cetialpha5

It's back. $150 off $300+ in service. Expires Dec 31st 2018.

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/servi...n_back_savings

dbldpr

Thanks for the info

KEY08

MBenz777

Thank you.

Is this good for any repair jobs, or only for regular maintenance?

cetialpha5

It's the same thing. Any service job is considered repair/maintenance. It won't work on parts though so if you need a key or battery, you're out of luck.

Last time I used it, they were pretty accommodating to make sure that the total bill was enough to use the coupon, I think they just get the money from corporate so they don't care, I just told them up front that I had it.

MBNUT1

What if they install the battery? Wouldn't that qualify?

cetialpha5

Maybe. You'll have to try them. Maybe they discount the service of installing it, but not the battery.

Advance Auto will install the battery for free and they usually have a 25% off discount code so you can take $47.25 of the price of the battery which list for $190 so $142.49 after the code. Current codes can be found at retailmenot.com which has the current code as RMN25. It's probably going to be way more than that at the dealer.

MBenz777

"They were pretty accommodating to make sure that the total bill was enough"...so a repair job of $150 they charged it $300 to be able to use the coupon?!?! hahaha...just kidding, even though with MB dealers you never know.

Anyway, thank you for the reply, that is a good news, I can think of something I need it to be fixed.

MBNUT1

Ok now I'm not sure what to do. I was going to buy the battery at Mercedes parts counter for $208. Then the coupon came along though I sent for it and haven't received the email from them. Mercedes service told me I needed a battery 6 months ago and wanted over $300 including installation. I figured if I could get $150 off then I could at least get them to put it in for free. Then you bring this offer to my attention. So do you think the Autocraft battery is as good of a battery as the one from the dealer? Probably looking at up to a $75 savings. Complicating things further looks like Pep Boys has a Bosch battery for $176.

Thanks

cetialpha5

They were quoting me about 2 hours of labor so they said it'd be around $200-$250 so I told them I had the coupon and afterwards the total was $250 minus the $130 coupon I had at the time. Got a free lunch and had the car washed afterwards so it wasn't too bad.

As for the battery, I believe it's an H6/L3/48 AGM battery. Autozone doesn't seem to have it in an AGM form. Pepboys has several but charges to install it. Right now it's 20-25% off, but might go to 35% on black friday. They have 2 of them, the Champion and Bosch. The Champion is about $10 cheaper, but seems to have the same specs as the Bosch. The Bosch is known to be a decent one, no idea who makes the Champion one if it's the same company or not. Advance Auto seems to have a 3 year warranty. The Bosch/Champion has 4 year warrranty. Standard Mercedes warranty is 2 years on parts which I think is all you get even if it's a battery. If you don't need it installed, I'd get the one from Pepboys, probably around $130 with the 35% off code which you could find on retailmenot when it gets released. I signed up for their emails so I'm always getting their emails with their discount codes.

MBNUT1

Hey thanks for the tips. Really appreciate it. I will definitely do as you suggest if it plays out that way.

MBenz777

2 hours of labor $200-$250???....hmmm, it looks like your dealership has cheaper rates there, over here to my dealer they charge $147/hour.

About battery installation, I know Walmart install for free, but I don't know if they have batteries compatible with MB vehicles, and if their prices are competitive (usually are, Walmart always has lower prices)

cetialpha5

They have Exide, can't remember if that brand gets good reviews or not. Usually when I go by, they never have it in stock. No idea about the price as they don't list it online. Remember, our battery is an AGM battery not a regular lead acid battery.

In the past they've been cheaper for most things, but I'm not so sure once you factor in those discount codes which Walmart doesn't do.

thefisch

Perfect timing for an upcoming B service with brake fluid.

El Cid

Advance Auto Parts, at least the stores in my area, will NOT install a battery in a M-B. They say it is company policy because of problems they have had in past with the electronics. I checked four different stores in three cities and got same response.

aquinob

I replaced the battery in my 2010 about 6 months ago. Got it from Pep boys with a 35% coupon, a Bosch battery. I replaced it myself, its not a hard job, nor does it take that long. I don't think you have to worry about the car loosing memory settings since the Aux battery probably backs them up. It is a heavy bugger of a battery though, an extra set of hands getting it in wouldn't be a bad idea.

MBNUT1

Dealer said they would take the coupon for a battery replacement. They want $323 to replace the battery. I will wait to see if Pep Boys has the 35% off their Bosch battery on Black Friday. If not I will use the coupon for the dealer.

Eddot

Pick one up at Sams, drop it in your self, piece of cake, 3 year replacement, around $150 .

MBenz777

$323 for a battery? Is it plated in gold?

MBNUT1

$323-$150=$173. The difference is worth letting them put it in (they are a couple of blocks from my office and my back is a little screwed (sciatica)) plus I will get my car washed. I could have bought it from them for $208 if I installed it myself without the coupon. Will wait to see if Black Friday brings any deals worth doing it myself.

MBNUT1

Thats why I walked away when they told me I needed it six months ago. It's been starting fine but I imagine it will give up the ghost on a cold day this winter. With the coupon it's way more palatable.

MBenz777

I am not telling you what to do, I just want to tell you what I'll do if I was in your situation: I will use the coupon for another repair/maintenance job and the battery I could buy it another place for less than $150 and have it installed for free or I even install it myself.

Just my 2 cents.

cetialpha5

The coupon isn't that rare, they seem to do this 2-3 times a year. Earlier it was something like $125 or $130 off $250 so I guess this $150 is good as it saves more than a $125 discount especially if your total is over 300 anyway. Mine also has a free breakfast/lunch bar and of course unlimited drinks. I haven't even been using it lately as the last thing I went in for was a software update which is one of the few things that an indy can't do.

MBenz777

I didn't know that...

Hmmm, in that case I think it makes sense to have the battery installed for $323-$150 at the dealership.

MBNUT1

Point taken but the coupon expires end of December. I tried to get them to accept it for a replacement of my seat cover that they had offered 20% goodwill on previously, under exactly your line of thinking ie I could buy the battery elsewhere but not the seat cover or more precisely with the combination of the 20% off and the coupon I could get them to install it for what I could buy it for online and they told me that they were unwilling to combine the 20% goodwill and coupon which didn't make sense to me, but I don't understand their side of it on goodwill and the coupon. I would have thought the coupon was straight from Mercedes and if they were willing to do the 20% off of the seat why not also accept the coupon. I may take another run at it.

Anyway Happy Thanksgiving guys.