W205 250d Service Costs

[TT Law]

Hi all

I have a new C Class arriving early December and was wondering whether to take the service package at £30 per month.

I will do 15k per year so one service a year.

Is it really cheaper than just paying for each service?

Thanks

Steve

 

[Dryce]

Is it really cheaper than just paying for each service?

Supposed to include a courtesy car so factor that into any cost comparisons.

In the past we found dealers negotiable on servicing. So arguably - particularly without a courtesy car - you might get cheaper.

If your car servicing isn't constrained by terms and conditions of contract hire or lease and you're not concerned about using a main dealer then you could negotiate pricing with an independent specialist which should be lower.

A lot of people just take the £30ish per month on the nose - because then they know where they stand for the first three years.

 

[KoFidee]

BUY the service pack Wife just had her first service done
service A £354.25

SHE NOW HAS THE £34 x 24 months plan in place

p.s. car not done that many miles this year as she was car sharing with Daughter 6830 miles @ 22/10/15 (11 months old)

 

[Peter103]

The service package whether for two three or four services gaurantees the price per month for the whole period, regardless of price increases in costs of oil , filters, or labour, which, over perhaps a four service/ year period, has to be a good buy. Should you decide to change your car within the period, it stops and a new one is set up.

 

[Rory]

BUY the service pack Wife just had her first service done
service A £354.25

That's a lot for a 1st A service, but if you don't like to ask, or the dealer won't negotiate, then you're a bit stuffed if it isn't convenient to go to another dealership.

 

[Dryce]

The service package whether for two three or four services gaurantees the price per month for the whole period, regardless of price increases in costs of oil , filters, or labour, which, over perhaps a four service/ year period, has to be a good buy. Should you decide to change your car within the period, it stops and a new one is set up.

That sounds like sales talk - and guess what I have heard it before - so I think it probably is.

I'd rephrase it as:

MB servicing is shockingly expensive. With so many people buiying service plans dealers have everuy incentive to make services expensive to make the plan look cheap. At least once you take out the service plan you know you know exactly how little grinnin and how much bearing you are in for.

Put MB servicing in perspective. BMW ownership isn't necessarily without its own issues but .... servicing on my 640d was under £300 over 2.5 years. My wife's Z4 was £499 for *five* years.

 

[XRS]

Just booked our C250 in for its first A service and I was quoted just over £350, so at the moment the £30 per month looks like a reasonable bet, especially as we didn't have to start it for a month or two after purchase.

 

[The _Don]

Just booked our C250 in for its first A service and I was quoted just over £350, so at the moment the £30 per month looks like a reasonable bet, especially as we didn't have to start it for a month or two after purchase.

That's expensive my first service on my c63 in 2013 was £201.

 

[Dryce]

Just booked our C250 in for its first A service and I was quoted just over £350, so at the moment the £30 per month looks like a reasonable bet, especially as we didn't have to start it for a month or two after purchase.

Kind of coincidental huh?

Service cost set unreasonably high so that it makes the plan look better value.

 

[Rory]

Just booked our C250 in for its first A service and I was quoted just over £350, so at the moment the £30 per month looks like a reasonable bet, especially as we didn't have to start it for a month or two after purchase.

Did you look how much it comes up for on My Service: https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk/home

Try a few dealers - I found the price varies a lot (if they're not in the same group).

 

[Peter103]

That sounds like sales talk - and guess what I have heard it before - so I think it probably is.

I'd rephrase it as:

MB servicing is shockingly expensive. With so many people buiying service plans dealers have everuy incentive to make services expensive to make the plan look cheap. At least once you take out the service plan you know you know exactly how little grinnin and how much bearing you are in for.

Put MB servicing in perspective. BMW ownership isn't necessarily without its own issues but .... servicing on my 640d was under £300 over 2.5 years. My wife's Z4 was £499 for *five* years.

No, its not sales talk,that is simply how I see it. Over the years I've owned 6 BMW 's and am currently on my fourth Mercedes, the last three I've paid on a service contract. With the BM,s I was often paying £350 to £500 for servicing, with my current E 220 CDI Coupe with a four service contract I pay £30 per month including vat. £7:.50 Inc vat per week. A no brainer. I travel through Europe two/three times a year, For several weeks at a time and with their service contract I also get full European breakdown cover for almost all of Euope included. If you think I could get a better deal elsewhere, I haven't heard it.

 

[Bonecho]

So how long does the A service take? Less than an hour I bet. Labour charge for C Class servicing £300 per hour?

 

[Piff]

We didn't take the service plan on our SLK as we negotiated the first service in the purchase price and hope to return the car before the third service is due.
When the second service was due we contacted 2 nearby dealers from different groups. The price quoted from each was identical & we got the impression that there was a national price policy imposed by MB UK

 

[Bonecho]

Isn't price fixing and anti-competitive behavior illegal? MB can perhaps recommend a service price but I would like to think it is down to the dealer to set their own prices but and I doubt there is a bargain to be had at any dealership.

I was paying £17 a month for the service plan on my Mondeo that took me to 5 years and didn't notice the dealership looking impoverished.

 

[Rory]

So how long does the A service take? Less than an hour I bet. Labour charge for C Class servicing £300 per hour?

Our VW Golf's first service took 20 mins. Charge to VW FS was £68 inc parts, labour and VAT. No reason why it would be any longer on a Mercedes - OK, there's a couple more litres of oil, but that's it.

There's an MB Value Service scheme for 7+yr old cars that will do the service for £149 for C Class and the schedule on that is more detailed than the standard A service. So they could easily do an A service for that - if they wanted to.

It's clear to me that MB is leaning on the dealers to stick with "rack rate" pricing - mine won't even dicuss pricing now. That's obviously to do with making ServiceCare look attractive. I wouldn't mind, but for the committment you're showing, ServiceCare should be significantly cheaper to such an extent that it become a no-brainer, like the BMW service package,

 

[KoFidee]

MB £££ paying for the Badge!!I guess
weigh up against non warranty cover in first 3 years (if servicing @ average joe budget) some you win some you lose.
the price you pay for a marque brand vehicle..

 

[tec]

There's an MB Value Service scheme for 7+yr old cars that will do the service for £149 for C Class and the schedule on that is more detailed than the standard A service. So they could easily do an A service for that - if they wanted to.

A 7 year old car though would have already paid for the new coffee machine and salespersons bonus at £350 a time.

I don't think I would ever go back to owning newer cars with main dealer servicing when my local MB specialist only charges £50/hour.

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

Don't sign up to it yet

Sign up after paying outright for the first service

Service A- paid > Services B-A-B on the service plan (3 years)

2xB + 1xA services on a plan is a hell of a lot cheaper than 2xA + 1xB

 

[Bonecho]

Did a 5 dealer check using this website https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk/home for the first and second service. Prices ranged from £254 to £319 for the A service and £323 to £374 for the B service including additional costs for the dust filter.

So for me looking at Bedford or Milton Keynes the cost of the first 2 services comes to £577 rather than £720 via monthly payments. Think I have made a mistake taking out a service plan.

 

[The _Don]

Did a 5 dealer check using this website https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk/home for the first and second service. Prices ranged from £254 to £319 for the A service and £323 to £374 for the B service including additional costs for the dust filter. So for me looking at Bedford or Milton Keynes the cost of the first 2 services comes to £577 rather than £720 via monthly payments. Think I have made a mistake taking out a service plan.

They can be cancelled.