What's the point of a digital service record, if Mercedes ignore it?

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bazzabear

Active Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
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160
Car
2013 C63 estate
Cynical answer - to try to stop you using independents...

Tried to get a quote today for the next service on my C63. It's 4 years old, 30k miles. When I rang my local dealer, they adviced I use the website to check what was needed and get a quote, so that's what I did.

Here are all the things the website seems to have got wrong.

Recommends an A service (and doesn't give a choice), the car itself says next service is 'B5', and it's last service a year ago was an A.

Recommends changing transmission fluid at £414. Was already done last year (for a hell of a lot less money too). Service book reckons it's needed at 3 years or 30k miles. So they've used mileage for this and not checked whether it's already done.

Recommended air filter change at £80. Again service book says 3 years / 30k. Again, it was done last year.

Recommended spark plugs changed at £327. This one I agree with. Service book says 4 years / 40k. Interesting they've used age for this one though!

The previous service was at a Mercedes dealer. Surely if they're going to automate deciding what is needed, the system should query that service database to make an informed decision? If I didn't question it, I could be spending £500 on stuff that's already been done.

Think I'll be giving the independent a ring in the morning, see what they say.
 
Cynical answer - to try to stop you using independents...

Tried to get a quote today for the next service on my C63. It's 4 years old, 30k miles. When I rang my local dealer, they adviced I use the website to check what was needed and get a quote, so that's what I did.

Here are all the things the website seems to have got wrong.

Recommends an A service (and doesn't give a choice), the car itself says next service is 'B5', and it's last service a year ago was an A.

Recommends changing transmission fluid at £414. Was already done last year (for a hell of a lot less money too). Service book reckons it's needed at 3 years or 30k miles. So they've used mileage for this and not checked whether it's already done.

Recommended air filter change at £80. Again service book says 3 years / 30k. Again, it was done last year.

Recommended spark plugs changed at £327. This one I agree with. Service book says 4 years / 40k. Interesting they've used age for this one though!

The previous service was at a Mercedes dealer. Surely if they're going to automate deciding what is needed, the system should query that service database to make an informed decision? If I didn't question it, I could be spending £500 on stuff that's already been done.

Think I'll be giving the independent a ring in the morning, see what they say.


I thought VW main dealers were taking the *&£# asking £189 to do the oil and filter on the DSG gearbox on my previous car, sounds like a bargin :D
 
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Sounds like the dealer didn’t update the online service and neither did the indi.

If you take the receipt for the work you had done at the indi and ask the dealer to update the history along with the work they did you should be fine.

That’s what my local dealer did with my C350 when I skipped a main dealer service.
 
Not been worked on by an indi so far. Last service was by a Mercedes dealer, and it has a digital service report attached (but there's no security code on it, so I can't check it myself.)
 
I had a similar experience with online service not updated correctly and the online quote included an ATF change a year and 5000 miles after it was done.
 
Sounds like the dealer didn’t update the online service and neither did the indi.

If you take the receipt for the work you had done at the indi and ask the dealer to update the history along with the work they did you should be fine.

That’s what my local dealer did with my C350 when I skipped a main dealer service.

Does that mean that if you get your car serviced at an independant Mercedes will count this on there system?
 
I thought VW main dealers were taking the *&£# asking £189 to do the oil and filter on the DSG gearbox on my previous car, sounds like a bargin :D
I think the Mercedes ATF is particularly difficult to change particularly a C63. I paid about £150 on a Ford DSG
 
Where are you based?
 
I think the Mercedes ATF is particularly difficult to change particularly a C63. I paid about £150 on a Ford DSG

The £189 was a “price match” with other main dealers. They started off at £220!

I’m interested understand what makes the MB auto box +£400 for transmission fluid change.
 
Well that's the price quoted this time, to have it done in Macclesfield. The price on the invoice I have from it being done last year at Mercedes Skipton is £200 - although I think that's ex VAT.
 
Well that's the price quoted this time, to have it done in Macclesfield. The price on the invoice I have from it being done last year at Mercedes Skipton is £200 - although I think that's ex VAT.

£200 plus vat would make it £240 which is not that much different to what I was paying for a VW DSG, which apparently has “very special oil” which I asked if it was made from Gold! :D
 
My recent 7g gbox service was £189inc vat at a specialist and they can update the electronic service book.
 
I


I'm in Leeds . Garage is in Wakefield, west Yorkshire. Prestige motor engineers.

Mentions it on this bit of the website.

Mercedes repair, Prestige Motor Engineers


Hi thanks for the info. I’m over in Beverley so not too far away, I’ll definitely give them a call come service time.
 
I don't know about yours, but my main dealer charges £120 per hour labour (London). Makes even a small job, with parts for pence very expensive, very quickly!

Wish I got £120p/h - that's £250,000 pa!
 
I don't know about yours, but my main dealer charges £120 per hour labour (London). Makes even a small job, with parts for pence very expensive, very quickly!

Wish I got £120p/h - that's £250,000 pa!

I recently had a leaky injector seal sorted at the garage linked to above. Part was £3.50 I think.

2 hours labour charged and the total bill was £98 and a few pennies. AT MB that would have been nearly £250!!!!

It's a feckin disgrace really.
 
Like most corporates, they have too many "systems" that dont talk to each other. Employees have to be really motivated to update all the systems... the DSB is non essential as it is a system purely for recording the information so that outside garages and other dealers can see whats been done. Its just a digital version of the old service book.
It doesnt Interface with their online ESS system, which is used to suggest what services are due.
If you have had any items done early or additionally, the ESS system has no way of knowing and takes human intervention to check whats been done.
This becomes complicated due to the varying service schuedules for different models and ages.

Neither of these systems interface with the dealers own internal systems.

So until the IT guys crack the interfacing between all the different systems used to harmonise it all, the confusion will continue...

It has been an issue that dealers dont update the DSB. Allegedly the dealers now get a fine if MB find out the DSB hasnt been updated. We are regularly having to ring dealers to convince them to add their services onto the system. They arent usually quick to comply either and try and quote data protection nonsense to get out of it.
 
Thanks, that's really interesting and explains the gaps perfectly.

Given that I have the details of a digital service record having been entered, but I don't have the security code to be able to access it myself, is there any way for me to get that code? Or do I need to ring the Skipton dealer and hope they're in a good enough mood to help me?
 
Like most corporates, they have too many "systems" that dont talk to each other. Employees have to be really motivated to update all the systems... the DSB is non essential as it is a system purely for recording the information so that outside garages and other dealers can see whats been done. Its just a digital version of the old service book.
It doesnt Interface with their online ESS system, which is used to suggest what services are due.
If you have had any items done early or additionally, the ESS system has no way of knowing and takes human intervention to check whats been done.
This becomes complicated due to the varying service schuedules for different models and ages.

Neither of these systems interface with the dealers own internal systems.

So until the IT guys crack the interfacing between all the different systems used to harmonise it all, the confusion will continue...

It has been an issue that dealers dont update the DSB. Allegedly the dealers now get a fine if MB find out the DSB hasnt been updated. We are regularly having to ring dealers to convince them to add their services onto the system. They arent usually quick to comply either and try and quote data protection nonsense to get out of it.

Call me Old School but I still like a folder full of service and maintenance receipts, preferably in chronological order ;)
 

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