MB Servicing - Value?

[The Mad Monk]

I have just been on line to get a price for my MB W211 E 220CDI

Apparently I require a 'B' service at a cost of - well

If I go to Brooklands it's £436.20 inc VAT
If I go to MB Guildford it's £329.27 inc VAT

This is what they do:-

Key Features of Service B:-

Change engine oil and oil filter
Check charging cable and vehicle socket for mechanical damage (Hybrid)
Check brake fluid level
Correct and note down tyre pressure
Check/correct spare tyre pressure (equipment specific)
Check TIREFIT tyre sealant (equipment specific)
Check first aid kit
Check luggage compartment illumination for proper operation
Check/correct windcreen washer fluid
Check lamps in the instrument cluster and interior illumination for proper operation
Check ex-factory driving aids (equipment specific)
Fill up or replace vial of perfume atomizer (equipment specific)
Fill up Ad®Blue tank (equipment specific, after consultation with customer)
Perform brake test
Check exterior lights for proper operation
Check operation of headlamp range adjustment
Check/correct headlamp adjustment
Check function of windscreen wipers and windscreen washer system
Replace activated charcoal combination filter
Replace battery in the keyfob
Check condition and operation of trailer hitch (equipment specific)

The actual operations seem to be - Change engine oil and filter, change charcoal filter (what's that? In the AC?) change keyfob battery, the rest of it is check stuff that I can well check myself.

Or I can have the 7+ Service, Which IIRC is about £147 inc VAT.

Which should I go for?

[Monkeylegend]

Find a good indy who will do the full service for less than the Guilford quote.

[Plate spinner]

Monkeylegend said:

Find a good indy who will do the full service for less than the Guilford quote.

This

Or if you insist on a dealer service history, pay them

[jkh112]

What is the 7+ service?
Do you have previous MB service history and therefore think it is worth keeping it complete? If you intend keeping the car and not selling it soon or the previous service history is not full MB then find an Indie.

I take my w212 to MB but it is still under MB warranty, my 911 is older and I will not be selling it any time soon so it goes to a trusted indie.

[The Mad Monk]

My car is coming up to 10 years old. In the real world, if i choose to sell it, would FMBSH make any significant difference to the price I would get for it?

[jkh112]

Full MBSH would probably not add much value but it would be easier to sell. If it is that age why not go for the 7+ service which would still give you a full service history from MB?

[jkh112]

I have just looked up the 7+ service and that looks ideal for you. It is specifically to allow cars of that age keep a full MBSH without the cost associated with looking after a new car.

[Sheepshanks]

The Mad Monk said:

The actual operations seem to be - Change engine oil and filter, change charcoal filter (what's that? In the AC?) change keyfob battery, the rest of it is check stuff that I can well check myself.

Or I can have the 7+ Service, Which IIRC is about £147 inc VAT.

Which should I go for?

Charcoal filter is the pollen filter.

Normally brake fluid change coincides with B services - MB schedule it every 2yrs. Likely to be something stupid like £100 at rack rates, but most dealers will do it for a lot less (probably not Brooklands though).

IMHO it's pointless having the Value service. They may stamp the book but they're not supposed to and it doesn't continue the Mobilo cover (that may not matter to you if you have some other roadside assistance cover).

Dealers used to be up for negotiation on service prices but that's become increasingly difficult - I reckon MB has leaned on them to get everyone to take the ServiceCare plan.

[Monkeylegend]

jkh112 said:

Full MBSH would probably not add much value but it would be easier to sell. If it is that age why not go for the 7+ service which would still give you a full service history from MB?

I don't think servicing in later life with a well respected indy would devalue the car at all compared to full MBSH.

Also the MB low cost option is very much that, just a basic oil and filter change, or at least it is with my MB dealer, so it doesn't keep the car "fully serviced".

I would go/ have gone good indy as opposed to the low cost MB option.

[Plate spinner]

The Mad Monk said:

My car is coming up to 10 years old. In the real world, if i choose to sell it, would FMBSH make any significant difference to the price I would get for it?

I doubt the additional it would be worth would be offset by the additional you are paying a main dealer vs a good Indy.

[Sheepshanks]

jkh112 said:

Full MBSH would probably not add much value but it would be easier to sell. If it is that age why not go for the 7+ service which would still give you a full service history from MB?

It's not full history though as it doesn't follow the pukka MB service schedule. It also doesn't include the time/mileage based additional work which is supposed to be mandatory to get the stamp in the book. The big thing about full history is it continues the Mobilo cover - having a Value service breaks that.

The dealer doesn't even have to use genuine MB parts and approved oil, although they probably do in reality.

[tonys]

Sheepshanks said:

The Mad Monk said:

The actual operations seem to be - Change engine oil and filter, change charcoal filter (what's that? In the AC?) change keyfob battery, the rest of it is check stuff that I can well check myself.

Or I can have the 7+ Service, Which IIRC is about £147 inc VAT.

Which should I go for?

Charcoal filter is the pollen filter.

Normally brake fluid change coincides with B services - MB schedule it every 2yrs. Likely to be something stupid like £100 at rack rates, but most dealers will do it for a lot less (probably not Brooklands though).

IMHO it's pointless having the Value service. They may stamp the book but they're not supposed to and it doesn't continue the Mobilo cover (that may not matter to you if you have some other roadside assistance cover).

Dealers used to be up for negotiation on service prices but that's become increasingly difficult - I reckon MB has leaned on them to get everyone to take the ServiceCare plan.

I've also noticed that (service pricing) in recent years. A cynic might say that, as everthing seems to be geared to internet pricing, dealers have ramped up prices such that it's invariably cheaper to use the service plan, tying people in to 2, 3 or 4 years with MB.

[Dunit]

Use a recommended indy, That way your be able to talk to the guy who is actually going to work on your car.
We have had disgraceful service from our Dealer on both our Cars ,And complaining to My customer service was a waste of time. So we cancelled the 3 year service plan and use our local indy.
Least now we are certain that parts we are charged for actually are fitted!!.

[The Mad Monk]

Dunit said:

Use a recommended indy, That way your be able to talk to the guy who is actually going to work on your car.
We have had disgraceful service from our Dealer on both our Cars ,And complaining to My customer service was a waste of time. So we cancelled the 3 year service plan and use our local indy.
Least now we are certain that parts we are charged for actually are fitted!!.

Funnily enough, I went into Brooklands this morning to enquire about 7+ Value servicing. I told the woman on the desk that I couldn't find 7+ servicing on the website. 'That's because we don't offer it any more', she said. 'So that's it, is it', said I. 'Yes, sorry about that', said she.

There we are. Full price MB servicing, or sign up for the 2 year service plan thing with MB, or use an indie?

I have used a reasonably localish indie in the past on a high mileage MB that I owned then, but they weren't particularly cheap.

Hmmm.

[Plate spinner]

OP, on a 10 year Merc (I have a 2007 C220cdi) I just use my trusted 'jack of all trades' car mechanic / engineer.

There's nothing from a servicing standpoint on these that will be beyond them if they are decent.

And they're hardly cutting edge technology. Hell, I do the oil / filters / checks / timer reset myself half the time when I have a free afternoon. It's far from rocket science.