Dealers!!MB servicing

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ALFIEBEARD

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This is a sad saga, I can offer no practical advice, but hopefully I can offer moral support, good luck to you.

Hi Jim,
Thanks for that, and it's far more than Mercedes have offered me so far;).
Kind Regards
Alfie B
 

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Alfie --interesting to hear the word Sytner ?-- Frank Sytner was a big BMW man I remember from my BMW racing days in the 80,s the garage was Sytners at Nottingham-- at the time it was the only authorised UK ALPINA franchise--Frank himself was from Liverpool and his brother Al had the famous Cavern Club -- they were dedicated car fans and very proud of the business --if the Sytner link in Carlisle is part of the same group ( long shot ) you could do as I once did many years ago and contact him in person--- nobody crossed Fearless Frank --the problems I had were sorted at once !
 
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Alfie --interesting to hear the word Sytner ?-- Frank Sytner was a big BMW man I remember from my BMW racing days in the 80,s the garage was Sytners at Nottingham-- at the time it was the only authorised UK ALPINA franchise--Frank himself was from Liverpool and his brother Al had the famous Cavern Club -- they were dedicated car fans and very proud of the business --if the Sytner link in Carlisle is part of the same group ( long shot ) you could do as I once did many years ago and contact him in person--- nobody crossed Fearless Frank --the problems I had were sorted at once !

Hi Teddycatkin,
Thanks for the info, the only trouble I can forsee with that, is actually getting hold of Mr Sytner , he will probably be hidden away in an office with a thousand buffer men/women to stop anyone getting to him:lol:. Its now getting to the stage its quite funny, its seems that this particular Dealer is going to replace most of the car to find out whats causing the faults. I will continue this story again tomorrow, I reckon this will end up a soap opera.:neutral:
Alfie B
 

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Option 2.

1. Buy a very cheap transit van, preferably a big box/luton van, MOT'd and taxed.
2. Buy some bright coloured paint and stencils for neat lettering.
3. Find a nice public parking spot somewhere near your local Merc dealer.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

My dad told me someone who had 'issues' with Mercedes on the Wirral did this, the van was parked kerbside next to the showroom for a few days I think, but I believe the 'issues' were resolved before it made the newspapers.

Oh, and if you DO choose to do the above post some pics !
 
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Option 2.

1. Buy a very cheap transit van, preferably a big box/luton van, MOT'd and taxed.
2. Buy some bright coloured paint and stencils for neat lettering.
3. Find a nice public parking spot somewhere near your local Merc dealer.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

My dad told me someone who had 'issues' with Mercedes on the Wirral did this, the van was parked kerbside next to the showroom for a few days I think, but I believe the 'issues' were resolved before it made the newspapers.

Oh, and if you DO choose to do the above post some pics !

Ha Ha nice one, I do actually own a large white van hmmm interesting,:lol: we will see what happens later today he he;)

Alfie B
 

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hi alfie. my dad had a problem with the same dealers when his c class broke a spring. im qualifed as a mechanic, so armed with the required info and reciepts he went back, made an appointment with the service manager, workshop foreman and a ramp in the workshop. funnily enough they bend over backwards to help us out now! incidentally some of the problems i believe to be due to the fact that the sytner group are predominantly a bmw chain apparently founded by ex bmw touring car racer, Frank Sytner! as for a blued brake disc, i would demand that the discs and pads be changed and ideally the fluid too. theres a thread somewhere here called when should you change your brake pads. the pics will look far better than your pads will in a few months if they have been cooked! thats when the friction material starts to break away from the backing plate
 
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hi alfie. my dad had a problem with the same dealers when his c class broke a spring. im qualifed as a mechanic, so armed with the required info and reciepts he went back, made an appointment with the service manager, workshop foreman and a ramp in the workshop. funnily enough they bend over backwards to help us out now! incidentally some of the problems i believe to be due to the fact that the sytner group are predominantly a bmw chain apparently founded by ex bmw touring car racer, Frank Sytner! as for a blued brake disc, i would demand that the discs and pads be changed and ideally the fluid too. theres a thread somewhere here called when should you change your brake pads. the pics will look far better than your pads will in a few months if they have been cooked! thats when the friction material starts to break away from the backing plate

Hi Turbopete,
Thanks for the reply, I did talk to the service manager but he was just trying to fob me off, my secretary spoke to the service receptionist this morning after waiting for another phone call that never came and they said they wont change the pads or the disc as they dont think they have been damaged!!! but when I go for the car NEXT WEEK I am going to ask them to put it in writing that the discs and pads are undamaged and are safe to use, they have now said that the part the car requires has to come from Germany and it will take around 5 days for it to arrive!!, so then it will be 3 weeks that I will have been without the car, as they say they dont have a loan vehicle available. I will at the end of this saga(if there is ever an end):rolleyes: write to the Sytner Group director and see what he has to say about the whole sorry tale, I just hope people read this and use an inde instead of these cowboys. I have found an Independant Mercedes BMW AUDI garage called AUTOTECH in Kingstown Carlisle, I have spoke to one of their mechanics and they sound good, so when its due for its next service I will send it to them.

So it sounds like the conclusion will come next week now:rolleyes:
Alfie B
 
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turbopete

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ive got to admit alfie that i do all my own work wherever ive got the equipment to do so. the guys at autotec are ex mb carlisle anyhow (or the 2 guys who own it are) and yes they are knowledgeable. the problem i have with them is that they flatly refuse to help out fellow mechanics, even other garages, in any shape or form. they'd probably tell you to book it in if you asked what size socket you needed to change a wheel as you had a puncture and the wheelbrace was missing! ive found quite the opposite with MB carlisle. maybe its because they knew me from years ago, maybe because ofthe little disagreement they had with my dad. either way it works a treat for me! when i neeeded my atf level checked, autotech wanted £20 to plug their star in. MB carlisle did it FOC! :shock::cool:
 

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ive got to admit alfie that i do all my own work wherever ive got the equipment to do so. the guys at autotec are ex mb carlisle anyhow (or the 2 guys who own it are) and yes they are knowledgeable. the problem i have with them is that they flatly refuse to help out fellow mechanics, even other garages, in any shape or form.:


Its a long time since I heard that this still goes on with service outlets, what a shame when they could all benefit.

This was very rife in the 60s when they all thought that they were gods
 

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well Malcolm, my previous post says it all really! even though i was delivering parts to them when i asked about my atf level check!!! 14yrs on the spanners, 3yrs trying other things to see where i wanted my life to go, think its time the toolbox was dusted off again for more than just sorting out family and friends cars! way i look at it, MB did it for free. both dad and myself buy nothing but genuine parts from MB. and why not? autotech wanted me to pay £20 for a job that takes about 5 mins, so why would i give them my business for even the parts?
 
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ive got to admit alfie that i do all my own work wherever ive got the equipment to do so. the guys at autotec are ex mb carlisle anyhow (or the 2 guys who own it are) and yes they are knowledgeable. the problem i have with them is that they flatly refuse to help out fellow mechanics, even other garages, in any shape or form. they'd probably tell you to book it in if you asked what size socket you needed to change a wheel as you had a puncture and the wheelbrace was missing! ive found quite the opposite with MB carlisle. maybe its because they knew me from years ago, maybe because ofthe little disagreement they had with my dad. either way it works a treat for me! when i neeeded my atf level checked, autotech wanted £20 to plug their star in. MB carlisle did it FOC! :shock::cool:

Hi Turbopete,
Hmm I see what you mean, and Yes Mercedes Carlisle also checked my autobox oil for free, when I first got the car which delighted me and it is why I went back to them when the SBC problem arose, as I could have taken the car back to Furness Park Garage in Barrow who owned my car and have been brilliant with every request I have asked of them, but as you are aware Barrow is some distance from Carlisle, so I wanted someone closer. I asked Autotech for a price for a Gearbox Oil change and an engine oil and filter change,and a full check over etc, and the price they gave me for both was £220 inc vat, which I thought was ok. I am mechanically minded and indeed I have restored many cars over the years and rebuilt a number of engines from Ford E93As to RR Silver Spirits lovely old V8s. so although I am capable of doing my own work,I dont own an OBD systems computer, so I would be wasting my time trying to locate faults without one and at 55yrs old I have no desire to start learning again:lol, Your comments are both valid and gratefully received, and I will see what the eventual outcome is from Carlisle Mercedes before I decide who to use, as up to now they have been utterly useless in the faultfinding process and the customer service and the work so far carried out.:(.

Kind Regards.
Alfie B
 
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Its a long time since I heard that this still goes on with service outlets, what a shame when they could all benefit.

This was very rife in the 60s when they all thought that they were gods

Hi Malcolm,
Yes this was rife in the 60s it was then termed as a closed shop:rolleyes:, I own a small Electronics Workshop and we are a Sony Regional Service Centre among many others, and we will always help other companies and individuals where possible. Sony invested large sums in our company for test equipment and SMD soldering etc, and when we became an ASC with them we had to sign non disclosure contracts with them. I can understand their point, as if they are spending large sums of money on training and testgear so that the people who are servicing their products are carrying out the repairs, are doing so competantly, and the inherant safety of the equipment is not compromised, but as Turbopete said, sometimes companies want to keep all the work for themselves and refuse to help even competant people, I feel that this is very wrong:( we use our descretion when giving out parts and information.
I am privelaged to have found this site and had lots of good advice from it,s brilliant members:D.

Kind Regards
Alfie B
 

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Hi Malcolm,
Yes this was rife in the 60s it was then termed as a closed shop:rolleyes:, I own a small Electronics Workshop and we are a Sony Regional Service Centre among many others, and we will always help other companies and individuals where possible. Sony invested large sums in our company for test equipment and SMD soldering etc, and when we became an ASC with them we had to sign non disclosure contracts with them. I can understand their point, as if they are spending large sums of money on training and testgear so that the people who are servicing their products are carrying out the repairs, are doing so competantly, and the inherant safety of the equipment is not compromised, but as Turbopete said, sometimes companies want to keep all the work for themselves and refuse to help even competant people, I feel that this is very wrong:( we use our descretion when giving out parts and information.
I am privelaged to have found this site and had lots of good advice from it,s brilliant members:D.

Kind Regards
Alfie B

What a small world Alfie,,in 1972 I took on all of the UK service for Yamaha and Nakamichi till1984, then took on the Harmon UK and all of the Teac/Tascam JBL along side with all of the USA expensive valve amps like Conrad Johnson, Solo. In Sweden I did all of the Musical Fidelity and many others, its all gone regional now
 
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What a small world Alfie,,in 1972 I took on all of the UK service for Yamaha and Nakamichi till1984, then took on the Harmon UK and all of the Teac/Tascam JBL along side with all of the USA expensive valve amps like Conrad Johnson, Solo. In Sweden I did all of the Musical Fidelity and many others, its all gone regional now

Yes Malcolm,
It is a real shame that many many good reliable small companies have gone to the wall because of this situation, we were a repairer for BOOTS/Colourvision etc branded audio/tv/vcr etc for about 10yrs and we lost that to regional service companies, we are lucky that we have now around 10 major manufacturers on service contract with ourselves, You were saying you done the service for Yamaha, lovely stuff eh, we opened a service account with them in around 1986 and and honestly say I could count on one hand the amount of failures we got, the same can be said for Haron and Teac eh, Valve Amps bring back memories for me I used to service most of the Groups in Cumbria,s Amps I liked the old Laney the best. Them days things were built not just flung together like the Turkish crap now:rolleyes:.
 

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I will break down my workshop soon and get rid of all of the test gear and parts, I have hundreds of things like TO3 output transistors that no one uses any more, same with the test gear= obsolete
 

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5 days for a part from Germany--? are they having it delivered by horse and cart ?
(We have regular next day deliveries from Germany and the Netherlands on a regular basis here in Cheshire) there agian Cumbria is 50 or so miles up the M6 from here perhaps they need to change over the horse at Shap?.
 

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true enough teddy. the poor old nag gets knackered dragging that big cart all the way up to the summit at shap! however i think it depends on which particular part youre waiting for. some arrive next day, others take ages!
 

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All assuming that MB Dealers are expensive, of course.. then some of the arguments stack up ............. have a look round the T'internet ......... a lot of dealers are offering deals on servicing ...... I've beenn offered £150 for my A, and £250 for my B service ........ by my dealer, recuring. ................ They want my busines, ,,and as I'm doing the miles ......... I needed a deal !
 


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