Help & Advice Needed - Missing Service

[Seeker_UK]

I have encountered a 'small' problem with my CLK270CDi.

When I picked up the car a month ago, I noticed that there was a service 'missing' from the book. The car had done 39k miles and only showed a Service B at 17k (Jun 06).

The car is now telling me it is due another B service in 4600 miles (ie @ ~44/45k miles)

Now, I would at least expect to see a "Service A" in 2007 and thinking about it, I would expect to see a "Service A" before 17K.

At the time of pick-up the delivery driver agreed that there was a service missing from the book. So he agreed to take it back to the dealer, get it stamped and returned. The book returned today (which was nice) still with only the 17k service recorded .

I spoke to a very helpful guy in the service department and they cannot find any record of any service after the one stamped although bizarrely, they did an inspection prior to sale and have warrantied it etc..... The service dept guy also agreed that it should have had an annual service at least.

Now, perhaps I'm being unreasonable here, or I'm worrying too much but I don't want a £17k that I can't prove the service history of. It may have been given a Service A but if it can't be backed up then how can I prove it come resale time?

I'm expecting a call from the head of sales about this tomorrow but the bottom line as far as I'm concerned is that if they cannot provide evidence of a service between the one in the book and now, they can have the car back and refund my deposit.

So:

1 - Is it feasible a CLK 270CDi can go 22k miles in 2 years w/out a service?
2 - If they can't find evidence of the service but offered one now, would the fact that there is gap in the record impact the value?
3 - Am I being unreasonable in wanting to give the car back?

Your thoughts please - I'd like a reality check on my intended position before I discuss this with MB tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[David Nock]

My 2004 CLK 270CDI calls my in on the Assyst at 18month intervals. I don't do many miles and the display switches to a time-out at the 17 month point, giving me a month to get the service done. It has gone A service, B service as you would expect. That is a great system but I believe later cars have now gone annual service periods.
If on the other hand your car's a bit higher milage, calling up only B services then maybe it would go longer on Assyst - I don't know.
Will the gap in servicing impact on its value and about giving the car back? I'd be a bit relaxed about those issues and just demand a top of the range service from the Dealer (presumably a main dealer) At £17k at a guess your car must be similar to mine?
Is the car going well, because they're built like tanks.

 

[rf065]

If MB have no record of another service, I think its safe to assume it has never had one & someone has reset ASSYST only, or it has been done by an Indie, resetting ASSYST but not stamping the book?

Russ

 

[Seeker_UK]

Will the gap in servicing impact on its value and about giving the car back? I'd be a bit relaxed about those issues and just demand a top of the range service from the Dealer (presumably a main dealer) At £17k at a guess your car must be similar to mine?
Is the car going well, because they're built like tanks.

David, cheers for the input.

The car is running OK although it seems to be using more fuel than I'd expect.

With regards to demanding a top quality service - that's OK but who knows what damage it may have caused - the fact that they're built like tanks is what worries me - it could go for ages w/out any real problems manifesting themselves and then BANG!

I buy cars from main dealers because I expect them to be the best you can get and the risk of ownership is a minimum. That is what I pay the premium for.

 

[Seeker_UK]

If MB have no record of another service, I think its safe to assume it has never had one & someone has reset ASSYST only, or it has been done by an Indie, resetting ASSYST but not stamping the book?

Russ

I think the getting it done cheap by an indie option is most likely.

 

[Seeker_UK]

Sorry to bump this thread but I need an answer to this question:

If MB can't show a FSH, would they sell as an approved used?

Thanks.

 

[jberks]

Mine was bought from a main dealer 11 months old with 17k on the clock and when I checked the assyst, it was reporting several thousand miles overdue. All this despite being a dealer owned car. It was serviced prior to delivery, runs fine and there's never been a murmur on the warranty side. Given that it had mobil1 from the factory which I know is good for serious mileages (my previous E240 would happily do 17k on mobil 1) , I took the view that there was no harm done.

 

[Seeker_UK]

The dealer called this morning. Accepted that there are services missing and is taking the car back from me and returning all monies owed.

The only downside is, I now have to find a car PDQ so I can keep getting to work....

 

[Rory]

1 - Is it feasible a CLK 270CDi can go 22k miles in 2 years w/out a service?

That's high, but not totally impossibe.

I have an Oct 04 C270CDi. At 17K miles of never being serviced, I chickened out and booked it in for an A service, even though it wasn't asking for one (I *think* it still had a couple of K to go, but can't remember for sure). Just before I took it in (now showing 18K) it flipped to asking for a B service. At the time (Feb 06) I was doing quite a lot of miles so I asked the dealer to just do the A service and they were fine with that. It came back showing B as next service required.

My job then changed somewhat so I was doing much less miles. I work from home and really only use the Merc for long (200-400mile) motorway runs a couple of times per month. Around town I usually use our Jazz.

So the car ran to 23mths (having done 14K miles, still showing 5K to service) and then switched to counting down in days. It was B serviced in Feb 08.

So since Oct 04 my car has only ever had an A (at 18K) and a B (at 32K) service (and it's not long since it had the B). It's now done 36K miles, and, unless something changes, shouldn't need servicing again until Feb 2010.

 

[jberks]

The dealer called this morning. Accepted that there are services missing and is taking the car back from me and returning all monies owed.

The only downside is, I now have to find a car PDQ so I can keep getting to work....

That's good of them not to argue, but to be fair, unless you want to change the car, I wouldn't bother. It will have absolutely no effect on its value or reliability and provided MB as happy to honour the warranty as much as is left anyway, if you like the car, why not save yourself hassle and use it as a lever to get a couple of freebie services out of them?

 

[Seeker_UK]

That's good of them not to argue, but to be fair, unless you want to change the car, I wouldn't bother. It will have absolutely no effect on its value or reliability and provided MB as happy to honour the warranty as much as is left anyway, if you like the car, why not save yourself hassle and use it as a lever to get a couple of freebie services out of them?

True, but this is now a matter of principle. If the dealer chooses to sell me a car that doesn't meet their own criteria then I'd rather inconvenience myself for a couple of days than let them have a considerable stack of my money.

 

[stumpy]

I'd put the onus on them to find me a like for like car

 

[Rory]

That's good of them not to argue, but to be fair, unless you want to change the car, I wouldn't bother. It will have absolutely no effect on its value or reliability and provided MB as happy to honour the warranty as much as is left anyway, if you like the car, why not save yourself hassle and use it as a lever to get a couple of freebie services out of them?

I tend to agree with that, especially as you've had a month of living with the car, so you've a month long test drive.

If it seems fine, then get the dealer to service it (worst case, it ought to have been serviced in June 08 as its last service was June 06) including all mileage and time related jobs, which will include brake fluid and ATF change, and keep the car.

 

[David Nock]

I tend to agree with that, especially as you've had a month of living with the car, so you've a month long test drive.

If it seems fine, then get the dealer to service it (worst case, it ought to have been serviced in June 08 as its last service was June 06) including all mileage and time related jobs, which will include brake fluid and ATF change, and keep the car.

Seeker, I think we're mostly saying the same thing here. With Brake Fluid and ATF change at no cost, you could be several hundred pounds to the good, since those items are coming up either immediately or on the 40,000 horizon and most of us don't think the 270 CDI will have taken much harm.
Remember that otherwise there's no way you'd get an ATF change without paying, because it's not a service item.

 

[David Nock]

True, but this is now a matter of principle. If the dealer chooses to sell me a car that doesn't meet their own criteria then I'd rather inconvenience myself for a couple of days than let them have a considerable stack of my money.

Extract compensation as described above and you will have satisfied the matter of principle.

 

[EGBM]

Sorry to hijack the thread but does getting a used approved MB serviced by an indie on a PCP contract invalidate the contract, or do they count in that they're approved servicing agents?