At what point ...

[Brizzle]

... do you decide that the extra cost of a dealer/specialist service (compared to a general garage) is no longer worth it?

My C220 is 10 years old, has about 195,000 on the clock and is in reasonable condition for a motor of that vintage. The previous owner (from new) always had it dealer serviced and I have been using an independent since I bought it. It's quite likely that I will keep the car until either I surrender my license (I'll be 65 later this month so not immediately) or it falls apart underneath me and either way I'm not likely to get another car after.

Your thoughts would be appreciated

 

[Blobcat]

Depends upon cost/trust for me.

I’ve previously had main dealer servicing for the whole length I’ve had a car because the cost was the same as the indie.

So far I’ve only used MBS for my SLK because of trust and cost. My main dealer isn’t the same as they used to be and I trust Cole.

 

[Chrishazle]

+1 for Blobcat's approach. My S204 had full main dealer service record when I bought it - with a 1 year Tier 1 warranty - so just before the year was up I had them service it in case they found anything and would have to fix it under warranty. Since then she's been serviced by my trusted local indie because 1. he's cheaper and 2. I trust him plus 3. he uses proper parts. Car is currently with him as it happens, as there's a fault with the rad fan that needs sorting!

 

[LostKiwi]

I do most of my own servicing (r230 excepted). With mileage like yours I'd be tempted to use the local garage if you trust the work they do and have a good relationship with them.
The main benefit of using an indy (dealers are pointless once the car has depreciated 75% in my view) is the will often pick up little things a local garage will miss simply because the indy is more familiar with the vehicles and their common issues. Any repair work outside basic services I'd put to an indy - more likely to get first time fixes and most likely quicker too.

 

[JBell]

You have Steve @Avantguard in Clevedon so it is a no brainer who to go to

 

[Wighty]

... do you decide that the extra cost of a dealer/specialist service (compared to a general garage) is no longer worth it?

My C220 is 10 years old, has about 195,000 on the clock and is in reasonable condition for a motor of that vintage. The previous owner (from new) always had it dealer serviced and I have been using an independent since I bought it. It's quite likely that I will keep the car until either I surrender my license (I'll be 65 later this month so not immediately) or it falls apart underneath me and either way I'm not likely to get another car after.

Your thoughts would be appreciated

What mileage do you do every year ?

 

[Jim2]

... do you decide that the extra cost of a dealer/specialist service (compared to a general garage) is no longer worth it?

My C220 is 10 years old, has about 195,000 on the clock and is in reasonable condition for a motor of that vintage. The previous owner (from new) always had it dealer serviced and I have been using an independent since I bought it. It's quite likely that I will keep the car until either I surrender my license (I'll be 65 later this month so not immediately) or it falls apart underneath me and either way I'm not likely to get another car after.

Your thoughts would be appreciated

So in your case Brizzle, 10 year old car, with 195,000 miles on the clock....Well, mine is also coming up to 10 years old ( next April, to be exact ) w212, 2.1 CDI, with 135.000 Miles on the clock, and personally, I passed the 65 year old milestone myself a few years ago,,,and the only thing that would make me change the car is if there were some problem arising which would cost mega bucks to fix, and in that case, I would have to replace it, other wise,I plan on driving on until such time as I cannot. Here in Ireland....once you pass the 70 mark, they will only renew your driving licence for max 3 years each renewal,,,but other wise, drive on !!!

 

[EmilysDad]

.... Here in Ireland....once you pass the 70 mark, they will only renew your driving licence for max 3 years each renewal,,,but other wise, drive on !!!

Likewise here on the main land .... you just need to declare you're fit to drive I believe (I'm a few years off the mark yet )

 

[flowrider]

Have you looked at the MB 7+ year value service?

 

[A.J.]

I have not had a main dealer service for two years now, can't see the point. The car is seven years old now but only done 30,000 miles. I use an Indie who and I keep the invoices to prove a continuing service history by an MB specialist when the time comes to sell. I don't foresee a problem

 

[grayb]

I would use an indie over a general garage. For example, my local garage over filled the engine oil on our CLK55amg because they weren't used to working on them. Shouldn't happen with a good indie. I would however stick with an indie who has invested in the MB Star software etc so that the online service history is kept up.

 

[Naraic]

Likewise here on the main land .... you just need to declare you're fit to drive I believe (I'm a few years off the mark yet )

GB is not the mainland to Ireland...they are different countries.

 

[vtaylor78]

A Good Indie can do Everything a main stealer can .
In my experience once you’ve found a good trustworthy garage your quids in, and can probably justify having extra stuff done.

 

[EmilysDad]

GB is not the mainland to Ireland...

Did I say it was?

they are different countries.

I know

 

[Brizzle]

You have Steve @Avantguard in Clevedon so it is a no brainer who to go to

I have been using Steve since I bought the car in 2016 - he's had a fair few quid out of me in that time

 

[Brizzle]

What mileage do you do every year ?

Since Dec 2016 I have drive just under 40,000, so 13,000 per year - mostly commuting to work (13 miles each way) with some longer journeys thrown in for good measure. This might reduce if I actually decide to retire next year. Fuel consumption over the same period has averaged out at 35mpg (best 42; worst 30).

 

[Brizzle]

Have you looked at the MB 7+ year value service?

Didn't even know something like this existed ... must check it out. Thanks for the heads up

 

[Trev1964]

My c class is 9 years old and done 54k miles.
Just done an oil and filter on it myself as the dash told me it was due. Had it 5 months now.
Gonna service it every 6 months or so as i do a lot of very short journeys and only about 2500 mile s a year. I'll keep all the receipts as proof.
I can't see it affecting the value of an old car like mine to be honest and if it did, i think it would be by less than the amount i will have saved.

 

[Brizzle]

Perhaps I should explain my thinking. The only time a service history is of any value is when you come to sell the car on, so given that I plan to keep this one until it or I keel over terminally there is no benefit in having an dealer or specialist garage service record. All of my other cars have been looked after by a local, general garage where I have gotten to know the owner and his family quite well. I have trusted him with everything from a Astra to a Discovery and never had cause to question his professionalism or competence.

Avantgarde in Clevedon have done a sterling job (as far as I know) since I bought the C220 in December 2016 and I don't have a reason not to continue using them - indeed, I regularly recommend him - except to save some money on servicing and repairs. I must stress that I have a well paid job and don't need to make the savings.

 

[M80]

The cheapest way to keep it reliable.
By the sounds of it you intend to keep it till it's worth next to nowt.
It follows it's greatest value is to be reliable for you.

Any mechy can fix stuff that goes wrong but i think there is value to an MB specialist doing anything more than simple repairs.
I don't go in for the continual updates being overly neccessary as the car works all right w/o them but an unfamilair mechy can be perhaps a bit clumsy, and even just not be aware of the best way to repair.

Servicing wise though, as long as the correct lubricants and good quality materials are used it isn't really complicated, until a wannabe has a go at ATF servicing though, back to the Indie for that.