used mercs...

[--phill--]

HI,

Im purchasing a merc soon hopefully. but not a brand new one. What are peoples opinions of used mercs on here ? i know they have suffered a bit on the W203 range in terms of reliability (well suffered loads !) but if you buy lets say an 03 plate merc its had three years for a first buyer with a warrenty to get the serious ones sorted out, right. and engine wise the mercs use some pretty reliable and robust stock so a well looked after high miler shouldnt be so bad. ive seen 270CDI`s well under 100k miles going for 14k ! and they will do near 300k miles. also seen w203`s at 7k price range

anyways if i get a merc im not sure id be taking it to a merc dealership 1. because id be intimidated by the snooty staff and 2. because im sure a service on a merc is very pricey yet an independnt garage will be 1/3 of the cost... now before you flame me about how 3rd party garages shouldnt touch mercs, fair enough a new AMG, S class, SLK etc.. but for a basic W203 saloon that would cost the punter 7k-20k to buy used they have no reason (given warenty is out usually on these cars) to take their cheap purchase to a V.expensive dealership.

whats your opinions please ?

 

[--phill--]

doh 39 views and no reply.

fair enough

 

[Nibbo]

I love mine

I have had my W203 estate for over a year now with absolutely no problems whatsoever. I was a bit shocked at the price of a service so next time I will use a Merc Approved Independent. I would recommend Mercs to anyone and will definitely buy another when the time comes.

 

[MangoMan]

Hi Phil, I would have replied but I have no experience on w203's, sorry.

So I thought it wrong of me to comment, whereas if you want to talk about w116; w123's; w124's or w126's no probs.....

Ciao.

 

[--phill--]

sorry i used a w203 as an example but i guess we know old mercs are tough as granite and all that but the newer ones im not so sure ? mainly it was a Q about servicing at a local garage rather than a big flashy rip-off dealership when all any car needs is a filter,oil change, brake check, aircon regass maybe.

 

[sparkyspost]

Phil,

Generally I think it is up to the person to choose which they feel more comfortable with. For example for my vw I took it to the garage to continue the FVWSH, but having cost nearly 1000 to fix, I won't be doing that again.
I get my MB (w202) maintained by myself and a local indie, and there are some recommended indies on the forum, that you could use.

Things to be wary of are:
Any warranty issues / paint / rust etc.
Need for the STAR diagnostics to read/reset the codes etc.

Cheers

Sparky

 

[--phill--]

Phil,

Need for the STAR diagnostics to read/reset the codes etc.

Cheers

Sparky

what are these ?

 

[sparkyspost]

With most new cars and the elctronic control units (ECUs) - The cars computer, controls and records the electronic equipment, and faults are recorded as codes. For the MB the STAR diagnositcs is the system used to read and clear the codes (as I understand it). Some indies may have this, and there may be other systems that can read these codes.

Hope that helps
(all in my simple view - others may explain / clarify better)

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I like to keep full dealer service history, but both of our cars are in warranty and with Mobilo so it would be foolish not too. If servicing costs are reasonable I'll stick with dealers, for a few reasons:

(1) Maybe more likely to get a contribution from MB if the unthinkable happens outside of warranty.

(2) Keep Mobilo which is probably worth over £100 per year if I were to get equivalent cover elsewhere.

(3) When I'm buying cars I find comfort in a full dealer history. Doesn't mean it's been looked after better than an indy or competent DIY mechanic but it indicates (to me a least) that it's likely to have been looked after and had jobs doing as and when required.

(4) May add a touch to the resale value, or at least appear more attractive as a proposition to potential buyers.

To re-iterate, I'm not suggesting that an MB dealer is better than an indy or DIY - far from it in many cases!! - but for me when the car is fairly new it's worth a little extra for the MB service history for the reasons I mention above.

I reserve the right to change my mind though if the next sevice is more expensive than I expected!!

 

[silverarrow]

help from mbz outside warranty ummm umm
good luck if they give you anything its because you have paid up front in the service costs why pay £100 plus when local indie £30 ish
did you know most main agents sub contract out the complicated work to local indies and add £££££££ and customers think they have a better service nope just a lower bank balance

 

[uumode]

If you want one year's fully comprehensive warranty - same sort of cover as a new car, get it from an MB dealer. (Cars over 60k miles only have basic 'major' mechanical warranty however).

The MB approved scheme gives you a fresh MOT and also guarantee to pass your car at it's next MOT next year. If it fails, the repair costs are covered to enable it to pass. The scheme even covers damaged tyres beyond a certain tread level.

Mobilife is thrown in too as already mentioned. (well last time I looked )

As Mercedes are complex beasts, I prefer to buy from a dealer for the comprehensive warranty so the electric seats, electric mirrors, instruments, switches etc are all covered for peace of mind.

Buying from other trade outlets although having a third party warranty is often not up to the same comprehensive level - usually only covering a specific list of items and limiting the size and amount of the claim per year.

Of course if you are buying a car less than three years old it should have the balance of the MB warranty anyway so purchasing it from any source should be OK, and these are full MBSH by 'default'

I believe the best examples are to be found at the main dealers, the other trade places may pick up rougher specimens from auction, and might give quick fixes or cosmetic tarting up to the unsuspecting buyer. I'd like to believe that didn't happen at main dealers.

Some dealers are very friendly, like Mercedes Benz of Milton Keynes, Tony Purslow Basingstoke and Guildford from personal experience.

Though if you buy elsewhere and save £1000s off the cost of a similar model from a main dealer, you can afford to absorb some unexpected repair costs, so depending on the saving, you can factor in a safety net.

I'm not such a a risk taker, so I take the easy route of main dealer.

Repairs I take to main dealer too as cars over 6 years? old get a much cheaper labour rate. I also find it is easier to take up issues with a main dealer in a civilised and effective manner than the cheaper guys.

By purchasing a full MBSH approved used Mercedes I saved thousands on repair costs on my car, probably touching 8k maybe.