Dealer won’t release my vehicle’s maintenance history?
08-25-2021, 06:15 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Dealer won’t release my vehicle’s maintenance history?
I purchased a GL350 last year that was originally from Georgia and brought it to Ohio. It has 73k miles and I was curious as to whether the trans had been serviced. I entered my VIN in the Carfax maintenance app and found a few records from a dealer in GA so I emailed them and requested my full service records. They responded that they “couldn’t” provide records unless I had owned the vehicle at that time. What?!?! I assume if I took my vehicle there they would use that information to make decisions about my future maintenance. How does this make any sense?
This is the third MB dealer I’ve interacted with in the last year and every interaction has been ice cold like they don’t really want my business. It’s almost as if MB is TRYING to go out of business. The dealer we take our Subaru and Honda to is incredibly responsive, they even give my wife a flower when she gets an oil change! Guess what kind of car she’s going to buy next?
This is the third MB dealer I’ve interacted with in the last year and every interaction has been ice cold like they don’t really want my business. It’s almost as if MB is TRYING to go out of business. The dealer we take our Subaru and Honda to is incredibly responsive, they even give my wife a flower when she gets an oil change! Guess what kind of car she’s going to buy next?
08-26-2021, 06:07 AM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
So is there a question in there?
Yes most MB dealers need to learn CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
others are good... find a smaller dealership also I think any MB dealer can get the info about your cars service.
question is which will let you see it?
Not sure the big secret but maybe launch codes hidden in there?
Yes most MB dealers need to learn CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
others are good... find a smaller dealership also I think any MB dealer can get the info about your cars service.
question is which will let you see it?
Not sure the big secret but maybe launch codes hidden in there?
08-26-2021, 07:19 AM
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2010
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2012 CLS63
WTH? That's odd. I feel as if you're entitled to the service records.......I'd either keep trying, or try other dealers. My initial feeling though is that they're being dicks about it.
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BenjaminPQ (08-26-2021)
08-26-2021, 08:19 AM
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
So is there a question in there?
Yes most MB dealers need to learn CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
others are good... find a smaller dealership also I think any MB dealer can get the info about your cars service.
question is which will let you see it?
Not sure the big secret but maybe launch codes hidden in there?
Yes most MB dealers need to learn CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
others are good... find a smaller dealership also I think any MB dealer can get the info about your cars service.
question is which will let you see it?
Not sure the big secret but maybe launch codes hidden in there?
08-26-2021, 08:52 AM
#5
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Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Orlando, FL
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2016 E400 Coupe (C207)
A VMI (Vehicle Master Inquiry), which is basically a list of everything that's been done to the car by an authorized service center since day one, can be produced by any authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership. Reading one can be like reading computer code, but that's another issue.
What's curious is that some dealerships will provide them to the owner upon request while others staunchly refuse, and sometimes only certain Service Advisors will provide them while others at the same dealership will not. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the policy; they're very capricious about it. When my car was last at the dealer to have the airbag recall addressed, I asked the Service Advisor to send me a PDF of the updated VMI after the work was done. He replied that they were "no longer allowed to per Mercedes-Benz policy", but I subsequently made the same request of my former Service Advisor who had recently transitioned to Assistant Service Director, and he obliged without resistance.
The only confidential aspect of a VMI is the owner information, which can simply be redacted if the car has been sold.
What's curious is that some dealerships will provide them to the owner upon request while others staunchly refuse, and sometimes only certain Service Advisors will provide them while others at the same dealership will not. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the policy; they're very capricious about it. When my car was last at the dealer to have the airbag recall addressed, I asked the Service Advisor to send me a PDF of the updated VMI after the work was done. He replied that they were "no longer allowed to per Mercedes-Benz policy", but I subsequently made the same request of my former Service Advisor who had recently transitioned to Assistant Service Director, and he obliged without resistance.
The only confidential aspect of a VMI is the owner information, which can simply be redacted if the car has been sold.
Last edited by Mr. Toad; 08-26-2021 at 08:56 AM.
08-26-2021, 09:18 AM
#6
Junior Member
Thread Starter
A VMI (Vehicle Master Inquiry), which is basically a list of everything that's been done to the car by an authorized service center since day one, can be produced by any authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership. Reading one can be like reading computer code, but that's another issue.
What's curious is that some dealerships will provide them to the owner upon request while others staunchly refuse, and sometimes only certain Service Advisors will provide them while others at the same dealership will not. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the policy; they're very capricious about it. When my car was last at the dealer to have the airbag recall addressed, I asked the Service Advisor to send me a PDF of the updated VMI after the work was done. He replied that they were "no longer allowed to per Mercedes-Benz policy", but I subsequently made the same request of my former Service Advisor who had recently transitioned to Assistant Service Director, and he obliged without resistance.
The only confidential aspect of a VMI is the owner information, which can simply be redacted if the car has been sold.
What's curious is that some dealerships will provide them to the owner upon request while others staunchly refuse, and sometimes only certain Service Advisors will provide them while others at the same dealership will not. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the policy; they're very capricious about it. When my car was last at the dealer to have the airbag recall addressed, I asked the Service Advisor to send me a PDF of the updated VMI after the work was done. He replied that they were "no longer allowed to per Mercedes-Benz policy", but I subsequently made the same request of my former Service Advisor who had recently transitioned to Assistant Service Director, and he obliged without resistance.
The only confidential aspect of a VMI is the owner information, which can simply be redacted if the car has been sold.
I suspect the dealer wants to hide the records for two reasons:
1: The reports prove how expensive some of these vehicles can be to own.
2. Selling services that have already been done. Some people having been denied service records might be inclined to pay for a bunch of maintenance to bring the vehicle up to date. For example, if you buy a vehicle that was due for a transmission service 10k miles ago and have no way of knowing if it was done, you’re probably just going to have them do the service. The dealer isn’t going to talk you out of it.
Always follow the money.
