Hi,
First posting, so go easy. Service indicator has started flashing on my 52 plate SLK, which happens to be major service (first service on the car me since purchased last year).
Ring up the local merc garage in North London and they quote £520 incl.! Now I'm no mechanic, but that sounds very high to me?? Partiuclary when Merc garage in Leeds charges £400.
Without affecting the car value or affecting re-sale potential, does it make any difference if I took to an independent merc garage for servicing?
Any suggestions most welcome. Just want make sure I'm not being ripped off.
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You say its a major service and its a Mercedes. Leeds want to charge £400 so I can see a 30% increase in price just because its in London.
If I had your car, I would keep the Merc stamps in the service book for at elast another two or three years. Maybe longer - don't you have lifetiem warranty if the car is serviced at a Merc dealer?
There are some good Mercedes specialists out there however, and to an extent it depends on how long you will keep the car. Keep it for years, probably go to a good independent inthe next year or so. Only going to keep it for another 18 months - stay in Merc world.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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If you intend to sell the car within the next four years - get it serviced at the Dealer, otherwise go to an independant.
Maybe longer - don't you have lifetiem warranty if the car is serviced at a Merc dealer?
It is only a breakdown cover for 30 years, not a warranty in the conventional sense.
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The Mobilo warranty covers body perforation (rust) which is an issue on many Merc's (don't know about this model?). In theory they'll pay up even with independant servicing but it gives them an excuse to drag their feet (even more than they do already). It's going to be a negative trying to sell a Merc without full MB history. You could get other stuff - brake pads/disks etc done in an independant, though.
Try your nearest MB Direct outlet - I know the one in Birmingham does servicing at somewhat cheaper rates than the main dealer. Also, if you have a look an the MB website and search for 'Find a Retailer' under the Mainteneance tab, you'll see there are some 'Authorised Repairers' - these are people who used to be MB Dealers before they were culled a couple of years ago. I *think* they're mainly in Northern England, but without looking at each one I can't tell for sure.
The other thing people 'down South' talk about is taking MB's over to France/Belgium/Holland to get them serviced - it's apparently way cheaper.
Or you could organise a day out in Leeds :-)
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Ther is a specialist merc garage in Pudsey(outskirts of Leeds) who would do all merc and bmw work at far below these rates.Or you could always reset the indicator youself and just change the oil and have a brake check.
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£520 for a major MB service is not high.
The ground has been well covered by the other posters. If you are unlikely to keep it for long and are concerned about the resale value, stay with the MB main dealers and turn a blind eye to their competence. If you like the car and want to keep it for a long time, you can step out of the dealer ring, find a good independent, get better work done at half the price, and have a healthier car to boot. For most serious purposes, the key things are that genuine OEM parts are used (they can come from GSF or Euro Car Parts, not necessarily MB) and that the service schedule is followed rigorously.
If you go independent, keep the car for quite a while, and ultimately sell it to someone who has had experience of both MB (or other) main dealers and independents, they are quite likely to place more value on a record of good independent servicing than on the main-dealer stamps. And you may well be able to say to them, "Call [the independent] for an honest and well informed opinion on the car", as I did when I sold my Audi 100.
Main dealers are not the best source of good servicing work. That's just my opinion, based on several decades of experience and several brands of main dealers. And you may find that the Consumers Association has similar things to say.
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Living in London, £520 for a major service is really reasonable, especially if the price include VAT. Stripping out the VAT element is £443. London dealer charges £150 + VAT per hour and if the major service takes 2.5 hours, that is already £375. Then you have to add the parts, sundries, etc.
However, though £520 is not expensive, brace yourself if the car needs any repair works!
G
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