Service star

stuartmac

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Hi All,

Have to award one to MB Tonbridge (Rawsons as was).

Good Friday we visited the GranMacs. Exiting their drive, there's a sharp peak between the end of the drive and the kerb to the road. W210 owners will be familiar with the odd(!) scraping sound associated with the hovercraft-like ground clearance, but this one was louder and much longer. :( Suffice it to say that, probably thanks to an additional adult in the car, the front of the exhaust had picked up on and pulled out an edging stone where the surface was slighly higher between the wheel-tracks. :(

Initially we thought no damage done but, as the journey home progressed, an engine-speed drone became louder and louder 'til, by the end, older pedestrians we passed were looking at the sky for something they'd last seen more than 60 years ago! :Oops:

Saturday it was first call to my usual indie; unfortunately, he was away for the long weekend. :roll: So, down to the local Slo-fit and up on the ramp; good news was it was just the exhaust pipe had pulled out of the turbo's exhaust; bad news was the clip that holds the two together is wrecked and S-F don't keep 'em in stock. :( The prospect of worrying the local old folk for the next few days wasn't appealing.

Then I thought of 'phoning MB Tonbridge; if they were open and had the part, would S-F fit it? Yes was the answer.

Down to MBT and the first thing the parts guy asks me is if it's the early clip or the late one; if it's the early one, they don't have it in stock ... as it's part of the turbo exhaust, and that's about £900! :shock: This is obviously one of MB parts guys' little jokes because, after a pause for effect (and customers' jaw retraction), he advises that the later one (cost: piffling) can be fitted.

However, I don't know which one the car has and, although we're by now heading rapidly towards closing time, I enquire if there's any possiblity of putting the car on the ramp to have a look? Service manager who's sitting at the next desk (so has also enjoyed the customer reactions to the £900 exhaust clip) agrees.

Fifteen minutes or so later, I'm presented with a bill. After another little pause for effect, he explains, "All done", then "I've only charged quarter-of-an-hour's labour and I've knocked the 10% of the parts price and 40% off the labour because the car's more than seven years old". If MissusMac had been with me, I'd have made her kiss him.

Regards,
 

television

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Thanks for a nice tale :D and again they all lived happily ever after
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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Interesting tale Stuartmac.

It proves one point, that MB main dealers are feeling the pain and would like to see the older cars back in the workshop. I'd take a lot of convincing that my local dealer wouldn't just throw the keys to the apprentice (no disrespect to trainees) if I took mine in for servicing. Call me cynical but I've experienced their servicing once and am prepared to travel some distance to avoid it again.

Good to know there are some good ones out there.

Customer service might be coming back in vogue as new car sales dive.
 


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