When a full main dealer service history is not quite......

Nemo20

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Hi folks, popping in after a while away doing other things! No news is good news though and the SL has been behaving itself in the main. :) Did anyone say it's too hot lately for a convertible.........? ;) :cool:

It was due a service a few weeks ago; the first since being in my possession. I bought the car from a private dealer but with full main dealer service history. We checked it was all stamped at the time of purchase and all seemed fine. It wasn't until looking really closely, prior to the service, that I realised some of the boxes weren't ticked. Therefore, how did I know whether something had been done or not?

On ringing the dealer in question, to find out what had actually been done, we were very politely given the brush off. The service took place in 2011 and apparently Mercedes have changed their computer system, so that the records were inaccessible. I'll take that as a no then? :rolleyes:

So, the air conditioning filter was removed and replaced and had clearly never been done since the car was new (05 model). It would appear the spark plugs and other filters have not been done either. Fortunately the car has never misbehaved on starting yet, so I will delay replacing them as this is such a large cost.

Anyway, never judge a book by it's cover......read the small print!
 

Corned

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I'm still surprised that in this day and age a main dealer service history carries any weight at all. In most instances you hear about, it should actually devalue a car.

This is because it means that people with no care and attention, nor sense of customer service, nor even basic human ethics, have been mauling your pride and joy. Any seemingly quite often, the work paid for has simply not been carried out.

On the upside, you might find that several expensive components on the car will be fairly new - having needlessly been replaced by said 'technicians' to pad out the invoices over the car's lifetime.

Cynical? Moi?
 

EmilysDad

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I'm still surprised that in this day and age a main dealer service history carries any weight at all. In most instances you hear about, it should actually devalue a car. ....
Especially as the computerised service history seems to be classified :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Cynical? Moi?
I agree ....... (I can't parlez Francais enough to make a clever French reply ;);)
)
 

EmilysDad

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Nemo20;1060769 ... Did anyone say it's too hot lately for a convertible.........? ;) :cool: .... [/QUOTE said:
I took EmilysMum's Smart Roadster to work today. In the inevitable 'rush hour' crawl on the way home, I'd to shut the roof & put the a/c on ....... it was toooo hot! :lol:
 

EmilysDad

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.....
Anyway, never judge a book by it's cover......read the small print!

I've looked at various cars over the years that have had 'full dealer service history' & wouldn't have touched them with a barge pole! ;)
 

television

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One thing to bare in mind is that not all dealers will give you the info where a car was serviced somewhere else, I think it is worth your while to ask the one that did the service for the details.
 

Frontstep

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I looked at a few cars before mine the FMBSH ones were the best available the one a man had looked after himself was a close second.
 

EmilysDad

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One thing to bare in mind is that not all dealers will give you the info where a car was serviced somewhere else,
Obviously. But the MB dealer I bought mine from was reluctant to give me a paper version what servicing history they (MB) had done.

I think it is worth your while to ask the one that did the service for the details.
Again ... obvious. No point in asking the local Ford dealer what service history your car has :rolleyes: ;)

Apart from when you want to sell it on, a FSH is generally not worth the paper it's printed on. I'd like to see receipts for other stuff too. I must have £thousands worth of receipts for the 10 + yrs I've owned my Vauxhall - it's not a 'FSH' though.
 
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television

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Obviously. But the MB dealer I bought mine from was reluctant to give me a paper version what servicing history they (MB) had done.


Again ... obvious. No point in asking the local Ford dealer what service history your car has :rolleyes: ;)

It not obviously at all, unless you know the dealer very well they may not give info when a car was serviced somewhere else in the mercedes network. There are reasons for this.

As I said the one that stamped the book will still have the details
 
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Nemo20

Nemo20

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In my case, I was ringing the dealer that had stamped the book and they refused to give any further details, with the story about new computer system. I do have paperwork to accompany the book, although it's clear that other work has been done for which I don't have the paperwork. What you don't know can't hurt you is probably my thought there though!

I agree Corned, I decided to move on from main dealers when I bought the car and have been very happy so far with my dealings with Herts Merx.
 

television

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In my case, I was ringing the dealer that had stamped the book and they refused to give any further details, with the story about new computer system. I do have paperwork to accompany the book, although it's clear that other work has been done for which I don't have the paperwork. What you don't know can't hurt you is probably my thought there though!

I agree Corned, I decided to move on from main dealers when I bought the car and have been very happy so far with my dealings with Herts Merx.

The car will not have suffered and it all makes no difference to its value at this point in time, it been serviced, thats what matters.

This thing on sparking plugs is stupid, 4 years or 50k miles, I took mine out after 7 years and they were all like new.

Nice to hear from you again :D:D
 

Mic

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You may not be able to recreate a complete record of past work done but I have found that it helps me to have produced a spread sheet depicting all the major service, repair and maintenance items.
This gives me an easy visual reference matrix and helps to identify a pattern and hence what most likely needs doing next.
We have similar cars so this may help.......my next service will be a ''big'' one, late 90k miles, and will almost certainly require front discs, possibly rear discs, plugs, ATF, maybe brake fluid (it will be tested) and probably some filters.
Incidentally, with the benefit of hindsight I stayed with MB Oxford for too long and one of the things that they definitely did not change was my pollen filter.

Servicing Grid.jpg

Mic
 
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S.Speed

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You may not be able to recreate a complete record of past work done but I have found that it helps me to have produced a spread sheet depicting all the major service, repair and maintenance items.
This gives me an easy visual reference matrix and helps to identify a pattern and hence what most likely needs doing next.
We have similar cars so this may help.......my next service will be a ''big'' one, late 90k miles, and will almost certainly require front discs, possibly rear discs, plugs, ATF, maybe brake fluid (it will be tested) and probably some filters.
Incidentally, with the benefit of hindsight I stayed with MB Oxford for too long and one of the things that they definitely did not change was my pollen filter.

View attachment 23431

Mic

And very comprehensive you are too Mick..
I am still reading what you sent me..
Why has War & Peace come to mind?? :D
 
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Nemo20

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The car will not have suffered and it all makes no difference to its value at this point in time, it been serviced, thats what matters.

This thing on sparking plugs is stupid, 4 years or 50k miles, I took mine out after 7 years and they were all like new.

Nice to hear from you again :D:D

Nice to pop back again. :D I have posted another thread that you may have a view on. ;)

Yes I'm heading for the 50k miles and it will be 8 years old or so, so that will be when I do a few things to it.

Thanks Mic, I will have a look at your spreadsheet. As you say getting an overview is a helpful.
 

EmilysDad

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... maybe brake fluid (it will be tested) and ....

Why go to the effort & expense of testing it? And are you testing it just for water? You'll be able to buy a boat load of the stuff for the cost of a test ........... just change it ;) ;) ;)
 

Mic

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Why go to the effort & expense of testing it? And are you testing it just for water? You'll be able to buy a boat load of the stuff for the cost of a test ........... just change it ;) ;) ;)

I do not test anything......my indie makes the decisions. May be it is time/mileage for a change......may be that is marginal so test......one of the benefits of a good trustworthy indie is that they do what needs doing and they don't do what doesn't need doing.
I am confident that Ian at Star Motor Services will do what is best for me and my car......no expense spared.......no expense wasted.

Mic
 
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Can I just point out that car owner may have declined the additional work -- filters and fluids -- and only asked for the basic A or B service each time? And then the owner might still be inclined to claim FMBSH.

I see it a lot where they bring it in for the last service before they change the car. They have the most basic of oil and filter changes.
 

whitenemesis

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Can I just point out that car owner may have declined the additional work -- filters and fluids -- and only asked for the basic A or B service each time? And then the owner might still be inclined to claim FMBSH.

I see it a lot where they bring it in for the last service before they change the car. They have the most basic of oil and filter changes.

I thought I read posts that stated if the extras required, be it through time or mileage, were declined the dealerships were refusing the stamp the service book as the service was incomplete?
 
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orb the Impaler

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Spark plugs are actually easy on the R230; you just need to fabricate a tool to pop the plug caps off (the hardest bit. I used a big long spanner with the appropriate sized jaws with a bend in it) and take your time. Take a photo first in case you cock up the coil pack wiring.

I got the correct NGK plugs from GSF (16 of 'em!) for a cracking £47 as I got chatting with the chap in GSF who gave me some mega discount.

I just took a bottle of wine down to my garage, got some tunes on and took my time. Couple of hours later they're all done and I've saved about £550 over a dealer price :cool:
 

television

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Certainly if the sparking plugs are not changed the book will not get stamped, so if the book is stamp could the ticking off of these just be an over sight
 


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