Am I being taken for a ride???

[Merlin13]

Hi Guys,

I went to my local Merc Dealer today to get a price on brake pads for the SL and a quote for fitting them. As its the first time I have needed to do this (15,000 miles) I would welcome your thoughts........................

A set of front and rear pads and sensors (?),cost £145 inc VAT. Not bad I thought. The Dealer wants £291.40 inc VAT to fit them though!!!! Apparently its because they have to disconnect some system or other (SBC I think they said). The cost seems a little excessive. Or is this just the price of Mercedes ownership?!?!

Should I get the parts and look for a local independent garage? If so, does anyone know of one in SE London/Surrey?

Thanks for your help.

Jay

 

[MIW615]

Hi Guys,

I went to my local Merc Dealer today to get a price on brake pads for the SL and a quote for fitting them. As its the first time I have needed to do this (15,000 miles) I would welcome your thoughts........................

A set of front and rear pads and sensors (?),cost £145 inc VAT. Not bad I thought. The Dealer wants £291.40 inc VAT to fit them though!!!! Apparently its because they have to disconnect some system or other (SBC I think they said). The cost seems a little excessive. Or is this just the price of Mercedes ownership?!?!

Should I get the parts and look for a local independent garage? If so, does anyone know of one in SE London/Surrey?

Thanks for your help.

Jay

Jay,

Get a quote from an independant, the cost of the parts will be the same assuming they use MB original parts, but you should save on the labour. Have a look through this link for an indy near you..........................

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=31546

 

[jberks]

Are you sure "£291.40 inc VAT " isn't including the parts. If it is, then fair enough. Otherwise then yes it's crazy.
They do have to shut off the SBC (though you can do this yourself by just pulling the plug!) but it only involved plugging their computer in for a few seconds. Also, my E class has the same braking system and I don't remember being charged anything like that for a pad change.
You are in London and the london dealers do seem to ramp up the labour rates compared to elsewhere so that may only be 2 hours, but at the end of the day, any indie can do the pads and will charge 1/2 to 1/3 of that.