sosh

My 06 ML500 was picked up at my office yesterday by my dealer who left an 07 C Class as a loaner. It was going in for a B Service with no discrepancies to correct. The ML was returned this AM and the loaner taken back. What they did was as follows:
B Service, replaced all windshield wiper blades and rear wiper blade. Filled, washer bottle, changed oil, oil filter cabin filter, and did the required inspections.
Did a TSB on the front and Rear bumper/skid plate attach hardware, Noted fault on the airmatic controller and replaced controller, replaced license plate frame for noted corrossion, Updated engine software, Updated transmission software. Washed car cleaned interior.
The total cost to me amounted to about 4 cents per mile since my last service. As a note I will say that if there was a problem with the Airmatic I did not see it and it worked just fine. Same for engine and trans software.
Cost was quite reasonable and the service excellent. Don't know why there are so many dealer complaints here. I have never had one since 1998 and over 5 MB's. Even if I were so inclined to do it myself I would not have known about the TSB, would not have had the equipment to interrogate the compuer and to do the updates. All of this is called preventative maint. The 4 cents per mile is a small price to pay for all of this and the peace of mind.Its also a very minute percentage of the actual cost of owning a vehicle.

vinceching

so you got *** raped again

its just an oil change

other than that they changed out your wipers which cost no more than $30

so how much did you pay 350-450?

cschmelz

Ahhh, the threadcrapper strikes again..

I was very pleased with my B service as well. They did a lot of little things and did them well.

vinceching

if you think im a threadcrapper that's fine as it is your opinion sosh jr

how much did you over pay for service b? the point I make is you are over paying for an oil change and extremely basic service anyone can do who is able bodied

drbenz08

I think it is funny that he thinks any able bodied person can do a B service . I think the price paid is money well spent because dealers always do a through inspection and fix what they find and that is the point of paying for the service . They might make a bit off your B service but all there money is made using your warranty .He must have a crappy dealer and thinks they are all the same and dont care about customers . I would suggest to him he go buy a ford and see what kind of customer service he would get . My wife drives an 07 escape , which I do all the maintenance on . The last oil chage I noticed that both rear shocks were leaking .So she calls to make an appointment , the service advisor says that shocks leak and it is normal , lol . Well then she told him that there is a noise going over bumps , and his replay was that he will make the appointment but it will not be covered under warranty . To finish when we got the car back it was not reassembled correctly and we found a spoon with food on it . The dealer which is less than 5 miles from our house would not come out and fix the car . I already know his reply is going to be about how he paid 20 k more for his car blah blah blah , my point is it is not the car it is not the dealer it is the employes , so I might suggest he ask for a different advisor .

vinceching

there is never a shortage of idiots who will pay anything as they believe their dealer. i never said once i've had a bad experience with a service advisor relating to a service a,b,c, etc.

what i am merely pointing out is you are overpaying for an oil change. if you feel the need to do it fine. but don't tell others it is something that is absolutely needed.

do me a favor, next time you take the car in for service... go and talk to some of the techs. ask them, are all the services just an glorified oil change?

guess what they will say... absolutely.

sosh

I agree wholeheatedly with you. Pay no attention to this "nickle rocket" who loves to disrupt threads. He should pay more attention to his grammer and learn to write correctly. Yes, attention to the inspection portion of the service is quite important. A monkey can change the oil but one has to know what to look for. You are paying for the training of the tech, and his knowledge along with use of some quite expensive equipment. As for making a profit, the dealer is not there for his health, I would expect him to make a profit.

vinceching

what, you can't look at fluid levels to tell if you are low or not? thats pretty sad.

never said a business shouldn't make a profit, but 200-350 profit on an oil change? while that is called a profit, most people will tell you its more like you getting bent over and raped.

drbenz08

Well if you talk to a tech and he tells you that a B service is an overpriced oil change , turn around and walk out , because he nor dealer care about you , your car or their csi . And you are the one getting bent over if you think the service is just checking fluids and changing oil .

cleek

Given the Door-to-door service, Loaner, diagnostics and repair of the failings, it seems like a good value. It might be a bit less less rewarding if you spend $350 and just get the "everything is great" diagnosis. A friend just had that experience with his Volvo was lamenting that very situation. Coming from the bundled maintenance plans of Audi, it proved top be a bit of a shock to him

Though I am inclined to do more of my own general maintenance, $0.04 a mile is an interesting way to factor it. I'm not sure that my cost, including my time, would be much less than $0.02 per mile.

dieseldoc

I am always glad to hear that someone had great service from their dealer rather than complaining about it. My dealer in Dallas always does an awesome job. I may pay for my service but I know that the job is done right the first time.

vinceching

perhap you should go and see exactly what services are done for service a and b. go to your dealer and ask him for a copy of what service they will preform.

please go and do that, and post it on this thread.

i will bet you won't, because once you read it you will see what it is.... overpriced and over glorfied oil change.

looking forward to you posting the service details.

drbenz08

Here you go . B service includes LOF ,top off all fluids, airfilters replaced , cabin filter replaced , r&b tires , BG fuel additive , replace wipers , lube roof and all latches , check battery and fill level , check spare tire inflation , road test , inspection for leaks , suspension inspection , check all bulbs replace at no cost , windshield washers ,sds short test , brake inspection ,seat belt inspection , wash and vac for 580
A service includes LOF , r&b tires , top off all fluids , lube all latches , road test , check battery , spare tire inflation , check all bulbs replace at no cost , inspect for leaks , suspension inspection , sds short test , brake inspection , windshield washers , wash and vac for 250 .
Now what lack of service does your dealer offer ?

am_beagle

For all of these "checks" and "refills" and "inspections" my Indie would be happy to take less than $50.
Oil change less than $80. (9 quarts bought online /or at MB dealers+Oil filter)
Air and cabin Filters less than $30.( check to buy online)
Any able person can DIY. Cheers.

vinceching

thank you for seeing what i have been trying to point out. all of the extra inspections and checks are just fluff. they are things you can do yourself. if you can't change the wiper blade, then thats just sad. the chances of a light blub going out are slim to none when you take the car in for service. and besides, most of the bulbs are no more than $1 a piece.

they are basic things even a indy shop would do for you for free as part of preventative maintanence.

all the people who thing service a, b, c are worth it are getting rammed up the ***. do something better with that money... buy your family a nice dinner or something, buy yourself something, or donate that money.

vinceching

the lack of service is the **** lube i like to avoid from my dealer.

don't you get it, i don't go to the dealer to get ripped off. they have people like you who come out and pay these stupid prices.

and what you posted is basic service you as a consumer should be able to do. everything you listed is basically visual inspections.

roughyear

MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!

yes our time is worth money... all posters in this thread have valid points here.

i agree $350 is ridiculous for the A and B services, but if we don't have the proper tools/lifts/etc to get to the car's components, then the $tealers cost is what it is.

a DIY'er can probably save $150 to do the service themselves, but considering the materials alone will cost you about $140-$150.... some don't have the time nor energy to do themselves...... i see vinceching point about the glorified oil change, and i hate paying it myself (that's why i have my wife pay for it ) ... but to spend 1, 2 or even 3hrs of my time trying to do maintance may not seem worth the hassle to some.

then there's that dreaded crap the manufacture and dealers throw at you if you lease.... "you didn't do the required maintance of your vehicle" ... and they attempt to hit you with excessive wear-tear crap!!!


"can't we all just get along"

sosh

You forgot to mention free pick up and delivery and a free loaner. I would like to see someone do the SDS short test in their garage. This is a very important part of the inspection. They also (at least mine does) check for any open TSB's or SB's, also very important.

dieseldoc

As I stated earlier,my dealer provides excellent service. I do not have time to service my vehicle myself. Their hourly rate might be high, but so is mine.