Mercedes end of lease costs - non-Main Dealership Servicing Penalty

MIKE_MCHUGH

There are various threads floating around about Mercedes Benz Financial Services and the end-of-lease charges they hit you with even when the car has been well looked after. I'm in a dispute about the use of main dealerships for servicing.

I got a invoice for about £1300 for "lack of service history" even though I did every service when due. I was not consulted about the charge beforehand I was just billed, when I rang the number for MBFS to clarify I was told that I got the charge because they can track servicing through dealerships and since my car hadn't gone though the dealer network they billed me.

I queried whether the mandatory use of dealerships was legal under EU block exemption rules. They guy hesitated, and said send the details of my servicing through and they would look at it. Then the letters just started from MBFS debt collection agency. 4 or 5 always from different people and never addressing my queries. Essentially just "pay up or else". At no stage have MBFS found any fault with the actual work done - the issue seems to be WHO did the servicing not HOW it was done.

I appreciate the car must be serviced adequately, but MBFS are ASSUMING they they are the only people able to do so. So it looks like either (a) MBFS are incompetent and don't understand BER regulations mean we can shop around for maintenance, or (b) (more likely ??) that they know full well they aren't entitled to insist on using overpriced and inconvenient dealerships for service but harass the public anyway in the hope that most people will get bullied into paying up anyway.

I have a twitter correspondence going and will post updates here. In fairness if MBFS do explain themselves and I eat humble pie, I shall explain in this forum.

Meanwhile, I would advise extreme caution leasing a car via MBFS.

spacey2012

Request a copy of the initial contract and see what it says about servicing.

colino

Lets face it, they aren't stupid and the demand for FMBSH will be in the detail. Just be grateful they aren't chasing you for the difference in retail to the next owner that little item is worth.

worried_jim

I would imagine that a car with out FMBDSH would be worth more than one with out, despite it being serviced by a third party so it is only natural that MB would pursue you for this difference. I am interested to hear how you progress with this, I fear to the tune of about £1500.

Strider590

It's a lease, you don't own the vehicle, they own the vehicle and can demand who services it.

For the purpose of warranty, getting it serviced elsewhere is not a problem, but that's irrelevant if you don't own the car.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Lets hope the small print lets you off the hook, somehow though doubt it.

I would have automatically assumed a leased car would need to be serviced at the main dealer, especially a premium label.

your warning...
''Meanwhile, I would advise extreme caution leasing a car via MBFS. ''
will i supect fall on deaf ears as few people would dream of doing as you have.

I wouldn't go outside the main dealer network with a car i owned under makers warranty so the same applies with leasing.

vikingaero

Strider590 wrote: »

It's a lease, you don't own the vehicle, they own the vehicle and can demand who services it.

For the purpose of warranty, getting it serviced elsewhere is not a problem, but that's irrelevant if you don't own the car.

I agree with what Strider says. MBUK or MB GmbH cannot constrain you under block exemption from servicing your car within the dealer network. However MBFS can.

Look at it from MBFS point of view. You have a car which may or may not be serviced correctly and you have to sell it and provide a warranty. If I were buying the car and found no main dealer service history I would walk and so would 95% of other buyers.

I would argue that the vast majority of servicing outlets don't have access to MB diagnostics. Try getting something like a bucket of crud A-Class serviced and most servicing centres don't like doing them.

MIKE_MCHUGH

well, I said I keep you updated : Mercedes have just cancelled the service cost in full. Over £1k.

The reason cited though was their poor customer service in handling my case, not that main dealership servicing is not mandatory. They still hold the line that it is required that MB lease cars are serviced exclusively through the main dealerships. I don't know if they are right or not.

worried_jim

Good news Mike! Be a little more careful with your next lease.