Non MB history cars - how have you found selling them?

[Alex225]

Looking at it from a buying perspective, I'd only be fussy about where a Merc was serviced if it was an AMG model.

My CLS has an MB/specialist service history which I'll maintain. My 13 year old E has a full service history but using independent garages. Which on a £4K car is fine.

 

[Lotiman]

I've had a similar dilemma about my now 5 year old C Class CDi and finally plumped for a good known indie for its next service. I would usually change my cars around the 4-5 year mark so, in the past, just stuck with main dealer servicing.

Now, however, partly because I don't know quite how the current media sensationalism regarding diesels is going to play out and, therefore, affect residuals, I'm going to keep the present car for a good few years more. My reasoning is that it's still a good car with only 42K on the clock so should see me alright for at least 2 to 3 times that number, by which time it will be worth peanuts. A full MBSH will, by that time, be utterly meaningless and if the fact that it is diesel means it's worthless, well so be it.

This is quite a new departure and a bit of an experiment for me as I've never kept a car as long as I now intend keeping this one. Besides, I've still got my toys that I can change and upgrade, so I can still consider myself a true petrolhead!

 

[markjay]

After the first 3 or so years I'd actually rather see a good indy service history than a dealer one. The best cars I have bought have been looked after by enthusiastic owners (my C55 I bought from a member here was a great example) and they like the service a good indy provides.

There's a difference between selling and buying....

As a savvi buyer, you would look for a car constantly maintained by a trusted indie over several years rather than a car whose owner chucked the keys to the receptionist at the local MB dealer then paid then the bill and asked no questions.

However if you have car for sale, then the average layman buyer tends to be impressed with 'Full Main Dealer Service History', so your car will be more attractive if it had that 'Holly Grail' of run-of-the-mill second-hand cars.

Now I have no doubt that the 'average layman buyer' is not like us, and unless you are into classic/specialist cars then chances are that come sale time you will be facing Joe Public.

To the OP's question, yes 'Full Main Dealer Service History' will make the car more attractive to potential buyers, but whether it will translate into Pounds and Pennies I do not know, and even if it does then on a 10+ years old car any added value will pale in comparison to the amount spent on dealer servicing through the car's ownership.

PS - What exactly is 'Main Dealer'.... is there such a thing as 'Minor Dealer'? I never quite understood that phrase...

 

[markjay]

Somr of the Indie benefits, which will likely apply to forum members:

You get to speak to the mechanic working on your car. At the dealer you would be talking to a 'Service Advisor' who is actually a salesperson whose main area of expertise is pricing-up the service itens correctly and you will probably find that yoy know about servicing more than he or she does.

You can go with the mechanic around and under the car and get a first hand explanation about issues. As opposed to handing over the keys to be whisked away through a back door to the shop floor, then getting them back two hours later with a bill.

My sincere apologies to Her Majesty The Queen for offending her English.... in my defense, it was written in a hurry on my mobile phone



- Sent from my mobile phone... from The Tower.

 

[markjay]

One further point.... Indies do not tend to grow to the size of a small factory plant, and therefore at an Indie the person actually working on your car will likely be the proprietor himself or a member of his small team of trained mechanics working under his close supervision.

At the dealer.... there is no telling how good or qualified is the person who actually undoes and tightens the nuts and bolts during the routine service.

Yes they will have QA procedures and the work is cross-checked and supervised by knowledgeable senior techs, but this is not the Aviation industry and there are too many horror stories circulating of cases that slipped through the net (and even the Aviation industry does not get it right all the time).

And last... if you do have an issue following a service, in my experience a good Indie will bend over backwards trying to put things right, while dealers often try to fob you off in the hope that you will lose the will to live and just go away (and that's from personal experience albeit some years ago).

 

[theclass]

Many thanks for all the replies, it helped me to decide towards a reputable indie, cost is only part of the reason for this post.

My old Accord I always serviced at the dealership despite higher cost as I always had a very good experience, the one time I had a bad experience they rectified.

I've tried 3 different Mercedes dealerships and each one has given me issues, some of them:

• Issues missed or not even looked at despite me giving a printout with a list of problems that need looking at, once I point it out to the advisor they say i'll have to rebook due to time, this results in me taking more time out for another visit, MB huddersfield missed issues 3 times in a row somehow.

• Lies about work completed
• No motivation to really diagnose the problem
• The last straw was with Sytner MB Milton Keynes, took car in for a rattle in dash, they took apart some of the trim etc, in the process they broke my air vents in middle of dash, charged me diagnostic fee and said the air vents is causing the rattling, quote of nearly £400 to replace vents which they broke, spoke to another guy I had dealt with in past and he got it covered under the tier 1 warranty I had, if I did not have the warranty this probably would have been an issue, rattle is still there so it was not the vent, have been other issues but this last one makes me not want to go back, I'm actually concerned car will come back with new issues if I take it here.

I've not listed the other issues i've had as do not want to bore everyone, I like the car but with all the issues i've had I think i'll try another marque as aftersales makes a big difference, I always buy approved used (at least 1 year warranty) so cannot avoid the dealership for the first year.

Thanks again, this forum makes ownership of my car much less painful despite the best efforts of the dealers

 

[Rory]

I was generally happy using the dealer for my car and often the same technician worked on it. However at the last visit a different guy did, and despite a clean health check and then MOT a few months and not many miles before, he absolutely pulled it apart. It was also dealt with oddly, with the dealer putting me off collecting the car until near the close of business and then all but bundling me out of the door.

So I ventured into the indie world. I think it has pros and cons. I've found it's not always easy to speak to the person who worked on the car and the impression some give that they stand over the car chewing the fat hasn't been my experiece, as the garage is pretty busy. I also use an indie for one of our older VW's, and they're even worse, the place is bonkers busy!

The indie also quotes book time for jobs so for known jobs they're no cheaper than the dealer's discounted rate, although the dealer made themselves increasingly difficult to negotiate with.

 

[kam09]

Where did your indie get his Mercedes training?

My indie isn't an apprentice who will forget to put all the nuts and bolts back in... my indie (rob) owns the place and carried out the service himself and "had a conversation during the service by phone and after in person".. that is the difference.. yes he started of at a MB dealer many years ago ; )

 

[kam09]

Fully agree, the car I just sold to a fellow forum member had 3 MB services, then 3 Olly PCS services, then 2 Terry WG services... it does not get any better than that BUT - the OP asked about resale value, and this is what I replied to....

Absolutely it doesn't get any better than that, that's what I realise now thanks to the forum and personal main dealer experience as there was a time when I thought main dealer history was the be all and end all..!

 

[mat8n]

My indie isn't an apprentice who will forget to put all the nuts and bolts back in... my indie (rob) owns the place and carried out the service himself and "had a conversation during the service by phone and after in person".. that is the difference.. yes he started of at a MB dealer many years ago ; )

That apprentice who may forget to put the nuts and bolts back in, could one day be running a thriving independent Mercedes service centre in the future.

It's not the fault of the apprentice but the trainer.

I agree with your points, I use an indie..... He was once an apprentice too.

But you need the main dealers so these people can be trained on mercerdes specific issues. Without the main dealer training the independent specialists would just be independent

 

[190]

I find worrying about a service history a load of grief and inconvenience. How about this for an alternative strategy.

Instead of paying out for a full MB service history, have the car serviced anywhere you are happy with the quality/price. Then when sale time comes pay for an independent inspection. Surely that would convince a prospective purchaser.

Alternatively keep it so long no one cares about service history, only condition. My BMW motorcycle is 38 years old and has no service history because I've done it all myself since 6000 miles. It's all documented though and I have 35 years of MOT certificates to prove the mileage. It will sell on condition if I ever decide to part with it. Meanwhile it's going up in value every year.

 

[Lotiman]

That apprentice who may forget to put the nuts and bolts back in, could one day be running a thriving independent Mercedes service centre in the future.

It's not the fault of the apprentice but the trainer.

I agree with your points, I use an indie..... He was once an apprentice too.

But you need the main dealers so these people can be trained on mercerdes specific issues. Without the main dealer training the independent specialists would just be independent

Not sure I fully agree with this. Having run my own manufacturing business for the last 25 years, I can tell you that apprentices who forget to put the nuts and bolts back in are usually the ones who don't give a toss about what they are doing and their only focus is what to do after clocking out that night. The ones who go on to run their own business are a completely different breed. They are keen to learn, conscientious and generally much more appreciative of what it takes to run a business.

 

[Tim203]

Not sure I fully agree with this. Having run my own manufacturing business for the last 25 years, I can tell you that apprentices who forget to put the nuts and bolts back in are usually the ones who don't give a toss about what they are doing and their only focus is what to do after clocking out that night. The ones who go on to run their own business are a completely different breed. They are keen to learn, conscientious and generally much more appreciative of what it takes to run a business.

Point well made. I know a lot of people who are independent mechanics and none of them are not interested in cars or their job and finding more efficient ways of doing it. The best example being a friend who can do the rear cam belt on a TD 5 Disco without lifting the body up!