Well, I brought my car to the dealer Friday to get the UMI installed in my c350. I was told it would take about 4 hours, so I brought my laptop, logged into work, and figured I would just take a half day off. I got to the dealer about 9:30 am, and around 1:30 pm was told the tech was still working on it. Luckily the salesman that I bought the car from offered to give me a ride to pick up some lunch, so I figured by the time I got done eating my car would be ready. At 2:30, they told me the car was back together, and the tech just had to program the unit and it should be done in about an hour. At 3:30, they told me the tech was still working on the programming. Finally, around 4:30, they said he couldn't figure it out, they would give me a loaner, and try again tomorrow and give me a call in the morning.

After I had lunch on Saturday I still hadn't heard from the dealer, so I gave them a call ( around 1:30 pm ). They told me the tech was off today, and they would take a look at it on Monday !

So, obviously, I am pretty upset right now. What was supposed to be a 4 hour job has now turned into the dealer having my car for 4 days ! I asked him when I brought the car in Friday morning if they had ever installed the UMI before and was told mine would be the first, so obviously they have no idea what they are doing. To top it off, the dealer is over an hour away ! There are 3 dealers a lot closer to my home and office, but I figured I would take it to the place I bought it since the salesman had treated me so well when I purchased the car.

My question is, how much "compensation" should I insist on when my car is finally completed to account for my inconvenience and aggravation ? They initially quoted me $2100 for the UMI installed, or $400 labor if I brought the UMI to them. I told them I could buy the UMI online from MB Atlanta for $1350 and they said they would match the price, so I am looking at $1750 plus tax.

I don't know why someone else couldn't have looked at my car yesterday, and why I was told they would call me when they didn't. I'm also mad they told me it would be a 4 hour job and I wasted an entire day sitting at the dealer, not to mention the fact that I have been without my car for 4 days ! So, if you were in my shoes, what would you do ?

Thanks,

Nick

 

I'd expect them to eat the labor costs.

 

I doubt they will comp you anything but it never hurts to ask.

 

I agree, they probably wash and vacum the car for free

 

Honestly, it's better that they take the time to do it right rather then half *** it so they can meet deadlines. I think it was already cool of them to give you a loaner, and they were fairly nice to you right? If they quoted you 4 hours, but charged you for the whole time they actually spend completing the project, then that's an issue, but if they're just going to charge you for the 4 hours, then I wouldn't complain too much. **** happens when it comes to installs, sometimes it takes longer if they run into problems, that's life. It might not have been a good idea to have another guy look at the car since he wouldn't really know where the first guy left off or what the initial problem was.

 

I would question the knowlage of the dealer, the first time I fitted a UMI system it took a good 3.5 hours, mostly beacuse I wanted to be thorough and really learn the procedure.

Now I fit a UMI system in under an hour and a half,
cannot really understand how your dealer can mess up such an easy install?..

 

Enjoy the loaner and only wait in the waiting room for an oil change. Probably wouldn't hurt trying to get some money knocked off of the job, but don't stress if it doesn't happen.

I had a repair a couple of months ago that should have taken a day. From the onset, the dealer gave me a loaner car. Wound up taking a week because the part that was suppose to be a suitable substitute apparantly wasn't. When the bi xenon still didn't work, they spent a lot of time trying to figure out codes etc. It really wasn't the dealer's fault. MB mothership was at fault. As someone else said, poo happens.

 

Ask them nicely for a discount, if they decline to give you one tell them straight out that you are giving them a bad review.

 

Thanks for the input, everyone, I do appreciate it !

Just got a call from the dealer, they are still working on it. There is still a problem with the programming, and they are on the phone with MB trying to diagnose and correct the problem. No chance of getting the car back today, maybe tomorrow. He said he will call with updates when appropriate.

Nick

 

It's an unfortunate position to be in, but as long as you believe they are acting in good faith I would have to second Savage's comments above. If they try and charge you for the loaner or for more than 4 hours of labor then I'd call them on it.

Good communication is key, hopefully they'll keep you posted now.

 

Would you rather they rushed through it just to meet a time deadline...or take the time to correctly address the problem? Seems like they let you know what was going on and continue to keep you posted. They are already giving you a discount and price matching for you...plus they gave you a loaner. What more do you want???

 

Krytech,

I agree that good communication is the key - unfortunately ever since I left the dealer Friday I have been the one initiating all the calls ( I called at 1:30 on Saturday, and then at 12:30 today - when they finally called today they were just returning my call ).

NJBNZ,

So, if you brought your car in for service and they told you it would take 4 hours and they had your car for 5 days, that wouldn't tick you off ?

Maybe it's me, but after buying a $40k car and then spending almost $2k on an accessory, I expected a little bit better customer service. There are 10 MB dealers within a 50 mile radius of my office. Obviously I chose the wrong one to install my UMI since they apparently have no idea what they are doing...

Nick

 

I would suggest checking your car inside and out before driving away from the dealer. The could change any part of the engine or anywhere and replice it with a damaged one......... This is a fraudulent practice at some dealers and juging by what you have stated I would be very cautious

 

Not to be pessimistic but I have the feeling they really ****** up something in your car and now are waiting to get the part from Germany to fix it. 5 days and no even a phone call??????? If I was in your shoes I'll pay a visit to the dealer and make sure the car is in the dealer and whats going on...... Do you recall how many miles it had when you dropped it off????? Something is really fishy

 

I hope your loaner was at least an MB. Either way, enjoy the loaner to the fullest. Go find some twisty roads to vent... or a nice empty parking lot.

 

Update : dealer still has my car ( tomorrow will be day 6 ) - they told me they think they know what the problem is and hope to have it completed by tomorrow.

Nick

 

They dont even know what the problem is???? Dude get ur car drom that dealer ASAP!

 

Might be worth driving to the dealer unannounced just to check on your car. Would give you peace-of-mind as well.

It's not MB of Hoffman Estates is it?!

 

Well, I finally got my car back. The dealer gave me a $150 credit for the hassle ( but also charged me $60 more than the quoted price ) for a grand total of $1660 installed ( not including tax ).

I gotta say, the UMI is awesome ! I love the navigation, very easy to use and just as good as my Garmin portable. The Ipod interface is incredible - everything you see on the Ipod I now see on the nav screen. I even played with the Bluetooth streaming ( running Pandora on my Iphone ) and it worked great as well. Plus, my Iphone (3Gs ) now charges, which it did not do before.

I'll take some pictures of the screen and create a new thread, but I wanted to close this one out first.

( BTW - It was not MB Hoffman Estates )

Thanks,

Nick

 

Glad to hear you finally got your car back..
Did the dealer ever tell you what's the reason for the hold up??
BTW, there is already a massive UMI thread would be better if you share your thoughts there to have all the info in one place..
Oh..vic viper has posted some hint about up coming UMI software/firmware upgrade which seems to be huge improvement of current software..can't hardly wait..

 

Yes good idea take some pics and if possible make a vid so we can judge what kind of job your dealer performed.....

 

Cant believe how you can accept an additional charge after this?

If I were you I would have turned the workshop inside out in anger.

 

Sounds like he's pretty happy with the final results.

 

Wanted to respond to a couple of the questions :

- Dealer would not provide any details on why the install took so long

- Can't wait to hear about the software / firmware upgrade ( video ? )

- I'll snap some pics of the nav and ipod screens. As far as I can tell, the interior looks just as good as when I brought it in ( no damage ), and I can't hear any creaks or rattles ( the roads are pretty bad here )

- vic, I did everything I could ( short of being arrested ) to voice my displeasure, and I will never step foot into that dealer again. When it all comes down to it, I wasted a half a day at the dealer, drove a rental for 6 days, and saved $500 off the install. I'm just happy to have my car back.

Thanks everyone !

Nick

 

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