Why do Mercedes Insist On Pricing Themselves Out.

[argeez benz]

Took my C32 in for a basic B service and to sort a few minor faults out.

I insisted they carry out no additional work, but the very kind lady from Mercedes rang me with some prices anyway....get these.

Replace the 12 spark plugs 398.32 PLUS VAT.... I was planning on tackling this myself when the weather warms up anyway.

Replace two front door check straps 250.25.... is this an easy DIY job as the parts are only 41 from MB.


Would be great to hear from anyone on the check straps

Rgd's
Rich

 

[Splatt]

as far as I can work out the plugs are about £4 each so that is £48 and allow 1 hour to do the job so labour and materials all up £150.00 which leaves £250.00 profit, nice.

 

[SQ_W211]

Try this link for plugs
http://cart.euromercmercedesparts.co...dex.php?p=home

 

[television]

I can help you with the fitting of the door straps

 

[argeez benz]

Thanks Malcolm. If it's not too difficult I'll have a go at it.
Would be grateful if you can send me anything you've got or point me in the right direction.
richardgill7@aol.com

Thanks in advance.

 

[television]

Thanks Malcolm. If it's not too difficult I'll have a go at it.
Would be grateful if you can send me anything you've got or point me in the right direction.
richardgill7@aol.com

Thanks in advance.

Please jog me in the morning

 

[jberks]

I insisted they carry out no additional work, but the very kind lady from Mercedes rang me with some prices anyway....get these.

Replace the 12 spark plugs 398.32 PLUS VAT
Replace two front door check straps 250.25

I guess the dealers are stuck at the moment. They have overheads that are only justified by the sales and charges they were making 2 years ago. I feel for them really as whilst we always balked at £100per hour, we genrally paid it, but now we simply can't afford it any more and even the most dealer-centric folk are moving to indies.
Oddly, I've actually gone back to the dealer. My dealer is quite flexible and can be 'negotiated' down to quite competitive prices (hence I am very happy to still use them) but even then some of the 'extras' quoted are just too much, especially when, like you, I can swing a spanner myself. Hence I figure I'll change my own brakes (£450) when the time comes.

 

[hawk20]

Took my C32 in for a basic B service and to sort a few minor faults out.

I insisted they carry out no additional work, but the very kind lady from Mercedes rang me with some prices anyway....get these.

Replace the 12 spark plugs 398.32 PLUS VAT.... I was planning on tackling this myself when the weather warms up anyway.

Replace two front door check straps 250.25.... is this an easy DIY job as the parts are only 41 from MB.


Would be great to hear from anyone on the check straps

Rgd's
Rich

On another thread one of the indies posted how long it takes to change the plugs and it is a lot more than 1 hour by the time you strip away all that is in the way and put it back again afterwards.

In the handbook it says clearly when the plugs need changing. Get it done before you go in for a service if you don't want the dealer to do it.

The mistake people make is to look at maintenance items in lumps. Paying £400 for changing 12 plugs may seem a lot but they are only chnaged every , what, 40 or 50k miles. So the cost is under 1p per mile. Nothing.

Similarly brakes, many manage 30k miles on a set of pads and 50-60k miles on the discs. Some manage a lot more miles than that. Divide the cost by the miles done and the cost per mile is small.

Basic services without any discount for age/haggling etc cost a bit over 2p per mile, unless you are a low mileage owner.

 

[television]

On another thread one of the indies posted how long it takes to change the plugs and it is a lot more than 1 hour by the time you strip away all that is in the way and put it back again afterwards.

In the handbook it says clearly when the plugs need changing. Get it done before you go in for a service if you don't want the dealer to do it.

The mistake people make is to look at maintenance items in lumps. Paying £400 for changing 12 plugs may seem a lot but they are only chnaged every , what, 40 or 50k miles. So the cost is under 1p per mile. Nothing.

Similarly brakes, many manage 30k miles on a set of pads and 50-60k miles on the discs. Some manage a lot more miles than that. Divide the cost by the miles done and the cost per mile is small.

Basic services without any discount for age/haggling etc cost a bit over 2p per mile, unless you are a low mileage owner.

Hawk, if you change the plugs yourself MB dealers will not stamp the service book

 

[hawk20]

Hawk, if you change the plugs yourself MB dealers will not stamp the service book

On other threads the following picture has emerged IIRC. If you go in for a service and they say the plugs need changing you have to have them done to keep the warranty intact (T's and C's say must have done all required work).

But if you have the plugs changed at an approved indie before the service is due, and then go to a dealer for the basic service then they will happily stamp the book. Don't know if you do it yourself.

 

[television]

On other threads the following picture has emerged IIRC. If you go in for a service and they say the plugs need changing you have to have them done to keep the warranty intact (T's and C's say must have done all required work).

But if you have the plugs changed at an approved indie before the service is due, and then go to a dealer for the basic service then they will happily stamp the book. Don't know if you do it yourself.

No it does not work like that as an indie does not stamp the book when changing the plugs, so anyone could change them and the book will still not get stamped

 

[jberks]

I suspect this depends on your relationship with the dealer. I doubt mine would argue as they're going all-out on customer service.
As far as I am concerned, if they were to refuse (mute point given I drive a diesel) then there would be a fall-out and i would cease to do business with them. There is a check box on the service book to indicate that plugs were changed and I'd have no problem with them marking that box 'refused by customer' but to refuse a stamp would imply they haven't changed the oil - which is the primary aspect of any service. I suspect a court would agree.
That said, just staple the bill into the service book to prove what work was done (like many, I keep all mine together in any case).
Anyway, no stamp, no payment - and I get to keep the loan car!

 

[GseRacing]

I have just had something similar. the plugs on my ML needed changing MB wanted £620 plus VAT for 16plugs and four hours labour.

I got the plugs from AtoZ for something like £120 and a mate took 2 hours to fit them at a cost of £35 per hour!

Big fan of Mercedes but they need to sort this out. its high prices for the sake of high prices (badge pricing).

 

[hawk20]

No it does not work like that as an indie does not stamp the book when changing the plugs, so anyone could change them and the book will still not get stamped

You do not have to be serviced by an MB dealer to keep the guarantee intact. So the plugs and any other work can be done by approved up-to-scratch service people. Their bill will show the work has been done and MB accept that work does not have to be done by MB dealers in order to keep the guarantee because that is the law. They have to accept that. You should still get a stamp for the service which you get done at the MB dealer.

What they can say if you come in at 40,000 miles for a service and the car needs plugs changed at 40k miles, and you have not had them changed beforehand -then they can say you need the plugs changing and we cannot stamp the book unless you agree to let that job be done. Fair enough IMO because the warranty requires that various specified jobs are done as and when needed.

 

[hawk20]

I have just had something similar. the plugs on my ML needed changing MB wanted £620 plus VAT for 16plugs and four hours labour.

I got the plugs from AtoZ for something like £120 and a mate took 2 hours to fit them at a cost of £35 per hour!

Big fan of Mercedes but they need to sort this out. its high prices for the sake of high prices (badge pricing).

Find me some dealers making high profits and I'll agree with you. They don't and many are struggling to survive and quite a few are going under.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Find me some dealers making high profits and I'll agree with you. They don't and many are struggling to survive and quite a few are going under.

Because high prices do not necessarily mean high margins. The general efficiency of the business (how much stock do they carry, overheads of showroom, staff salaries, utility bills) will define their costs.

They then need to decide realistically how many cars they will sell (and at what margin), set a rate for workmanship and achieve a certain volume of sales and work to generate revenue.

The successful business balances the books and achieves the desired margin (profit). If costs are high and they can not achieve the revenue required to cover them, there will be no margin, no profit, and pretty soon no company.

As can be seen from the airfields full of unsold cars at present, too much inventory is a killer.

Unhappily, if the sums do not work out, forcing the pace by increasing the hourly rate is more likely to lose customers than win new ones - especially if other expedients such as altering servicing schedules (to increase work required) and using threats over warranties as blackmail are also taken into account.

 

[Rory]

MB accept that work does not have to be done by MB dealers in order to keep the guarantee because that is the law.

That's correct for the initial 3year warranty but then once you're out of that Mobilo requires that the car is MB dealer serviced.

There were some comments recently that the Approved Used warranty also requires dealer servicing.

What they can say if you come in at 40,000 miles for a service and the car needs plugs changed at 40k miles, and you have not had them changed beforehand -then they can say you need the plugs changing and we cannot stamp the book unless you agree to let that job be done. Fair enough IMO because the warranty requires that various specified jobs are done as and when needed.

I'm sure dealers vary on this, but the general consensus seems to be that if you don't have the work the Electronic Service Sheet calls for, then they won't stamp the book.

 

[hawk20]

I'm sure dealers vary on this, but the general consensus seems to be that if you don't have the work the Electronic Service Sheet calls for, then they won't stamp the book.

But you do have the work done -before you go for service so it is OK.

 

[television]

I still stand by my statement that MB will not stamp a book if they do not fit the plugs, we have have had threads on this where member complained, I asked my dealer and they said the same.

 

[hawk20]

Unhappily, if the sums do not work out, forcing the pace by increasing the hourly rate is more likely to lose customers than win new ones - especially if other expedients such as altering servicing schedules (to increase work required) and using threats over warranties as blackmail are also taken into account.

But most dealers have been offering discounts especially to cars over 3 years old and even more to those over 6 years old.

Enforcing known, legal T's and C's of a warranty is not blackmail.

The move to fixed interval servicing was done in response to many business users wanting fixed intervals. For many it has cut the cost of servicing. Many needed servicing every 9/10k miles; now it 15,500 between services.

But it does raise servicing costs for low mileage users because it must be done annually or 15,500 whichever comes first.