B for Big

[Mercfunder]

Just contacted local mercedes dealer to book car, 2004 clk320, in for a B service.
Nearly fell off my chair at the price quoted £1100.00 + £14.00 for use of courtesy car!:x
I was told gearbox oil needed to be changed at 40,000 miles and spark plugs alone were £260.00.
Local specialist quoted £395.00 for whole job including spark plug change, and informs me that gearbox is sealed for life and fluid shouldn't need changing until around 80,000 miles.
Guess where i'm going for the service.

 

[television]

Welcome to the forum,, just one point , the gearbox fluid and filter should be changed at 45k miles, as the sealed for life was scrapped 2 years back. The average indie price for this is around £170.

Things are getting stupid when the price of a few services come work out more expensive than the value of the car,. and after a few years it makes next to no difference to the cars re sale price

 

[Mercfunder]

Thanks, Television.

Local specialist has quoted £140.00 to do gearbox, but reckons it shouldn,t need it.

 

[rf065]

A lot of MB dealers offer a discount on servicing if the car is older than 3 years, ask them if they are willing to do that & try any other MB dealers in your area for the same.

I think the gearbox oil change is only done once, so will not need done again if that's any consolation.

Russ

 

[Cole@MBS]

The dealers wonder why there losing there customers!! whos going to pay £1100 for a service, iv bought cars for less than that!

 

[truthfindergeneral]

'A lot of MB dealers offer a discount on servicing if the car is older than 3 years, ask them if they are willing to do that'
You shouldn't have to ask. This whole servicing malarky reeks of rip off Britain. They have deals but they hope you are too stupid or embarrassed to ask about them.

 

[rf065]

' This whole servicing malarky reeks of rip off Britain.

We are also known as Treasure Island!

Russ

 

[Birdman]

The Mobilo warranty is worth keeping and provided you have an MB service stamp every 2 years it remains valid. I have the A service done at a franchised dealership and that keeps it current. If the B service is a big one I go to an indie.

 

[television]

The Mobilo warranty is worth keeping and provided you have an MB service stamp every 2 years it remains valid. I have the A service done at a franchised dealership and that keeps it current. If the B service is a big one I go to an indie.

Very nice to hear from you Birdman What are you running now

 

[jberks]

The Mobilo warranty is worth keeping and provided you have an MB service stamp every 2 years it remains valid. I have the A service done at a franchised dealership and that keeps it current. If the B service is a big one I go to an indie.

Sorry Birdman but I have to disagree. From my correspondence with MB I understand that Mobilio is only valid to the next service - not every 2 years. If your car is post 04 then you're covered 50% of the time as you can reinstate cover with each dealer service, but otherwise it's gone.
What you can do is get the dealer stamp for the basic service but refuse plugs and gbox oil. Then pop it down to the indie.

 

[Common Rail]

Sorry Birdman but I have to disagree. From my correspondence with MB I understand that Mobilio is only valid to the next service - not every 2 years. If your car is post 04 then you're covered 50% of the time as you can reinstate cover with each dealer service, but otherwise it's gone.
What you can do is get the dealer stamp for the basic service but refuse plugs and gbox oil. Then pop it down to the indie.

There might still be a snag with that. MB has its own record of the work an MB dealer performs on your car, so taking to an indie for gearbox oil leaves MB's record untouched. Next time you go to MB it'll be flagged up that a gearbox oil change is required so you won't get the stamp in your service history to record that the MBSH is up to date unless its done.

[On my last A service I asked the dealer not to perform any other work beyond the basic service. They advised they couldn't put the stamp in the book until all work identified was done by them. As it happened, everything was up to date, so got away with just £128 + my oil.]

No doubt, others' experiences will differ and calls from mobile 'phones will vary.....

 

[jberks]

There might still be a snag with that. MB has its own record of the work an MB dealer performs on your car, so taking to an indie for gearbox oil leaves MB's record untouched. Next time you go to MB it'll be flagged up that a gearbox oil change is required so you won't get the stamp in your service history to record that the MBSH is up to date unless its done.

[On my last A service I asked the dealer not to perform any other work beyond the basic service. They advised they couldn't put the stamp in the book until all work identified was done by them. As it happened, everything was up to date, so got away with just £128 + my oil.]

No doubt, others' experiences will differ and calls from mobile 'phones will vary.....

This may be a new thing - previously the 'extra' work was optional so when I told MB Harrogate not to change the gearbox oil they said fine. (I later changed my mind and had them do it). There are check boxes on the service book listing what has been done at that service so I would expect them to stamp the book but simply leave the requisite box unticked. I have heard of dealers refusing to stamp the book though, but I don't know the exact circumstances.

 

[Mercfunder]

Dealer agreed to discount service to £1030.00 only after some persuassion, and stated that they would not be able to stamp the book if they had not carried out the full service.
They claimed to have blind called all the local specialists and nobody could offer a better price.
local Indie is within 2 miles of their place and used to be workshop foreman, so don't know who they asked.
At least Dick Turpin wore a mask!
Think I can live without coffee and glossy mags for the price saving.

 

[Birdman]

Very nice to hear from you Birdman What are you running now

My good ol' E55 now has 105,000 miles under it's camchain and still runs like a dream. Can't bear to part with her. Plus a new Phaeton because it was there and too good a deal to pass up. Loverly car... My frugal mother thinks it's an economical buy because she once saw 42mpg on the readout (being it's diesel). I don't let on it weighs over two tons and will do 150mph!

How's your SL500 going? My brother wants one because he doesn't get on with the SLK320 but is worried about road noise, which his ghastly wife can't abide. Can you get a "quiet" version of the SL?

 

[Birdman]

Sorry Birdman but I have to disagree. From my correspondence with MB I understand that Mobilio is only valid to the next service - not every 2 years. If your car is post 04 then you're covered 50% of the time as you can reinstate cover with each dealer service, but otherwise it's gone.
What you can do is get the dealer stamp for the basic service but refuse plugs and gbox oil. Then pop it down to the indie.

I gather that the Mobilo contract varies from year to year. My 2001 contract provides for two year renewals for thirty years but maybe MB has tightened up elsewhere. I had a big rust claim met under mobilo early this year. Major replacement service items (fuel filter, brake discs, plugs etc) were done by an indie after its three year manufacturers cover expired, with the dealer attending to routine A and B services. But I do wonder how long MB can do this in present trading conditions. I'd rather they stay in business than go bust because of extended warranty claims.

 

[television]

My good ol' E55 now has 105,000 miles under it's camchain and still runs like a dream. Can't bear to part with her. Plus a new Phaeton because it was there and too good a deal to pass up. Loverly car... My frugal mother thinks it's an economical buy because she once saw 42mpg on the readout (being it's diesel). I don't let on it weighs over two tons and will do 150mph!

How's your SL500 going? My brother wants one because he doesn't get on with the SLK320 but is worried about road noise, which his ghastly wife can't abide. Can you get a "quiet" version of the SL?

The SL can never be as quiet as a big E or S class, but for what it is,it is OK. The isolation from the boot is good but not perfect as that cannot be so with any folding top car.

Certainly for long trips it offers superb comfort, and there is no fatigue through car or road noise. I did 6k miles this summer driving to Sweden and that was effortless and enjoyable, both with the roof up and down.

 

[David Nock]

Thanks, Television.

Local specialist has quoted £140.00 to do gearbox, but reckons it shouldn,t need it.

If you're planning on keeping the car I would certainly have it done. I'm making plans for my CLK for next year when it reach about 35,000 miles. If I'm keeping the car I'll have an ATF change even though it's not in the service schedule. Mercedes decided to add this item to the schedule for later cars for good reason methinks.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Certainly for long trips it offers superb comfort, and there is no fatigue through car or road noise. I did 6k miles this summer driving to Sweden and that was effortless and enjoyable, both with the roof up and down.

As per Malcolm's note. My R129 SL500, top down, wind deflector up, is free of wind buffetting to over 100 mph (which should be enough for the UK). Soft top or hard top are each as quiet as a good saloon car and bone dry in even the worst weather. Top up there is no need to increase radio volume or conversational voice at any speed.

 

[rf065]

If you're planning on keeping the car I would certainly have it done. I'm making plans for my CLK for next year when it reach about 35,000 miles. If I'm keeping the car I'll have an ATF change even though it's not in the service schedule. Mercedes decided to add this item to the schedule for later cars for good reason methinks.

This highlights one of the problems when you take the car outside the dealers network for servicing, as we are seeing here, the non MB garages are either saying the gearbox does not need done at all (sealed for life), or only needs done at 80,000 miles.

As we all know, MB changed their mind on this & I'm sure mine should get done at 60,000km/37,000 miles. As you say, MB must have had good reason to change the service schedule.

Russ

 

[st4]

Any automatic gearbox should have its oil changed at less than 50k intervals. Sealed for life is a load of BS and was brought in to make maintence packages sold by the manufacturer cheaper as convientienly this vital work was no longer needed.

My advice to the OP is to change the gearbox oil. The car will be smoother as a result. My advice however is to service it @ an Indie, not @ MB.