Use a Mercedes independent or trusted backstreet garage

Extended warranty on my C class estate (2019, 53k) which I bought with 10k on the clock, has just expired. Its my second C class estate and the first I had for 11 years and drove 160k in total and traded in for about £3k towards this one. We will probably change to an EV within the next 12 months or so but it needs a service in about 2 months. Always used one of the local independents at about 60% of the main stealer price and been fine with that to keep the warranty. This next service is about £700 from independent however I have a mate that has always done jobs on my other cars/van and family cars but not my Mercs for the above reason. Works for a respected local old school garage. He is a good bloke and does the jobs for me evenings with the garage owners permission. Always cheaper than other garages and shows me parts costs then quotes me for his labour. He is happy to do the Merc service and I know he will be significantly cheaper. Issue is the online MB service record which he cant update. I reckon it will be worth about £12-£14k when I sell it. Will the online record for all services bar this one make much difference??

I think at that age I’d be going to the Indi just to maintain the service record.

If you can provided receipts and evidence of the service then it shouldn’t really matter unless you are trading it in with a Merc dealer to buy another Merc…

It is a sizeable amount for the car if you estimate is correct, so might be worth paying the indi to make sure it is close to that.

Is my thinking – no idea if correct or accurate.

Have you looked at the Merc fixed price servicing subscription scheme? My dad’s C class was only about £30 more to do at the main dealer than at the independent. (As a cheapskate, I immediately assumed an indy would be preferable).

I’d go indy to keep the service record – invoices for parts & cash? for labour isn’t a good look for resale I wouldn’t have thought.

I’m currently deciding whether to go indy or main dealer for my Volvos next service even though it’s 9yo & 100k miles it’s possibly still worth keeping the Volvo fsh record?

This next service is about £700 from independent

Why do you think it’s so expensive? If someone else does it cheaper, what are they not doing?  If he can’t update the online service record that makes me think he’s pretty old school so I would not let him near a modern complex car.  I take my Merc to a small independent garage that advertises themselves as Merc specialists and I have quizzed them about procedures and they really do know their stuff off the top of their head (or at least the boss does!).  For example, he knew how to test the timing chain stretch and how to change it if needed without removing the engine, which Merc would have done (I didn’t need it changing in the end).

It’s probably due a transmission fluid change at that price.  Do you know if your back street garage is going to flush the torque converter using the proper procedure?

I hate it when people skimp on maintenance and fit budget parts because the car’s old or they’re selling it – you’re just condemning the car to an earlier grave and/or screwing over the next owner.  Look after it properly.

molgripsFree Member
Why do you think it’s so expensive? If someone else does it cheaper, what are they not doing?

Coffee machine, receptionist, branded clothing, headed paper, higher rents in a nicer location, courtesy cars?

While it’s worth asking the question, there is always the possibility that the service aspect of the job will be every bit as thorough regardless of the cost.

Paying more money for stuff doesn’t automatically mean it will be ‘better’.

We just had a load of fencing replaced. First quote was just over £2200, second quote was just under £1500 for the same work. Both companies were getting the materials from the same place, but the material cost for the more expensive quote was higher WITHOUT the VAT added on, than for the cheaper quote WITH the VAT added on.

The more expensive company  were quite within their rights to charge more, but no way the extra cost could be justified.

In the OPs case, I would probably suck up the extra cost of the independent garage purely for the sake of keeping the MB online service history up to date, given they are planning on getting rid in the near future. If they were keeping for many more years, then I would just go with matey boy.

Coffee machine, receptionist, branded clothing, headed paper, higher rents in a nicer location, courtesy cars?

That’s in the hourly rate, which they will give you if you ask.  But I think the OP was talking about an independent MB garage not the main dealer?

there is always the possibility that the service aspect of the job will be every bit as thorough regardless of the cost

And the possibility that it won’t.  That’s why a bit of awareness and Googling goes a very long way.

I would get the service history updated. If you’ve ever tried to sell a car privately, it’s bloody hard work without FSH.

Oh, one more anecdote – the only garage that hasn’t eventually let me down one way or another is Sinclair VW, the main dealer in Cardiff.

I had a quote for a B service for my CLS of around £550 from a local Cardiff specialist, I then had another quote from a specialist based in Pontypridd, which came out at about £300, when he looked through the Mercedes service history a lot of stuff had been done recently that the other specialist was re doing and wasn’t needed, so I now use them regularly, they even pick the car up and drop it off.

Why do you think it’s so expensive? If someone else does it cheaper, what are they not doing?  If he can’t update the online service record that makes me think he’s pretty old school so I would not let him near a modern complex car.

Calm down, Im not asking you to buy it. He wont skip anything, he is pretty highly trained however the garage dont specialise in Mercedes they fix and service/MOT every make. Not sure why you have jumped to the conclusion he is not a good technician, he kept each of my 3 Alfa’s running sweet for many years so I have faith in him to do an oil and filters(s) change and inspection. If your happy to pay whatever is quoted, good for you.

It’s probably due a transmission fluid change at that price.

Its not.

Thanks everyone else I think I will use the independent and shop around, If it does turn out to be the last service before I sell then its probably wise to have the “stamp”

Do you know if your back street garage is going to flush the torque converter using the proper procedure?

Do you know if your main dealer did a damn thing to your torque converter.

Having dealt with the aftermath of lazy main dealers I’d take a trusted indy any day but I’d rather do it my self even if that means a reduction in the resale. It balances out with the cost reduction of the service . Too many people have too much blind faith in dealers always doing the right thing correctly and the even more delulu that they will make good when they make a meal of it.

Maybe joing an owners group forum to get advice …?

I don’t know those cars very well, so If its a ‘big’ service like a belt change etc, rather than just a standard oil & filter change then it will cost more

Having dealt with the aftermath of lazy main dealers I’d take a trusted indy any day but I’d rather do it my self even if that means a reduction in the resale. It balances out with the cost reduction of the service . Too many people have too much blind faith in dealers always doing the right thing correctly and the even more delulu that they will make good when they make a meal of it.

I’ve known a volvo dealer (attempt to) charge for 8 spark plugs on a 4cyl car… you can’t trust them just because they are a main dealer.

My 2 cylinder motorbike has 4 spark plugs – just saying

Do you know if your main dealer did a damn thing to your torque converter.

I don’t go to the main dealer, it’s an independent specialist. But yes, you don’t know, but at least they know what I am talking about when I ask them.  Of course, not everyone’s in a position to ask those questions.

you can’t trust them just because they are a main dealer.

This is correct.  Wessex who do Nissan and Hyundai round here are sharks and have been since I was a kid; however Sinclair VW are good and I had a lot of dealings with them as you all may remember, which is why I named them.

Not sure why you have jumped to the conclusion he is not a good technician

I didn’t. You can be a great mechanic, but my point was that having a specialism means you end up knowing certain manufacturers and engines very well.  My car has an OM651 which was extremely common in Mercs for a long time, and judging by their parking they must have seen three or four of that exact same engine every day for a decade at least.

I had a quote for a B service for my CLS of around £550 from a local Cardiff specialist

Which garage?

On mine, the air and fuel filters are on a different schedule to the rest of the service, is that what you meant?

Continental cars, went to Stuttgart instead.

If you are thinking of selling the car shortly after how much is the differnce in sale price between “full service history” and “missing last service from the record”?  Is that more than the extra cost of having the service done at somewhere where there is a proper record?

But yes, you don’t know, but at least they know what I am talking about when I ask them

Well that sounds like the main thing.

If you are thinking of selling the car shortly after how much is the differnce in sale price between “full service history” and “missing last service from the record”?

Thats the conclusion I have come to. After some ringing around and checking with Mercedes, the service price is much lower (1 quote included something not needed at this service which is expensive and was the quote I referred to above) The difference Will probably be less than £100 so not worth it. As somebody said above if I was keeping it (as my previous one) for another 5+ years I would go the backstreet route for the next 5+ services knowing it will be worth next to nothing by then as a trade in. The EV change is the only reason I will probably sell earlier, at a higher value.

Continental cars, went to Stuttgart instead.

Stuttgart seems like a long way to go for a service. I went to Continental a couple of times they didn’t seem particularly effective. Now I go to Cassley Autocare who are great if inconveniently located.  Not necessarily cheaper mind.

Stuttgart collect your car and drop it off afterwards.