down the drain).

I lost it when my old Porsche had a charge of something like £12.50 for screenwash when it was full beforehand. There was no spare bottle left in the car and the official line was 'we did not know what was in there so drained it and completely refilled it', err take a guess what was in there..

Anyway I ended up getting around £100 back from them for that and other 'misleading' items claimed to have been done on the service.

S

 

[Charles Morgan]

To charge you for something that hasn't been done is at best sharp practice and at worst, gaining pecuniary advantage by deception, ie a crime. The sums may be small, but it is astonishing that people with a reputation to protect would do this sort of thing, yet they do.

This is, among many other reasons, why I go to a reputable independent like Olly. I don't want Mercedes or anybody else filling up my screenwash, I can do that myself for peanuts at £0 per hour. The concept that in this day and age when cars can go 20k miles between services that screenwash is a service item is utterly nonsensical. I also don't want the car valeted for me, I just want a service done properly by someone competent. In the same way, I don't want a bottle of cheap champagne when I buy a new car - I'd rather have £20 off the price, I can buy my own booze thanks. Real service is about delivering value, competently and promptly. The rest is pure gimcrack.

 

[tylerdurden]

Checked the boot and no screenwash was left there. Having siad that, there was a top up bottle of motor oil.