New Mercedes, dealer servicing or independent??

[Headhurts]

What is your reg and mileage? I will be happy to run a quote for you!

Many thanks for that I have resent the request for an update to Norwich Dealership.

Robin

 

[Petrol Pete]

The 7 speed boxes don't have a dipstick tube. So they've got to be fully hot to be filled to the right level.

I thought that might be the case , so that make the 'specialist' who said the box had to be cold to service wrong, as per my interjection #9 . OP should ignore that particular garage from now on .

 

[Rory]

I thought that might be the case , so that make the 'specialist' who said the box had to be cold to service wrong, as per my interjection #9 . OP should ignore that particular garage from now on .

Well, I suppose you could empty it, change the filter and (mostly) refill it when cold. It's just got to be hot to finally check the level.

Be interesting to to know what he's thinking - maybe he got splashed by hot ATF once! I find (sweeping generalisation) you can't query stuff with indie garage owners - they're very set in their opinions.

 

[Isa0324]

Have Main dealer prices sky rocketed up? I'm due for a service in the next month and i remember a cost of a service A cost about £550. now its just under 1k. Am i seeing this right?

 

[markjay]

Have Main dealer prices sky rocketed up? I'm due for a service in the next month and i remember a cost of a service A cost about £550. now its just under 1k. Am i seeing this right?

Service prices keep changing due to different additional items being included with different services (the MB way....). So I can't see Service A on its own costing £1k, unless other items also need doing and are included in the quote.

That said, service prices have gone up over time, and at this point the only way to get good value from dealer service is via the MB Service Care Plan (perhaps this is intentional).

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I wonder how good 'indies' really are? People here seem to swear by them but is that only because they are cheaper or are they that much better than going to MB?

I use an Indie to service my wife's car, he is MB trained and has all the gear and prices are ok but not cheap. However, I purchased a second 3 year service plan (years 4 5 6) at a discount from MB (during lockdown). I chatted to my local service manager and he said that my upcoming service was going to cost over £1000.....the 3 year contract cost ~£1400........

 

[ToeKnee]

I also took out a three year service plan for two big B services and a small A inbetween. I got quotes from a very well respected Indy near me and the plan was £100 dearer. Now you may think £100 is still a good saving but that assumes the prices at the indy don't increase over the three years plus I now get full mobillo breakdown cover too. As always, horses for courses and what suits me may not suit you.

 

[markjay]

The main dealers I used so far (MB, Kia, Suzuki, among others) all provided a signed checklist to show what inspections have been carried-out, which is reassuring (and yes I am aware that the tech could have just ticked the boxes sitting at a desk at the office, but still).

I don't doubt that reputable specialists will also carry-out the full list of inspections as due in Services A and B, but for the cost of the printed form it would have been nice to see them provide a signed checklist as well. And it will definitely help novices see what they are getting for the price they pay, compared to a £40 'oil service' at the likes of Kwik Fit.

PS - the last service done at MB Brooklands during the lockdown in December was a bit shambolic, no physical papers were provided, and the documents sent later by email were incorrect and lacking, I had to contact them to rectify it. That said, having had several services there in previous years, it was very much out-of-character, so I am willing to put this down to Covid.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I also took out a three year service plan for two big B services and a small A inbetween. I got quotes from a very well respected Indy near me and the plan was £100 dearer. Now you may think £100 is still a good saving but that assumes the prices at the indy don't increase over the three years plus I now get full mobillo breakdown cover too. As always, horses for courses and what suits me may not suit you.

That was my thinking. Services ~1400 for sevices 4 (big) ,5 & 6(big) pus mobilo was a no brainer for me.

 

[wongl]

I don't doubt that reputable specialists will also carry-out the full list of inspections as due in Services A and B, but for the cost of the printed form it would have been nice to see them provide a signed checklist as well. And it will definitely help novices see what they are getting for the price they pay, compared to a £40 'oil service' at the likes of Kwik Fit.

According to my indie (who is ex-main MB dealership), the dealership he worked at would perform a B service check in the workshop regardless of the service due/booked because performing the check list from the B service was an opportunity to up-sell to the customer in case the car needs additional items doing.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Funny how so many people seem to thank that the staff at the dealers are there to crook us or coax more money out of us. I doubt that bonuses or commissions are involved.

Why would they bother?

I don't get that Indies are god like people with zen like powers for fixing cars who are cheap and the best MB mechanics ever.

An Indie is an Indie because he decided to start his own business (don't get me wrong I use one for my wife's car & he is so busy that I rarely get to talk to him - so no personal touch either and his reception guy is an arrogant "richard") but he is no better or worse than the mechanics at the dealers.

If anyone was going to crook me I'd expect it to be the Indie as he has a direct & vested interest in profitability and turnover.

A dealer that I used many years ago, always left all the "replaced parts" (plugs, filters, pads, empty washer fluid containers etc) in a sturdy plastic bag in the car. Quite clever as I could see that everything had been replaced and I also had to dispose of their rubbish.....

 

[Headhurts]

I agree with Rorywquin’s post, some people seem to think that anyone who works for a dealership is an awful technician whereas if you are a specialist they must be absolutely top notch faultless and the place to go.

So far my treatment at the dealership has been pretty good with regards to servicing, most main dealerships have viewing areas and even CCTV coverage.
After each service at the dealership I am left with the remainder of any additives and get a video of the car and checks carried out.

I‘m not against using a specialist and am tempted by the one in Norwich (STR Services) who can access and enter services onto the digital service system.

There are some superb specialists who often take the time to come on here and help members and I thank them for that, likewise in the dealership there will be some superb technicians who just don’t want to start their own business.

Robin

 

[markjay]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that all non-franchised garages are better than dealers...

The issue with a dealership is that it's a large organisation and can be faceless, i.e. you don't choose who you deal with, plus you rarely meet the same person twice. So your service experience will pretty much depend on the organisation's ethos: processes and efficiency, as well as recruitment, training, and supervision procedures.

Independent specialists tend to be smaller, and you are likely to deal directly with the proprietor (even if the actual work is carried-out by other employees), so there's an element of consistency in the relationship. And, you can pick and choose which indie you want to work with, in the same way that you would pick a solicitor, or a plumber, etc.

Additionally, small businesses trade mainly on their reputation, and these days this includes sites like Trustpilot and Google reviews etc, as well as posts on public forums such as this one. Larger organisations will get a lot of business 'by default' and will be less susceptible to bad publicity.

Over the years, my first port of call for servicing and repairs on any of my cars was the dealer (Toyota, Vauxhall, Renault, Kia, Suzuki, and also MB). In addition, I have used specialists were appropriate. They each have their advantages abd disadvantages.

And last, theose forum sponsors whose services I have used in the past - Olly, Terry, and Tony Bones - have all been absolutely amazing, and I can say that their reputation is well-deserved

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

There are good and bad main dealers, there are good and bad marque specialists, and there are good and bad independent garages.

Go for the one which you trust most within travelling distance, and build a relationship with them. People do business with people, based upon trust.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

There are good and bad main dealers, there are good and bad marque specialists, and there are good and bad independent garages.

Go for the one which you trust most within travelling distance, and build a relationship with them. People do business with people, based upon trust.

To be honest, my wife and I have always driven brand new cars or nearly new cars and by the time it was coming up to think about alternative servicing or repairs, we were looking at replacing the car so have never looked beyond dealer servicing. The indie I use is a nice guy but very busy and not remarkably cheaper than MB (and also 2x further away) so for me it is 6 of one & 1/2 dozen of the other. Cannot fault hm but as stated earlier there is no way he can compete with my year 4,5&6 MB service package.

 

[Headhurts]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that all non-franchised garages are better than dealers...

The issue with a dealership is that it's a large organisation and can be faceless, i.e. you don't choose who you deal with, plus you rarely meet the same person twice. So your service experience will pretty much depend on the organisation's ethos: processes and efficiency, as well as recruitment, training, and supervision procedures.

Independent specialists tend to be smaller, and you are likely to deal directly with the proprietor (even if the actual work is carried-out by other employees), so there's an element of consistency in the relationship. And, you can pick and choose which indie you want to work with, in the same way that you would pick a solicitor, or a plumber, etc.

Additionally, small businesses trade mainly on their reputation, and these days this includes sites like Trustpilot and Google reviews etc, as well as posts on public forums such as this one. Larger organisations will get a lot of business 'by default' and will be less susceptible to bad publicity.

Over the years, my first port of call for servicing and repairs on any of my cars was the dealer (Toyota, Vauxhall, Renault, Kia, Suzuki, and also MB). In addition, I have used specialists were appropriate. They each have their advantages abd disadvantages.

And last, theose forum sponsors whose services I have used in the past - Olly, Terry, and Tony Bones - have all been absolutely amazing, and I can say that their reputation is well-deserved

I do agree with you on most of the points, so far the specialists are cheaper than the dealership but not hugely so, as I live rural it’s advantageous to me to sit in the dealership reading a paper drinking their coffee (pre COVID) for a couple hours or more or take advantage of their free loan cars.

My preferred specialist is in Norwich city so he does not have loan cars and relies that people can use public transport etc. Where I live the public transport is a rare beast and return taxi is around £40 plus.

I‘m still undecided about which path to travel, the dealership in Norfolk is all owned by the same company so although so far I have been happy with the servicing I’m underwhelmed by the customer service since being taken over from Robinsons as it was before.

Robin

 

[Rory]

Funny how so many people seem to thank that the staff at the dealers are there to crook us or coax more money out of us. I doubt that bonuses or commissions are involved.

Why would they bother?

...because it's part of their business model to maximise after-sales revenue. They're there to extract as much money out of customers as possible, and they get bonused for doing that and won't last long if they don't.

One group owns both the VW and Mercedes dealers locally - now and again with the massive bundle of paperwork they give you they'll include their internal document listing the extra work they've found and it's couched in terms that make you feel there's a lot of pressure on these people to sell that extra work.

How aftersales can improve dealers' search for profitability

As new car sales slip, dealers must look at other aspects of their operations and seek to leverage the best returns from their service, maintenance and repair offering

www.am-online.com

 

[Deleted member 126251]

...because it's part of their business model to maximise after-sales revenue. They're there to extract as much money out of customers as possible, and they get bonused for doing that and won't last long if they don't.

One group owns both the VW and Mercedes dealers locally - now and again with the massive bundle of paperwork they give you they'll include their internal document listing the extra work they've found and it's couched in terms that make you feel there's a lot of pressure on these people to sell that extra work.

How aftersales can improve dealers' search for profitability

As new car sales slip, dealers must look at other aspects of their operations and seek to leverage the best returns from their service, maintenance and repair offering

www.am-online.com

Are dealerships trying to cheat us and charge for work not done?

How do you know they get bonuses (directly) related to whatever they get you to buy? Almost every large employer pays a bonus.

The MB dealer I use, is owned by JCT600 (who are massive) and I've never had the sense that they are trying to cheat me or sell me something I do not want/need. Sure they will say, e.g. your brake pads are gong to need replacing in the coming months - we can do it while we have the car here.....I consider that as offering a service...

We all need to do what makes us happy & I use a mix of both.

 

[John]

I'm not against using main dealers for servicing myself.

However, with an independent, I can usually speak to person doing the work or at least overseeing, and you can get a feel for their technical ability.

When I've used MSLP in the past, you were able to watch up close what one of Acid's technicians did and you can see things were done properly.

I wouldn't just blindly use an independent in the same way as I wouldn't use a main dealer without doing my homework.

Often in my experience an independents are slightly cheaper but you are guaranteed a consistent experience every time unless something changes with the staff.

On the subject of charging for work that's not done, that's down to individual level. I used to know someone who worked for a VW dealership and couldn't be bothered to change some of the items required by the service so didn't bother. So it does happen but I doubt at a dealership level.

A few dealerships have highlighted wear on tyres and brakes in a slightly perilous tone to me in the past even though I knew they were all fine prior to dropping the car off.

Probably to encourage owners to change earlier.

It's not a crime but it's not good for your wallet, the environment or the trust levels for such dealerships.

At the end of the day, your money, your choice.

 

[Fastcar155]

If you use a good indie with MB accreditation, they can keep the service record up to date, but if you get a good deal on the service plan, it could be good value.

If you won't keep the car long-term, full main dealer servicing will impress many potential buyers, who don't know much - the same who insist on Mercedes-only parts 'because they're better' - more than independent servicing, so the car will be worth a bit more when you come to sell it.

Six years old with only 35K miles, I wouldn't bother with a six-monthly interim service; service items mostly degrade with mileage, not time.

Hi , I have my car serviced by a local Audi specialist at the bottom of road where Iive .I have no reason to think that the Mercedes dealer does not perform the service to schedule but the garage have saved me a fortune over the years.

They MOT the car when required.

My trouble is I don't believe the long service intervals that car manufacture recommend. I am an old sod who believes what Scotty Rev your engines says , oil is cheap !