Mercedes service plan for W212 E63 price hike

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jayboy222

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Mercedes E63
Hi all

Hope everyone is keeping well. My 2012 W212 E63 with 44k miles, has just finished a three year Mercedes service plan at a cost of £42 per month, using the £150 discount code at the time. I've had a good experience with Mercedes Loughton who've performed all three services, so phoned them to get a quote for another three or maybe even four year service plan.

I was surprised to hear that my service plan would now cost £52 a month. Quite the hike even taking into account the discount on my original plan. When I asked why it had increased so much, I was informed that as my car was getting older, the service plan increased to reflect this.

If I took out a three year plan, I would be on a ABA cycle costing £1872 which seems pretty steep, but I'd like to keep the full Mercedes service history up. Grateful for any views on whether the ABA cycle might still represent value for money, as opposed to individual services with Mercedes?

Thanks.
 
Mine is a 2014/64 plate and I had the same quote of £52 per month over either two or 3 years for 2 or 3 services.

In your position if you wish to keep full MBSH, pay for your next A service, then take out the plan for a B-A-B and get your moneysworth.
You are due new plugs this year too.
 
Why not pay for your next A service, then take out the plan for the B-A-B service?
Beaten to the answer.....
 
Thanks both, makes complete sense. Doh moment for me!

AMGeed - Just had the spark plugs changed at the B service last month. Any idea how much this adds to the service if you don't have a plan? Impossible to know they way they do the service invoices for people on plans!
 
If you can increase your monthly payment to £69 .33pm over 24months, that would get you 3 services for £1663.


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Thanks both, makes complete sense. Doh moment for me!

AMGeed - Just had the spark plugs changed at the B service last month. Any idea how much this adds to the service if you don't have a plan? Impossible to know they way they do the service invoices for people on plans!

I had mine done in 2018 but under the previous owner and the service record I have isn't itemised as to how much it cost.
I'd estimate £150 - £200.

Coincidence maybe, but my E63 was serviced at MB-Loughton last Sept. Bought it in Chingford.

Incidentally, FYI an A service at MB Loughton came to £341 according to the invoice the dealer picked up before I paid for the car.
 
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Thanks for the info, very helpful. Odd that paying for three services over two years leads to over a £200 saving, but worth considering as brings price back into line to what I was paying previously, less the £150 discount. Probably still more sensible to follow your original suggestion though I think.

I've found Loughton to be better than most dealers, not perfect, but better!
 
MB service for the plugs..... Replace spark plugs £305.77

Had mine done independently £180
 
...When I asked why it had increased so much, I was informed that as my car was getting older, the service plan increased to reflect this. ...

This does not make sense.... when cars get older, they need more repairs, not more scheduled maintenance. The scheduled servicing follows a cyclic pattern, and so a new car would need just as much or little done to it as an old car (the exception are a couple of times that are on a 15-year replacement schedule, but your car is only 8 years old so still too young for those). It's worth checking if the price increase is indeed age-related, or perhaps it's across the board i.e. for all model years and MB simply decided to raise their prices. I have a feeling that you may have been fobbed-off by the salesperson with a made-up answer.
 
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This does not make sense.... when cars get older, they need more repairs, not more scheduled maintenance. The scheduled servicing follows a cyclic pattern, and so a new car would need just as much or little done to it as an old car (the exception are a couple of times that are on a 15-year replacement schedule, but your car is only 8 years old so still too young for those). It's worth checking if the price increase is indeed age-related, or perhaps it's across the board i.e. for all model years and MB simply decided to raise their prices. I have a feeling that you may have been fobbed-off by the salesperson with a made-up answer.
Sounds like a poorly blagged explanation to me, to try to justify a price increase
 
Taking the discount into account that is only a 4% year on year increase (12% / 3 yrs). Costs would most certainly have increased for MB/ dealer, so doesn’t seem unreasonable.
 
Absolutely agree that I've been fobbed off, and that it's simply a price hike. I was also informed that as a comparison, the brand new model E63 service plan price was £56 per month, as if to demonstrate that the price for mine was good value!
It was pretty obvious that the young lady I spoke to wasn't a service plan 'expert' and was just trying her best to justify the prices on the Mercedes website. To be fair to her, what could she say, she won't want to say it's just a price increase, and she has no room to negotiate on a price?
Prob makes sense to just pay for the next A service plan upfront, then buy a plan for the BAB cycle as others have helpfully suggested.
Thanks to all for the helpful replies.
 
Prob makes sense to just pay for the next A service plan upfront, then buy a plan for the BAB cycle as others have helpfully suggested.
Not wishing to confuse matters, but...

While it generally makes sense to opt for a three-year plan covering BAB rather than ABA services, after the car is 3 years old it's not necessarily clear cut due to the replacement cycle of items such as spark plugs, air filter, cabin filter, brake fluid, ATF change, diff oil change (if it has an AMG Locking Diff), etc. You really need to look hard at the ESS Service Items for the next four years to determine if it gives best value to payg for the next A service and then switch to a ServiceCare Plan for the subsequent BAB cycle or just go straight onto a 3-year ServiceCare Plan now.

Something else important to consider is that if you were to sell the car during the lifecycle of a paid monthly ServiceCare Plan before the last service has been completed, you will be liable for the full cost of the services already done when you terminate the plan. This will almost certainly exceed the payments you will have made up to that point - especially as there's an early termination charge payable too (was £40 +VAT in 2019, may be more now).
 
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Taking the discount into account that is only a 4% year on year increase (12% / 3 yrs). Costs would most certainly have increased for MB/ dealer, so doesn’t seem unreasonable.

I agree, the only issue really is the half-baked excuse given by the salesperson.
 
Go Indy servicing now , you will save loads against an MB service plan on an older car .
 
Go Indy servicing now , you will save loads against an MB service plan on an older car .

It varies.... I did the calculations for my 7 years old W204, the MB Service Care Plan is slightly cheaper than an indie for B-A-B with no additional items (other than 2 x brake fluid change), and considerably cheaper than an indie for years 4 and 5 (which include A, B, brake fluid change, park plugs, air filter, and ATF). An Indie will be significantly cheaper on A-B-A with no additional items (other than 1 x brake fluid change). So if taking-out an MB Service Care Plan, the amount of saving depends on taking it out at the correct time.

I left Mobilo out of it, because you could equally argue that you get a better service from an indie, so there are additional pro and con arguments here, instead I was looking only at the actual pricing.
 
Go Indy servicing now , you will save loads against an MB service plan on an older car .
As markjay has said, not always! My local good indie is a hundred pounds or so cheaper over the whole three years but I'd then need to pay for breakdown which I get free with Mercedes servicing.
 
My nearest Indy is Alex Crow in Stowmarket , A service £155 , B service £265 which works out at £17.50 a month over 2 years . That leaves a lot of spare cash for the odd filter . Euro Breakdown cover is through my a bank account .
MB wanted £42pm , £1008 over 2 years
As you say though you need to do your own costing depending on your car and local area options
I have incidentally self serviced both cars for the last 5 years anyway
 
My nearest Indy is Alex Crow in Stowmarket , A service £155 , B service £265 which works out at £17.50 a month over 2 years . That leaves a lot of spare cash for the odd filter . Euro Breakdown cover is through my a bank account .
MB wanted £42pm , £1008 over 2 years
As you say though you need to do your own costing depending on your car and local area options
I have incidentally self serviced both cars for the last 5 years anyway
Have you had to use the euro breakdown cover and if so what was the service like?
 
If you can increase your monthly payment to £69 .33pm over 24months, that would get you 3 services for £1663.


View attachment 98688


That must be an error...(for the 3 services over 2 year payment)….
 

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