Specialist Review - AUTOMERC, North London

[markjay]

I don't believe in 'reassuringly expensive', but....

I can't comment on Automerc's prices because I never used their services. But I find your comments somewhat unfair towards the business.

I think you will find the good specialists are never cheap.

If you consider our forum sponsors for example, you will find that you won't get an oil change at PCS or Wayne Gates for a tenner, and you won't getting free tracking at WIM.

Their prices are not 'cheap'... but they are very reasonable.

In this case you were quoted a price and accepted it. Are Automerc more expensive than other similar specialists?

 

[Screwdriver]

I'm fully aware that I accepted their quote and don't regret it given the attention to detail. Doesn't make it any less painful though.

 

[Screwdriver]

I re-visited AutoMerc to address a number of pending items on the car and I'm happy to report that Ivan and Joe were able to price their service more reasonably based on the following:

1) I sourced my OEM parts directly from Mercedes
2) I did as much of the prep work myself as possible

AutoMerc appears to respect the patronage of more involved classic Mercedes owners. A quick look at their facebook page illustrates this well. I remain impressed with the quality of their work. But more than that, I thoroughly enjoy the classic car conversations and the pride they exhibit in their workmanship.

 

[Screwdriver]

Its been a year since my first visit to Automerc and I have to say that I'm glad to have found alternate options that are well reputed and more reasonable. Please see my post for Millennium City Garages for more updates on my experiences with them in the future.

 

[Moth]

The most 'reasonable' garage is the one that you have a relationship with, one that knows your particular car which over time speeds up diagnoisis and repair, one that has proven it will not let you down in with poor workmanship and one that will bend over backwards to make you feel a valued customer when you are in need of help quickly or facing complicated problems.

Chopping and changing garages in search of cost savings never ends up cheaper in the long term - mutual loyalty pays dividends, I have found, as does the trust that develops between customers and the better sort of businesses. If you can't afford to use Automerc, fine, but beware the big hidden costs of doing business with people who don't know or care about your car.

 

[Screwdriver]

While I completely agree with your logic, I have to say that I was not treated respectfully at Automerc. This combined with their often obscene prices, loyalty or not, prompted my decision to no longer patronize their garage.

 

[Mrhanky]

While I completely agree with your logic, I have to say that I was not treated respectfully at Automerc. This combined with their often obscene prices, loyalty or not, prompted my decision to no longer patronize their garage.

This contradicts your post from May 2015?

 

[Moth]

While I completely agree with your logic, I have to say that I was not treated respectfully at Automerc. This combined with their often obscene prices, loyalty or not, prompted my decision to no longer patronize their garage.

That's a shame. Always difficult to get a good picture of events on threads like these when the other side has no right of reply but I know it can be miserable to feel short-changed by a garage (or anyone else) regardless.

I have never found the prices 'obscene', though. You get a quote up front, then the choice is yours - try main dealers for 'obscene'.

The original list of jobs you posted here seemed like £1500 worth by any specialist, to be honest - half of those jobs are easily within the realms of DIY mechanics but if you're going to get someone else to do time consuming (if simple) things like fit window regulators and tinker with cables then you can't expect to be able to run your car cheaply. I replaced two window motors and regulators, the ignition barrel, door check straps and did the oil change on mine this year and saved quite a lot of money in exchange for a long Saturday fiddling about in the garage, but when it comes to jobs involving specialist tools, knowledge and experience then the right garage is invaluable and worth the money. The best way to keep costs down is to learn to DIY the simple things, nobody runs a car cheaply if they pay for somebody else to change an air filter, after all.

Good luck anyway. I love W123's as well, hope you are enjoying it.

 

[Screwdriver]

Mrhanky, it does contradict my previous impressions from a year ago.

Moth, you are correct and I've since learnt to do a lot of my own work myself. Mercedessource has some great DIY videos and manuals which I now use.

My comments on Automerc were centered around how Ivan subsequently treated me as a customer. For example, I received a quote upfront (written) and the quote was not honored. When I reminded them of the written quote, I was called a liar to my face when in fact, it was the fault of another person at the garage for not communicating the agreed prices internally (I was later apologized to).

Would you revisit?

 

[Mrhanky]

Mrhanky, it does contradict my previous impressions from a year ago.

Moth, you are correct and I've since learnt to do a lot of my own work myself. Mercedessource has some great DIY videos and manuals which I now use.

My comments on Automerc were centered around how Ivan subsequently treated me as a customer. For example, I received a quote upfront (written) and the quote was not honored. When I reminded them of the written quote, I was called a liar to my face when in fact, it was the fault of another person at the garage for not communicating the agreed prices internally (I was later apologized to).

Would you revisit?

Now you have provided context to your posts content it makes sense.