Trusting main dealers with your pride and joy

[Felstmiester]

My c63 is going in for a service on sat. Not a biggie just oil filters and diff fluid change. As I've mentioned before I have the means and ways to carry out the work myself due to the fact my father owns a garage and does services etc. But due to the fact I want to keep the main dealer history it's going into Mercs.

I've read and heard horror story's about main dealer work. A part of me wants to chuck it up on the ramp before sat and mark the drain plug on the diff so I can be sure the correct work was carried out lol. Or am I just being tight and over protective??

Also I told service department that I would be supplying my own oil ( I know this is me being tight ) they didn't seem to sure about this and had to get one of the guys from service to ring me back who then lectured me about using the correct oil and how do I know what the correct oil should be because the viscosity has changed???? Has it!!???

Anyway what are your thoughts??

 

[trapperjohn]

Tell the service manager your car is fitted with tracker and you will be recording the current mileage from the cluster as you drop the car off -and you want him/her to witness that action. Also check the car with him/her for bodywork dings. Casually mention that average MPG will go down (a lot) if someone even dares to start to rag the **** off your car.

A lecture about how do you know what oil you should be using?!! Flaming cheek, if it has changed since you handbook/service book was issued then you should have been informed in case you had to top up between services. Ask them what the correct spec is for you car and supply that verbatim.

I did the same as above when I ran new Polo's and Seat's. PITA customer with one across the bows of the service dept beats meek and mild lamb to the slaughter.

 

[BFT]

Our local main dealer is excellent. Care about the car and do what they say. Get a service advisor who actually gives a toss and not one picking his nose and finger up his ****.

My local dealer has done loads of work on the SL, as I know the technician doing the work after they introduced me to him, had a chat and he is very switched on. Prices are about 30% more than the local independant, but after the local independant diagnosed my faulty roof module (When it doesn't have one) and was a £20 switch..... I lost faith.

 

[def90cars]

Just my opinion.... Mercedes Dealer have seen a million C63s and many better cars too.

They aren't interested in driving them. They have all driven them all before.

I own a garage. We have lots of really nice cars. We look after them as people with nice cars like spending money with people who look after them.

I also worked in a car factory. Your car was driven by several people before you got it. Most of which have driven many more C63s and stuff than you could dream of.

If you think people will treat your property badly..... maybe its a reflection of how you think about other people's property.

Just my opinion...... no offence implied.

 

[trapperjohn]

Tony, Non taken on my comments. It is the way I think - and I wonder how that could be

 

[moonloops]

It's a car not your wife

 

[c_200k]

My main dealer is excellent.

Always went the extra bit to take care of me and anything I needed. As above get someone who cares and deal with them.

 

[Chr1s]

Basingstoke Merc have been fantastic for me. From the very first day I went in to talk to them about a C63, through the purchase process and aftercare, they have been fantastic.

I would have no issues trusting them with my car as they know I would kick up a serious stink if anything was not right.

 

[paulshep69]

My nearest main dealer is 45 miles from me in Inverness, my car was in last month for a B service which came in at a very reasonable £320.

They did however want to fit new front discs and pads (pads had done 2000 miles, discs 27000 miles) because of corrosion on the inner face apparently. I told the service manager that this would be the case because the car had been sat in Aberdeen (salty atmosphere) for 2 weeks whilst I was away offshore. The same mechanic also said that he wouldn't test drive the car because the front tyres were illegal (worn on the inner edge) and wanted £106 to check the tracking, and would match black circles for the new front tyres.

I complained to the service manager about the terms the mechanic had used ie badly corroded and illegal tyres and that they had charged me for windscreen wash fluid when the car had been full when I took it in, I was also less than impressed with the air freshener they had used in the car, it gave me a headache on my drive home it was so strong.

I declined the disc replacement and tyre replacement, had the tyres replaced at a local independent garage, my originals were still legal according to the tyre fitter, and went back for the tracking check.

This time the car was attended to by their head mechanic, it was a completely different story. He was open and engaging, he showed me the tiny bit of corrosion on the disc and said it was nothing to worry about (a common problem apparently with the inner pad sticking slightly in the carrier on C63's).

After the first visit and complaint they discounted the second visit, effectively removing the VAT from the bill.

Consequently, I would have no qualms in taking your car to a main dealer, just be a little street wise about what they want to do to it. I left with a bill of £320 + my tyre costs (£360) and the tracking cost (£106) but could have easily ended up paying over a grand for the work they wanted to do.

 

[def90cars]

Consequently, I would have no qualms in taking your car to a main dealer, just be a little street wise about what they want to do to it.

Agreed.

On my three year service they wanted me to pay £56 for an MOT (I own an MOT station) - I refused... they did it for free!

Also they want to change gearbox and diff oil (3yrs!) but I also refused as only 6000ml on the clock.

They were happy.

I paid about £300 instead of the £900 they proposed.

They always clean it nice and apologise for moving the seats to vacuum it... although they could just press "1" on the door after.

 

[nb_racing]

If you don't trust someone/somewhere to work on your car or you think they won't look after it then don't take it there, it's simple. Do it yourself. Put up or shut up! But don't take it there then complain publiclly because they moved your seat 3mm.


And does your father, with the greatest of respects, have as good experience with a c63 as a main dealer will who see them frequently and know them inside out? (He may well do, that is not a rhetorical question.)



Dealers will have driven dozens of fast AMGs and won't really be bothered about driving it. I speak from experience.



A dealer will always cover their backside and let you know any small problem they find. It would be a different story if, for example, the dealer didn't mention the corroded discs, then your tyre fitter did. Would the tyre fitter be trying to rip you off or was the dealer useless for not telling you? Who do you believe? Why is the tyre fitter right?? Discuss?!



Funnily enough, not everyone in the motortrade is a crook or con man!


Just some friendly food for thought. Not ranting!

 

[ChrisA]

If you tell them what you want then that should suffice. Any works carried out without your approval is a bonus as you pay for what you asked for and say "Thanks" and be on your merry way

Build up a decent relationship with your local Stealer and it makes life so much easier

 

[BenzedUP]

I find main dealers to be OK, it's the small garages you need to watch out from, they might take your car and crash it, lol.

Main dealers are OK, they see 55's 63's 65's everyday.

 

[nb_racing]

Build up a decent relationship with your local Stealer and it makes life so much easier

Wise words.

 

[nb_racing]

it's the small garages you need to watch out from, they might take your car and crash it, lol.

Why?

 

[Lee C63]

Only from personal experience I don't trust the dealer. Are they mechanics these days or "diagnostic" technicians.
If it's a dealer stamp for the service history then you have no choice. However any "proper" work I go to a independent and have a good chat with the mechanic that will be working on the car.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Basingstoke Merc have been fantastic for me.

They could well have changed since I last used them 7 years ago. I used to take lots of Mercedes to them for services as part of my job with a sports/prestige car dealer. I got to know all the service managers well and they were always helpful. When I bought a 2-year old CLK for myself I took it to Basingstoke for a service (at trade rates of course). When I collected it there was a list of advisories as long as your arm. I didn't ask them to do any of the work, but instead took it to an indie I knew well. He inspected the car and said none of the items needed doing! Things like "corrosion on brake pipes" just wiped off with a cloth!

So I think it's the luck of the draw how you get treated. The same probably goes for how the car is treated. IME working for a car dealership where we had customers' Ferraris, Aston Martins, Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes, etc in from time to time, those that arrived in a well cared for condition were treated with kid gloves. The cars that were dirty and clearly less well cared for weren't abused but let's just say they may have taken a short shopping detour whilst with us!

So now I always clean my car BEFORE it goes to the dealer. I also elect to take it there and collect it, rather than accepting offers to have one of their guys do it for me. It just demonstrates an element of concern.

 

[Sp!ke]

I recently had my Smart serviced at Brooklands.

I have a dashcam in the car so the footage was very interesting showing the goings on in the workshop. Most of what I could see looked very slick and thorough with some lovely cars being worked on and an absolutely amazing facility.

I was concerned by two things I saw though.

1. The car wash wash area is disgustingly filthy. Old sponges and rags in use that should not be shown near paintwork, let alone touch it and the cars were being washed using a single bucket method with water so black and filthy that I would never ever let them near my car now I have seen what they are doing. No surprise then that I now need to machine polish it again having been the only person wash the car since new and having done so with Rashman levels of attention to detail.

2. I was very surprised to see the lid of my expansion tank (not washer fluid) unscrewed and placed in front of the camera and the mechanic top up what I can only assume was my coolant with a hose from a tap.

Am I being picky or should one expect a little more care?

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Jeez, you lot are a little precious over your cars.

Maybe I'm a little more pragmatic as I tend to buy out of warranty and cover big miles so the car becomes more of a tool than a 'pride and joy'.

Either way I'd feel uncomfortable secretly filming someone doing some work for me.

 

[Sp!ke]

I didnt secretly film deliberately.. the camera turns on and off automatically with the ignition.

Quite why the ignition was left on for so long is a bit of a mystery to me.

You do have a point though and thats why I chose not to publicly share what is actually really interesting footage inside their workshop.