Big problem...no service history

[taboo10]

Hoping someone can help me here,
Bought my 2012 M/B E220 estate from a local garage about 4wks ago,
in the sales advert it said the car had Full Mercedes Benz Dealer service history but now to my amazement I've found out after visiting my local MB dealership for a service printout that MB UK have no record of my cars service history on there database, if fact they told me the car was sold by MB financial services uk to a leasing company and the leasing Co must have had the car serviced, I've tried to find out who the leasing company are but MB financial services will not divulge any info because of the data protection act, anyone
got any advice as to where I can go from here ?,any advice or information
would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.... Taboo10
Ps..car drives and looks great, I've had a towbar and rear window tints
fitted so returning it too the dealer would be a last resort.

 

[SL63 Mark]

Did you not view the service history before you bought the car ? You should have a service book with stamps at least. Our Audi was a lease car, but we always kept the service book in the glove box and had it stamped up by the dealer. Maybe MB will do you a favour (at a cost) and write a nice letter to confirm the car has been serviced according to the manufacturers recommendations, and the dates.

 

[GregMVF4]

Personally, I'd return it for what you paid and ask them for the cost of the extras you've fitted.

IMO If it was older, that'd be one thing, but for a 3 year old car not to appear at all on the MB system means it wasn't even serviced (by a MB Dealer) when still under warranty, and I'd've thought if servicing was done at an indy you might at least have been given receipts?

Just my opinion, but a 3 year old car with no history would ring alarm bells form me.

 

[GregMVF4]

Mark - MBs now don't have a service book (as such), the record is kept on computer.

 

[toby1]

Your complaint is with the selling dealer. Ask them to provide it.

 

[Some guy on the internet]

How many miles are on the car?

 

[s5tuart]

Your complaint is with the selling dealer. Ask them to provide it.

This! Trading Standards can be pretty tough if they have enough ammo...

 

[V6Matty]

you can actually ask for a book and have it stamped, they charge you for the book (about £30 IIRC) but stamping is free.

 

[dry run]

Obviously, we are not privy to any conversations you had when buying the car; but it seems to me that if the car was sold on the basis it had a full MB service history (hopefully you still have a copy of the advert), it is up to the vendor to provide one - or you would be entitled to compensation/your money back.

First thing to do is to go back to the vendor and ask them what they intend to do.

Regards

Steve

 

[Lit.91]

Don't know what systems MB UK go by, but I could only track history via MB branches which have actually serviced/seen the car - other branches & MB UK didn't have any information on the service history of the car.

So it may be worthwhile checking the branches close to previous owners address?

 

[jaymanek]

If you pm me your reg number ill do some investigating.

Otherwise you need to take this up with the selling dealer. The system may be digital but the car should come with the print outs.

How can dealer advertise with fsh unless they have the evidence?

 

[MBDevotee]

Key word here - "Misrepresentation".

If the car was sold as having FSH - and you're going to need to prove "beyond reasonable doubt" that was the basis you purchased it on, now it could be sufficient to show something to say that "All cars come with full service history" or some such on their website, or paperwork etc, or a copy of the ad, or so forth.

If you can do that, then your recourse is to

a) return car for a refund - whether or not you'll get the money back for the towbar etc is a matter for someone more legally minded than I...

b) Compensation. How you value going from fsh to no service history on a car that new is hard - after all, would you buy a 3 yr old car with no sh?? I wouldn't - so I suspect the difference will be thousands not hundreds.

Perhaps a better alternative would be the next 3 years servicing free, and to be able to take it to another full independent garage to have it checked over at their expense?

Unsure where you go here - I don't fancy being in your position.

 

[taboo10]

If you pm me your reg number ill do some investigating.

Otherwise you need to take this up with the selling dealer. The system may be digital but the car should come with the print outs.

How can dealer advertise with fsh unless they have the evidence?

Message sent jaymanek.. also thanks for all replies.

 

[ernieh]

Very important to get the position confirmed. In a recent case, not sure if on here or the other side, an ex MB car was sold at auction with the first service missing from the record. The new owner had the 2nd year service carried out by MB, but 3 months from the end of the warranty, the engine blew up and MB basically didn't want to know, but were prepared to contribute £8k of a £13k bill.

Given yours is a CDi, I'd be wanting my money back!

Ernie

 

[Albee]

Definitely challenge the vendor. Could be an oversight, but they stated is had ful MB history, so basically, thev'e 'mis-sold' the car. Personally I would not be happy without any sort of service history,despite the age/mileage etc!

 

[gizze]

I had this dilemma when I bought my, then nearly 2 year old, E350 estate.

I bought from Mercedes Worcester, and we agreed £28500 down from £30500. (There were not many used at the time and prices were high).
However, a couple of days before collecting I got a call to say there was an issue.
They had the service for the first service at a year and 11k something miles, but now the car was on 38,000 miles and should have had at least one service in the mean time, but it hadn't.
They asked if I still wanted it, they would do a full service, all filters, all fluids, new brakes all round and new tyres, which was £1500 and would knock off another £2000.
I said if they serviced it and knocked off £4000 more I wold buy it.
We agreed, they had little choice really as they couldn't sell it as an approved used Mercedes without full history so would have gone to a local trader or open auction.

So it makes a big difference whether it has full history or not imho, it is also a good way to check the mileage in the first 3 years, there was a 52k mile 530d that I looked at that looked a bit tatty, only 3 years old, and when I queried with BMW the history they had seen it 18 months before with 66k miles on it, so probably had 80k miles shaved off it, these cars are so easy to clock.



By the way, when I collected the E350 the sales guy got in with me to sync my phone, and we noticed it said L/KM on the dash instead of MPG, he set that back to MPG and the odometer suddenly dropped from 38,000 to 24,000. That was why they couldn't find the missing service, it wasn't actually due.
He went very red and said "If you don't grass me up I certainly won't mention it!"

It went through a valuation, massive service, sales and test drives and not one person clicked that because the owner lived in France she may have set it to KM instead of miles.

It was good for me, I didn't like it, and a few weeks later I sold it and for once didn't loose a penny.

 

[s5tuart]

I had this dilemma when I bought my, then nearly 2 year old, E350 estate.

I bought from Mercedes Worcester, and we agreed £28500 down from £30500. (There were not many used at the time and prices were high).
However, a couple of days before collecting I got a call to say there was an issue.
They had the service for the first service at a year and 11k something miles, but now the car was on 38,000 miles and should have had at least one service in the mean time, but it hadn't.
They asked if I still wanted it, they would do a full service, all filters, all fluids, new brakes all round and new tyres, which was £1500 and would knock off another £2000.
I said if they serviced it and knocked off £4000 more I wold buy it.
We agreed, they had little choice really as they couldn't sell it as an approved used Mercedes without full history so would have gone to a local trader or open auction.

So it makes a big difference whether it has full history or not imho, it is also a good way to check the mileage in the first 3 years, there was a 52k mile 530d that I looked at that looked a bit tatty, only 3 years old, and when I queried with BMW the history they had seen it 18 months before with 66k miles on it, so probably had 80k miles shaved off it, these cars are so easy to clock.



By the way, when I collected the E350 the sales guy got in with me to sync my phone, and we noticed it said L/KM on the dash instead of MPG, he set that back to MPG and the odometer suddenly dropped from 38,000 to 24,000. That was why they couldn't find the missing service, it wasn't actually due.
He went very red and said "If you don't grass me up I certainly won't mention it!"

It went through a valuation, massive service, sales and test drives and not one person clicked that because the owner lived in France she may have set it to KM instead of miles.

It was good for me, I didn't like it, and a few weeks later I sold it and for once didn't loose a penny.

That is one GOOD result Gizze!!!!