terabyte

South Bay Mercedes is a pain to deal with. There have been numerous posts across this board about their terrible service. Peter wasnt very accomodating at all and he was very defensive from the outset.

HiTEC

I'm not saying they should give it to you, but the comparison between Carfax records and MB's records doesn't really work.

The information you're going to get from Carfax is government type records, which are all public. The information is MB's computers is not public information and is not "public" information.

With that said, I think they still should supply you the information.

terabyte

At the least, this information should be released to the new owner. It's available to the public but should only be released to the current owner at that time. I am getting alot of messages about this topic and it's sad that I had to go this route to get this information.

CitronC230K_03

i dont see what the big secrecgy is about it all. i mean it shows your detailed car info and your history of maintenance. i mean it's not like it contains information we shouldnt know.

terabyte

it could show any repair work that was covered during warranty such as transmission or differential or electrical. We all know that Mercedes are a high maintenance car. I look at it like this, if Peter (service manager) knew that my service history was just scheduled maintenance..wouldnt he simply tell me that? I have this feeling there is something else.

CitronC230K_03

either way, it's your car. you paid for it, you should be able to know what work is being performed. i had my car in for a Service B and during the Service my radio became inoperational. the fixed the problem during the service. they told me when i picked up my car and it was also on my paperwork i recieved back from them. i dont see why they shouldnt give you the information upon request. try going somewhere else for the VMI printout.

Mercedes101

I got my vehicle history BEFORE i purchased my car but that probably is hit or miss depending on who you ask. If you are the registered owner i can't see why they wont release the histtory to you..makes no sense.

revstriker

I can understand the dealer not wanting to give you that information. Even though most used cars are sold (or at least should be sold) "as is", if you find out that the seller misled you, and you were to somehow have grounds to file charges, that could put the dealership in the middle for supplying the records to you. Yes, you could argue that the seller should have just been truthful from the beginning. But you also had the option to ask the seller to provide you with the service records. If he/she was unable, or unwilling to do so, then you did not have to buy the car.

The question really is, if you have to bring the car in for service 6 or 7 times to finally get some minor problem fixed, should the dealer be able to provide this information to someone which would affect the re-sale value of your car? I think it should be up to the seller whether or not that info is provided. Even after the car is sold. I know if it were me selling the car, and the buyer did not ask me any questions about the car being serviced, I probably would not volunteer that info if it was negative. Once the sale is complete, I wouldn't want the dealer basically telling the new owner that his car has had many problems.

My $.02

junglim

Try Long Beach Mercedes Benz. They gave me the print out of all info about the car.

Brian_I.

Long Beach MB is a very good dealership. The salesguys and staff are very friendly. If anything, just call MBUSA and request a history of service on your car.

moa4r

I just got another service history report from my MB dealer on a car I'm considering with just the VIN and nothing else (ie consent from owner, etc.), so you're dealer is full of and may be trying to hide something from you. Did he deny you the records after pulling them up, or is this just their policy?? Also, did you purchase the vehicle from that particular dealership?? It all sounds really fishy to me to be honest, if I were you I'd stop dealing with them and find a different, more cooperative dealer to pull the records up for you. GL, HTH, FWIW, my .02, etc and so forth...

moa4r

I just reread your post and realized you said they wouldn't give you the report AFTER pulling the car up...

its obvious they are hiding something from you, I'd definately pursue this further, especially if you bought the car from them
GL

Dr Chill

I think that as the titled owner of the car you should be entitled to its complete history. Period! If this dealership wants your future business, they had better give you the info or you'll go elsewhere. It's not like there's any constitutional ammendments protecting the car's rights. It's a car's service history for Christ's sake, not someone's medical history.

CitronC230K_03

i totally agree. tell them how you feel and that you should be able to see the history and if they are unwilling to provide it, you will then take your business elsewhere.

terabyte

That is my point! I am the new titled owner of the car and all I want to know is where the car stands. Period!

Let's say in a month you hear a trembling sound in your car. If there was a known transmission or differential problem, you can better diagnose the problem. You wont need to do a full assessment on the car to figure out the problem. Plus it gives you peace of mind so that it gives you awareness for potential problems later down the line.

terabyte

I bought this car from a private party and was told by him that the car was serviced at South Bay Mercedes. This really just started out as a general inquiry because I have 1000 miles left until my next Flexible A Service. But I can tell they were hiding something because Peter asked for my VIN, punched it in his computer and then denied me the history report.

Let's say in a month you hear a trembling sound in your car. If there was a known transmission or differential problem, you can better diagnose the problem. You wont need to do a full assessment on the car to figure out the problem. Plus it gives you peace of mind so that it gives you awareness for potential problems later down the line.

CitronC230K_03

tell them how you feel. i have a copy of my VMI for my car which i received from the dealer 2 weeks ago. its no big deal. id get on them about it. they are over reacting, or just plain lazy.

revstriker

I think as someone buying a car, I would get that info up front. If you did not purchase the car from a specific dealer, then I don't see why that dealer should be compelled to turn over records of another customer to you, even if you are now the owner of that car. Yes, as the buyer of a car, you should be entitled to the complete history of the car.... from the buyer. Any business dealings between the dealership and another customer should remain private if that other customer wishes them to be.

Another point is that the records kept by MB may not be a complete or accurate representation to the condition of the car. What if it had been serviced someplace other than MB?

moa4r

What have you done about your situation?? Were you able to get the report from another dealer?

CitronC230K_03

but if you are the owner of a car, whether it be the first, second or third and are able to gain access to records of maintenace which was performed, then you should be able to have access to it. there might be things like, oil changes, tires, brakes, etc that may bot have been done at the dealer. and a new owner can do nothing about this, but if you can obtain something, its better than nothing. and whether or not which # owner you are along the lifespan of that car, it doesnt cost MB more than $.05 in paper and $.03 in ink to print out a report. if you bought a used MB and could obtain access to maintenace history, would you try?

kokketiel

Your SA is correct in stating that he cannot release the service history to you if you were not the owner of the car. Your best bet, other than to ask someone else to risk their jobs and break the law, is to get in touch with the previous owner and ask him to get you the report.

As to diagnosing problems, your dealer, or any MB dealer, should have full access to the service history, and it would within your rights to ask them to review the previous history when diagnosing a current problem on your car. They are not out to get you - they are just trying to comply with the law and not reveal other peoples activities to you.

spankdoggie

I think you should email the link from here to those guys, and ask them to give a response.

revstriker

terabyte, please do not cross-post.