Rip-off Mercedes servicing

mercgeek

Pete,

I had the same problem when I tried to get my SLK serviced in Northampton, they wanted me to pay for a hire car. So not only was I going to have to take time out of my day to drop the car off but pay extra to get a hair dryer of a 1.1 Corsa.

So I decided to try and find an independent garage, as CarolineES pointed out further up in this post, the introduction of block exemption means any garage can service your car and it won't affect the warranty, as long as they use genuine parts.

I found a company called Service a car in Google that say they will service my CLK for £129! http://www.prestigecarservicing.com/mercedesservice.html They picked it up from office this morning (1 hour late may I add) so I didn't have to go down there, which means I didn't have to pay for a Corsa hair dryer.

I'll let you know what happens when/if they deliver it back and in what condition! Fingers crossed.

Stan_Morris

mercgeek wrote: »

Pete,

I had the same problem when I tried to get my SLK serviced in Northampton, they wanted me to pay for a hire car. So not only was I going to have to take time out of my day to drop the car off but pay extra to get a hair dryer of a 1.1 Corsa.

So I decided to try and find an independent garage, as CarolineES pointed out further up in this post, the introduction of block exemption means any garage can service your car and it won't affect the warranty, as long as they use genuine parts.

I found a company called Service a car in Google that say they will service my CLK for £129! http://www.prestigecarservicing.com/mercedesservice.html They picked it up from office this morning (1 hour late may I add) so I didn't have to go down there, which means I didn't have to pay for a Corsa hair dryer.

I'll let you know what happens when/if they deliver it back and in what condition! Fingers crossed.

Why is dropping off your car such a big deal???

Won't that moody stamp in the service book will kill the future value of your Merc?

mercgeek

Good news my SLK made it back from Service a car, very happy with it all apart from when they charged me vat on top, which wasn't clear on their site.

mercgeek

Hi Stan,

Because I have to take time out of my day to go down there, it's just easier for me to have it picked it up I guess.

Ok the stamp isn't a Mercedes dealer but with block exemption coming in that shouldn't effect the after sales price.

Do you usually use main dealers then?

hollydays

Our experience of prestige car servicing is that they dont always have the equipment for certain cars-I think OH had to take it back to the dealer for a certain calibration(i use this word loosley as i am not car savvy) ok -we didnt pay any more for this.

vikingaero

mercgeek wrote: »

Pete,

I had the same problem when I tried to get my SLK serviced in Northampton, they wanted me to pay for a hire car. So not only was I going to have to take time out of my day to drop the car off but pay extra to get a hair dryer of a 1.1 Corsa.

The attitude of the premium marques is amazing. They charge so much premium for the car and for the servicing that they won't absorb the pathetic cost of one days courtesy car. I used to work in insurance and I know that dealer pay big premiums but then most of them have high excesses because they have in-house body shops to do the repair cheaply and can source parts at cost.

I dropped my wifes Corsa in for a new roof aerial mount today under warranty and I was supplied a courtesy car for free!

Crabman

Why the concern regarding a non-dealer stamp? A few years ago my parents' car was taken to Nissan for a new pollen filter. Nissan charged ~£80. Upon subsequent investigation I discovered their model & spec of car did not have a pollen filter option in the first place.

There's no guarantee a dealership will carry out a better job than an independent garage. As most dealerships are franchises, you could say they themselves are effectively independent garages... :think:

PasturesNew

mpython wrote: »

I worked with a bloke a couple of years ago who used to take his Merc to the continent to be serviced. he claimed it was far cheaper than here (though obviously you've got to add travel & fuel costs) and he got an official dealer stamp in his service record as well as stocking up on booze & cheese. Just a thought.

If you're a bit less adventurous, phone round some dealers around the UK. For the savings you make you might be able to pay for a short break.
Take the car to the garage for the service while enjoying your short break in/around that town and turn it into a free holiday

Dealers don't charge the same rates. So phoning around might surprise you

gw5434

You could try Premier Service at http://www.premier-service.co.uk - I had mine done their and the service (in both senses of the word) is far better than the MB franchised dealers locally.

kevin197

Had my car service done at prestige car servicing and am very happy with it. They now include vat in the price.