I took my 99 ML430 over the for brake fluid flush and coolant change after the tech HIGHLY recommended it.
The coolant appears to be changed out Ok, the only reason I
never did it myself is because they said they would flush the heater core out and actually drain the block.
They also said the brake fluid flush is mandatory to keep the
brake components in good working order and corrosion free.
Well, the only thing that happened was the lower radiator
hose was removed and coolant drained out, then refilled
system, block drains were not touched (I checked) and the
heater core hose connections were with out a doubt
originally intact.
That's fine, it's something I can live with.
But I can't live with this; I checked the brake calipers and
they were absolutely not touched. I called the service man
and he said he is not sure how MB performs this service as he
has only been with this dealership for a week. (friggin great)
I told him to find out and call me the next day, no return call as
I expected, so I call him, and he replied the tech is gone for the day, and he would call me the next day, no call again!
I called him and the tech told him they only suck the brake fluid
out of the reservoir and refill. FOR 100 DOLLARS THEY SUCK OUT
THE OLD BRAKE FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR AND REFILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the original fluid remains in the calipers and all in the
expensive ABS system.
I'll die before I let this rest.
It's hard to tell how many hundreds of people have paid this
100 dollar service and got screwed like this.
My next step is to call the manager and Sim Fryson the owner.
Then I'll call MB USA.
I don't mind at all to pay 100 bucks to have the coolant flushed
properly, and I don't mind to pay another 100 dollars to have the
brake fluid properly flushed as per MB specs because I have
peace of mind as my wife drives her/our ML 430 daily.
But I cannot get over the fact that all they did was at the most
worth a pint of brake fluid and maybe 15 minutes work, and
charged 100 dollars for this, and left me with the impression
that 100 percent of my brake fluid has been replaced with fresh
new fluid.
I know this kind of crap happens every minute of the day across
the nation at garages and dealerships, the auto repair ripoff
industry runs into the billions of dollars a year.
Rant over. Good luck on your next trip to your dealership.
You'll need it.

 

Scott,

I'm in Lexington, KY and made a phone call for you to our local MB dealership. They told me that if the Ashland dealership was just going to do a master cyclinder flush, they should've told you up front. Also, $100 for that service seemd a bit high, according to the tech in Lexington. He said that for about $85-90 they do all the services you mentioned. You may want to drive to Lexington from now on. If you want to call them, here's the number:

James Motors
859-268-1150

 

I appreciate you calling and checking into that.
The service guy has promised to do it right this time.
At first I was pretty upset about it, now I'm just disappointed
in Mercedes. I have always thought Mercedes a superior
product and I assumed that with that product comes a
superior service.
Bummer...............................

 

Well, you may find (knock on wood) that the ML isn't all it is cracked up to be. I've had mine since January and I've had to get the MAF & starter replaced. Luckily, I had an extended warranty that covered the repairs. However, it ran out last week. Hopefully, the horror stories I've heard here won't apply to me in the future. Keep your fingers crossed, my friend.

 

What does the original post have to do with the quality of an ML? He was (rightly) complaining about the quality of a dealer - something that is ABSOLUTELY NOT limited to MB or any other marque, for that matter. The qualiti of service by a dealer has almost nothing to do with the quality of the product that the dealer sells.

What you can complain about, is the fact that MBUSA does not seem to take much action on consumer complaints about dealer practices. I gather this from reading forums, not from personal experience.

 

I was merely responding to the "superior product" comment. I thought that my response was appropriate, in light of the above quoted satement. If you don't, then I can't do anything about it.