Service Plus Contract Rules!!

[TheGrocer]

Just had my little beauty serviced for the first time under the Service Plus contract. Shes 3 years old so I took it out over the next 3 years to protect the warranty items and spread srvice costs. £80 a month all in and the joy of my first C Service at 54K on the clock was wonderfull!!
£700 worth of service items including transmission fluid, fuel filters etc etc and I walked out paying nothing!!
Yes I know Im spreading the cost but to have all the warranty items covered as well is great. I had a few issues with power loss and they checked out the turbo which after some lubrication is now working fine, but if it fails I know its covered.
Thanks to MB at Tonbridge

 

[ddentrec]

I agree.

My 4 year old C-Class has Service Plus and the latest service bill was almost £1000 .

Now I am getting electical issues...so it pays to be covered by the Service Plus scheme though I'd prefer it if the car was properly screwed together in the first place.

 

[Rory]

Interesting that you had the ATF changed in an 04 car.

My C270 is 54 and was built in Sept 04 but apparently the requirement to change the ATF starts with slightly later VIN number than mine.

In fact, it's remarkable that on its recent B service hardly anything needed doing. Pads and disks which at the MOT 3mths ago would need doing "soon" are now "fine", coolant didn't need changing, even though they said it would, as well as the ATF.

It reminded me of having a company car, when the leasing company will only do the bare minimum. I know if the work appears on the Electronic Service Sheet then they have to do it, but I wonder if I'd have got the sucking of teeth and "we really ought to change the pads & disks & ATF, sir" if I'd have been paying the bill?

I asked for an explanation on the ATF and the service manager said it would be impossible to find anyone in MB who would be able to give a satisfactory explanation as to why a car made one week needed it, but a car made the week before didn't.

 

[hawk20]

Interesting that you had the ATF changed in an 04 car.

My C270 is 54 and was built in Sept 04 but apparently the requirement to change the ATF starts with slightly later VIN number than mine.

In fact, it's remarkable that on its recent B service hardly anything needed doing. Pads and disks which at the MOT 3mths ago would need doing "soon" are now "fine", coolant didn't need changing, even though they said it would, as well as the ATF.

It reminded me of having a company car, when the leasing company will only do the bare minimum. I know if the work appears on the Electronic Service Sheet then they have to do it, but I wonder if I'd have got the sucking of teeth and "we really ought to change the pads & disks & ATF, sir" if I'd have been paying the bill?

I asked for an explanation on the ATF and the service manager said it would be impossible to find anyone in MB who would be able to give a satisfactory explanation as to why a car made one week needed it, but a car made the week before didn't.

Rory you always appear to be trying to find flaws with Service Plus even though numerous threads show it really is as good as the OP suggests. Everything I have read suggests they do far more than the bare minimum. And surely you get a warning when pads or discs need changing and they will change them and you will get no bill. Sounds good to me.

 

[rlowy]

If you are unhappy Rory why not try another garage? I also use MB at Tonbridge and find them to be excellent and only to happy fix problems under warranty. I don't have Service Plus, so can't comment on your Service woes, however I have had the extended MB warranty on my last two cars and each year warranty repairs have paid back the premium and more. I recommend this to.

Should I have Service Plus?

 

[mark.t]

Just had my little beauty serviced for the first time under the Service Plus contract. Shes 3 years old so I took it out over the next 3 years to protect the warranty items and spread srvice costs. £80 a month all in and the joy of my first C Service at 54K on the clock was wonderfull!!
£700 worth of service items including transmission fluid, fuel filters etc etc and I walked out paying nothing!!
Yes I know Im spreading the cost but to have all the warranty items covered as well is great. I had a few issues with power loss and they checked out the turbo which after some lubrication is now working fine, but if it fails I know its covered.
Thanks to MB at Tonbridge

only £80 per month ...... remember Mercedes charge nearly £100.00 per hour labour ..... they can charge £5.00 for topping up an already full washer bottle but for the cover and peice of mind it's up to the owner .... i had a auto fluid change at 62 thousand they charged £124.00 all in that was 3 years ago ...... but you will make up the pennys on checks and dianostics they can come in at hefty prices .......

 

[glojo]

I also find Rory's posts amusing and they have never reflected my experience of ServicePlus. Last week our local dealership phoned to see if we were happy with the way our car was last serviced. I thanked them for the courtesy call and stated that once more the comfort warning light had come on. It has only happened the once, but the response was instant. A courtesy vehicle is being arranged and our car is once more treading the route back to the dealership. All this will be under the ServicePlus contract and I have never had the impression of being treated as a second class citizen, or the workshop would skimp on any repairs. Is it the dealership or the customer that might have problems??

Regards
John

 

[prprandall51]

My ATF was changed at 40,000 miles / 3 years. I queried it, thinking it was filled for life and was told that that was the old thinking and that now they do it to be on the safe side. The general opinion on the matter nowadays appears to be that ATF-for-life isn't a good idea (plenty on this on www.honestjohn.co.uk).

Anyway, I took out Service Plus on my car's third birthday, which was three weeks ago, when the manufacturer warranty expired. Last week the SBC Hold failed and also the SRS warning light came on - both on the same journey within 50 miles of each other! Car goes in to have them fixed next week. I reckon Service Plus has already paid for itself within 2 weeks:bannana:

I would have been soooooooo hacked off without it. It was almost like the car was holding on to some juicy electronics gremlins till the warranty expired.

Philip

 

[Rory]

Rory you always appear to be trying to find flaws with Service Plus even though numerous threads show it really is as good as the OP suggests.

It's not ServicePlus I have a problem with following my recent service, it's the dealers remarkable change in attitude in terms of the work that needed doing.

I've had no follow up call (had 2 after the car's last, paid for, service) nor have I had a customer satisfaction questionnaire.

To be fair, I do have a huge problem with *all* car dealers - I took daughter's Mitsubishi Colt for its first service the other day, after twice being quoted £125 (with no hesitation) by two different people. At the dealership they cheerfully presented a bill for £200, and were completely baffled as to how they could possibly have said £125.

Mrs Rory's Honda Jazz has a major service recently and the dealer insisted that the valve clearances had to be checked (quite a big job) hence the high cost. It's actually considered to be quite reasonable to only adjust them if they're noisy, but the dealer was adamant they had to be done. I'm an engineer and there is no way that the rocker cover had been removed from the car. I don't mind that they weren't done (I take the view that most things are best left undisturbed) but I do mind that they charged for it.

 

[Rory]

My ATF was changed at 40,000 miles / 3 years. I queried it, thinking it was filled for life and was told that that was the old thinking and that now they do it to be on the safe side.

Which is exactly what I would have expected to be told if I'd have been paying the service bill (in fact I was told that before I took out ServicePlus).

Anyway, I took out Service Plus on my car's third birthday, which was three weeks ago, when the manufacturer warranty expired. Last week the SBC Hold failed and also the SRS warning light came on - both on the same journey within 50 miles of each other! Car goes in to have them fixed next week. I reckon Service Plus has already paid for itself within 2 weeks:bannana:

I would have been soooooooo hacked off without it.

I'd be most dismayed if MB wouldn't fix FOC on a car 3 weeks out of warranty so arguably it hasn't paid for itself. I wouldn't be surprised if the ServicePlus arm would recover the repair cost from the warranty arm of MB UK. However, the big advantage with ServicePlus is that it takes that uncertainty away and I went it for the value of peace of mind, rather than expecting it to actually save me money.

 

[hawk20]

I'd be most dismayed if MB wouldn't fix FOC on a car 3 weeks out of warranty so arguably it hasn't paid for itself. .

Oh really. So how long is the 36 month warranty then? Three years and three weeks? Three years and six weeks? Three years and nine weeks? Or just another chance to dig at Service Plus.

 

[Rory]

Oh really. So how long is the 36 month warranty then? Three years and three weeks? Three years and six weeks? Three years and nine weeks? Or just another chance to dig at Service Plus.

Haven't you ever wondered about the phrase "warranty is in addition to your statutory rights"? (Or similar wording)

Your statutory rights are that an item should give good service for a reasonable length of time. How long would you expect a "quality" car like a Mercedes to last without failure? Honda, for example, are noted as generally covering any failures within 5yrs.

 

[hawk20]

Haven't you ever wondered about the phrase "warranty is in addition to your statutory rights"? (Or similar wording)

Your statutory rights are that an item should give good service for a reasonable length of time. How long would you expect a "quality" car like a Mercedes to last without failure? Honda, for example, are noted as generally covering any failures within 5yrs.

Yes and Mercedes have long been noted for making 'goodwill' contributions up to 8 years and even beyond.

 

[mercmanuk]

who needs service plus when youve got 124 works

 

[glojo]

Yes and Mercedes have long been noted for making 'goodwill' contributions up to 8 years and even beyond.

I think that if some folks won the lottery they would moan like billy-o that last week someone won more.

We have read on this forum about the owner of a Bentley that had to have rust repairs on his car that was a few months outside of the three year warranty, and had to pay for the repairs.

I have always believed in treating folks how I would like to be treated and that attitude has always tended to stand me in good stead. Having said that we are now driving one of these new C-class coupe's whilst our chariot is once more up at the main dealer's.

Regards
John

 

[Rory]

Yes and Mercedes have long been noted for making 'goodwill' contributions up to 8 years and even beyond.

Do you think they'd be doing that if they didn't have to? A court would certainly say a Mercedes should be expected to last 8 yrs and not fall apart within that time.

Which? thinks people who buy extended warranties are stupid. The problem with something like a car is that a) it may not fail in such a total way as, say, a TV would, and b) it gets complicated from a legal point of view of you're not the original owner.

I have had many things fixed well outside the warranty - just a few weeks ago I had the screen in my daughter's 32mth old Dell laptop replaced (and they even came to the house to do it). A few yrs ago I had the springs replaced on a 4yr old Clio (and that was in the days of 1 yr warranty).

Supplier's first response is always "no", but move up a couple of levels and a gentle, non-threatening, reminder of their legally binding obligations hasn't failed me yet.

If push came to shove I would not pay for the repair and then sue the supplier in the small claims court (which can all be done on line now for a very small cost). That's fine if you bought the item new and the seller is still in business. It's much more awkward though if you bought the item used or the supplier has changed hands (as car dealers do quite frequently).

 

[hawk20]

Do you think they'd be doing that if they didn't have to? A court would certainly say a Mercedes should be expected to last 8 yrs and not fall apart within that time.

.

Yes I do think they would and I think they do. It is called 'goodwill' for good reasons.

And BTW Mercedes do last far more than 8 years and do not fall apart. My nephew has a 1989 E class, going fine and way over the 150k mark. Loads of threads show loads of owners running older cars at megas miles. Don't see many old BMW's round here. But plenty of old Mercs.

 

[Rory]

Yes I do think they would and I think they do. It is called 'goodwill' for good reasons.

You know perfectly well it's called "goodwill" so that it doesn't set any binding precedent. In fact some owners have had to sign disclaimers to get the work done.

These forums are full of Valeo radiator issues and some owners have had to pay the full cost of repairs on what was clearly a manufacturing problem.

 

[hawk20]

You know perfectly well it's called "goodwill" so that it doesn't set any binding precedent. In fact some owners have had to sign disclaimers to get the work done.

These forums are full of Valeo radiator issues and some owners have had to pay the full cost of repairs on what was clearly a manufacturing problem.

I don't think we'll agree. I think 'goodwill' repairs are done because they a) don't have to be and b) are worth doing to keep owners happy. Mercedes have always been good at helping as a goodwill gesture right back to the eighties when I bought my first one.

Yes the Valeo radiator was a problem. All makers have some. My daughter has just spent over £1,000 on repairs to her 1 owner, full SH, MINI that has only done 30k miles. AND BMW are having a rash of engine problems at the moment: -

BMW problems

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=34397

A210AMG said: -

Hello & Welcome

I too had a Bmw before swapping for my ML (330ci convertible), I was on a BMW forum and almost every week there was a post about blown turbos, either 320d's or 330d's not good..



MZ Aslam responds: -
I'm from Rochdale so looking for somewhere local.

I'm really excited to be joining the MB club and can't wait to get hold of my little beauty. FYI - I am doing a part-ex with the car I have at the moment which is an 02 BMW 320D SE!!! Only had it for a few months but have heard some horrendous stories regarding engine failures etc. Definitely not what I was expecting from "the ultimate driving machine" thats for sure


Here is a link to some BMW problems: -
http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?t=53451

One posting says: -
"Yet another owner suffers!
My 320d went the same way as yours and Warleys some five weeks ago. Unfortunately as my vehicle had done 133k and didn't have a full BMW service history (Block Exemption - what's that!!) I was offered a generous 20% off parts on a £10k bill!! When you add this failure to the failed turbocharger, the failed injectors, the failed fuel pump, the failed springs and the failed front wishbone rear bushes over its five year life, I bought a vehicle that has turned out to be less of "the ultimate driving machine", more like a piece of overpriced junk!!"

 

[glojo]

IYes the Valeo radiator was a problem. All makers have some. My daughter has just spent over £1,000 on repairs to her 1 owner, full SH, MINI that has only done 30k miles. AND BMW are having a rash of engine problems at the moment: -

The instant you log onto any other forum you very quickly learn the grass is not necessarily greener when we wonder away. Jaguar, Bentley, Range Rover, Discovery, Freelander.

John