New member - Help with service record please

mercambitions

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Favorite model? - Zetros
Hello all, my names Matt and I'm a new member here!

I don't actually own a Merc yet as my username suggests, but I am looking for a W447 114 Vito, and I'm close to pulling the trigger on one. The only thing that I'm not sure about is a couple of aspects of the service history.

The vehicle I'm looking at has done 33,000 and is a 2016 model year, went and took it for a test drive the other day and was pretty impressed! it was punchy enough and smooth (I'm coming from a 1995 Hilux so anything would be I guess) and in good condition at the right price.

Then the service history: the first service was at over 20,000 miles, now I've read that Mercedes advise the first service be done around 15,000 miles, but in reality it's whenever the vehicle tells you to service it, which in my limited experience of newer vehicles is usually BEFORE the manufacturers recommendation, not after. Is this normal for these vans or is it that the previous owner has neglected to service it?

The second question: there seems to have been some issue with the "mixing chamber / throttle valve actuator with four entries in the service record relating to this (although all on the same date so could be a single issue?) is this a common fault?

Also it has had brakes done at 20,000 miles, disks and pads, which isn't too out of the way in my eyes but doesn't exactly suggest a smooth and cautious driver either...

I'm posting a screenshot of the service record with any easily identifying info removed out of respect for the seller, I'd really appreciate some feedback on it as I'm not 100% comfortable making the purchase without a little more perspective on it. vito service record.png
 

rf065

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SLC300 - C250d Estate 4 Matic & Z900rs
Then the service history: the first service was at over 20,000 miles, now I've read that Mercedes advise the first service be done around 15,000 miles, but in reality it's whenever the vehicle tells you to service it, which in my limited experience of newer vehicles is usually BEFORE the manufacturers recommendation, not after. Is this normal for these vans or is it that the previous owner has neglected to service it?

I've never had a van, only cars, so you would need to verify what I'm saying is relevent to vans.
The ability to tell you when a service was due, depending on how you drove it, would mean services could be up to two years apart with varied mileages. This system in cars was abandoned around 2007, you now need a service every year or 15,500 miles, whichever is first. On a 2016 plate, this would put the first service overdue on mileage and age.

Next, this could just be an error, but a cancelled call out has the mileage registered as 45,372, but a few months later it's only 33,071?

Regarding discs and pads, Mercedes dealers are notorious for telling you they need replaced when only 50% worn, I would not worry about that.
 

GordonTarling

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Your Mercedes
2007 E63 AMG Estate
On 29/10/2018, it had 45,372 miles and now it has 33,071 miles? The servicing schedules are normally set on mileage OR time, whichever comes first, so regardless of the mileage, I think it should have had a service when it was one year old. Probably not much help, but have you tried checking the MOT history?
 
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mercambitions

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On 29/10/2018, it had 45,372 miles and now it has 33,071 miles? The servicing schedules are normally set on mileage OR time, whichever comes first, so regardless of the mileage, I think it should have had a service when it was one year old. Probably not much help, but have you tried checking the MOT history?

Aha yes I had noticed the mileage discrepancy, I think its just some buffoon that's entered the mileage incorrectly, I cant see the previous owner doing 20,000 miles in just under 3 months, plus it's been leased and maintained by Mercedes themselves up to now so I cant imagine any reason to clock it, which I know is possible but seems unlikely.

As for the MOT history it's had one MOT and only failed on the rear N\S light showing white light from the outside, so obviously a cracked lens or sumfink.

I called up my local Merc commercial dealer this afternoon and was told that actually 20,000 is about right for a first service and it is literally dependent on the in intelligent servicing feature or whatever it's called. The 15,000 mile service interval was something I read in a motoring journalist review that I think was mistaken, Merc's own website says it will be around 20,000 for commercials so seems legit.
 
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mercambitions

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I've never had a van, only cars, so you would need to verify what I'm saying is relevent to vans.
The ability to tell you when a service was due, depending on how you drove it, would mean services could be up to two years apart with varied mileages. This system in cars was abandoned around 2007, you now need a service every year or 15,500 miles, whichever is first. On a 2016 plate, this would put the first service overdue on mileage and age.

Next, this could just be an error, but a cancelled call out has the mileage registered as 45,372, but a few months later it's only 33,071?

Regarding discs and pads, Mercedes dealers are notorious for telling you they need replaced when only 50% worn, I would not worry about that.

I called up a Merc commercials dealer today and was told that 20,000 is about right for a first service and that, like you mentioned, it's entirely dependent on the intelligent servicing feature. Merc's own website also states that for the commercials 20,000 is about right

I believe the mileage entry is an error, it seems unlikely that the previous owner did 20,000 miles in under 3 months, it's roughly 230 miles a day every day for 3 months which while not impossible it seems unlikely based on the previous usage, plus it's been on lease from Mercedes and maintained by them, so it seems more unlikely there would be any motivation to wind the clock back (I know there are some insurance reasons, but it seems like a genuine error).

I said the same thing to my dad about the discs and pads, anecdotally a friend who's a commercials mech told me a while back that Mercedes pull all sorts to make good money on the discs and pads, like designing the brakes so the pad doesn't clear the edge of the disc intentionally so the disc wears a big ridge around the edge and needs to be replaced or turned down when the brakes are done, I haven't actually seen this myself so I don't know if its true but it was in the back of my mind when I saw it had had discs and pads...
 

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