MB Service?

[Bluegrass]

Hi,

The service on my 2001 W210 is due soon and the car still has a tier 2 warranty.Do i need to take it back to the MD Direct dealer to keep the warranty valid?
If i don't anyone know of a reputable independent in north west London?
On a different note I have a problem with too much play in the steering and the dealer wants £90 to check it as it might not be covered by the warranty.Is this true?

Thanks.

 

[jberks]

Check your warranty docs. It's not the manufacturers warranty so isn't covered by 'block exemption' rules, but at the same time, most warranties simply say that the work must be carried out "in accordance with manufacturers specifications". An proper specialist indie will do this.
However, it depends somewhat on what mileage you do and how long the warranty has to run. If this is going to be the last service under warranty then the £1-200 you will save may not be worth the possible hassle, especially if the specialist finds anything that needs doing under warranty and you have to return it to MB.
Also, the W210 does have corrosion issues. If the car currently has FMBSH then you need to make a judgement call as to whether the corrosion warranty is worth the extra cost. On the W210 it may be.

When I did 8k per year, my servicing was every 18 months or so, so the car went to the dealer. The £200 I would have saved really wasn't worth the hassle and I could drop the car off and be confident that there would be no problem with any warranty claims.

I now do 25k per year so am looking at 2-3 services a year. Saving possibly £750 a year starts to be worth the hassle so my last service on my 16 month old E class was at the specialist. I am still confident that any warranty work will be done by the dealer should it prove necessary, but I also know there is a risk of an argument first and of course I have the hassle of 2 garage visits if anything comes up.

On the £90 issue - another gamble. If the problem is warranty related, you get the £90 paid. If not, you are down £90 for the diagnosis and who knows how much more for the repair. In your case, I might drop it into the indie and have them look first. Ok - you lose £45 or so, but if the work is warranty you can take it in confidently, if not, you save another chunk on the repair too. Alternatively, risk it but depending on the quote, don't approve the work if its not covered and take it to the indie then. Heads they win, tails you lose I'm afraid!

 

[Bluegrass]

thanks jberks.

I'll take it to the indie for the steering.There is 5 months left on the warranty.

With the rust issue i've pulled back the rubber on the door frames to check.It's got some sort of whitish paste underneath but no rust.However the rear number plate light area is showing rust.
Do i need to tell MB to check for the rust or do they do it as part of the service?

 

[jberks]

you need to tell them. Just ask them to do a corrosion check and put in a claim. It may be best to let the dealer do all services and the indie do everything else that comes up. Thats what I did with my 210. They don't know about the other work (brake pads, disks, the odd misfire etc) so the corrosion warranty stands.