Oldie Newbie seeks help!!!

[shazza]

Hello to all you experts at the club - I am in the process of buying my very first Mercedes a lovely white B-class 180d 1.5 diesel year 2014 and after searching high and low I have come across a decent example which is well looked after and sparkling! The dealer is generic and is telling me they don't have a service booklet for the car it has done approx 65k with 2 previous owners and I am a bit worried that the Cambelt or Camchain (can you advise which it has as I don't have a clue!) and also the water pump may need changing at the same time. The dealer says they will service it before I take delivery this week and they will put a new MOT on the car but I'm assuming that this will be an oil and filter change. Obviously I don't want the engine to blow up and prefer to start my journey on the right path so any help, expertise and advice would be very much appreciated - Thanking you in anticipation! - Regards Sharon

 

[MissyD]

Hello and welcome

 

[DSM10000]

If it has been serviced by Mercedes then the service history will be held electronically by Mercedes.

You can apply to see it.

 

[ToeKnee]

Car dealers have always frustrated me with electronic service histories, why don't they spend half hour visiting the local dealership with the V5 and get it printed off for any future customers rather than expect someone to buy the car with the promise of full history but no way to prove until they've spent their money?

 

[SpikyMikey]

Car dealers have always frustrated me with electronic service histories, why don't they spend half hour visiting the local dealership with the V5 and get it printed off for any future customers rather than expect someone to buy the car with the promise of full history but no way to prove until they've spent their money?

They don't even need to do that: the garage I bought my S204 from is not a Merc specialist but they are registered on the service system and had printed off all the history when I went to view the car.
Welcome OP and good luck with your new car search.

 

[markjay]

Personally, I wouldn't pay the asking price for a car without the service history printout (or invoices etc), simply because it will have a knock-on effect on the trade-in or sale value when you sell the car.

The issue is that MB won't normally release the service history to you unless you are the registered keeper, so while you might get lucky and the car will prove to have FMDSH, the fact remains that buying the car in the hope that it turn-out OK is simply a gamble.

Your options are:

- Insist that the dealer obtains the service history from MB

- Find a friendly local independent, or even a friendly dealer, who will agree to print-out the service history for you, in fact some members here have access to the MB Digital Service Book (DSB) and might be able to help

- If neither work, then check the car over carefully yourself and buy 'on condition': does the car appear to have been well looked after? Does it have 4 decent-brand tyres, of same make and model, and even wear? Do the discs look smooth or heavily grooved? Is the interior fresh or tired looking? Etc, and if you're happy with the car then buy it BUT only after you've knocked-down the price to reflect your future loss due to the (potentially) missing service history when you sell it.

Part of the issue is that the car may have been serviced by independent specialists who did not have access to the MB DSB, in which case if there are no service bills then this information is lost forever and the car's value will drop, even though it is actually a properly serviced car - not much that can be down about that.

As for the service offered by the dealer... unless he can get the service done by someone who can update the MB DSB, I wouldn't bother. He'll probably just do a quick engine oil and filter change, which will leave you neither here nor there, in the sense that you wouldn't know if the air filter, fuel filter, cabin filter, brake fluid, ATF, etc are due or not, and also the service will probably not include the various checks required under the applicable service schedule inspection.

What I would do instead, is decline the quick service, and after buying the car, take it to an independent specialist who will check what is due and carry the appropriate service and inspection in full then log it on the MB DSB.

 

[markjay]

As for the engine... the timing gear on all MB engines is chain driven (not belt), but as far as I know the 1.5L Diesel engine fitted to the B Class is in fact a Renault engine (not MB), and as such it does have a timing belt that needs to changed at the due interval. And you are correct that it is recommended to also change the coolant pump at the same time, as a preemptive measure.

I don't know what it the timing belt change interval for the Renault 1.5L Diesel engine, but a 7 years old car it would have needed it done for certain, so you want to make sure it was replaced, and yes it can wreck the engines if it snaps.

So if you do end-up buying the car without service history, you'll need to budget for the timing belt replacement, just for peace of mind.

 

[shazza]

Hello and welcome

Thanks for the warm welcome!

 

[shazza]

If it has been serviced by Mercedes then the service history will be held electronically by Mercedes.

You can apply to see it.

Thank you

 

[shazza]

Car dealers have always frustrated me with electronic service histories, why don't they spend half hour visiting the local dealership with the V5 and get it printed off for any future customers rather than expect someone to buy the car with the promise of full history but no way to prove until they've spent their money?

Thanks for your reply - i'll await the dealer phone call and ask if they can access it for me

 

[shazza]

They don't even need to do that: the garage I bought my S204 from is not a Merc specialist but they are registered on the service system and had printed off all the history when I went to view the car.
Welcome OP and good luck with your new car search.

Thank you for your reply - having looked at quite a few the one I am intending to purchase is certainly the best, the bodwork is in very good original condition as is the interior, others I have looked at have been tarted up badly or have mega stone chips and scrapes here and there and the alloys have been scuffed and I'm quite particular as to how a car should look and know about poor paintwork, overspray, and gaps where bodywork meets etc so I do tend to know what's good and what to look out for - this dealer has excellent reviews and are independent and sell top end cars like Lotus and Jags so I feel confident that they have a good reputation.

 

[shazza]

As for the engine... the timing gear on all MB engines is chain driven (not belt), but as far as I know the 1.5L Diesel engine fitted to the B Class is in fact a Renault engine (not MB), and as such it does have a timing belt that needs to changed at the due interval. And you are correct that it is recommended to also change the coolant pump at the same time, as a preemptive measure.

I don't know what it the timing belt change interval for the Renault 1.5L Diesel engine, but a 7 years old car it would have needed it done for certain, so you want to make sure it was replaced, and yes it can wreck the engines if it snaps.

So if you do end-up buying the car without service history, you'll need to budget for the timing belt replacement, just for peace of mind.

Hi and thank you for your reply, I had looked on-line and suspected that the 1.5l engine did have a timing belt but really appreciate your confirmation of the fact, I suppose there is no way of knowing if it's been done without paper evidence so if that is not forthcoming to be on the safe side I think I'll just get them replaced.

 

[shazza]

Personally, I wouldn't pay the asking price for a car without the service history printout (or invoices etc), simply because it will have a knock-on effect on the trade-in or sale value when you sell the car.

The issue is that MB won't normally release the service history to you unless you are the registered keeper, so while you might get lucky and the car will prove to have FMDSH, the fact remains that buying the car in the hope that it turn-out OK is simply a gamble.

Your options are:

- Insist that the dealer obtains the service history from MB

- Find a friendly local independent, or even a friendly dealer, who will agree to print-out the service history for you, in fact some members here have access to the MB Digital Service Book (DSB) and might be able to help

- If neither work, then check the car over carefully yourself and buy 'on condition': does the car appear to have been well looked after? Does it have 4 decent-brand tyres, of same make and model, and even wear? Do the discs look smooth or heavily grooved? Is the interior fresh or tired looking? Etc, and if you're happy with the car then buy it BUT only after you've knocked-down the price to reflect your future loss due to the (potentially) missing service history when you sell it.

Part of the issue is that the car may have been serviced by independent specialists who did not have access to the MB DSB, in which case if there are no service bills then this information is lost forever and the car's value will drop, even though it is actually a properly serviced car - not much that can be down about that.

As for the service offered by the dealer... unless he can get the service done by someone who can update the MB DSB, I wouldn't bother. He'll probably just do a quick engine oil and filter change, which will leave you neither here nor there, in the sense that you wouldn't know if the air filter, fuel filter, cabin filter, brake fluid, ATF, etc are due or not, and also the service will probably not include the various checks required under the applicable service schedule inspection.

What I would do instead, is decline the quick service, and after buying the car, take it to an independent specialist who will check what is due and carry the appropriate service and inspection in full then log it on the MB DSB.

Thank you so much for you expertise and advice and have taken note of what you say - Best Regards Shazx