Service - Main dealer vs Specialist

[C63mberley]

Evening all,

Hoping to get your views on this.
Service B due on my w204 c63.

2 options. What would you choose?

1) Well respected specialist:£250
2) Main dealer £400

I'm thinking about value of main dealer when it comes to sell?
Is £150 extra worth it or not?

Many thanks.

 

[E53AMG]

Evening all,

Hoping to get your views on this.
Service B due on my w204 c63.

2 options. What would you choose?

1) Well respected specialist:£250
2) Main dealer £400

I'm thinking about value of main dealer when it comes to sell?
Is £150 extra worth it or not?

Many thanks.

How old is the car?

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[C63mberley]

2013.
Thanks.

 

[NEMESIS CLS]

I’m going main dealer with my 2015 CLS63 AMG-S
Taken out service plan @ 44pm so spreads the cost. I’ve also got extended warranty, but car is just 3 years old and only done 30k
Indy’s like PCS are great, and personally if I was buying a 5-6 year old Merc as longs as it had been serviced by either main dealer or quality MB Indy I wouldn’t be concerned[emoji1531][emoji1531]


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[Black Scorpion]

Has the vehicle got a full MB main dealer history?
Well for me it would have to be main dealer or MSL.
If it's another indie then I would go main dealer.
Mind the main dealer would need to be decent as some are just useless.
The £150 saving is just not worth it.

 

[C63mberley]

How old is the car?

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Has the vehicle got a full MB main dealer history?
Well for me it would have to be main dealer or MSL.
If it's another indie then I would go main dealer.
Mind the main dealer would need to be decent as some are just useless.
The £150 saving is just not worth it.

Full MB history so far.
For MB enthusiasts who are aware of the specialists, I'm sure they don't mind.
Perhaps non enthusiasts could be spooked when a specialist come up on the service history.

 

[NEMESIS CLS]

Full MB history so far.
For MB enthusiasts who are aware of the specialists, I'm sure they don't mind.
Perhaps non enthusiasts could be spooked when a specialist come up on the service history.

A very valid point my man[emoji1531]


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[E55BOF]

Providing the indie is MB-registered, and any service they carry out appears in the service history, I wouldn't be concerned once the car was out of warranty. Judging by some of the tales of woe which appear on this forum regarding main dealers, I think I might prefer indie servicing.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

On the other hand a CLS63 AMG S will more than likely be purchased by an enthusiast.

Full MB history so far.
For MB enthusiasts who are aware of the specialists, I'm sure they don't mind.
Perhaps non enthusiasts could be spooked when a specialist come up on the service history.

 

[Black Scorpion]

I am always a little reluctant to buy cars with indie service history if they are not well known.

I will give you two examples with different outcomes.

My Range Rover was serviced at the main dealer followed by a Land Rover indie.
This indie was great. In fact when I came to changing my old RR I bought another due to the quality of service provided by the indie.

Now my 911 was main dealer serviced then serviced by two different Porsche indie garages.
First indie started off well but over time started to become 'slap happy' with the quality of work. This indie is well known and came recommended by many.
The second indie again started off well but on two occasions after having work done I needed to return to the garage with a fault.
Once the brake warning light came on while driving back home after having the service done. Turned out to be a loose wire. It had been caught during service.
Another time the exhaust had been in for to get a rattle fixed and came back even worse.

So my reluctance to have faith in some indie garages is very limited.
If I have heard of the garage and they are well known and have a good internet reviews then great. ie MSL.
Even though some people have used other indies without any issues, unless they are known to a wide audience then most people will not even know of them.

Guess it could be me getting old and not wanting the hassle of taking pot luck!

 

[E55BOF]

Even MSL can have an off day - they did with me. It was only a dyno run, and no harm done, but the service was not quite as good as I was expecting. That said, if MSL was local I'd still go to them. I always go to Wayne Gates, who is local, and have never been let down.

Anybody know a good indie near Camberley that the OP could check out?

 

[C63mberley]

Thanks chaps. In my mind, I've always considered a full main dealer MB service history something that's quite valuable.
Interesting to get others peoples perspective on this - for quite a basic service, is it worth the £150 to go main dealer.

I agree, going to a top specialist like MSL are only worth considering as an alternative to main dealer.

 

[E53AMG]

2013 is on the edge between needing main dealer rather than independent, a good question to ask yourself is how long you intend to keep it?
If for example the answer is over 3 years then the value of a main dealer history will reduce, if it is 1 to 2 years then you will probably achieve more resale with main dealer service. Also do you want to keep the Mobilo cover up?
If so you need main dealer service.

I have a slightly newer car and asked myself the same question, I do not need Mobilo but I compared 2 years servicing between a highly regarded independent and Main Dealer service costs. My MD plan is £51 p/m including 1x B service with plugs and 1x A service with Brake fluid and an Auto transmission oil change. The difference between MD and independent was only £80 so it made sense to keep the MD history going...

Hope this helps.



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[Will]

On the other hand - bargain hard with the main dealer or shop around. You can get quotes from www.mymercedesservice.co.uk and they can vary quite a bit from one dealer to another. And you can usually get £10 off by paying online etc.

Any additional work (eg brakes, suspension) maybe get done elsewhere where the hourly rate will have more impact to the overall bill.

If you’re keeping the car long term perhaps the difference in value will be less than the extra it’s going to cost getting the work done at MB?

I’d probably say main dealer but it depends on who the independent garage is, some are great and some passable much like anything

 

[E63AMG]

To me it’s not the price it’s the quality of workmanship. My 2014 E63 is out of warranty & I’m now happy to use my Indy. The main dealers near me are hopeless.

MY INDY is 20 years trained at Merc, an enthusiast & an all round good guy. No need for me to go anywhere else.

Tomorrow it’s in for a B service, and rear discs & pads. Sure, it won’t get a wash & vac, but I’m too old for for the smoke & mirrors rubbish.

Find a good Indy & stick with him is my advice.

Nige.


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[E53AMG]

To me it’s not the price it’s the quality of workmanship. My 2014 E63 is out of warranty & I’m now happy to use my Indy. The main dealers near me are hopeless.

MY INDY is 20 years trained at Merc, an enthusiast & an all round good guy. No need for me to go anywhere else.

Tomorrow it’s in for a B service, and rear discs & pads. Sure, it won’t get a wash & vac, but I’m too old for for the smoke & mirrors rubbish.

Find a good Indy & stick with him is my advice.

Nige.


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I will insist the main dealer does not wash mine, it has been detailed and is professionally washed weekly, they would ruin it [emoji33]

I have had dealers and private buyers lower their offers in the past when I used specialist independents even though I knew the independent was better than the dealership, it's a perception question to the uninitiated and an excuse to the Main dealers to lower their PX offer.

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[C63mberley]

To me it’s not the price it’s the quality of workmanship. My 2014 E63 is out of warranty & I’m now happy to use my Indy. The main dealers near me are hopeless.

MY INDY is 20 years trained at Merc, an enthusiast & an all round good guy. No need for me to go anywhere else.

Tomorrow it’s in for a B service, and rear discs & pads. Sure, it won’t get a wash & vac, but I’m too old for for the smoke & mirrors rubbish.

Find a good Indy & stick with him is my advice.

Nige.


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lol @wash and vac.
Good point. Thanks Nige.

@Will - I shopped around a few dealers.. and you're right.. the price does vary. MB Ascot was cheapest at £430. Negotiated them down to £400.

 

[millc63]

I will insist the main dealer does not wash mine, it has been detailed and is professionally washed weekly, they would ruin it [emoji33]

I have had dealers and private buyers lower their offers in the past when I used specialist independents even though I knew the independent was better than the dealership, it's a perception question to the uninitiated and an excuse to the Main dealers to lower their PX offer.

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i'm with you on the washing, i also have had it professionally washed and detailed, don't want them stripping off the coating when washing with bleach

 

[BIRMA]

Speaking a someone who changes his car virtually every year I have found that selling a later quite expensive car on with a main dealer history has always been easier.
Having said that, a good independent will probably look after it better regarding attention to detail.

 

[Deletedmember130310]

Are those two prices for exactly the same work?
Same fluids, same filters, same checks?

Do you want to keep thr Mobilo breakdown recovery?