Graeme_m
Active Member
I found some detail here A Service & B Service Visits Explained at Mercedes-Benz of Denver although I still don't understand why I can get more detail from the USA than I can in England.
Thoughts on MB service plans?
- Thread starter gr1nch
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PhilLinda
Active Member
The Service schedule is available on the Mercedes Me portal. Gives details of the A & B service and any additional work based on age or mileage.
Another Thumbs up for service plan. When I bought my 3 yr old W204 last March I took out a 3 year plan at £35 per month covering me for a BAB services.
Why I am massively quids in is because I just had the 4th Year B service with lots of extras, biggest service to date.
Next year is only an A service but with the 5th year automatic transmission service which would take total cost up to £720 just for this one service if I was paying as a one off.
Next service is 6 years and again another big B service. I worked out I have saved somewhere in the reigon of £750 over 3 years versuses going alone and laying on the day!
Why I am massively quids in is because I just had the 4th Year B service with lots of extras, biggest service to date.
Next year is only an A service but with the 5th year automatic transmission service which would take total cost up to £720 just for this one service if I was paying as a one off.
Next service is 6 years and again another big B service. I worked out I have saved somewhere in the reigon of £750 over 3 years versuses going alone and laying on the day!
DaveTheDrummer
Member
I took out the Service Plan with my CLS.
Had one service on it thus far and including the MOT it was £54.
Not used to small bills so this was a bit of a shock.
Had one service on it thus far and including the MOT it was £54.
Not used to small bills so this was a bit of a shock.
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Is this on your 2010 car - what makes you think you'll get a gearbox oil change? I thought it was a one-off change at 3-5yrs.
paul73mt
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yes, had mine done at the normal 37.5K then i had it done at Wayne Gates at around the 80K when i went in for its service at MB it was on the service report to be done but Terry had updated the service record so it wasn't. When i rang MB regarding getting another service plan i asked about the gearbox oil change and they said yes it will be due, So it appears that the gearbox should have its service every 37.5K or so many years
HITECH
Active Member
I wasnt going to share this after it happened because Im hoping its ony a few very dis-honest dealers that do it and seems unfair on the honest ones who do everything they should have but its happened again to somebody else I know. I will give you the low down on my girlfriends tho. My girlfriends 14 plate B class. Had a warranty and service plan on it aswell. On top of monthly debit she also paid the price for the full service. When I started going out with her I told her I would do the full service on her car if she wanted to save money. She decided to have 1 last service done at Mercedes. Before it went in I marked the air filter on the underside with pen, I also took a reading of the oil and marked round the drain plug with a UV pen which shows up finger marks once its touched. It would be completely impossible to do an oil change without actually physically touching this area. I also took a PH reading for the brake fluid that was in the car. I then took a reading with fresh brake fluid. There was a considerable diffirence so it actually was requiring to get changed. The Auxillary belt was also squeeling. Not too much and not noticeable to jo blogs but a good mechanic knows exactly when the belt is starting to stretch by the sound of it but it was slight and it was noticeable to me even on a dry day. On a wet day the slip squeel increased slightly. I had visually checked the belt which looking at appeared ok but obviously had over stretched and required changed. The belts that are fitted on new cars at the factory are bought in bulk and are extremely low quality and thats fact. The under side of the belt I marked with pen.
So the car went in for a full B service requiring all of the usual stuff changed. Oil, oil filter, air filter. Aux belt replacement, brake fluid replacement and steering fluid check. She took her car in left it for the day. Picked it up with a bill of £438.94
When i got it in the garage I was un-pleasantly shocked at by what i found. According to the invoice this is what was done:
1X OIL FILTER REPLACED
1X OIL REPLACED
1X AIR FILTER REPLACED
1X CABIN FILTER REPLACED
1X BRAKE FLUID REPLACED
1X SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED
1X AD BLUE REPLACED
1st thing I checked was the brake fluid. It had not been changed, it was same stuff without a doubt. Im 100% sure it wasnt changed, I then checked the air filter. Un-believable. The air filter was same one that was in it with my pen mark on the underside of the filter. But the invoice was marked that it was replaced. The aux belt also still had that very slight slip squeel that it went in with. The belt was same one that was on the car when it went in. Pen mark on underside of it still there. Also marked on the invoice as REPLACED. Now to get to the craziest thing of all. The ad blue replacement top up. It has no ad blue. It is not that type of car ! So there was a charge on the invoice for that aswell. There was also a comment about the tyres all having 30% wear apart from the front right one. This had 62% wear and would require a suspension check and a full wheel alignment. I checked the tyres. She had put them on 1 week before the car went in for the service. The dimples were still on it and all 4 were 99% fine.
She was really disappointed about all this and upset and I was the bad one for discovering all of this. But because of the tye of person she is she did not want to "cause waves" with the dealer and would just not ever go back. I spoke to the service manager on the phone and told him my findings but because she took the car home. Ofcourse they can pull the " somebody else mst have taken the new parts out ". yeah right. I laughed and told him her car wont be back there and any other cars that I know of that go in there I will be doing the same and markings will be made and checked on their premises before the car is taken away after a service. Hopefully this was enough for them to stop ripping people off. Could the car have been mixed up with another one ? well the car got washed and hoovered and they said the mechanic who carried out the service actually done that himself when he finished the service. Unfortunately when I done the oil change on the car it turned out the oil filter had also not been changed. How do I know. The underside drain plug was untouched and clean of any marks and difference between new oil and a new filter v old = a major difference. I doubt very much the cabin filter/pollen filter was changed either. Even weirder they charged her for a new battery for key fob. Wasnt even the proper battery that is in the keyfob they charged her for! Complete mis-match. My aunties car which is NOT a mercedes, the exact same thing happened to her. Her apparently brand new air filter had leaves sticking out of it when I checked it after a service.
Conclusion :
Some people are chancers. They actually beleive car is fine and wont need it but hey will charge the customer for everything anyway. This is getting more common. I have no idea if it is a time thing or just a blatant easy dis-honest way to make money on a car. Years ago I was working crazy shifts and didnt have time to put pads on front of my car so got a dealer to do it. When I picked it up. They had charged me for a set of rear disks and pads aswell. I flipped my lid and pulled their mechanics out the workshop pointing to my back wheels asking them where exactly or how could they manage to replace brake disks on the back of my car? BECAUSE THEY WERE DRUM BRAKES. No brake disks ! I was raging ! I got a full refund for everything including the front pads and an apology and that was good enough for me. My advice to car owners is to double check everything with your car when your invoiced after a service before you drive away and if there is anything you are un-sure of then ASK !
So the car went in for a full B service requiring all of the usual stuff changed. Oil, oil filter, air filter. Aux belt replacement, brake fluid replacement and steering fluid check. She took her car in left it for the day. Picked it up with a bill of £438.94
When i got it in the garage I was un-pleasantly shocked at by what i found. According to the invoice this is what was done:
1X OIL FILTER REPLACED
1X OIL REPLACED
1X AIR FILTER REPLACED
1X CABIN FILTER REPLACED
1X BRAKE FLUID REPLACED
1X SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED
1X AD BLUE REPLACED
1st thing I checked was the brake fluid. It had not been changed, it was same stuff without a doubt. Im 100% sure it wasnt changed, I then checked the air filter. Un-believable. The air filter was same one that was in it with my pen mark on the underside of the filter. But the invoice was marked that it was replaced. The aux belt also still had that very slight slip squeel that it went in with. The belt was same one that was on the car when it went in. Pen mark on underside of it still there. Also marked on the invoice as REPLACED. Now to get to the craziest thing of all. The ad blue replacement top up. It has no ad blue. It is not that type of car ! So there was a charge on the invoice for that aswell. There was also a comment about the tyres all having 30% wear apart from the front right one. This had 62% wear and would require a suspension check and a full wheel alignment. I checked the tyres. She had put them on 1 week before the car went in for the service. The dimples were still on it and all 4 were 99% fine.
She was really disappointed about all this and upset and I was the bad one for discovering all of this. But because of the tye of person she is she did not want to "cause waves" with the dealer and would just not ever go back. I spoke to the service manager on the phone and told him my findings but because she took the car home. Ofcourse they can pull the " somebody else mst have taken the new parts out ". yeah right. I laughed and told him her car wont be back there and any other cars that I know of that go in there I will be doing the same and markings will be made and checked on their premises before the car is taken away after a service. Hopefully this was enough for them to stop ripping people off. Could the car have been mixed up with another one ? well the car got washed and hoovered and they said the mechanic who carried out the service actually done that himself when he finished the service. Unfortunately when I done the oil change on the car it turned out the oil filter had also not been changed. How do I know. The underside drain plug was untouched and clean of any marks and difference between new oil and a new filter v old = a major difference. I doubt very much the cabin filter/pollen filter was changed either. Even weirder they charged her for a new battery for key fob. Wasnt even the proper battery that is in the keyfob they charged her for! Complete mis-match. My aunties car which is NOT a mercedes, the exact same thing happened to her. Her apparently brand new air filter had leaves sticking out of it when I checked it after a service.
Conclusion :
Some people are chancers. They actually beleive car is fine and wont need it but hey will charge the customer for everything anyway. This is getting more common. I have no idea if it is a time thing or just a blatant easy dis-honest way to make money on a car. Years ago I was working crazy shifts and didnt have time to put pads on front of my car so got a dealer to do it. When I picked it up. They had charged me for a set of rear disks and pads aswell. I flipped my lid and pulled their mechanics out the workshop pointing to my back wheels asking them where exactly or how could they manage to replace brake disks on the back of my car? BECAUSE THEY WERE DRUM BRAKES. No brake disks ! I was raging ! I got a full refund for everything including the front pads and an apology and that was good enough for me. My advice to car owners is to double check everything with your car when your invoiced after a service before you drive away and if there is anything you are un-sure of then ASK !
What dealership was it ?
I am having thoughts , again, about the work carried out on my car at the dealers and am contemplating taking it further. I have rumbled them in the past and now nothing would surprise me.
Drop me a PM if you dont want to say who it was, on the forum.
Kenny
I'd like to know, which one it is too.
Being of a trusting nature
, I did marked filters in the past, and they were definitely replaced, but I lack knowledge to perform other checks.
My upcoming service includes services 4, 6 and 8 - brake fluid and both cabin and air filters, and this will be at a new to me dealer, as I moved my new 3-yr plan to MK.
Being of a trusting nature
, I did marked filters in the past, and they were definitely replaced, but I lack knowledge to perform other checks.My upcoming service includes services 4, 6 and 8 - brake fluid and both cabin and air filters, and this will be at a new to me dealer, as I moved my new 3-yr plan to MK.
HITECH
Active Member
Since its my girlfriends car and her call. I cant name and shame. All I can say is its very north of scotland. Its a kick in the teeth for the good Mercedes garages with good honest people working in them. Ur down in paisley I see. Ive dealth with the guys in one of the Mercedes Glasgow Dealerships before and have found them brand new. Honest and as usual all good banter lol. The only thing I can advise m8 is just dont take your car back to the place that ripped you off. The stress of trying to get anywhere with them really isnt worth it. When the car is removed from their premises they have wiped their hands of any liability for anything. It takes a few minutes to flip clips on an AIRBOX to look at an air filter. When your paying hundreds of pounds then it is defo worth doing it at least once in front of them then they know your checking it and every time you put car back everything WILL GET DONE. But their not all like that. Its the few that dont deserve to have the mercedes badge on their shop front.
HITECH
Active Member
No-where near Northampton anyway. Hundreds of miles North away from you bud. The air filter pen mark on underside is a must. Then most likely if thats been replaced then the rest have been too. If it hasnt then gauranteed the rest have not either. Ide be very wary of the cabin filter NOT getting changed. Its also easy enough to mark them aswell. Write on front of it PLEASE CHANGE ME. LOL Then if they havent then just tell them u even put a message on the filter for them lol
I'd like to know, which one it is too.
Being of a trusting nature
My upcoming service includes services 4, 6 and 8 - brake fluid and both cabin and air filters, and this will be at a new to me dealer, as I moved my new 3-yr plan to MK.
Must be Arnold Clark in Inverness. My experience of them has been good. Maybe I have just been lucky.
Martygt550
Active Member
So they charge £700 for a g/box filter 7 lts of atf a gasket(if they don't use the old one?) and the electric connection bit?( if they change that).price the parts and fluid and see how much the job/labour cost is! Rip off! I do my own,I hire a ramp for 1 hour and I know it's done right it's an easy process!
HITECH
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Just a minor technical point.... most dealers these days will syphon-out the old engine oil from the top, and not drain it via the drain plug, so having marked the drain plug and finding the same mark in place is neither here nor there. The same can be said for the condition of the engine oil, because on your Diesel engine the oil will turn black as soon as drive off the forecourt.
The other items you mentioned - marked but not replaced - are obviously inexcusable - TBH I find it beggars belief that this actually happened, and even more perplexing why your GF refused to take this up with the dealer?
The other items you mentioned - marked but not replaced - are obviously inexcusable - TBH I find it beggars belief that this actually happened, and even more perplexing why your GF refused to take this up with the dealer?
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Sorry I don't understand this comment? Did she have a 'service plan' for the car? And paid both the monthly direct debit payments and the full cost of the service? This makes no sense.... please explain?
They charge £700 for ATF fluid, filter and the Standard A service yes with 5 year items. Fortunately with the service plan I am only paying around £350 for this service which think is tremendous value seeing as though I have no 4 poster lift, tools, oil, parts, time, inclination or knowledge to do it myself. On top of this I live in rural West Wales where we are lucky to even have a post office within 20 miles let alone car ramps for hire. I suppose I could do it on a bottle jack, out in the pouring rain using badgers urine for the fluid and a tampon for the filter but I’d rather pay the money and get some other monkey to do it for me!
Just saying!
HITECH
Active Member
The point of my post is she got ripped off. If people can service their own cars with the correct replacement components and save themselves money then do it. Unfortunately there are garages out there that will extract the urine. I dont really care about the logisitics of it. Life is too short. Its the old "once burnt...scenario". End of. Yes she had a monthly service plan and addition to that paid for the service in full ON TOP OF THE SERVICE PLAN DEBITS. Getting ripped off does not make sense and I never said it did. You dont understand this comment? Exactly how i wrote the post is exactly what has happened. I dont want my post steering away from the original 1st post that started this. I just shared an experience that a customer had and I was around to witness the invoice and also witness the fact that no parts were changed. This post in no way is to slate the good guys because the good garages and mechanics far outweigh the few that continue to do this carryon and rip people off for hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds. Moral of my story = my girlfriend wont be getting ripped off ever again.
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So she is aware that she's making monthly payments to MB for servicing, and yet still paid for the service.... again?
Does she not care that she paid for the same service twice?
This is really odd, that's all I can say.
Perhpas I lead a sheltered life, but I have never met anyone with such a cavalier attitude towards their own money.
