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Need Advice on New Car Service Please

bigtruth

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Joined
Oct 7, 2004
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61
I have been using mercedes since 1992 (12 different classes/models till date) and never buy new, (always just after the manufacturer warranty runs out), George Frazer have been looking after my cars (the wifey and mine) since 1992, this year I decided to buy new, I bought myself E240 Avantgarde and C180 for the wifey, the problem now is the service cost of the Stealers on both cars, I was told by the stealers that I have to service the cars with the them or any mercedes approved stealers to keep my manufacturer warranty valid, but the service cost of main stealers are too high, also I am not impreased with the quality of work they do, I am one of the lucky ones who get the privilege of George himself working on my cars and looking at the quality of this technician at the local stealers, they all look like trainees to me, they never even clean the cars when they finish their so called service.
My question is that I was told that there is an European Law that allow people like my self to take our cars to a specialist mechanics for repairs without affecting the warranty. Please advice.

Thanks
 
as long as it's serviced to MB requirements and specifictions it should be alright. that's the theory, the reality comes when you make a warranty claim and MB goes "prove it"
 
mickl said:
as long as it's serviced to MB requirements and specifictions it should be alright. that's the theory, the reality comes when you make a warranty claim and MB goes "prove it"

Thank you very much Mickl, I guess I'm stuck with the stealers for now.
 
isn't it the case that the car must be serviced by "an approved" service centre - and not all of those are actually stealerships? I seem to remember seeing other threads on this subject and am pretty certain this is the case. Its just a question of finding a list of them and seeing if any are close by.
Les
 
DITTRICH said:
isn't it the case that the car must be serviced by "an approved" service centre - and not all of those are actually stealerships? I seem to remember seeing other threads on this subject and am pretty certain this is the case.
There is a little garage about 5 mins from me that my parents have used for years and it's where I had my previous car's bodywork and exhaust work done. My Dad saw them working on a brand new MB and he asked the mechanic about it, turns out they can do warranty work on behalf of MB! My dad also used to get his company cars serviced there, and the rental companies can be very picky about where you can get them serviced.
 
I haven't got to the first service interval yet, but the first service at 22,000 miles on my 210 was £209. I totally agree about young trainee's and they SHOULD at all times be supervised (I wonder how often they work unsupervised). With these modern cars the technician plugs in his computer the car highlights what needs to be done and can also show how to do it plus how long it should take?? My dealer collects the car, drops off a CLEAN courtesy vehicle all at no extra cost. (we are an hour's travelling time away from the dealer)

Yes specialist garages are excellent and providing they have the PROPER equipment and tools they can indeed be cheaper. Sadly the more modern vehicles need expensive specialist equipment for even different models within the class. Airmatic suspension springs to mind.

It is sad to frequently read of shoddy service from main dealers and we owe it to everyone to complain in writing every time it occurs.

For a full service what would you expect to pay excluding any extra work?

Buying a new car is not the wisest of investments, saving pennies on servicing that 'might' cause problems with the warranty might not be the best of ideas. I do not advocate wasting money.

There have been numerous money saving ideas on this forum that might jepodise warranties. Just be aware of short term gains.

I am thinking here of 'Additives' to fuel in new vehicles that are still covered by Mercedes-Benz warranty.



Regards,
John
 
Last edited:
I did a fair bit of consulting work for F*$d before and during the "Block Exemption" change and what it meant for manufacturers.

The removal of the exemption meant that manufactureres could no longer restrict the "approved" status purely to franchised dealers. They now have to give all establishments the ability to become "approved". However, the catch comes in what is required to become approved. The manufacturer I consulted with runs a type of academy that technicians have to work through. Once through this, there is a minimum number of technicians according to the size of the establishment. once met, the establishment can then apply to be approved and has to meet certain standards of equipment, etc.

The removal also meant that the supply of technical information could not be restricted and must be available to all. Just depends if you can afford it, I suppose.

Upshot - if the warrenty is of concern, then check to see if the establishment has accreditation from the manufacturer. If they do, then the warrenty remains intact. And this applies across the EU, so getting a service in France will not affect your warrenty.

Removal of "Block Exemption" was one of the reasons MB radically changed it's dealer/franchise structure as it gave greater control of the sales and service cycle. (We also worked with MB on this too.)
 

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