What are merc free road side assistance rules

[c270wilky]

I have a c270 cdi showing 78000 miles with full merc service history, I have been informed that I get free road side assistance from Merc is this true and if so whats the hidden catches?, part prices ,towing costs etc or am I as well joining green flag type organisation, wife uses car for work motorway both ways nights etc joys of being a nurse thanks

 

[Cole@MBS]

You have 24hr breakdown assistance, which if not repaired, you get free recovery to local dealer and a hire car!

 

[c270wilky]

Superb, how do I register and contact them if the need arises
Regards c270wilky

 

[c270wilky]

this Merc is a 2002 model, does that make any diffrence?

 

[Cole@MBS]

Should be a number in your service book, 2002 isn't a problem as long as you have full dealer service history!!

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I only tried to use this on one occasion, but was underwhelmed.

My W211 at the time was 2 years old (within warranty) and had FMBSH (dealer). It was broken into and the alarm had sounded until the battery ran flat.

When I got to the car it would not start, so I rang the assistance service. The moment I mentioned break in, the shutters came down and I was told that they do not assist in such circumstances. I was then advised to use my AA membership, which went very smoothly - all I wanted was a jump start to enable me to get home but there was no way that the MB man would hear of it.

That happened in Regent's Park in London. Would it have been better or worse in another place, or another country. What if I had not been a member of the AA - given the MB proposition, I could have thought that I did not need AA membership and might have gone without it.

The title of the tread is "What are the rules". This is one I neither new nor expected, but it would have been a real show stopper on the day!

 

[Micman]

I have a c270 cdi showing 78000 miles with full merc service history, I have been informed that I get free road side assistance from Merc is this true and if so whats the hidden catches?, part prices ,towing costs etc or am I as well joining green flag type organisation, wife uses car for work motorway both ways nights etc joys of being a nurse thanks

You get free roadside assistance from Merc for life as long as you service your car at the main stealer!

That's great if you are happy to do this, in reality though most prefer to use independent garages as the service costs are much lower.

Also, if you break down and can't be repaired at the roadside I think you will find they take your car to the nearest Merc main dealer. So again you could end up with a bigger repair bill than if you got the likes of the AA or RAC to take your car to your preferred or nearest independent garage.

I've always continued my RAC cover, even when I had 'Free' roadside assistance for the first year I bought my car.

In my experience the likes of RAC and AA have a huge dedicated fleet that can get to you quickly. The lesser roadside assistance companies rely on a network of garages to provide their cover.

 

[Blobcat]

I called them yesterday whilst driving home and within an hour my W211 was on the back of a flat bed on its way to the dealers. I could have had a hire car last night however didn't need one until today. I currently have a Chrysler Grand Voyager sat outside and a Mercedes is on its way for tomorrow. Apparently a lot of Mercedes broke down over Christmas so Enterprise are short of them.

I have used them once previously when my W210 broke down on the way to Heathrow, within an hour I was in a hire car and back on route and my car was on its way to the dealers.

Whilst I accept that the dealers maybe more expensive than a garage the AA or RAC may take you to, in my experience non Mercedes Specialists don't always have the necessary tools, equipment or experience to work on them and may cause more damage or rack up a large bill and not fix anything.

 

[Cole@MBS]

Whats up with the 211 Russ??

 

[Blobcat]

Whats up with the 211 Russ??

Rather than take this off topic the issues with my car are here

 

[hawk20]

I only tried to use this on one occasion, but was underwhelmed.

My W211 at the time was 2 years old (within warranty) and had FMBSH (dealer). It was broken into and the alarm had sounded until the battery ran flat.

When I got to the car it would not start, so I rang the assistance service. The moment I mentioned break in, the shutters came down and I was told that they do not assist in such circumstances. I was then advised to use my AA membership, which went very smoothly - all I wanted was a jump start to enable me to get home but there was no way that the MB man would hear of it.

That happened in Regent's Park in London. Would it have been better or worse in another place, or another country. What if I had not been a member of the AA - given the MB proposition, I could have thought that I did not need AA membership and might have gone without it.

The title of the tread is "What are the rules". This is one I neither new nor expected, but it would have been a real show stopper on the day!

Be fair. It is breakdown cover not insurance for robbery. If the car is broken into you are covered by your insurance policy. BTW I very much doubt if the AA covers you for a break-in either, if you gave full details and they read the rules strictly?

I have found the breakdown service excellent and it covers here and abroad. The AA want £150 for man and wife (full cover) and another £100 for Europe. My brother had two punctures at the same time so no chance of DIY. They were helpful and got him a hire car while they searched for the right tyres.

And the trouble with the AA/Rac is they take you to the nearest garage. I don't want any old garage without proper training and equipment playing with my car.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Be fair. It is breakdown cover not insurance for robbery. If the car is broken into you are covered by your insurance policy. BTW I very much doubt if the AA covers you for a break-in either, if you gave full details and they read the rules strictly?

I have found the breakdown service excellent and it covers here and abroad. The AA want £150 for man and wife (full cover) and another £100 for Europe. My brother had two punctures at the same time so no chance of DIY. They were helpful and got him a hire car while they searched for the right tyres.

And the trouble with the AA/Rac is they take you to the nearest garage. I don't want any old garage without proper training and equipment playing with my car.

The point is I wanted a jump start, no more, no less. The AA did it promptly and courteously.

 

[Rappey69]

I has AA roadside personal recovery bought for me as a xmas present just over a year ago. (recovers any car/bike i am in even as a passenger)
I do lots of off-roading on a road legal quad and had to call them out twice,once for a snapped chain which removed teeth from and bent sprockets, 2nd time was cdi failure.both times vehicle was covered in mud but recovery transports vehicle to a destination of my choosing (home)
Renewal was due and they quoted me retail price around £140. I declined and said i found it expensive. they then offered it for £74... had to accept at that price.
Basically i think they can offer good value for money.
Many years ago i had a lotus. I drove to castle donnington for a track day.
20 miles into my journey home i had major engine failure,managed roll off motorway on a sunday and had to leave car 100,s of miles away from home virtually in the middle of now where. 2.5 hrs to get there, 8.5 hrs to get home. it cost a fortune to get home/taxis,bus,trains.. then had to go back and recover car,another wasted day and more costs...
moral here is have recovery of some sort as that alone can save you a small fortune.

 

[hawk20]

The point is I wanted a jump start, no more, no less. The AA did it promptly and courteously.

I do see that. But if that was not due to a breakdown then it is not for MB to cover the cost of that. The break-in and any problems arising from that should be covered by insurance. Is that not fair?

 

[Tigger1]

Can I get free road side assistance from Merc

Can anyone tell me what the rules are or where I can read them (if buying a used Merc) and if I still would get road side assist with Merc if the car has a full dealer Serv history?
TX

 

[jberks]

Can anyone tell me what the rules are or where I can read them (if buying a used Merc) and if I still would get road side assist with Merc if the car has a full dealer Serv history?
TX

Pre 2004 the car had to have an uninteruppted dealer service history. Post 2004, it can be re-instated by a dealer service and then lasts until the next service is due.
They will come out to breakdowns but afaik they do not cover accidents, lost keys, break-ins etc so the coverage is weaker than, say, the AA.
I've used them once - was very impressed. Very convenient right down to being able to dump the rental car at the dealer and drive away with yours. But you pay for it in higher servcing and repair costs.
There will be a book with all the t's and c's in the glovebox.

 

[hawk20]

Can anyone tell me what the rules are or where I can read them (if buying a used Merc) and if I still would get road side assist with Merc if the car has a full dealer Serv history?
TX

Not everyone needs full main dealer history -depends what the rules were at the time that the car was sold.

This thread gives the details: -
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=45278

 

[Thincat]

On my 2001 car the rules are that the car must have been serviced by an MB dealer within the past 2 years, and it must have a full MB history going back to the time of purchase - so basically it needs to have been into an MB dealer at least every 2 years from new.

When you call them out they will repair it at the roadside if they can. In this case you get 1 hour's free labour. Anything over that is billed at usual MB rip-off rates - in my extensive experience of Mobilo (with my slightly unreliable SLK) they give you a bit more than an hour free. If they can't repair it at the roadside they'll take it (FOC) to the nearest MB dealer and you get a free hire car. You have to pay all the labour in this case.

I've been quite impressed with the service. The mechanics seem to know their stuff and usually have the right part - I wonder why. In any case I think it's good enough that I continue to take my SLK to the dealer at least every 2 years, despite the cost.

 

[Rory]

I know the original post in this thread is a couple of years old but he refers to his wife using the car on the motorway at night, which highlights the main omission I see with Mobilo in that they won't do wheel changing on cars more than a few years old (exact rules vary as there are multiple versions of the scheme). I've changed many wheels but I wouldn't want my missus to do it on a motorway in the dark.

Two of our other cars, a Mitsubishi and a Honda, have the full pan-European top whack AA cover automatically extended at every service, once outside of the first 3years when they're covered anyway. They both include all usual AA facilities and are not just mechanical breakdown cover - with the Honda there's even a note to confirm that they will recover people in the event that tyre is damaged and the repair kit (it has no spare) doesn't work.