StevethePilot

So I was up for my 60K (yeah, nearly 60,000 on a 2007 truck - man we drive that thing!) and my A/C had that sweaty dead pack rat smell that accumulates around the condensor, so we needed that done too.

The 60,000 mile service includes a couple of pricey options like replacing the serpentine belt, which I have no problem paying for because a) I really would prefer not having it go on me while I'm on one of these wild road trips, and it's so hot and dry here that it's more than likely ready for replacement and b) I have absolutely no mechanical ability to do it myself. But utlimately, Sam calls and tells me the price and while it's not heart stopping it does give pause. A decent part of the price is the chemical treatment for the A/C, which is volountary (unless you've smelled that smell, then you know it's really required), so I give the go ahead.

Well, I pick up the truck and start to drive it home on the freeway. The first thing I notice is that the A/C's not really blowing that cold. In fact, as I hit the on-ramp its just blowing the same temp as outside air. Nuts!

Then as I accelerate to highway speeds I begin to feel a vibration in the steering wheel. In fact, I can hear it better than I can feel it. I hit the next off ramp and turn around to head back to the dealership. The car had been there two days because they needed to order the serpentine belt, and I'd had a loaner, but I wasn't anxious to get back in to one and I was a little unhappy about these two things not being taken care of before I picked up the car. What I did remember was how absolutely every single space had been taken for arriving customers when I got there, but Sam still took the appointment for me, no problem. So, I thought, they were very busy (good for them, they're probably carrying the dealership to a certain extent) and they're human, they missed something because they didn't actually take the car at highway speeds after rotating the tires.

I got back in to Schumacher, they called Sam and within a couple of minutes he was there to see what was going on. We were going to test drive for the vibration so he could feel it to describe to the mechanic but he didn't feel like driving without the A/C. I had to wait a few minutes for them to figure it out - apparently some connector which was disconnected to install the serpentine belt had been reconnected but a wire inside it was loose (the ambient temp sensor). Done. We went on the test drive (with an ice cold A/C) and he felt the vibration, and we knew it was the right front tire.

Back in the shop, we drove together to the guy who does the road-force balancing. Sam told him what he needed and the guy said, "Okay. You do know nobody's here from 12-2 today, right?" Or something along those lines. Sam said, "Oh, geez, well, it's 10 to noon right now, so ..." And the mechanic said something that very much impressed me; "We'll get it done."

I waited in that shop, not a bad place in any terms to wait as it's a very nice dealership, for about an hour. Sam came to me and said, "He couldn't get the tire to balance, it's too worn." The mechanic spent nearly an hour of time he was supposed to be out of the shop to try and balance a tire that wouldn't balance, pro bono. I know dealerships charge a lot for service (particularly labor) so we expect top shelf service from them. It's damned nice when they do provide it.

Something else I noticed, just for what it's worth; while I sat with Sam hoping for updates on the car in both cases, he took dozens of calls. He had guys coming up to him handing him work, customers picking up and dropping off cars, customers returning with keys they took with them, customers who needed to get something from their cars they'd already dropped off. Honestly, the man never sat still and I don't think I heard him once say, "No, I can't do that." I know, it sounds like I'm blowing smoke, like I should be paid for advertising for them. But we usually only hear about the bad stuff that happens at a dealership, so I thought it might be nice to show how, again, despite a couple of screw-ups, the dealership fixed them as quickly as they could, and didn't just leave me swinging in the wind. Yes, the other service advisors were helping folks as well and with the same professionalism as my guy, but they sure weren't as busy has he was!

So I'm off to California in a car that's lost its turbo hose twice (three times?), had one strut leak and the other explode, and just came out of service. It's raining here in the Phoenix area all day. I feel completely confident (other than the one oddly worn tire I have to replace in California) that the car is totally ready to carry myself, my wife, my children and our dogs the whole way. Like I said, we drop a pretty penny on these cars to buy them, and we don't mind paying for maintenance we either can't or don't do ourselves, as long as it's done right because these cars are investments as much as transportation. So when you do pay those dealer premiums, it's really nice to see it appreciated.

That's all. Flame-retardant underwear will be applied before checking this forum again. I expect a proper beat-down by at least the Europeans and anyone from Texas.

STP

lkchris

I've nothing but praise for my dealer's service department as well.

dieseldoc

I have an excellent service department in the metroplex.

Wigwam

My service department and service advisor are both awesome, from the Dallas, TX area. I've seen my service advisor deal with the worst people in the best possible way, and the one time I sat in his office chatting he took all kinds of calls, directed all sorts of things to happen, etc. I realized that he is a master of hearding cats, and works his butt off. And if I'm not mistaken, their hours are fairly long, starting early in the AM and going through the close of business, like at 7p.

We usually get what we pay for

Danno4x4

Steve,

I am glad to hear that Sam is taking good care of you! Its nice to know that my recommendation for you to seek him out after your issues with Phoenix Motor Co did not result in a disappointment, at least from his level of commitment to his customers.

The only issue that I have with him or perhaps with dealerships in general is the upselling on some of their warranty maintenance. I took my car in a few months ago for a minor warranty issue and I received a recommendation from him to have the brakes overhauled... They said that the brakes were getting close to wearing out and that they would go ahead and take care of them if I authorized it. I told him that I would look into the issue myself, and he retorted with something about how brakes are not something to skimp on for the sake of my family (to which I generally agree with)

I did my own inspection of the brakes and while the pads were getting worn, they still had plenty of material left (5mm) and the rotors were all within wear tolerances. Now I could replace them immediately to bring them back to new again, but I would be spending money prematurely as they don't quite need replacing just yet.

It might be the same story with your serp belt... I think they recommend replacement after a certain number of miles but sometimes don't necessarily take in consideration the actual condition of the parts they are recommending replacement of.

If you ever get this same feeling, don't hesitate to tell Sam that you would rather wait on it. I would be more than happy to help you if you ever want to try to do some of the work yourself... In the end, we probably could have taken care of the serp belt for half the cost in about an hour over some cold frostie beverages.

Let me know if you ever need some assistance.

Danno4x4

I would agree with you here...

I think that Mercedes owners in general are a pretty discerning and demanding group of customers. I know I am myself. Although I have personally witnessed some owners become downright rude and belligerent when they don't get their way... It is possible that some of these insistent qualities perhaps in some way have contributed to their level of success, which has afforded them the ability to purchase an expensive luxury vehicle in the first place.

Even so, from outward appearances some of these folks seem like grown ups who have less patience and manners than my 4 year old...

Bottom line... Its probably much harder to be a Mercedes service advisor than a Honda service advisor.

blittle

Mercedes Benz of Lancaster ( Pennsylvania ) ..... outstanding service! Totally customer oriented.......if they tell me I "need it done, " then I need it done! And I tought I have high mileage on my 2007at 37K!!!

StevethePilot

Okay, in order (I hope) of appearance:

A) I never properly thanked you for recommending Sam and company. So thank you!

B) I have heard the words out of Sam's mouth many a time, "You could probably wait on that until the next service." That said, if the brakes aren't squealing and/or I don't have a warning indicator, I don't believe they'll need replacing. The serp belt is not something I want to leave though as very often on modern belts you simply can't tell how close they are to failure - thus the recommended replacement interval. Squealing brakes and possible rotor scoring, though, are nothing to the though of losing a serp belt halfway between Palm Springs and Blythe (or Blythe and civilization of any kind whatsoever) on a hot day with a car full of kids and dogs and wife.

C) Thank you very much for the offer, and I bet I'll take you up on it next time! Just let me know which frosties you prefer.

STP