HOW MUCH??? Mercedes Benz servicing costs.....

[MMC]

Any recommendations on places near to Reading that I can get it serviced at a more reasonable cost (whilst maintaining warranty etc?)

Reading? I'd recommend Star Motors. They looked after my E500 and were amazing. The nicest bunch of blokes and really know what they're doing: https://www.starmotorservices.co.uk/

[alfat33]

Financially, if the service was done correctly then yeh, they’re fine but from my experience over the years service plans aren’t worth the money.
Going back a few years ago JLR were doing service plans for 3-5 years for stupid money...

Ive seen this time and time again and not just of JLR products

JLR didn’t tell us that a 5 year plan for £500 was actually only 3 services. They still sent us a reminder that the service was due every year. We couldn’t wait for the plan to finish as the customer service was so terrible from the dealer - every visit turned into a kind of parallel reality, where the car was ‘just being washed’ when it was due for collection, at the same time clearly visible (and bone dry) from the reception area full of resigned-looking owners.

[Dave+63]

It’s all moot really; there are no servicing requirements for EVs and the public will quickly come to realise that EV servicing is a con!

[Franky Four Fingers]

JLR didn’t tell us that a 5 year plan for £500 was actually only 3 services. They still sent us a reminder that the service was due every year. We couldn’t wait for the plan to finish as the customer service was so terrible from the dealer - every visit turned into a kind of parallel reality, where the car was ‘just being washed’ when it was due for collection, at the same time clearly visible (and bone dry) from the reception area full of resigned-looking owners.

I don’t know what your vehicle is but regardless there is no way that they can do 3 services for that. I would like to check the condition of your pollen filter - that’ll tell you all you need to know!

[Dave+63]

It is cheap, three services for our GLC is £1150.

[alfat33]

I don’t know what your vehicle is but regardless there is no way that they can do 3 services for that. I would like to check the condition of your pollen filter - that’ll tell you all you need to know!

Ooh you tease... In all seriousness thanks for the info and help.

There is a local independent who we know is very good as he looked after a succession of Range Rovers for my FiL. This is for my wife’s Evoque, he has already changed the doorlock on it after a fault and I’m sure he will be able to put right the five years of bodging from the dealer when the next service is due in a few months.

TBH I know that 3 services for £500 is impossible. I assumed it was a promotion funded by JLR - rather than discounting the price they offered the service plan at an impossibly cheap rate, a bit like a watch dealer throwing in a free service rather than start a trend for discounting RRP.

[Franky Four Fingers]

Ooh you tease... In all seriousness thanks for the info and help.

There is a local independent who we know is very good as he looked after a succession of Range Rovers for my FiL. This is for my wife’s Evoque, he has already changed the doorlock on it after a fault and I’m sure he will be able to put right the five years of bodging from the dealer when the next service is due in a few months.

TBH I know that 3 services for £500 is impossible. I assumed it was a promotion funded by JLR - rather than discounting the price they offered the service plan at an impossibly cheap rate, a bit like a watch dealer throwing in a free service rather than start a trend for discounting RRP.

I don’t say that to all the girls you know🤣

So yeh, ingenium Evoque engine oil alone from a dealer is well over a tonne without the vat doesn’t include pollen filters and labour, second service at year 4 is a lot bigger with all the filters being done...that would be in excess of £500 in itself.
Glad you’ve got a decent Indy though.

[gingerboy]

I had a 12 plate eclass that I bought when it was 3 years old. It had less than 30,000 miles and full MB history.

After 12cmonths had a message from the NB dealer, service and MOT were due. Called up and a young lady said she'd just calculate what was required. ..... B service - £750, no, wait that'll be £820. I asked for confirmation of what was included = Oil and filter, air filter, pollen filter, fuel filter, change brake fluid + MOT.

Called up a reputable garage who I know really well. £250 all in - literally blows my mind how much dealers charge.

I have no issue with paying someone to do the job properly, I do have an issue with being ripped off.

Just sold my Hyundai Santa Fe..... Prices are better than Merc but still between £160 and £400 depending on service required. In fairness, the Santa Fe was 2016 car, 106,000 miles and had been perfectly reliable.





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[julian2002]

As you should no longer get a service book as it breaches privacy laws and most service records are now electronic in nature, stamps in a book are no longer really relevant. Certainly for my MB they are all held electronically and I'm pretty sure they only indicate that a service has been performed, not that it has been done by a dealer or an independent with access to the system.

[Franky Four Fingers]

As you should no longer get a service book as it breaches privacy laws and most service records are now electronic in nature, stamps in a book are no longer really relevant. Certainly for my MB they are all held electronically and I'm pretty sure they only indicate that a service has been performed, not that it has been done by a dealer or an independent with access to the system.

Privacy laws?
Most manufactures have been using online service history for years now before stupid GDPR regs came out, interested to know how service books break those laws?
All you do is record the mileage/ date and the place of service.

[Maysie]

In case it is useful as a comparison, I have just booked my LR Velar for its first service (21k miles/2 years) and the cost is £390 at the local main dealer.

I have the 2.0L diesel model.

[vagabond]

Doesn't the service book have the (first from new) owner's name and details in it? - the service books I've seen certainly had that. Obviously if your the 3rd or 4th owner it won't have your name....

[Mark020]

Was that the date it was fitted or the manufacturing date?

As they don’t have those fitted stickers anymore I’m guessing the later

Manufacturing I assume. And by the looks of it is was in the car for longer than it should be

[jaytip]

Privacy laws?
Most manufactures have been using online service history for years now before stupid GDPR regs came out, interested to know how service books break those laws?
All you do is record the mileage/ date and the place of service.

I bought a Skoda Citigo, from a trader and he showed me the cars service history but he also said he had to stamp over the previous owners personal details on the paperwork.
So clearly in some cases, it is there.

[kungfupanda]

Doesn't the service book have the (first from new) owner's name and details in it? - the service books I've seen certainly had that. Obviously if your the 3rd or 4th owner it won't have your name....

I don’t think so. All the service books I’ve seen have just contained a VIN sticker detailing all the options in the form of codes and supplying dealer stamp. Never seen any personalised information in them.

[Ian_O]

Give Darren or Daryl at Protek near Tadley a call as I’m sure he can do better than that. A decent indie with all the equipment and ex Mercedes technicians, they looked after my C, E and SL and CLK and couldn’t fault them

Bit late to this thread, but another vote for ProTech from me. I used them for years when I had my Mercs and they're excellent. Reasonable prices, great service and very knowledgeable.

[RJM25R]

It’s all moot really; there are no servicing requirements for EVs and the public will quickly come to realise that EV servicing is a con!

In reality, it’s more of a safety check than a service, with zero consumables for the engine itself and less usage on the brakes (if driven correctly)

- - - Updated - - -

I bought a Skoda Citigo, from a trader and he showed me the cars service history but he also said he had to stamp over the previous owners personal details on the paperwork.
So clearly in some cases, it is there.

That’s likely to be invoices to be fair. I’ve seen service books with a clients name in but it’s usually been written by the cust themselves

[Dave+63]

In reality, it’s more of a safety check than a service, with zero consumables for the engine itself and less usage on the brakes (if driven correctly)

I get that but an MOT is more thorough and costs £40!

[Scepticalist]

Was that the date it was fitted or the manufacturing date?

As they don’t have those fitted stickers anymore I’m guessing the later

Main dealer franchises often buy in bulk to reduce costs. When I was working for Peugeot it was common to have service parts in stock for years beause the manufacturer would do deals on them if we bought a pallet/case.

[thegreatdogwood]

This is more of a rant than advice. Just had a mail from MB saying our car is due its service in the next Month. So looked on their website, put the details in/mileage etc and was informed I needed an "A Service" which is the cheapest service largely consisting of an oil and filter change and some random checks to make sure the seat belts, tyres, lights etc are all working. For the 1.5 hours work they are wanting £450! Now I have had main dealer services on BMW and Audis in the past but don't remember them being that expensive for very little work that I could do easily myself.

Any recommendations on places near to Reading that I can get it serviced at a more reasonable cost (whilst maintaining warranty etc?)

Rant over..... Thanks for listening

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I stumbled across this website https://bookmygarage.com/

There are a number of main dealers that sell slots through it, so for instance I halved the cost of a service on my Audi whilst taking it to the same garage - the "secret dealer" badging is nothing to worry about, pretty obvious from address and reviews who it is. I got the exact same text and email from Audi as usual when I booked. I can see that Reading Mercedes is one of the dealers that use the site, so stick in your details and see what quote it comes up with.

[Dm1672]

Asked for a price for the service plan for our defender almost fell over at almost £2200



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[adrianw]

Asked for a price for the service plan for our defender almost fell over at almost £2200



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That doesn’t make sense, the only prices quoted are individual services

[mrushton]

As the sales of electric vehicles increase how will dealers maintain these charges? Apart from tyres and brakes what is there to check? Battery charging, windscreen fluid perhaps?

[MCFastybloke]

As the sales of electric vehicles increase how will dealers maintain these charges? Apart from tyres and brakes what is there to check? Battery charging, windscreen fluid perhaps?

Designers and engineers will make sure the new generation will have need of some work from the dealer network. Replacement and spare parts is just too big a payday.
Toffee bearings and weak bushings are just two that come to mind.

[Mouse]

There will still be plenty for dealers to do, but things will change for them definitely.

Accident damage, electrical issues galore no doubt, some mechanical of course - bearings, steering, suspension etc (tho regen braking should reduce need for pads/discs so often).

Life will still go on, just not as they have known it :-)

[Dm1672]

That doesn’t make sense, the only prices quoted are individual services

The full service plan was all 3 services combined,i asked due to paying £500 for my service plan on the disco sport

[adrianw]

The full service plan was all 3 services combined,i asked due to paying £500 for my service plan on the disco sport

So the individual service costs are £15308.30, and the service plan price is £2200, if you have the time you might want to aske again, or ask a dealer who can be bothered to quote you properly.

[neilma]

I stumbled across this website https://bookmygarage.com/

There are a number of main dealers that sell slots through it, so for instance I halved the cost of a service on my Audi whilst taking it to the same garage - the "secret dealer" badging is nothing to worry about, pretty obvious from address and reviews who it is. I got the exact same text and email from Audi as usual when I booked. I can see that Reading Mercedes is one of the dealers that use the site, so stick in your details and see what quote it comes up with.

Great find! £161 for a "full" service.

So I called Reading MB to ask what the "catch" was. Lady explained its all legit - They (MB Reading) have no control over the booking process, you do it direct with BookMyGarage but other than that its all Mercedes Parts etc. Only "issue" is that you wont get road side assistance (however my car is only 2 years old and its still valid until the car is 3 years old so you can get it serviced by MB proper at 3 years and then the roadside assistance will recommence if you want. Also they wont do warranty stuff (although you can book the car in on the same day and MB will do the warranty stuff before the service :)) and the Service book will be updated to show it was done by BookMyGarage as a full service not MB as a Type A or B or whatever.

Seems a no brainer to me?

[thegreatdogwood]

Great find! £161 for a "full" service.

So I called Reading MB to ask what the "catch" was. Lady explained its all legit - They (MB Reading) have no control over the booking process, you do it direct with BookMyGarage but other than that its all Mercedes Parts etc. Only "issue" is that you wont get road side assistance (however my car is only 2 years old and its still valid until the car is 3 years old so you can get it serviced by MB proper at 3 years and then the roadside assistance will recommence if you want. Also they wont do warranty stuff (although you can book the car in on the same day and MB will do the warranty stuff before the service :)) and the Service book will be updated to show it was done by BookMyGarage as a full service not MB as a Type A or B or whatever.

Seems a no brainer to me?

Apparently it works on the packaged holiday model where Book My Garage pre-commit to a large number of slots for a healthy discount and then re-sell them. There may be nuances across different dealers but I got a dealer stamp and precisely the same service I've had previously from the dealer but at less cost. It seems you need to be lucky to have a participating main dealer within acceptable distance but if you do it does seem a no-brainer and the reviews seem good.

[adrianw]

Apparently it works on the packaged holiday model where Book My Garage pre-commit to a large number of slots for a healthy discount and then re-sell them. There may be nuances across different dealers but I got a dealer stamp and precisely the same service I've had previously from the dealer but at less cost. It seems you need to be lucky to have a participating main dealer within acceptable distance but if you do it does seem a no-brainer and the reviews seem good.

click on the one star on google reviews, I'm not sure i would use them

[Pitfitter]

Don’t like the secret garage bit, it may be cheap there are local operations I wouldn’t trust with a wheelbarrow, and in fact many are dearer than the main dealer quoted for her Seat service.

[thegreatdogwood]

click on the one star on google reviews, I'm not sure i would use them

Each to their own - the majority are positive and all I can say is that I got the same service from Audi as I normally do for a fraction of the cost

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/bookmygarage.com

[Mark020]

Main dealer franchises often buy in bulk to reduce costs. When I was working for Peugeot it was common to have service parts in stock for years beause the manufacturer would do deals on them if we bought a pallet/case.

Could be. It is MY 2005 and that has a pretty unique airfilter. However: it was really dirty which, according to my tech guy, meant it was over due.

[Dm1672]

So the individual service costs are £15308.30, and the service plan price is £2200, if you have the time you might want to aske again, or ask a dealer who can be bothered to quote you properly.

Not sure where your getting £15308.30 from ....its not a veyron 🤣