Main Dealer Servicing Costs - The North/South Divide

[scrutineers]

My 2006 CLS is due a B service soon at 50,000 miles. I live in Leeds but work every week in Brentford so I rang both MB main dealers in Leeds and Brentford.

Leeds quoted £247 including a free MOT test. Brentford wanted £458 just for the service.

Surely the price difference can't be explained by just the higher labour/overheads in London? Has anybody else experienced such a big difference in service prices?

[chiefski26]

Did the higher quote include additional work/service items ?

[scrutineers]

Exactly the same, no additional items included.

[yellowbentines]

TBH the cheaper price sounds too cheap for a B service, sounds more like the price you'd expect to pay for an A service.

[soxboy]

If you do go to Leeds, make sure you have a note of who you spoke to and the exact price quoted.

I took my MB in for an A service a few months ago. I agreed a price of £220 inc Vat over the phone, I had got quotes from the Harrogate and Bradford dealers too but they were only slightly lower and not worth the trek over to them.

When I collected the car I got a jolly friendly chap advising me that the bill was £340 plus Vat. When I advised him of my earlier conversation and of whom I had spoken to, he agreed to the quoted price. His manner certainly suggested that whoever had quoted that price would be getting a swift talking to.