jasonmallory

I must say that I am not impressed with the Mercedes-Benz service. While I know this will vary by location, I am disappointed that there is not a more consistent expectation set by the company for standards with their brand. Prior to having a Mercedes-Benz, I have ben a loyal Volkswagen owner and I can say that they have a consistent standard for service at dealerships.

I purchased a 2010 GLK. I absolutely love the vehicle! When I took the vehicle in for my A Service, I had previously called a few days ahead and had an appointment. Upon arriving I was told they were very busy and they would "fit me in." After 5 hours of waiting, my vehicle was ready.

Just this week, my vehicle would not start at all. (Tuesday) Road-Side Assistance was great and they towed my vehicle to the dealership. The dealership was aware the vehicle was coming from my phone call and Road-Side Assistance also contacted them. This was at about 9:30 AM in the morning and it was going to take about an hour drive to get my vehicle there. At 2:00 PM I had not hear anything and called the dealership to talk with my Service Advisor. He told me my vehicle was not there yet and they were on the lookout for it. I called the towing company and they confirmed they dropped it off at about 10:50 AM that morning. Needless to say, they did not even know my vehicle was there! This was just my 1st problem!

As of this posting on Friday, they still do not know what is wrong with my vehicle and testing some ideas that the vehicle is not recognizing the key to start. Anyway, I finally asked for a loaner vehicle because they never asked if I needed anything. I arrived today and they loaned me a Nissan Altima from Hertz. What is this? When you buy a Mercedes-Benz, you would expect to get loaned something in their brand as part of the prestige ownership. I did not say anything, but what crap! I love my vehicle, but the Mercedes-Benz brand image is not anything like I thought it would be. Volkswagen would have never done this. At the very least, you get a loaner VW when yours is in for service. I am so disappointed in the service standards. I understand things happen to vehicles and I am not upset at the malfunction. Stuff happens! However, there should be a better standard for service consistency that applies to all Mercedes-Benze Dealerships.

kyoshiro

Prob the Mercedes dealerships down in the us are privately owned as opposed to the regional company owning them all. You prob should write an email to mbusa about it

NYCGLK

I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately this can be the case with any dealer. I read the same about BMW dealerships and some of them renting Hyundais out.

I can say that this is not the case everywhere. Dealer experience was one of the reason I picked MB over other brands. And my dealer has only C, GLK and ML as rentals, which I think is how it should be.

My only advice is find another dealer or hope you don't have to go there often.

EnigmaAW

sorry tp hear about that..all dealers are definatley different. mine has c's and glk's lined up ready for hand out as loaners.
but then again, i was testing the water and i did apply to be a service advisor at my dealer and the service manager said,"working at mercedes is where you graduate, not start out? i laughed!! when he falls off his high horse, it's gonna hurt...

MBRedux

Wow, that completely sucks, but I have had similar experiences. Unlike some other countries, dealerships in the USA are franchised and are not owned by the manufacturer. They can pretty much do whatever they wish, but if they break their charter, or continuously receive complaints from their customers, the manufacturer can, in theory, terminate their contract. Unfortunately this rarely if ever happens.

First, get your car back, and then when you receive the official MB survey for your most recent service visit via e-mail along with one from JD Powers, wail away my friend... wail away!

MKenM

Sorry to hear abut your mishap. At my dealership they have a fleet of Camarys no MB cars. When and if you go to the dealership always ask for a loaner. BTW in NYC the dealership there is a company store. It is one of a rare few.

MBRedux

Oh yes I forgot that's right! And what's that other huge building with the Mercedes star on it as you go through the tunnel on your way to NJ?

NYCGLK

Yep...and I read service there sux.

MKenM

Is this the place you were thinking about?

NYCGLK

Yep...pass it everyday when taking bus from work.

They used to have SL65 AMG right as you walk in for a while, sick looking car.

MKen, did you get your car in NJ? If so what dealer?

MKenM

MB of Morristown

MBRedux

Nice Google image! Yup that's the place alright. So that's the dealership owned by the manufacturer? Yes, the star was once on the wall leading down to the tunnel entrance. Looks kinda cramped!... and there's the buses too!

Thanks!

NYCGLK

Well, where buses are is just a bus parking lot, not part of the dealer. Dealer is between 40th and 41st streets. Top looks cramped as it's just their car storage. What is not cramped in the city? haha.
From what I read it's MB owned dealership.

MKenM

The roof is for parking of vehicles in for service. The second floor has new vehicles along with the NW corner as shown in the pix above.

jasonmallory

I am still without my GLK. It has been in for service since Tuesday, December 17. They still believe the problem is with the key. The vehicle reads the electronic key in positions 1 and 2 when turning the key. When you turn to position 3 to start, the vehicle will not read the key in that position. Unfortunately, the part they want to try replacing is some kind of modulator. This is not a normal stock part and it is being shipped from an assembly plant in Germany. It is expected to arrive on about the 28th or 29th. Let's hope this is the problem! They are doing this because there is only 1 other time this has happened and this modulator solved the problem. If it is not, I guess there will be a lot more waiting. In the meantime, I still have my Nissan Altima they gave me for a rental. Still not happy about the overall service and the type of rental. Oh well... I guess my expectations of the Mercedes-Benz brand is too high.

MKenM

Hope this fixes the problem and you have your vehicle back for the new year. I am of the same opinion expectations are way to high. I get treated much better at my wifes Lexus dealership and we always get a Lexus loaner.

chilledbenz

As some of the other posters have already mentioned, every dealership is different. You need to first contact the service director of your dealership, explain to him your concerns. If no action is taken, or if things still aren't up to your standards, you can then contact Mercedes Benz.

1-800-FOR-MERCEDES
(1-800-367-6372)

My dealership offers C and GLK models as loaner vehicles, but in defense of the dealership in question....a Mercedes Benz...even at its cheapest is going to run $35k (GLK No Options). Even with dealers whole sale pricing, they are probably still looking at $30k per car give or take. Its tough, especially in this economy, to purchase loaner vehicles of that price. Other brands like the above mentioned VW can purchase $15k Jettas...dealer whole sale around $12k and not be out a whole lot of money. But I fully understand where the OP is coming from, if I pulled up in a $100k S class, the least they could do was give me a GLK as a loaner.

aggst1

I think all of us should direct our expectations to the dealer and not the brand. Unlike the OP, when I take my car in for service I am given a C class as a loaner. In fact they come and pickup and drop off the car when done. Given my dealership is thirty miles away, this is a real treat for me. It didn't always used to be this way. A few years back they would give me a loaner but it was a Toyota Camry. I still thought it was a great service then but the dealership received many complaints from people demanding a MB product. the dealership eventually caved to customer demands. I agree that most people have high expectations from the brand but in this case they should be directed at the dealer.