Mercedes Southport

[Paradroid]

Hi folks - does anyone have experience of service at Mercedes Southport? My 2020 C300 Coupe is due a "B service". Nearest place (Marshalls Preston) want £633, just no. Southport will do it for ~£540 which is a lot more reasonable - given that it includes the brake fluid I can live with that. Have checked out the Southport dealership and it looks quite small and the building is decidedly less premium than the big MB dealers but that really doesn't matter to me. Checked out the usual review sites and it's all positive (better than Preston)

Preston annoyed me because they won't let me supply my own oil which would save around £100 on the price. Williams BMW who I've used for the last 5-6 years never had a problem with that.

 

[W1ghty]

Hi folks - does anyone have experience of service at Mercedes Southport? My 2020 C300 Coupe is due a "B service". Nearest place (Marshalls Preston) want £633, just no. Southport will do it for ~£540 which is a lot more reasonable - given that it includes the brake fluid I can live with that. Have checked out the Southport dealership and it looks quite small and the building is decidedly less premium than the big MB dealers but that really doesn't matter to me. Checked out the usual review sites and it's all positive (better than Preston)

Preston annoyed me because they won't let me supply my own oil which would save around £100 on the price. Williams BMW who I've used for the last 5-6 years never had a problem with that.

Just an oil thought buddy , if you buy their own MB oil from their parts dept are they still saying no ?

 

[John757]

My MB Indie refused to fit genuine MB parts for me (Front struts) which I had already bought (with a small discount) , despite the fact I got them from the same local MB dealer that he gets all his parts from.. I guess their discount on parts is important to them in their pricing structure... MB Oil is expensive compared to Mobil 1 etc....

 

[Paradroid]

Just an oil thought buddy , if you buy their own MB oil from their parts dept are they still saying no ?

Interesting idea - would buying MB oil from the parts dept be any cheaper than the price they charge on the service?

What I've done with BMW, is bought oil online from opie oils, at ~£90, then saved ~£200 on the cost of the service.

With the Southport price being ~£540 including the brake fluid change, I might not bother though, it's not cheap, but it's not extortionate!

 

[grober]

MB dealer service departments buy their oil in 55 gallon [ 208litres] drums

 

[W1ghty]

Interesting idea - would buying MB oil from the parts dept be any cheaper than the price they charge on the service?

What I've done with BMW, is bought oil online from opie oils, at ~£90, then saved ~£200 on the cost of the service.

With the Southport price being ~£540 including the brake fluid change, I might not bother though, it's not cheap, but it's not extortionate!

Yes it’s a lot cheaper than the service dept .
Is that a B service , because it’s still a lot of money even with a £60 brake fluid change included

 

[Spider10]

It all depends on which additional items are required

 

[Paradroid]

Yes it’s a lot cheaper than the service dept .
Is that a B service , because it’s still a lot of money even with a £60 brake fluid change included

No I totally agree it's far from a bargain! It's just oil and filter, dust filter, brake fluid (brake fluid job is priced at ~£120). This whole B service thing is a scam isn't it. Not exclusive to MB of course, I've rung BMW in the past and they'd say "oh it's a B service it's a big service". This makes people to think they're having half the engine out, so then the £500 doesn't seem so bad. In reality it's just an A service plus a cabin pollen filter - the only thing big about it is the price.

However, I've gone ahead with the booking at Southport and they were really good on the phone. It works for me because they had availability on two days in January when I'm off work anyway (and I don't get paid to take time off so that's important), and my main objective was to not pay the £633 I was initially quoted elsewhere, or take a service plan at £53 a month!! Going to keep main dealer service for year two and three, because it can help with anything that crops up just out of warranty. Also it means another garage can take a look at the suspension clonk from the frontend, as Preston fixed it but it's returned.

Will update this with how it goes at Southport in a few weeks

 

[SmartAmg]

I bought my C207 from Southport Mercedes in 2018 and had my 1st service done there, then changed to my local indie, not because Southport did anything wrong, but because the indie was handy for me. Southport Mercedes, was very good for both the purchase and the service.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Their mark up on oil is extortionate , thats why they don't want you supply your own oil. You could get it from an MB dealer with a genuine MB receipt for (probably) a 3rd of the price. But if they refuse to use it .....?

Security measure

www.ebay.co.uk

Security measure

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Paradroid]

I bought my C207 from Southport Mercedes in 2018 and had my 1st service done there, then changed to my local indie, not because Southport did anything wrong, but because the indie was handy for me. Southport Mercedes, was very good for both the purchase and the service.

Great to hear, many thanks

 

[Gollom]

Great to hear, many thanks

Good MB trained indie in Preston (CVM up by by Asda) when the time comes that you don't have to use a dealer. Full Star and can access the electronic service book