Should I be expected to pay for service?

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Ratz

Active Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
526
Location
Cheshire
Car
17 E350d in Senorite Grey
After 4 months of ownership and just about 3500 miles our 10 month old A-Class says it needs an A-Service(bought from MB Macclesfield). This strikes me as a bit rich, especially as I am expected to pay for servicing the use of the car before I owned it. If I compare this to the BMW approved used car scheme they say that any car requiring a service within 4000 miles will be sold fully serviced - now obviously MB have a cop out with their computer only showing a *25-day to service* alert.

Any thoughts?
 
An A service is really little more than an oil change - if you need to maintain a warranty, then I'm afraid you'll have to pay dealer prices, though an independent will be cheaper. If there's no warranty issues, then you can either do it yourself or find somewhere that you can rely on to do a good job. If you leave it, it's probably going to morph into a B service, which'll cost a fair bit more. As for you paying for someone else's motoring, maybe speaking nicely to the supplying dealer would get you a discount?
 
Its not a BMW though - and I presume MB didnt offer anything similar ?

Whats the current mileage ? Is it at the point when you would realistically expect it to need a minor service ?
In all fairness you are saying yourself that this has almost reached the point where BMW wouldnt have serviced it either.
When I bought my SL it went in for an A service within about a week!

If it were my car I think I might have the audacity to ask for a contribution towards the cost - but I also couldnt see me argueing it too much

All IMHO of course and in no way intending to cause an arguement or fuel resentment :)
 
Its not a BMW though - and I presume MB didnt offer anything similar ?

Whats the current mileage ? Is it at the point when you would realistically expect it to need a minor service ?
In all fairness you are saying yourself that this has almost reached the point where BMW wouldnt have serviced it either.
When I bought my SL it went in for an A service within about a week!

If it were my car I think I might have the audacity to ask for a contribution towards the cost - but I also couldnt see me argueing it too much

All IMHO of course and in no way intending to cause an arguement or fuel resentment :)

The reason I quote BMW is only to compare with another 'prestige' manufacturer.

The car has done just over 7k miles, which is why I am confused, even taking into account what may have been short journeys before our ownership..
 
Hello


When you bought it as with a BMW you can see how long the count down would have been to the next service?

At the time of buying should you not has asked for a discount then due to the need for a service quite soon?

Sorry but to me from what you have said you have bought the car done 3500 miles and now it needs a service due to the countdown. Thats how it works?

As other have said its the cheapest one so cannot be much?

don't think you will get anything from your stealership but no hard in asking
 
When I bought my used car mine had about 4800 to go to the next A service. I asked the dealer if they would do a full service on the car before I took it and they told me that MB policy is as BMW; 4000 or less they will service it, more than 4000 and they left it to run. I feel they should have warned you or explained to you their policy, although it probably wasn't in their interest to let on.
 
Take your point on the mileage countdown that's fair enough - perhaps I should have paid more attention, but frankly I thought(and the salesman said as my wife verified) it would be serviced before we got it. My naivety maybe showing here because this is the first car I have bought from any main dealer.

As for nigh on £200 not being a lot of money... You guys must be a good deal better off than I am ;) .

Thanks for opinions anyway.
 
As for nigh on £200 not being a lot of money... You guys must be a good deal better off than I am ;) .
quote]

Try thinking about it as £100 for the service and £100 for the Mobilo, recovery, breakdown, warranty, support etc. Makes it sound better ;)
 
Try thinking about it as £100 for the service and £100 for the Mobilo, recovery, breakdown, warranty, support etc. Makes it sound better ;)

You're one of them aren't you...:devil:.

Cheers.
 
Provide your own oil from Costco if you want to save to squids..


You own two mercs.,..things cannot be that bad :)
 
Provide your own oil from Costco if you want to save to squids..


You own two mercs.,..things cannot be that bad :)

...I have to get up before I go to bed, eat gravel for breakfast, work 25 hours....
 
Do you guys not haggle with the dealers? When I got the C180 I asked for it to be serviced (with stamp and milage reset), 4 new tyres (the rear tyres had some wear on them), and re-valeted, all of which they did with no quibble.
 
Do you guys not haggle with the dealers? When I got the C180 I asked for it to be serviced (with stamp and milage reset), 4 new tyres (the rear tyres had some wear on them), and re-valeted, all of which they did with no quibble.

You're absolutely right, unfortunately this was my first time as I have always bought privately or trade cars before now. I will remember for next time though.
 
You will know for next time,

I haggle until I've squeezed as much as I can out of them, heck even a full tank nowadays it close on £100 so my moto is 'if you don't ask you don't get'


I'm off down the pit now to do my shift :)
 
You're absolutely right, unfortunately this was my first time as I have always bought privately or trade cars before now. I will remember for next time though.


That's fair enough and I made the same mistake with my first dealer purchase. He made me feel like he was doing me the favour. I have learned now who is in the driver's seat, so to speak.

I'm paying more by going to him so I'm expecting more.
 
heck even a full tank nowadays it close on £100 so my moto is 'if you don't ask you don't get'

Jeez, you're right. I've never thought of that one.

*adds that to the list of stuff to ask for*
 
If I understand correctly the service schedule is also time-based, not just mileage based, so maybe the 10 month period contributed to the low-mileage service?

Also, the more stop-start, the shorter the service interval, so it is perfectly possible that when the car left the dealer it showed say 5k to next service based on previous driving style, which went down to 3.5k due to short journeys?

BTW, my car had a B service 1k miles and 4 months before I bought it, and is now showing 7k to next service... but there is evidence it has been driven mainly on motorways, so I expect that with my inner London short trips, the next service will come up sooner...
 
After 4 months of ownership and just about 3500 miles our 10 month old A-Class says it needs an A-Service(bought from MB Macclesfield). This strikes me as a bit rich, especially as I am expected to pay for servicing the use of the car before I owned it. If I compare this to the BMW approved used car scheme they say that any car requiring a service within 4000 miles will be sold fully serviced - now obviously MB have a cop out with their computer only showing a *25-day to service* alert.

Any thoughts?

I would have thought when buying used (even almost new) you get them to do a service before purchase (at least that's what I have done). You can also see the mileage service indicator and when to expect it. It's right on time though at around 10 months and your mileage, you could ask nicely but they are most likely unde rno obligation to provide it for free, unless you had a deal for say one/first service is free of charge.
 
I'm pretty sure the M-B Approved Used scheme covers services that are required within a certain period of time after purchase ... 3 months?

My SL was bought from M-B Eastbourne, required an A service a couple of months later and this was done FOC by Tony Purslow (M-B Guildford).
 
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