Mercedes dealer hourly rate
Discussion
I popped into my local MB dealer as my wheel locking nut had been sheered off (Cheers ATS) and I'd struggled to remove it. After the fitter had looked at it the service bloke spent 10 minutes patronising me on how it might take 1 hour or 3 hours it's hard to tell sir. >Squirm< (God he was overly friendly and slimy but that's not important right now)
Now I've just got over the shock but I'm pretty site he quoted me £150 per hour...WTF!
Really?
I visibly shook and got the feck out of there before he started charging me for his time.
No wonder independents do so well with servicing. Even if MB could "price match" a Indy service I'd tell them to do one.
Went to an indy who struggled for 1 hour and ended up welding a nut on and charged me £23.
I was very happy and gave the mechanic £10 tip.
Now I've just got over the shock but I'm pretty site he quoted me £150 per hour...WTF!
Really?
I visibly shook and got the feck out of there before he started charging me for his time.
No wonder independents do so well with servicing. Even if MB could "price match" a Indy service I'd tell them to do one.
Went to an indy who struggled for 1 hour and ended up welding a nut on and charged me £23.
I was very happy and gave the mechanic £10 tip.
My experience is that it's worth building a relationship with the mechanical side in the dealership. They have a great deal of expertise (usually there will be someone who has been around for decades and knows the older cars), they have the capacity to do a lot of work, they will not cut corners or skimp. By contrast, many independents, while much keener to help (usually because they are owner managed businesses) often take short cuts (with the best of intentions: they are used to dealing with customers who want to save money) and don't have the capacity to do a long list of niggly jobs. I find that my dealer will match my independent mechanic on price but beat him hands down on service: too often I take my cars to the independent mechanic, and he is amazing and all that, but it's weeks before I get my car back. I broke a locking wheel nut the other day and the dealer sorted it all out for free.
r129sl said:
My experience is that it's worth building a relationship with the mechanical side in the dealership. They have a great deal of expertise (usually there will be someone who has been around for decades and knows the older cars), they have the capacity to do a lot of work, they will not cut corners or skimp. By contrast, many independents, while much keener to help (usually because they are owner managed businesses) often take short cuts (with the best of intentions: they are used to dealing with customers who want to save money) and don't have the capacity to do a long list of niggly jobs. I find that my dealer will match my independent mechanic on price but beat him hands down on service: too often I take my cars to the independent mechanic, and he is amazing and all that, but it's weeks before I get my car back. I broke a locking wheel nut the other day and the dealer sorted it all out for free.
This.r129sl said:
My experience is that it's worth building a relationship with the mechanical side in the dealership.
Difficult to do in many dealerships, where the person you deal with is a young service advisor who knows nothing about cars!I've found it nigh on impossible to speak to a service advisor directly at Glasgow MB, despite asking questions and requesting call backs you always get 3rd hand information through the service advisors, at least with an Indie you usually get to speak to the person working on your car which can be a godsend in trying to explain, diagnose & solve problems.
Dog Star said:
r129sl said:
My experience is that it's worth building a relationship with the mechanical side in the dealership. They have a great deal of expertise (usually there will be someone who has been around for decades and knows the older cars), they have the capacity to do a lot of work, they will not cut corners or skimp. By contrast, many independents, while much keener to help (usually because they are owner managed businesses) often take short cuts (with the best of intentions: they are used to dealing with customers who want to save money) and don't have the capacity to do a long list of niggly jobs. I find that my dealer will match my independent mechanic on price but beat him hands down on service: too often I take my cars to the independent mechanic, and he is amazing and all that, but it's weeks before I get my car back. I broke a locking wheel nut the other day and the dealer sorted it all out for free.
This.The servicing standard in dealerships up here is utterly atrocious, no other way to describe it, regardless of the marque.
A great many cars I get in to the workshop come from main dealers. The reason for this is because they have little or no experienced engineers, and many customers give up on them. As GTIR says, their hourly rates are collosal. Most of them around here are way over £110 per hour. I'm 40 quid!
Incidentally, the locking wheel nut thing is a serious pain in the butt. The design of some of these nuts condemn them to failure at an early age. If they are recessed deeply into an alloy wheel it can become virtually impossible to remove without damaging the wheel.
J
I understand that many people are rightly dissatisfied with the service they receive at the main dealer.
This morning I took my 1993 E300 diesel T (s124) to Mercedes-Benz of Newcastle for it to have its rear wheel bearings replaced. It urgently needs this work doing because it is my winter hack. I would like to have taken it to my independent specialist but he just could not tell me when he could do the work. I have given him two weeks to get sorted and he hadn't even ordered up the parts. My wife calls his garage the Bermuda Triangle, because my cars just disappear for weeks on end whenever they go there and still he doesn't do everything on the list. He is very, very able and helpful and cheap, make no mistake, but he is also inundated and disorganised, and I guess servicing taxis is easier money than doing the wheel bearings on my 124. What is the point if he can't do what I need?
The main dealer by contrast could not have been more helpful. 40% discount on parts and labour. Car will be ready tonight. They'll service it while they're at it. Lift into town. Dealer principal comes over for a chat, full of enthusiasm for my fleet of old Mercs, very sympathetic to the fact that the shiny new ones just don't appeal, tells me they've just recruited a new tech who has been with Merc for 18years. Lady service advisor was knowledgeable and friendly. Lady receptionist asked about my son and my father. Parts guy says hello. The car will be fixed by the mechanic they always put on my cars and who started on 123s. Cup of tea. Bacon sandwich.
What do they ask from me? Well, apart from paying their bills, not much that I can see. The bills are reasonable and, quite frankly, I'm more concerned about getting my car fixed today than how much it costs. I'm not rich. I'm not buying lots of AMGs (or any). Sometimes I leave a box of biscuits or a case of beer or wine in the boot as a thank you and every now and again I write to the dealer principal and tell him that somebody or other was outstandingly (if they were).
If you want to deal with a mechanic, speak to the dealer principal and I'm sure they'll make it possible.
This morning I took my 1993 E300 diesel T (s124) to Mercedes-Benz of Newcastle for it to have its rear wheel bearings replaced. It urgently needs this work doing because it is my winter hack. I would like to have taken it to my independent specialist but he just could not tell me when he could do the work. I have given him two weeks to get sorted and he hadn't even ordered up the parts. My wife calls his garage the Bermuda Triangle, because my cars just disappear for weeks on end whenever they go there and still he doesn't do everything on the list. He is very, very able and helpful and cheap, make no mistake, but he is also inundated and disorganised, and I guess servicing taxis is easier money than doing the wheel bearings on my 124. What is the point if he can't do what I need?
The main dealer by contrast could not have been more helpful. 40% discount on parts and labour. Car will be ready tonight. They'll service it while they're at it. Lift into town. Dealer principal comes over for a chat, full of enthusiasm for my fleet of old Mercs, very sympathetic to the fact that the shiny new ones just don't appeal, tells me they've just recruited a new tech who has been with Merc for 18years. Lady service advisor was knowledgeable and friendly. Lady receptionist asked about my son and my father. Parts guy says hello. The car will be fixed by the mechanic they always put on my cars and who started on 123s. Cup of tea. Bacon sandwich.
What do they ask from me? Well, apart from paying their bills, not much that I can see. The bills are reasonable and, quite frankly, I'm more concerned about getting my car fixed today than how much it costs. I'm not rich. I'm not buying lots of AMGs (or any). Sometimes I leave a box of biscuits or a case of beer or wine in the boot as a thank you and every now and again I write to the dealer principal and tell him that somebody or other was outstandingly (if they were).
If you want to deal with a mechanic, speak to the dealer principal and I'm sure they'll make it possible.
My experience of MB dealers and older cars -Vs- independents is somewhat different.
Without wishing to name anyone. The soft top on my R129 stopped working last year. The local MB dealer wanted circa £3000 to replace the Bow Extension cylinders. The nature of the fault (it was intermittent) suggested to me that a hydraulic cylinder was unlikely to be the cause, so I went to my usual independent, who is one of the most well known on the South coast.
He replaced a boot (yes a small piece of rubber) on a microswitch, cleared the fault codes in Star and all was (and over a year later still is) well.
Next, the MB main dealer (yes I was daft enough to go back) issued an MOT advisory for play in the rear wheel bearings, suggesting they should be replaced. The same well known independent tightened them F.O.C.
I only go to the indy now.
Without wishing to name anyone. The soft top on my R129 stopped working last year. The local MB dealer wanted circa £3000 to replace the Bow Extension cylinders. The nature of the fault (it was intermittent) suggested to me that a hydraulic cylinder was unlikely to be the cause, so I went to my usual independent, who is one of the most well known on the South coast.
He replaced a boot (yes a small piece of rubber) on a microswitch, cleared the fault codes in Star and all was (and over a year later still is) well.
Next, the MB main dealer (yes I was daft enough to go back) issued an MOT advisory for play in the rear wheel bearings, suggesting they should be replaced. The same well known independent tightened them F.O.C.
I only go to the indy now.
r129sl said:
The main dealer by contrast could not have been more helpful. 40% discount on parts and labour. Car will be ready tonight. They'll service it while they're at it. Lift into town. Dealer principal comes over for a chat, full of enthusiasm for my fleet of old Mercs, very sympathetic to the fact that the shiny new ones just don't appeal, tells me they've just recruited a new tech who has been with Merc for 18years. Lady service advisor was knowledgeable and friendly. Lady receptionist asked about my son and my father. Parts guy says hello. The car will be fixed by the mechanic they always put on my cars and who started on 123s. Cup of tea. Bacon sandwich.
...
If you want to deal with a mechanic, speak to the dealer principal and I'm sure they'll make it possible.
I have to say that I've used the same MB dealer for 8 years and your experience is completely different to mine....
If you want to deal with a mechanic, speak to the dealer principal and I'm sure they'll make it possible.
One thing that REALLY bugs me is I can wander around the dealership while something or other is being done and NOBODY speaks to me. Chat with the DP? I asked for the Service Manager once and they looked at me as if I'd asked if it would be OK if I shagged his daughter while I was waiting.
I've never heard it said dealers are good with older cars - quite the opposite, in fact. The older experienced mechanics start up on their own or work with indies – the young guys are only interested in plugging in StarDiagnose to the latest model and then slavishly following what it says.
r129sl said:
I understand that many people are rightly dissatisfied with the service they receive at the main dealer.
This morning I took my 1993 E300 diesel T (s124) to Mercedes-Benz of Newcastle for it to have its rear wheel bearings replaced. It urgently needs this work doing because it is my winter hack. I would like to have taken it to my independent specialist but he just could not tell me when he could do the work. I have given him two weeks to get sorted and he hadn't even ordered up the parts. My wife calls his garage the Bermuda Triangle, because my cars just disappear for weeks on end whenever they go there and still he doesn't do everything on the list. He is very, very able and helpful and cheap, make no mistake, but he is also inundated and disorganised, and I guess servicing taxis is easier money than doing the wheel bearings on my 124. What is the point if he can't do what I need?
The main dealer by contrast could not have been more helpful. 40% discount on parts and labour. Car will be ready tonight. They'll service it while they're at it. Lift into town. Dealer principal comes over for a chat, full of enthusiasm for my fleet of old Mercs, very sympathetic to the fact that the shiny new ones just don't appeal, tells me they've just recruited a new tech who has been with Merc for 18years. Lady service advisor was knowledgeable and friendly. Lady receptionist asked about my son and my father. Parts guy says hello. The car will be fixed by the mechanic they always put on my cars and who started on 123s. Cup of tea. Bacon sandwich.
What do they ask from me? Well, apart from paying their bills, not much that I can see. The bills are reasonable and, quite frankly, I'm more concerned about getting my car fixed today than how much it costs. I'm not rich. I'm not buying lots of AMGs (or any). Sometimes I leave a box of biscuits or a case of beer or wine in the boot as a thank you and every now and again I write to the dealer principal and tell him that somebody or other was outstandingly (if they were).
If you want to deal with a mechanic, speak to the dealer principal and I'm sure they'll make it possible.
Your experience is why I get more people coming up from the North of England.This morning I took my 1993 E300 diesel T (s124) to Mercedes-Benz of Newcastle for it to have its rear wheel bearings replaced. It urgently needs this work doing because it is my winter hack. I would like to have taken it to my independent specialist but he just could not tell me when he could do the work. I have given him two weeks to get sorted and he hadn't even ordered up the parts. My wife calls his garage the Bermuda Triangle, because my cars just disappear for weeks on end whenever they go there and still he doesn't do everything on the list. He is very, very able and helpful and cheap, make no mistake, but he is also inundated and disorganised, and I guess servicing taxis is easier money than doing the wheel bearings on my 124. What is the point if he can't do what I need?
The main dealer by contrast could not have been more helpful. 40% discount on parts and labour. Car will be ready tonight. They'll service it while they're at it. Lift into town. Dealer principal comes over for a chat, full of enthusiasm for my fleet of old Mercs, very sympathetic to the fact that the shiny new ones just don't appeal, tells me they've just recruited a new tech who has been with Merc for 18years. Lady service advisor was knowledgeable and friendly. Lady receptionist asked about my son and my father. Parts guy says hello. The car will be fixed by the mechanic they always put on my cars and who started on 123s. Cup of tea. Bacon sandwich.
What do they ask from me? Well, apart from paying their bills, not much that I can see. The bills are reasonable and, quite frankly, I'm more concerned about getting my car fixed today than how much it costs. I'm not rich. I'm not buying lots of AMGs (or any). Sometimes I leave a box of biscuits or a case of beer or wine in the boot as a thank you and every now and again I write to the dealer principal and tell him that somebody or other was outstandingly (if they were).
If you want to deal with a mechanic, speak to the dealer principal and I'm sure they'll make it possible.
I am totally organised and the cars in my workshop are done and out of here in as quick a time as possible because I have a very small shop and cannot have cars immobilised for any length of time.
I can tell you exactly when to bring your car in, usually within 2 to 3 days and when it will be ready. Please don't assume all independents are the same.
J
Engine on my father's CLK went into "Safe mode" last week. I rang up local dealer - £126 +VAT per hour to diagnose, no fixed fee arrangements - "could take an hour, could take two, won't know until we get it here". When I pushed him on possible causes of the fault his reply was along the lines of "how long is a piece of string".
Rang up local independent - £45 to diagnose.
I would prefer to use our local main dealer but cannot stick their attitude (the above isn't an isolated incident), it's as if they think they are doing you a favour by speaking to you.
Rang up local independent - £45 to diagnose.
I would prefer to use our local main dealer but cannot stick their attitude (the above isn't an isolated incident), it's as if they think they are doing you a favour by speaking to you.
Deva Link said:
I have to say that I've used the same MB dealer for 8 years and your experience is completely different to mine.
One thing that REALLY bugs me is I can wander around the dealership while something or other is being done and NOBODY speaks to me. Chat with the DP? I asked for the Service Manager once and they looked at me as if I'd asked if it would be OK if I shagged his daughter while I was waiting.
Well, I can't really stand the snooty, oily salesmen either. And the modern product does nothing for me. One thing that REALLY bugs me is I can wander around the dealership while something or other is being done and NOBODY speaks to me. Chat with the DP? I asked for the Service Manager once and they looked at me as if I'd asked if it would be OK if I shagged his daughter while I was waiting.
The service manager I deal with is called Paul Simpson and he could not be more helpful. He knows his stuff, too. The best tech is a guy called Paul Smith and he has been there longer than I have been driving (quite a long time now). I guess you have to let them know that you're serious and not just speculative or after something for nothing (please do not think I am suggesting this, but it seems to me that this is what a lot of people complain about) and they will respond appropriately. The dealer principal (Jeremy Simpson, maybe there is a shortage of names at that place) lives at the top of the stairs and generally has his door open: next time you're there, I would knock and introduce yourself. He really does seem eager to help. That's my experience anyway.
jith said:
Your experience is why I get more people coming up from the North of England.
I am totally organised and the cars in my workshop are done and out of here in as quick a time as possible because I have a very small shop and cannot have cars immobilised for any length of time.
I can tell you exactly when to bring your car in, usually within 2 to 3 days and when it will be ready. Please don't assume all independents are the same.
J
You'll get a sale out of me sooner or later! You impressed me with that post ages ago about the rear window seal on the 126 coupe. I need to throw some money at the 126: it is suffering at the moment, mainly in the bodywork department but I noticed transmission fluid on the garage floor at the weekend and I think I made a mess of my first brake job. It's either that or let it waste away slowly.I am totally organised and the cars in my workshop are done and out of here in as quick a time as possible because I have a very small shop and cannot have cars immobilised for any length of time.
I can tell you exactly when to bring your car in, usually within 2 to 3 days and when it will be ready. Please don't assume all independents are the same.
J
mickyveloce said:
Is that Newcastle . We have a great relationship along similar lines at Mercedes Teesside . Lovely experience and always willing to do a deal on older models .
Ps , saw a lovely silver/gold 129 on the a19 at Osmotherley the other day going north , was that you ?
Yes, Newcastle. Teesside is the same group, Sytner. Ps , saw a lovely silver/gold 129 on the a19 at Osmotherley the other day going north , was that you ?
If it was last Friday afternoon not long after lunch, then that was me, heading back from Leeds. We had quite a fast run. Hostage to fortune coming up here, but I don't see much police enforcement on the A1/A19 these days, perhaps the spending cuts are having a happy effect?
Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 11th December 13:06
When I first bought my C32 I decided I'd use the main dealer because it was 'special' and I didn't trust anyone else to look after it (a tad naive, I'll grant you).
At first I was quite happy with the free coffee, posh waiting area and free valet, but then long stays with big bills for what turned out to be fairly simple jobs started occuring on a regular enough basis to start being annoying. Also, nothing ever seemed to get fixed, it was always replaced, at huge cost to me. I also objected to being told the price over the phone and then being told a lower price 'after discount'. I hadn't asked for a discount or done anything to earn a discount, which led me to believe that if they were offering it to me, they were offering it to everyone and if they were offering it to everyone, it wasn't discounted, it was the price.
I stumbled across the indy I now use by way of a third party and now, three years on, wouldn't take my car anywhere else. The guy knows me by the sound of my voice on the phone (well, I do own a C32 - he sees it a lot!) and knows my car inside out. He's a source of invaluable advice and turns my car around double quick. His reputation also spreads way further than the south coast town where he's based.
I still get the free coffee if I have to hang around for any length of time and, frankly, I can do without the valet anyway.
There will always be good and bad dealers and good and bad independents. For me, the independent wins.
At first I was quite happy with the free coffee, posh waiting area and free valet, but then long stays with big bills for what turned out to be fairly simple jobs started occuring on a regular enough basis to start being annoying. Also, nothing ever seemed to get fixed, it was always replaced, at huge cost to me. I also objected to being told the price over the phone and then being told a lower price 'after discount'. I hadn't asked for a discount or done anything to earn a discount, which led me to believe that if they were offering it to me, they were offering it to everyone and if they were offering it to everyone, it wasn't discounted, it was the price.
I stumbled across the indy I now use by way of a third party and now, three years on, wouldn't take my car anywhere else. The guy knows me by the sound of my voice on the phone (well, I do own a C32 - he sees it a lot!) and knows my car inside out. He's a source of invaluable advice and turns my car around double quick. His reputation also spreads way further than the south coast town where he's based.
I still get the free coffee if I have to hang around for any length of time and, frankly, I can do without the valet anyway.
There will always be good and bad dealers and good and bad independents. For me, the independent wins.
Deva Link said:
r129sl said:
..next time you're there, I would knock and introduce yourself.
Apologies - I put the name of my dealer in and then edited it out clumsily, although it's probably obvious from my user name. It's not the same one as you use.Well, despite all my high praise for Merc Newcastle, perhaps because of it, they have let me down. Twice. They ordered the wrong parts. So the car was not ready yesterday and although they offered me a courtesy car, I was unable to take it because I did not have my driving licence or driver number on me (not really their fault, I suppose). Then today, despite having the right parts, they have not finished the job because they have found it more difficult than expected to remove the old bearings (no s
t: they've been in there for 19 years and 250,000miles). Whether this true or whether they simply did not get started, who knows. No word on whether they can give me a car (I took the precaution of bringing my licence) because the nice lady service receptionist is "with another customer" (which seems a permanent situation). It irritates me that they did not start the job yesterday so they could tell me this but I can understand they would not want a ramp to be out of action. Grrr. Grrr. I hate garages. It's a good job I have other cars but this is always how I end up with too many cars in town.
t: they've been in there for 19 years and 250,000miles). Whether this true or whether they simply did not get started, who knows. No word on whether they can give me a car (I took the precaution of bringing my licence) because the nice lady service receptionist is "with another customer" (which seems a permanent situation). It irritates me that they did not start the job yesterday so they could tell me this but I can understand they would not want a ramp to be out of action. Grrr. Grrr. I hate garages. It's a good job I have other cars but this is always how I end up with too many cars in town.MB quoted me £250 for a new injector seal plus "It'll probably need a new injector £180 plus wiring £120" (the wiring has disintegrated true.)
£97 from Indy and he said "I cleaned up the wires and they are worn but ok"
It does seem that MB charge a lot because it's a premium brand and they don't really care about the people who are cost conscious.
I see someone said they have fitters with lots of experience?
Show me a MB dealer with a mechanic over 40yo and I show you a boot up the arse. All the good mechanics have set up their own indys!
£97 from Indy and he said "I cleaned up the wires and they are worn but ok"
It does seem that MB charge a lot because it's a premium brand and they don't really care about the people who are cost conscious.
I see someone said they have fitters with lots of experience?
Show me a MB dealer with a mechanic over 40yo and I show you a boot up the arse. All the good mechanics have set up their own indys!
r129sl said:
By contrast, many independents, while much keener to help (usually because they are owner managed businesses) often take short cuts (with the best of intentions: they are used to dealing with customers who want to save money) and don't have the capacity to do a long list of niggly jobs. I find that my dealer will match my independent mechanic on price but beat him hands down on service: too often I take my cars to the independent mechanic, and he is amazing and all that, but it's weeks before I get my car back.
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