Mercedes Benz Colindale - suggest avoid them for servicing

[JerryF1]

My 2012 CLS 63 AMG which i've owned since new, has now done around 60k miles. took it in for an inspection due to brake juddering under light braking.

net result new discs new pads front and rear. cost £3,200, well it is an AMG.

i could put up with the cost if the parts had actually been fitted correctly. within 1 mile of driving after collection i could hear a grinding noise from the drivers front wheel. took it back. so a waste of my time and why isnt the work checked before giving the car back?

one hour later, fixed apparently but no explanation, no apology and no idea given whether the new parts or the wheel has been damaged.

reminds me of a previous experience at colindale where on my old CL 65 a technician left a part of the airbox assembly in the airbox - which ended up going through the engine and destroying a turbo. that little episode cost mercedes £7,000 to fix it - they also delivered the car back leaking oil on 3 separate occasions.

anyone know of a good independent MB service agent in NW London - someone who understands and can handle CLS 63 AMG's?

 

[JHS]

£3,200 for 4 discs and 4 sets of pads???????? I think that most people would find that a bit excessive! Changing discs and pads is a job that any garage could do for a fraction of that and I cannot imagine that the parts are that expensive, or that it takes that long to do the job even on an AMG.
And even then they manage to **** it up.

 

[JerryF1]

apologies to mislead the bill did include two rear tyres @ £500 - but still £2,700 is a lot - but like i said its the fact a Mercedes dealer couldnt even fit the brake discs and pads properly, didnt check the work, and gave the car back to a customer in a condition that could have been potentially dangerous

anyone know of a decent garage in NW London who are competent and who actually care - i would appreciate to know

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hi Jerry and welcome along. Taking your 10 year old car to MB for something as simple as brake discs , pads and tyres is entirely your prerogative but many on here would not have taken that particular path.

But what is more shocking than the ridiculous amount of money they charged is the fact that they messed up a simple maintenance task so badly !!

Thanks for the heads up on this (historically incompetent) garage. Never darken their door again

PS: Grinding noise might have simply been stone guard bent against the disc surface when the grease monkey was levering against it to move the calliper with a 4ft crow bar or he might have missed with his lump hammer when battering the old disc off.

Worth a quick look to see if disc is not scored on the inside face. Best of luck .

 

[AMGeed]

anyone know of a decent garage in NW London who are competent and who actually care - i would appreciate to know

Not used them myself, but Terry at Wayne Gates in Harrow is always the go to indy recommended in NW London.

Wayne Gates Specializing in Mercedes-Benz Servicing & Repairs

The Independent Merc Specialist you can trust. Based in Harrow, Middlesex servicing the surrounding areas and Hertfordshire. Call now to book

www.mercservicing.co.uk

 

[mioba]

consider a written letter to MB UK customer services

 

[JerryF1]

Not used them myself, but Terry at Wayne Gates in Harrow is always the go to indy recommended in NW London.

Wayne Gates Specializing in Mercedes-Benz Servicing & Repairs

The Independent Merc Specialist you can trust. Based in Harrow, Middlesex servicing the surrounding areas and Hertfordshire. Call now to book

www.mercservicing.co.uk

Thank you - appreciated - will try them next service

 

[JerryF1]

consider a written letter to MB UK customer services

Did that before on several previous occasions when MB Colindale broke my CL 65's turbo and delivered it back leaking oil on 3 separate occasions and again when MB Brentford fitted a gearbox seal on another CL that i owned that let go 6 weeks after fitting and dumped all the gearbox oil on the M25 at 70 miles an hour - net result £12,000 for a new gearbox that MB Brentford denied all responsibility for.

i said at that time - this will be my last Mercedes. none of their service teams know what they are doing and they just dont quality check their work - shameful on a £100,000 car

 

[KennyN]

apologies to mislead the bill did include two rear tyres @ £500 - but still £2,700 is a lot

That`s some hourly rate for a couple of hours work buddy , as (unless ceramics) i dont see the parts being much over the £1k mark even at MD parts pricing.

Wise move to give up on the MD servicing work especially after the grief you have had in the past.

K

 

[W1ghty]

Did that before on several previous occasions when MB Colindale broke my CL 65's turbo and delivered it back leaking oil on 3 separate occasions and again when MB Brentford fitted a gearbox seal on another CL that i owned that let go 6 weeks after fitting and dumped all the gearbox oil on the M25 at 70 miles an hour - net result £12,000 for a new gearbox that MB Brentford denied all responsibility for.

i said at that time - this will be my last Mercedes. none of their service teams know what they are doing and they just dont quality check their work - shameful on a £100,000 car

Jesus buddy that’s shocking !

 

[Smiley]

I would question the initial diagnosis - brake judder is unlikely to be caused by all four discs and pads - more likely to be front OR rear or could also be a suspension component. Disc and pad replacement is very easy profitable business for all main dealers, not just MB.

 

[oldguy57]

That`s some hourly rate for a couple of hours work buddy , as (unless ceramics) i dont see the parts being much over the £1k mark even at MD parts pricing.

Wise move to give up on the MD servicing work especially after the grief you have had in the past.

K

The brakes for AMG's are costly, the front discs and pads on my CL were £1600, even after a bit of negotiated discount, excluding fitting which my indie did. Eye watering but nowhere near the cost on some "better" cars.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Not necessarily too costly on older AMG's, the front discs on my C55 AMG cost £54.96 each (£97.80 before discount) , that was for 345mm cross drilled ventilated Brembo (OEM) , the rears (also Brembo) were £39.33 (£51.10 before discount) . The pads are Akebono carbon ceramic approx £150 all around - I did buy them from the USA when I was over there - decent pads can be bought here for less. This was in 2019.

My advice would be to Shop around before taking your car anywhere for new brakes , by and large it's a simple job.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Not necessarily too costly on older AMG's, the front discs on my C55 AMG cost £54.96 each (£97.80 before discount) , that was for 345mm cross drilled ventilated Brembo (OEM) , the rears (also Brembo) were £39.33 (£51.10 before discount) . The pads are Akebono carbon ceramic approx £150 all around - I did buy them from the USA when I was over there - decent pads can be bought here for less. This was in 2019.

My advice would be to Shop around before taking your car anywhere for new brakes , by and large it's a simple job.

The C 55 is the superstar AMG for running costs though, even the C 32 brakes cost quite a lot more from memory. The C 55 is probably the best value AMG and it takes some beating as a car too - best balance of traditional AMG and modernity.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I agree Bobby , except for the rust !

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I agree Bobby , except for the rust !

Such a shame that it gets even the best kept W203 eventually, although some resisted better than others.

 

[KennyN]

The brakes for AMG's are costly, the front discs and pads on my CL were £1600.

For the OP`s car - Genuine Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Front Brake Pads & Discs set | eBay

Even if the rears were £700 a set it still leaves a fitting charge of £1k , which is still a lot for a set of discs + pads . MD or not.

K

 

[oldguy57]

For the OP`s car - Genuine Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Front Brake Pads & Discs set | eBay

Even if the rears were £700 a set it still leaves a fitting charge of £1k , which is still a lot for a set of discs + pads . MD or not.

K

Oh I agree completely. A nonsense price, which I would have queried just for the sake of it!. My indie charged £65 for fitting the front discs and pads on the CL.

 

[C43AMG]

From year one Colindale has always had the worst reputation and that dates back to the early Eighties

 

[Gazwould]