Service Care Plans

[GottleibDaimler]

ESS will do, because it doesn't have the precise knowledge of the spec of your car - it only works on the model range you enter. But as you say, that service sheet says 31000 with NAG 2 - yours is not NAG 2 but NAG 2+. If you put the same details into www.mymercedesservice.co.uk which does work from your individual vehicle (calling up the data card in the background from your registration) it shouldn't come up as due. Unless you play about with the mileage, that is!

 

[JBell]

Mercedes have just contacted me about a Service Plan for the "10" plate C250 CGi my parents have, they want £34 a month.

Not sure if this is worth it or not, some of the flannel given included £400 in labour per service.

States the next service will be £517 on the service site and MB Exeter charge an extra £20 for using the lounge!!!!

 

[KennyN]

Mercedes have just contacted me about a Service Plan

I have just had a chat with one of the ladies from my local MB Dealership regarding the same topic mentioned above.

60 plate CLS 350 diesel with 25k miles - £42 p/m over four years. This equates to £2k over the contract duration and roughly £500 per service with everything included.

This also includes the Mobilo breakdown cover which will save me paying for it through my insurance or a separate contract with AA/RAC/G-Flag.

I didn't think that it was too bad or am I being blinded by the subtle lighting and shiny floors of the dealership ????

Why would an E350 of the same vintage be >£40 p/m ????

Will they carry out software updates (if required) the vehicle during the service whilst on STAR ????

Kenny

 

[eman]

I took out a 2 service plan over 12 months that I pay £74pm which comes to £888. so I got my A service £264 and my 4 yr biggy service including the gearbox. that alone I was quoted 8-9 hundred quid. and yes you get all of the options on my service free (collected, courtesy car, lounge stay).

 

[Rory]

60 plate CLS 350 diesel with 25k miles - £42 p/m over four years. This equates to £2k over the contract duration and roughly £500 per service with everything included.

This also includes the Mobilo breakdown cover which will save me paying for it through my insurance or a separate contract with AA/RAC/G-Flag.

I didn't think that it was too bad or am I being blinded by the subtle lighting and shiny floors of the dealership ????

It's about the same as the max a dealer would charge on a PAYG basis - you'd get Mobilo included then too.

However the dealer might be up for negotation so the £8-900 service that eman talks about, you might be able to get it for, say, £600, with similar reductions on other services. But the dealer might play hard-ball. Or you might not like negotiating the price.

It would annoy me that the saving from taking ServiceCare isn't greater - Mercedes should make it a no-brainer, like BMW do with Service Inclusive. MB isn't recognising customer loyalty and it seems a bit stupid on their part as getting the car into the dealership gives them a chance to sell other work, and keeps them in contact with customers.

 

[KennyN]

It would annoy me that the saving from taking ServiceCare isn't greater - Mercedes should make it a no-brainer.

That is what i am thinking.

I was reading in the Service / Mobilo booklet what consumables will be included in the four services over the next four years if my projected mileage is around 8k pa.

Oil + filter changes x 4
Brake fluid change x 2
Fuel filter x 1 (if my car has the U41 lube package )
Air filter x 1
Gearbox fluid change x 1

The rest of the servicing schedule consists of checks.

If i am up early enough today i will nip along to the dealer and have a chat with them face to face , on Friday i will have a chat with my local independent to see what they can offer.

Kenny

 

[geraldrobins]

Mercedes have just contacted me about a Service Plan for the "10" plate C250 CGi my parents have, they want £34 a month.

Not sure if this is worth it or not, some of the flannel given included £400 in labour per service.

States the next service will be £517 on the service site and MB Exeter charge an extra £20 for using the lounge!!!!

I think the lounge option gives you the choice of a time slot where you can wait to have your car serviced as opposed to leaving it all day.

 

[shinydoc]

Hi Everyone,

My first post, so go easy!

I have just bought a new E Class 220D SE and like every other person on here contemplating the service care plans.

There are more figures and options on this post than in a further Maths classroom, which doesn't really help and i would really appreciate someone that can speak from an informed standpoint, particularly the new model.

The new E Class seems to now want a gargantuan £37 a month on the calculator, which is a huge amount at £444 a year for the 3 year warranty period.

Do you think any dealer will offer that at a discount or is that what it is? Do you think it will be cheaper to pay as I go?

Any advice greatly received.

Thank you

 

[Wighty]

Hi Shinydoc, and welcome . I think you could do with finding out from Merc what the cost of A and B service will be as a start point . The service schedule will be A,B,A,B .
So if you are working out costs over 3 years , you will have 2 A services and 1 B service . On year 2 you will have a brake fluid change , and you won't have any air filter or fuel filter until year 4 ( unless you do big mileages ) .
I would guess that it is cheaper to payg over 3 years , especially as some MB dealers give 10% off for MBO members .
Let us know what you come up with , I'm sure others will chime in as well .

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Possibly look at Independent servicing where for 3 years your basic servicing will probably be somewhere around £625.

Dealer servicing, with a service care plan or not is an expensive game. For what amounts to oil and filter(s) changes there are much cheaper alternatives, without the compromise on quality.

 

[shinydoc]

Thank you. I have absolutely nothing against independents (a local one looked after my previous out of warranty car fantastically well) but from what I have read, on a new car if there is any work just out of warranty (4-5 years), Mercedes-Benz may be more amenable to contribute if you have kept to their dealer network. Why don't MB just offer an extended and put some faith in their cars and technology!

I feel, just like probably everyone else about getting ripped off as you say, which is why I am trying to get the balance right by soliciting opinions. There is obviously no clear answer here which was why I was valuing anecdotal feedback from more experienced owners.

 

[peterdh]

I think you are about spot on with your analysis shinydoc. It does seem an expensive way of going about things but there is (anecdotal) evidence that Merc look more favourably on cars that have been looked after (?) by their dealers during the warranty period. I'm on my third Merc and have taken a service plan out on the first wo and will be doing so on this one in June as well for that reason. The anecdotal evidence might well be a load of tosh but I'm relatively happy paying (monthly) over the odds for that bit of extra piece of mind, tosh or not.

 

[shinydoc]

I think you are about spot on with your analysis shinydoc. It does seem an expensive way of going about things but there is (anecdotal) evidence that Merc look more favourably on cars that have been looked after (?) by their dealers during the warranty period. I'm on my third Merc and have taken a service plan out on the first wo and will be doing so on this one in June as well for that reason. The anecdotal evidence might well be a load of tosh but I'm relatively happy paying (monthly) over the odds for that bit of extra piece of mind, tosh or not.

Thanks. I tend to agree, but the £37 a month seems a big hike from before. A colleague has an SLK250 and his is only £27/mth, which seems much more reasonable.

I guess it's knowing what deals you get offered by main dealers to get you in their door for servicing.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Conclusion seems to be that its case by case, there is no 'one size fits all' here, a little like warranty
My 63 isn't on a service plan, I suspect that'd be astronomical if it even exists and the next service is an 'A', so it's getting done at the dealership.
It'll be needing pads before then (which I'm getting from MB Grangemouth and fitting myself), so it's not too sore. Warranty still in analysis but more than likely...

 

[peterdh]

I guess that everyone with a service plan taken out at some earlier point will be paying less than anyone taking out a new plan today. For example my 212 cost me £30 a month but that was taken out in 2012 and the monthly cost was protected for the duration of the 4 year contract irrespective of what happened to the associated costs during the period. The 213 is more expensive than the 212 for any new plans taken out today for whatever reason. Don't ask me why though.

I shall be looking, although they never advertise it, for a contract that will cover 2 A and 2 B services not the usual 2 A and 1 B service which is a rip off.

All dealers I think also still offer a free collection/delivery service and I think mine also provides a free courtesy car if necessary. These extras don't add up to sufficiently cover the high costs involved but are worth considering in my view during the decision making process.

 

[Wighty]

Thanks. I tend to agree, but the £37 a month seems a big hike from before. A colleague has an SLK250 and his is only £27/mth, which seems much more reasonable.

I guess it's knowing what deals you get offered by main dealers to get you in their door for servicing.

Did you price up the A and B service seperately for the 3 years , because as I said above the only extra will be a brake fluid change . Then compare to their monthly service contract overall price ?

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Thank you. I have absolutely nothing against independents (a local one looked after my previous out of warranty car fantastically well) but from what I have read, on a new car if there is any work just out of warranty (4-5 years), Mercedes-Benz may be more amenable to contribute if you have kept to their dealer network. Why don't MB just offer an extended and put some faith in their cars and technology!

I feel, just like probably everyone else about getting ripped off as you say, which is why I am trying to get the balance right by soliciting opinions. There is obviously no clear answer here which was why I was valuing anecdotal feedback from more experienced owners.

Possibly, but that is no guarantee. M-B don't tend to contribute unless its some well known issue or catastrophic failure and if there is a known issue, its likely to be captured inside your warranty period. Any goodwill offer will mean a contribution to you as well.

Looking at it from another angle, you can pay a premium for MB service at a higher rate, on the basis you may need their goodwill warranty. Why not pocket the money in your own bank account as a reserve, and if something happens you have the money there to spend, but if nothing goes wrong, you haven't given it to the dealer which you will not get back...

I know where I would rather have my money...

 

[shinydoc]

Did you price up the A and B service seperately for the 3 years , because as I said above the only extra will be a brake fluid change . Then compare to their monthly service contract overall price ?

Well what a complete fiasco...

I phoned the first main dealer and they could not give me a price for a standard A or B service, as it depends on what extras I may need, like filters and fluids! I did politely ask how there cannot be a standard cost for a service without the additionals and they said that is how it works! I continually pushed politely and they said about £350 for an A and £450 for a B, but that was very rough. They were not very helpful at all on the phone either, so that is one dealer I wont be going to.

I then phoned another main dealer from another group who was much more helpful, and although still couldn't give me an exact cost, was able to advise more. Their A was between £280-£320 and the B £420-450. Air and fuel filters £115 and brake fluid £90-110 when needed, which was suggested not until year 3-4. They were more helpful and I think it was mentioned on this thread that there might be a sweet spot to start the plan and do the A in Cash and then start the 3 year plan after that, so you get B-A-B. Not sure when you start the plan after that A though, but ideally immediately before the B service so you don't pay for a year for nothing.

How can this not be straightforward and totally transparent?! When I had my last car (non MB) and serviced in warranty the prices were all displayed on a board behind the service reception.

 

[Wighty]

Wow , those are some truly shocking A and B service prices . MB used to give clear transparent prices for the base service without other filters/services . I wonder what has changed .

 

[Wighty]

I can't find any A/B service costs online now , it's all gone to the my service portal . Can't believe their A service cost of 300+ quid when they advertise the 7 year plus service on my cars for £139/£159 for Clk and E class . I'm selfishly glad I'm now on the Indy side of servicing . I paid £192 for a basic B service at Alex Crow in November on the Clk .