service plan

[jaffajim0]

Is the service plan worth it if I'm not bothered about using Mercedes to service my car??

I believe I keep roadside assistance if I use them and obviously it helps to keep it "used approved" standard but other than that would it be much cheaper just to use a local, trustworthy mechanic??

£42 a month is not too painful but over a year it adds up and I don't know what a service should cost elsewhere.

 

[steveq]

The critical piece of information that you omitted is the age & mileage of the car.

If it is still under the MB warranty then probably keeping it within the main dealer network is worthwhile in case there is a warranty issue.
Even if it is just outside the warranty period it still might be worthwhile.

There are MB indies that will be significantly cheaper than main dealers, use MB parts, probably will do a better job and still record the services into the online MB system. They would definitely be an option even if the car is still under an MB warranty.

If your car is well outside the warranty period and you don't care about maintaining the full MB service history, then trusted local mechanic is the way to go. Make sure that the fluids used, especially engine oil, are the correct spec for your car.

£42 a month or over £500 a year is a bit shocking -- however I am comparing it to the cost of the oil, filters, etc. and DIYing it !! Maybe less than £50 p.a.!!!

 

[Funkyboy]

The big services especially if it's a diesel are years 4&5. Year four is air/fuel and cabin filter plus brake fluid and obviously oil and filter. Year five is auto gearbox fluid change and oil and filter. The service plan works out cheaper than getting those services done at an independent.
If it's not these years then the service plan isn't good value.

 

[markjay]

Under the MB Service Care Plan, each service will cost exactly the same (£504, in this case).

However, there are 'small' services and there are 'big' services, the small services will cost less than £504 if you were to pay for them directly, and the big services will cost more.

So the MB Service Care Plan makes sense if you can manage it so that it covers those services that would cost more than £504 if you paid for it directly.

Typically, the 'big' ones are year 4 and year 5, but this can vary by model.

Ser also:

Servicing and ServiceCare FAQ | Parts, Maintenance & Servicing

Disclaimer The authors of this FAQ are not affiliated with Mercedes-Benz in any way. The information in this FAQ is provided in good faith and based on knowledge the authors have acquired through their personal research and experience. The accuracy of the information provided cannot be...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

 

[SUPERNOVA1a]

If it is still under the MB warranty then probably keeping it within the main dealer network is worthwhile in case there is a warranty issue.

While having my amplifier changed I had a word about servicing which mine is very soon. It would seem that Mercedes has allowed independents to do the servicing during the first three years and still retain the warranty

 

[markjay]

While having my amplifier changed I had a word about servicing which mine is very soon. It would seem that Mercedes has allowed independents to do the servicing during the first three years and still retain the warranty

Correct, though it's not Mercedes as such, instead it was imposed on all car manufacturers by the EU Block Exemption:

What is EU Block Exemption Regulation?

The EU Block Exemption Regulation allows customers to keep their manufacturer warranty while utilising independent mechanics. Find out more, here.

www.service4service.co.uk

Servicing any car at a non-franchised garage will not invalidate the new car warranty, as long as the manufacturer's service schedule is adhered to, and genuine parts are used.

 

[raspy]

@jaffajim0 Bear in mind that prices of servicing from MB dealers can vary, depending upon which dealer you visit.

For example, I have a B service coming up on my almost 6 year old C class, and spark plugs are also due to be changed.

10 mins drive from me - MB dealer quotes £665.15
20 mins drive from me - MB dealer quotes £568.17
60 mins drive from me - MB dealer quotes £517.50

The most expensive quote is 29% more expensive than the cheapest quote. Is MB roadside assistance worth doing the MB service plan for? That partly depends upon the value of your time.

In 3 years the MB roadside assistance has twice kept me moving in terms of efficiently arranging a brand new MB hire car dropped to my home within a couple of hours whilst mine was being repaired at the MB dealer and allowed me to do what I needed to do with minimum fuss and interruption. And even when collecting my repaired car, I just needed to drop the hire car back at the MB dealer and they handled arranging for Europcar to pick up the hire car.

 

[raspy]

While having my amplifier changed I had a word about servicing which mine is very soon. It would seem that Mercedes has allowed independents to do the servicing during the first three years and still retain the warranty

@SUPERNOVA1a I was reading the policy info of my MB extended warranty (which essentially is an insurance product) and it states that the insured car has to be serviced at MB dealers only.

 

[markjay]

@jaffajim0 ..Is MB roadside assistance worth doing the MB service plan for?...

To clarify, after a service at a franchised dealer, the car is covered by Mobilo (MB roadside assistance) for 12 months. This is regardless of whether the service was paid-for via an MB Service Care Plan, or not.

 

[markjay]

@SUPERNOVA1a I was reading the policy info of my MB extended warranty (which essentially is an insurance product) and it states that the insured car has to be serviced at MB dealers only.

See below:

....Servicing any car at a non-franchised garage will not invalidate the new car warranty, as long as the manufacturer's service schedule is adhered to, and genuine parts are used.

The EU Block Exemption regulations in respect to servicing only apply to new car warranties, but not to any additional or extended warranties.

 

[Headhurts]

I have just renewed my service plan and had my 5 year service which included gearbox.

I pay £42 per month for an S212 E350, I did get some quotes from independents but there was not a huge difference in costs although of course the main dealership is a bit pricie.

I also took into account that I need a loan car whilst mine is being worked on as the bus service is pants to where I live and a taxi is around £20 each way, the independents do not offer a loan car.

Mobilo is included although I can get cover from around £70 per year from competitors.

I also think the video of the underside of the car is a nice touch pointing out what had been done and things to look out for in the futur.

Robin

 

[jaffajim0]

The critical piece of information that you omitted is the age & mileage of the car.

If it is still under the MB warranty then probably keeping it within the main dealer network is worthwhile in case there is a warranty issue.
Even if it is just outside the warranty period it still might be worthwhile.

There are MB indies that will be significantly cheaper than main dealers, use MB parts, probably will do a better job and still record the services into the online MB system. They would definitely be an option even if the car is still under an MB warranty.

If your car is well outside the warranty period and you don't care about maintaining the full MB service history, then trusted local mechanic is the way to go. Make sure that the fluids used, especially engine oil, are the correct spec for your car.

£42 a month or over £500 a year is a bit shocking -- however I am comparing it to the cost of the oil, filters, etc. and DIYing it !! Maybe less than £50 p.a.!!!

2017 so out of MB warranty and 35K on the clock.

 

[kianok]

Only issue you have with a service plan is you lose the ability to negotiate the cost of the service you require.

I managed a discount of over two hundred quid without compromising any service items.

worked out cheaper than a service plan.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

There’s no single answer on whether a Service Care Plan is right for you. It depends upon so many things including the model, the age, and the mileage.

It also depends upon the pricing at your Mercedes-Benz dealer (as it varies) and the willingness of that dealer to negotiate on the price of individual services.

And last but not least it depends upon the alternatives available to you, for example whether you can do the work yourself or are happy to use an independent garage.

So here’s how to work it out.

First you can use the Electronic Service Sheet (ESS) to find out the schedule - some items are mileage dependent, and other items are age dependent:

Mercedes-Benz | ESS

Use the online quote tool to find out what’s scheduled for your car, and pricing. You can try different dealers, some are cheaper than others, even neighbouring dealerships:

Online appointment booking | Mercedes-Benz

Book appointments for a main inspection or another service at a workshop near you – conveniently and online with Mercedes-Benz appointment booking. Find a date that suits you right now!

www.mymercedesservice.co.uk

Think about your annual mileage and get prices for next 2 or 3 services, by changing the age of the car and mileage in the online quote tool.

If your next service (or two) are big ones then you could consider a service plan, many people save money with the plan, especially if it’s a B-A-B three year plan:

Service Plan

servicecare.mercedes-benz.co.uk

Finally phone around independent garages for pricing. It’s unlikely that a garage which doesn’t specialise in Mercedes servicing will follow the schedule.

Instead they will probably do their “standard” major or minor service. They are unlikely to do additional items like spark plugs, brake fluid, etc unless you ask.

So to get a like for like price you will need to specifically tell them to quote for the items list in ESS or online quote tool using the links above.

To make a fully informed decision you should also ask the independent garage to quote for the next few services, again specifying the additional items at that time.

You now know the schedule, price of individual services at Mercedes main dealers, price of service plan and price with independent garages.

Choose the option which is best for you. Typically if you have lots of expensive additional items in the next two services, then the service plan is worth considering.

If that feels like hard work, and you like the idea of using a Mercedes main dealer for servicing then going for a Service Care Plan will probably be best in most cases

I hope that helps.

 

[jaffajim0]

The big services especially if it's a diesel are years 4&5. Year four is air/fuel and cabin filter plus brake fluid and obviously oil and filter. Year five is auto gearbox fluid change and oil and filter. The service plan works out cheaper than getting those services done at an independent.
If it's not these years then the service plan isn't good value.

Is there any way of knowing if my car had the year 4 service?? it was first registered in April 2017 so I'm not sure if the last service would have been year 3 or 4. the computer says the next service is due in 14935 miles and it has just over 35k miles on the clock.

 

[jaffajim0]

There’s no single answer on whether a Service Care Plan is right for you. It depends upon so many things including the model, the age, and the mileage.

It also depends upon the pricing at your Mercedes-Benz dealer (as it varies) and the willingness of that dealer to negotiate on the price of individual services.

And last but not least it depends upon the alternatives available to you, for example whether you can do the work yourself or are happy to use an independent garage.

So here’s how to work it out.

First you can use the Electronic Service Sheet (ESS) to find out the schedule - some items are mileage dependent, and other items are age dependent:

Mercedes-Benz | ESS

Use the online quote tool to find out what’s scheduled for your car, and pricing. You can try different dealers, some are cheaper than others, even neighbouring dealerships:

Online appointment booking | Mercedes-Benz

Book appointments for a main inspection or another service at a workshop near you – conveniently and online with Mercedes-Benz appointment booking. Find a date that suits you right now!

www.mymercedesservice.co.uk

Think about your annual mileage and get prices for next 2 or 3 services, by changing the age of the car and mileage in the online quote tool.

If your next service (or two) are big ones then you could consider a service plan, many people save money with the plan, especially if it’s a B-A-B three year plan:

Service Plan

servicecare.mercedes-benz.co.uk

Finally phone around independent garages for pricing. It’s unlikely that a garage which doesn’t specialise in Mercedes servicing will follow the schedule.

Instead they will probably do their “standard” major or minor service. They are unlikely to do additional items like spark plugs, brake fluid, etc unless you ask.

So to get a like for like price you will need to specifically tell them to quote for the items list in ESS or online quote tool using the links above.

To make a fully informed decision you should also ask the independent garage to quote for the next few services, again specifying the additional items at that time.

You now know the schedule, price of individual services at Mercedes main dealers, price of service plan and price with independent garages.

Choose the option which is best for you. Typically if you have lots of expensive additional items in the next two services, then the service plan is worth considering.

If that feels like hard work, and you like the idea of using a Mercedes main dealer for servicing then going for a Service Care Plan will probably be best in most cases

I hope that helps.

Thank you so much. A lot of useful advice and links there.
Much appreciated.

 

[markjay]

I managed a discount of over two hundred quid without compromising any service items.

This is easier to do if you're based in an area served by several MB dealers, e.g. London. If you phone around, at least one of them is likely to be flexible on price.

But if you're in a part of the country where there's only one MB dealer within reasonable driving range, it's really a question of pot luck - if the dealer happens to be one that won't budge on price, then your only options for getting the car serviced cheaper than the quoted dealer price are either a Service Care Plan or an independent specialist.

 

[Funkyboy]

I have just renewed my service plan and had my 5 year service which included gearbox.

I pay £42 per month for an S212 E350, I did get some quotes from independents but there was not a huge difference in costs although of course the main dealership is a bit pricie.

I also took into account that I need a loan car whilst mine is being worked on as the bus service is pants to where I live and a taxi is around £20 each way, the independents do not offer a loan car.

Mobilo is included although I can get cover from around £70 per year from competitors.

I also think the video of the underside of the car is a nice touch pointing out what had been done and things to look out for in the futur.

Robin

You can get excellent breakdown cover for £35 including homestart and recovery if you go through a price comparison site like go compare

 

[markjay]

You can get excellent breakdown cover for £35 including homestart and recovery if you go through a price comparison site like go compare

True, though the MB Mobilo deal becomes better value if you are also driving the car in the Continent (and I appreciate that not everyone does).

 

[Benz17]

Is there any way of knowing if my car had the year 4 service?? it was first registered in April 2017 so I'm not sure if the last service would have been year 3 or 4. the computer says the next service is due in 14935 miles and it has just over 35k miles on the clock.

Does it not indicate this in the service documents, my guess is if it’s showing 14935 miles, then it’s had a very recent service, and would most probably have been the 4th one.