G'day all,

Are there any trustworthy independent specialists in Adelaide? I'm looking at getting a 2009 ML63 but am not sure who I'd take it to for servicing/modding..

I had my Audi covered by Andrew @ German Auto and my M5 currently goes to Simon @ BM Connections but not idea about Mercedes. I wil source parts from overseas and would prefer to avoid the dealer if possible.

Thanks in advance,
Linh

 

Guess no one from Adelaide in here - but in case there is, i've pretty much gotten the shortlist down to the following:

Enzo's Auto 8223 1915 187 Frome Street, Adelaide
Auto Studio 8357 0222 9 Unley Road, Parkside
Krause Motors 8344 6868 21 Main North Road, Medindie

However, when I spoke to Enzo's, their A/B service was identical to the dealership's anyway so scrub that off the list.

Krause are the only ones who are Mercedes-ONLY.

Auto Studio are "european specialists" and cater for all cars but they keep getting good reviews...

 

Im in Ads too so would be interested to know if there are any recommendations..

 

Here are the updates...

Enzo's was way too expensive. Better off going to the dealer.
Auto Studio are highly regarded.
Krause sucks and recently went through a change of owners and they suck even more.

There's two guys down Edwardstown that were highly recommended but I never looked into it any further because it's too far for me to travel.

I've been to the MB dealership twice now and each time was surprised that:

1. It wasn't expensive (for A service)
2. Good service with no run around.

I'll keep going to dealer for now... Mods and non-standard stuff I'll go to a personal contact I use for my BMW's.

 

Adam Shaw from ASA Engineering is your man!!

$100 per hour. Only person I trust with my baby.

 

interesting... haven't heard of them yet. will give them a call!

in other news, i need an A service soon so got a quote from both the dealership and Auto Studio (Unley). Auto Studio were around $140 cheaper for the service however they're NOT willing to put on any parts that I've sourced (both OEM as well as aftermarket).

 

Good to see you passed on Krause! Earlier this year I took my E55 there which was running poorly and told them to be careful as I was concerned about extra damage since it was performing at about 50% power. They phoned next day saying it was fine and had "impressive" performance. A little confused I collected the car and a few days later blew the motor necessitating a $15,000 rebuild!

 

ouchhhhhhh!!! that's crazy!! sorry to hear!

 

Good info. It's so damn difficult to find Mercedes service in Adelaide! With my older Mercs there was plenty of choice and I used a guy in Norwood for years.

Initially I took my car there when it was running bad but found out he doesn't service later vehicles like my W211 AMG. He in turn sent me to another place in Norwood who weren't interested and suggested I head to the dealership if I wanted a good job? When pressed further he said there was another small respected place closer to Kent Town in a side street but when I went there they told me they were way too busy to look any time soon. So desperate to have it looked at ASAP I took it to the Mercedes Dealership on Sir Donald Bradman Drive who seemed very professional and sat me down with another sales exec after discussing my issues with some other guy. After almost an hour there we had almost finished our meeting and booking of vehicle when I realised the booking for Tuesday was actually for some Tuesday weeks away! I had explained to all these people the urgency of the situation and that I did not want to drive it ANY further? I don't know what they were hearing?

So that's when after all this time and running around I took it to Krause. The sales guy there goes by the name of Ian I think, anyway he seemed quite knowledgeable and drove a nice looking Merc himself. I didn't get there till 5.15pm after work but he sat down with me for over 45 minutes in all with a pad and paper writing down all pertinent points and symptoms then reassured me his 3 mechanics who had 55 or 75 years experience between them (cant recall exact claimed number) and he would have a sit down meeting with them and toss around some ideas as to what might be wrong then run tests afterwards to see if they support or correlate with their discussed suspicions. Sounded methodical and concerned and I was happy to leave my car in his hands. I then arranged for a friend to come pick me up as I definitely did not want to drive my car any more - I didn't even want to have to drive it to Krause in the first place but had to have it looked at somehow. Two days later I received a call saying to come and collect with the outcome as explained in the post above...

 

I've been taking my VW's to Auto Studio for years. The A45 had its first service at the dealer while it was having the turbocharger checked but it will be going to Auto Studio for subsequent services, as will my C63 (once it arrives), so long as they're happy to service them both. MB Adelaide is too much of a pain in the **** to get to and from, and I don't like them much anyway - so much so that I've ordered the C63 from the dealer at Mount Gambier!

 

interesting! have heard mostly good things about Auto Studio but then i tried to get an A service quote and some mods put on with them a few weeks back and they knocked back putting the mods on... even though they were high-end name-brand mods with receipts/etc. i DO understand from a business insurance perspective how a lot of places don't put on parts they haven't sourced themselves but meh...

so, i've got a private indy guy i go to who i've been taking my BMW's to (incl. previous M5) and am now taking my C63 to him too, so i'm sorted.

 

I haven't tried asking them to fit any after market bits and pieces so I can't relate my experience with that, however... Dad flooded the fog lights in his Q7 and baulked at the cost of the replacement from Audi Australia, ordered them from the US, and Auto Studio were happy to fit them for him.

I'll keep their position on fitting modifications in mind for the Amarok, though. I want to deck it out for adventures but the place I want to buy the bits and pieces from doesn't have any fitting partners in South Australia. I was going to ask Auto Studio to do some of them, but I think I'll be finding someone else for that and sticking with Auto Studio for the servicing

 

I've used Silvers Auto at 172 Gilbert Street for yonks. The premises looks well worn but they do good work and very decent prices.

 

I have driven past and wondered if they rated. I actually suspected they might be worth visiting. Thanks Trion!

 

No problem at all Therapist. A friend put me on to them when I was having problems with my old A4 and they solved all the ills at almost half the price of a couple of other independents I used to visit and the car was fixed properly.

Speak to Jimmy there, he's the owner and quite the live wire energizer bunny whom is always running around from one task to the other and his "office" is reminiscent of a cone of silence You'll get what I mean when you see it. But appearances aside, he is a good guy and his mechanics are quiet achievers.

PM me if you need more info. Good luck!!