Mercedes Servicing - Too pricey?

Seem too logical to argue against doesn’t it? But would be interesting if there was evidence to show that it is a practice incompatible with the law.

I just think that @Delvey is confusing it with the law regarding warranty by the manufacturers.
Maybe I am.
Beat me to it.
If a finance company are prepared to guarantee a future value subject to certain terms and conditions, failure to adhere to those terms and condition could see you scuppered.
Unless those terms and conditions are against the law
 
With a new vehicle warranty, a customer can go anywhere they want for servicing, as long as it is carried out using approved parts/oils etc. and within any mileage stipulations.
Receipts need to be kept, and the service book stamped. You will not invalidate the manufacturers warranty by doing this as long as you can prove that you have adhered to these requirements.
I'd stick with my comments that it's false economy though, because the money you have saved by going to the cheaper garage will be outweighed by the fact your car will be worth less without an approved dealers stamps in the book, even more so with a "quality" marque.
But we're not talking about a manufacturers warranty here... we're discussing a finance companies guarantee on a cars future value. If they guarantee to pay a set figure after three years, naturally it's their right to stipulate what you do with the car, whether that be condition on return, or servicing requirements?
If you are happy to accept their guarantee, you should be happy to accept their conditions, whether you feel that they are right or wrong?
If you don't agree, then don't sign on the dotted line. It's your choice.
 
While I agree with your post a couple of points

Receipts need to be kept, and the service book stamped.

Agree but it is even more noticeable now you have electronic-only service books. My local independent marque specialist does not have (will not pay?) to access the dealer system.

If they guarantee to pay a set figure after three years, naturally it's their right to stipulate what you do with the car, whether that be condition on return, or servicing requirements?

Yes, agree, however, to add it still has to be a fair term though. They could not insert a condition thou shall not drive on a Sunday for example. In the case of guaranteeing a future value on a finance agreement is only one method of buying a car and the end condition and where you had serviced would seem fair.
 
While I agree with your post a couple of points



Agree but it is even more noticeable now you have electronic-only service books. My local independent marque specialist does not have (will not pay?) to access the dealer system.



Yes, agree, however, to add it still has to be a fair term though. They could not insert a condition thou shall not drive on a Sunday for example. In the case of guaranteeing a future value on a finance agreement is only one method of buying a car and the end condition and where you had serviced would seem fair.
Agreed on the digital service book.

The other point is whataboutery in my opinion, and stating the obvious. However everything in context. Insurance companies do have such restrictions in their terms.

Naturally the law overrides the terms, it’s a given. However it only makes sense to highlight where that is relevant. And as can be seen due to a conflation or very different things it has caused for a great deal of confusion in this thread.
 
Is that law specifically written in context of warranty?

I’d suggest, as already mentioned in this thread, that a contract with a guaranteed future value has a right to insist certain treatments in order to establish a guaranteed future value. And that main dealer servicing, especially for certain vehicles, has a big impact on the guarantee future value. Therefore the law doesn’t supersede that at all in this context. I’d gladly be proven wrong on that one ☝
Yes the contract is for warranty and that is covered under eu law says servicing can be done by non merc service centre. The OP point about the lease hire is less clear and therefore you need to follow what you have signed up for.

I had a merc as my last car and got the repair does by an indy. Merc quote £400 to replace a broken thermostat that cost me £290 at an Indy. The service came shortly after that at a whopping ask of £595. The solution I cam up with was a basic oil change for £250 with merc and the other items at an indy for £150. When I returned the car all was fine.

I was glad there was no come back as the car still had some faults like a battery that went flat after ten days and a split in the leather seat.

The BMW I have now has had one oil service in the last two years costing £295 at the dealers. So that around £150 a year in running costs, not so bad.
 
Yes the contract is for warranty and that is covered under eu law says servicing can be done by non merc service centre. The OP point about the lease hire is less clear and therefore you need to follow what you have signed up for.

I had a merc as my last car and got the repair does by an indy. Merc quote £400 to replace a broken thermostat that cost me £290 at an Indy. The service came shortly after that at a whopping ask of £595. The solution I cam up with was a basic oil change for £250 with merc and the other items at an indy for £150. When I returned the car all was fine.

I was glad there was no come back as the car still had some faults like a battery that went flat after ten days and a split in the leather seat.

The BMW I have now has had one oil service in the last two years costing £295 at the dealers. So that around £150 a year in running costs, not so bad.
I couldn’t be bothered to go to different garages for different jobs to save so little money. Heck the cost for my time, waiting around, driving there and keeping track of the paperwork’s, would be more than what is actually being saved. And then there is the issue of having a Mercedes without full dealer service history come time of the sale.

All to save £200 😬 Not worth it in my opinion.
 
I couldn’t be bothered to go to different garages for different jobs to save so little money. Heck the cost for my time, waiting around, driving there and keeping track of the paperwork’s, would be more than what is actually being saved. And then there is the issue of having a Mercedes without full dealer service history come time of the sale.

All to save £200 😬 Not worth it in my opinion.
True but I had zero questions about the service history on return and the flat battery issue had the car in and out the dealers/Indys like a yoyo anyway at £90 per visit and never solved.
 
Naturally the law overrides the terms, it’s a given. However it only makes sense to highlight where that is relevant. And as can be seen due to a conflation or very different things it has caused for a great deal of confusion in this thread.

But which law?

So far no one on this thread has pointed to a particular piece of legislation, whether UK or EU law that prohibits the requirement of main dealer servicing of a finance contract offering a GFV. (Warranty - yes but this does not apply here)
 
As some of you have pointed out, the finance agreement doesn't say i can't take it elsewhere, they're just saying they won't offer a GFV if i do. Bottom line is, i can take the car wherever i want as long as Mercedes parts and oils etc. are used, the warranty won't be void either but the car will simply be worth less at the end of the agreement which makes perfect sense.

With the above in mind, i'll take one of the service plans out next week, it's just not worth me wasting my time and trying to save a few quid here and there only to have the car valued for a lot less whenever i decide it's time to send it back.
 
As some of you have pointed out, the finance agreement doesn't say i can't take it elsewhere, they're just saying they won't offer a GFV if i do.

In which case you would owe the finance company the difference between what the car value is and what the GFV/amount outstanding is. That would be a bit of a nightmare though agreeing on a value :mad:

Bottom line is, i can take the car wherever i want as long as Mercedes parts and oils etc. are used, the warranty won't be void either but the car will simply be worth less at the end of the agreement which makes perfect sense.

You don't even need to use Mercedes parts, they need to be of appropriate or matching quality but can be sourced from any manufacturer now :)

only to have the car valued for a lot less whenever i decide it's time to send it back.

They don't bother valuing at the end, the finance representative will check the mileage and if it has any damage vs fair wear and tear. It could be worth 50p or 50k it is irrelevant if you give it back.
 
In which case you would owe the finance company the difference between what the car value is and what the GFV/amount outstanding is. That would be a bit of a nightmare though agreeing on a value :mad:



You don't even need to use Mercedes parts, they need to be of appropriate or matching quality but can be sourced from any manufacturer now :)



They don't bother valuing at the end, the finance representative will check the mileage and if it has any damage vs fair wear and tear. It could be worth 50p or 50k it is irrelevant if you give it back.
Agreed. Easy option is to sell it elsewhere. You then don’t have the mileage adjustment issue either :) and often get a higher valuation 👍
 
Brake Fluid £102.36 (required every 2 years
Just picking up on this specific point because it is a particular bugbear of mine.....plus I haven't bothered to read any of the subsequent posts.
Brake fluid renewal is on all servicing schedules at 2 or 3 years from new then usually every 2 years after this, but in most cases it is an additional charged optional item so not compulsory. I say most cases because from a variety of manufacturers I have never owned one that stated it was a compulsory item.
It is a fact that in the vast majority of cases brake fluid will not have degraded enough to actually require a change at such short intervals. The test is quick and easy to perform, but most people will just blindly have it done on the grounds that it is a potential safety issue.
A more realistic renewal term for brake fluid would be 4-5 years, but manufacturers need to err on the side of worst case scenario so they make it optional at a much reduced term.
Just to pre-empt certain replies I would like to say that I understand how brake fluid operates and what hygroscopic means. :)

Now to the most significant point about the original post....
A cost of £102.36 simply to renew brake fluid while the vehicle is already in for a service is absolutely astonishingly expensive! o_O :eek: 😳 😱
 
Just picking up on this specific point because it is a particular bugbear of mine.....plus I haven't bothered to read any of the subsequent posts.
Brake fluid renewal is on all servicing schedules at 2 or 3 years from new then usually every 2 years after this, but in most cases it is an additional charged optional item so not compulsory. I say most cases because from a variety of manufacturers I have never owned one that stated it was a compulsory item.
It is a fact that in the vast majority of cases brake fluid will not have degraded enough to actually require a change at such short intervals. The test is quick and easy to perform, but most people will just blindly have it done on the grounds that it is a potential safety issue.
A more realistic renewal term for brake fluid would be 4-5 years, but manufacturers need to err on the side of worst case scenario so they make it optional at a much reduced term.
Just to pre-empt certain replies I would like to say that I understand how brake fluid operates and what hygroscopic means. :)

Now to the most significant point about the original post....
A cost of £102.36 simply to renew brake fluid while the vehicle is already in for a service is absolutely astonishingly expensive! o_O :eek: 😳 😱
Half an hour to an hour job, two people unless it’s computer controlled. So I guess it’s parts and Labour and not ordinarily done as part of a service.
 
Half an hour to an hour job, two people unless it’s computer controlled. So I guess it’s parts and Labour and not ordinarily done as part of a service.
Its not parts because brake fluid is cheap.
I assume you are agreeing with my post then? 😇
 
Regardless it is still time they have to spent on it.
Again I have to assume this statement was intended for me, because it was not relevant to the post you quoted and makes much more sense in reply to mine.
You need to stop being so cryptic and hard to understand. :D
 
Its not parts because brake fluid is cheap.
I assume you are agreeing with my post then? 😇
Again I have to assume this statement was intended for me, because it was not relevant to the post you quoted and makes much more sense in reply to mine.
You need to stop being so cryptic and hard to understand. :D
??? What on earth are you on about? Nothing cryptic about it.

How hard is it to understand that it is parts and Labour? Two people for half an hour to an hour plus the fluids, for about £100. Why is that expensive? Why would it need to be included in a normal service when it’s not on a normal service schedule?
 
??? What on earth are you on about? Nothing cryptic about it.

How hard is it to understand that it is parts and Labour? Two people for half an hour to an hour plus the fluids, for about £100. Why is that expensive? Why would it need to be included in a normal service when it’s not on a normal service schedule?
Ok, you are throwing your toys out of the pram now...so it's clear I will need to spell it out for you. :D

You are not using the quote system correctly, which leaves people having to figure out who you are actually addressing.
Previous to this you quoted my entire post which I included enough information to concisely state my point.
You stated parts and labour, so I pointed out that brake fluid is cheap(1 litre is less than £10).
You also stated that a brake fluid change is not ordinarily done as part of a service, but had you fully read my post which you quoted you would have seen that I said it is on every manufacturers service schedule as an additional charged optional item. This means that the customer will be asked if they want to have this done at service when the time interval is appropriate.

You seem to think that £102.36 is a justifiable amount of money for a brake fluid change. Now take into account that brake fluid is inexpensive and the car is already in the service dept. being worked on regardless.
If this is really what you think then you must be the type of person that never haggles over price and has plenty of money to throw around......but I can assure you that price is extortionate!!
 
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Ok, you are throwing your toys out of the pram now...so it's clear I will need to spell it out for you. :D

You are not using the quote system correctly, which leaves people having to figure out who you are actually addressing.
Previous to this you quoted my entire post which I included enough information to concisely state my point.
You stated parts and labour, so I pointed out that brake fluid is cheap(1 litre is less than £10).
You also stated that a brake fluid change is not ordinarily done as part of a service, but had you fully read my post which you quoted you would have seen that I said it is on every manufacturers service schedule as an additional charged optional item. This means that the customer will be asked if they want to have this done at service when the time interval is appropriate.

You seem to think that £102.36 is a justifiable amount of money for a brake fluid change. Now take into account that brake fluid is inexpensive and the car is already in the service dept. being worked on regardless.
If this is really what you think then you must be the type of person that never haggles over price and has plenty of money to throw around......but I can assure you that price is extortionate!!
So are you saying that a brake fluid change doesn't take 30 minutes to an hour? And depending on the car it doesn't take 1-2 people?

I mean does the old brake fluid drain itself? Does it fill itself up? Does it bleed the system by itself? Are you suggesting there is no additional labour involved at all?

Considering that Mercedes main dealer hourly rate is generally about £150/hour, and original Mercedes brake fluid is what £20/litre I think it is pretty good value for money.
 
@Bl4ckGryph0n I refer you to the subject title of this thread.

nuff said. ;)
So in your world there is no effort involved in doing brake fluid change? You seem to be willing to make comments designed to bait but not actually want to discuss at all, nor add anything constructive to the discussion.
 
Not sure how useful this current "discussion" is to the op :rolleyes:

But to give a perspective from the other side of the service counter, brake fluid is either vacuumed out of the lines or pressure is applied to the reservoir to force the fluid through using a more industrial version of this
Best-Brake-Bleeder-750x410.jpg
It's a one man operation, you need about 500ml of fluid and takes less than 15 minutes on a fairly new car if its already on the ramp (about 30 mins if the car isn't in the workshop). So, depending on labour rates £102 is probably about right if that's all you were getting done, but is extortionate if your already in for a service and getting it changed at the same time.

@beasty54 pay close attention to what's included in that service plan before signing on. Don't assume anything is included unless it's expressly mentioned.
 
So are you saying that a brake fluid change doesn't take 30 minutes to an hour? And depending on the car it doesn't take 1-2 people?

I mean does the old brake fluid drain itself? Does it fill itself up? Does it bleed the system by itself? Are you suggesting there is no additional labour involved at all?

Considering that Mercedes main dealer hourly rate is generally about £150/hour, and original Mercedes brake fluid is what £20/litre I think it is pretty good value for money.
Mercedes dont make brake fluid same as they don't make oil or filters , the only bit mercedes will be the container it's in plus their markup.

They'll use a machine like this , 10 minutes to connect it to the brakes then it does the work while they do something else.

£150 an hour isn't good value for money but it's where PCP has allowed them to push the rates to with a captive market.

As a comparison I took out a 3 service 30,000 mile service contract with Ford on a 5.0 mustang for £597 which is 2x £149 & 1x £299

Perhaps mercedes coffee is better , I'm sure it'll be out of a bean to cup machine rather than a vending machine.

Screenshot_20200211-025019_Samsung Internet.jpg
 

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