I've been shopping for an S and talking to a couple of individuals about their cars ... however, running into some difficulty over service history. I'm finding that sellers don't really know the service history; people say things like "all the service has been done, I take it to the dealer and he does whatever it needs" or "it was just serviced in February".

One car I like has 61k miles, and from reading posts on here, I know there are some significant service items around this age, and it would be helpful to know which ones have already been done. But it seems the average seller really doesn't know or doesn't have any records that would show what work was done and at what mileage.

In the Porsche world, most owners have folders full of receipts, detailed spreadsheets, etc. and expect to share the information to show the car's condition and how they've cared for it.

I know not everyone is an enthusiast and knows cars like we do, but I feel like all I'm left with is negotiating a lower price to protect myself against any needed service that hasn't been done. My dealer here says they cannot release records of service done by other Mercedes dealers, claims that's "private" information belonging to the dealer who did the work and the previous owner.

 

There is no personal information in a service history.
The service history also doesn't go into a great deal of detail, especially if it's a customer pay item.
Your best bet would be to have the car in question inspected by your Mercedes dealer.

 

This is a major downside to online service records, we all used to love to see a folder full of invoices as they detailed all the service and maintenance work done , now as it is all online we, as a normal buyer, cannot access this information.

A few years ago my son in law and daughter went to view a car for sale, he phoned me while they were looking at it and said that there was no " stamped up " service book as it was an ex-lease car. I asked him what paperwork was included and he said there was a printout from the lease company, it turned out that this list was way better than a service book as every single thing done to the car was itemised , even down to tyre changing and light bulbs !
I told him that was great to know, it showed the history of the car perfectly.
Even a service book in the glovebox can be stamped up by a "dodgy" garage.

 

If you have a good relationship with your Mercedes Benz service department they will run you a VMI report. That will include all service done at a Mercedes Benz dealer. Hopefully most of the service has been done at the MB dealer.

 

FYI: BS on not releasing other dealer info. This is on VMI. And your dealer will provide this to you if you have a good relationship.

 

CarFax provides a lot of such info including non-dealer items sometimes if the data is reported. These also include accident info which is provided by police investigations. While not perfect, I wouldn’t buy a car without looking at one. Dealers generally provide them for free. This plus any other records you can get gives you a pretty good idea of the car in question.

As far as the old method of dealer stamps, these were easy to get whether the car had the work done or not.

 

Any German car owner knows service records are a big deal and a must. Someone selling a German car without service records is either hiding something, didn't do the service, or not trying to sell the car. Carfax does show service but not everything. If you have a car with carfax and its a contender a PPI at a dealer is a must and at that time they can either show you on the computer or print it out for you. I did have a dealer tell me prior service could not be given out as dealer policy...but a nice tip goes far as they are inspecting the car. No service records...no purchase. Remember the lack of proper maintenance becomes a problem later in its life not at the time. If a car had 2 oil changes in 60,000 miles it won't blow up....but its not the car you want later in its life.

 

Don't trust carfax for everything. I bought a car where the carfax didn't report an accident, but autocheck did and it was repaired at a Mercedes dealer which carfax didn't have. I think there's still someone on here in the market place forum that's selling both for $8.

https://mbworld.org/forums/market/780958

The only thing in the VMI is the owners name which they can just black out with a sharpie. If you do a PPI at the dealer, they should provide it as part of the PPI when you make the appointment. Otherwise tell them that you know that other dealers provide it and if they won't, you will go somewhere else that will. That's how I got my VMI, they pulled the personal info bit and I told them to cover it up with a sharpie.

 

I do the service on my 16 Maybach and have a detailed record portfolio of all items performed. I do that for ALL my vehicles.

Katie

 

[QUOTE=cetialpha5;8084576] I bought a car where the carfax didn't report an accident, but autocheck did and it was repaired at a Mercedes dealer which carfax didn't have. /QUOTE]

If an accident isn't investigated by police, there's a very good chance it won't show up on CarFax.The MB dealer that I purchased my '16 S500 from told me they don't report body/accident repair work to CF. Case in point was my '16 I bought from them. I had them put the car on a lift before purchase and found front and rear panel damage underneath where the car had obviously bottomed out. I asked them to do the repairs, which they did, and also told them I didn't want it on CF. That's when the Sales Mgr told me they don't report body repair work to CF. He also said that if an accident is investigated by police and an accident report issued, it will be reported to CF by the investigating police dept. (I'm sure there are exceptions where it won't show on CF if someone doesn't do their job.) Anyway, I've looked at many CF's and found the accidents reported were very detailed showing date, location, and the part of the car that was damaged with estimated repair cost.

The point here is that CF is not perfect but is something that should be reviewed IMO, along with any other records that can be obtained, when one is trying to determine a car's history. CF is the largest of its kind by far for a reason. It sold in 2013 for $1.4 billion.

 

I do the same. I have a hardcover log with all my vehicles. Date, mileage, service, part, receipt, etc. Every piece of paper from the minute I have owned it is in a folder also. I even have pics of what things looked like when done in a folder in my computer. I do most all the work, but it cannot be questioned. It has been a huge selling point in the past when I sell anything. True if trading dealers barely care at all, but a private buyer loves this. I always want a premium when selling my insanely take cared for cars, and this gets me over the finish line.

 

Ditto here.

 

The MB dealership will only give service records to the original owner and not to a new buyer if the car was serviced at a dealership. The dealership WILL GIVE YOU service records for the period YOU OWNED THE CAR. So if you’re selling, you can at least have the service records during your own ownership.
At least Carfax will take note of service dates if the shop reports to Carfax. Regular service intervals on Carfax are somewhat reassuring.

I have my own handwritten log of what I do for my car, and I guess they have to take me for my word if I service my own car as I do not keep receipts of oil and filters but might keep a receipt of a major item like a suspension part. Seriously... a receipt for oil and filter is worthless. I have a 3 year supply of unused oil with a stock of filters on hand and no dated receipt will take care of my future oil changes. I also have spare spark plugs, ignition coils, coolant, Mercedes tranny fluid, rear diff fluid, and even Pentosin 11CHF ABC suspension fluid so receipts won’t help me. Someone has to take me for my word when I flush my MBC suspension fluid at a certain date and mileage but it is recorded in my log mostly for my own use.

The benefit of getting dealer recommended service is that MB has a record and it gets reported to Carfax too.

It’s such a headache to try to sell to private buyers. And dealers just don’t care about the service record.

 

That may just be your particular dealership, they all have their own policy and sometimes it's just up to the service writer. The VMI that I've gotten in the past included all service done at all MB dealerships since the car was new so it included work done by all previous owners. Some dealers won't even give it out so it all depends on the dealership on what you get or don't.

 

CarFax will give you a lot of information and ask a Mercedes SA to run a VMI , a courtesy copy. Realizing he may or may not.

 

My dealership has given me over 12 pages of every single visit in the past with over 4-5 lines description of what exactly was done during these visits, describing the problem or services completed as well as any parts replaced or maintenance performed. Today, every time I do maintenance or visit them to check anything, I asked them to send me an updated service record history, which is basically the same old record plus another page or half page that includes the most recent service, so can always have the full record readily available if I decide to sell it at anytime.

 

Lots of great info on this thread.

My advice..maybe consider buying a used CPO car from a reputable dealer who has all the records and would include a warranty. Yes, it will cost you more, but could be a better bet/risk.

Regardless, I have loved my S class and you will too I’m sure. I would highly recommend some kind of warranty with these cars though. Good luck.

 

Prices are dropping like rocks especially with new model arriving. 2015-16's with under 40k going in the low 40's or high 30's. My 2015 has 30k and extended warranty, if I got $40k Id be beyond happy.

Buying a car serviced by an owner would be a huge red flag to me as you have no idea wha they did or their skill level. Even an independent can lower the value. As these cars get so complex dealer service unfortunately will be the only accepted repair. Certified MB tech or somone doing in their garage? It effects resale.

There are so many low mile examples look a little harder. Always buy the best example you can of the model you was. Even if you have to step down to the W221 which is an insane bargain right now. If car is still within warranty you can extend warranty another 3 years at ANY MB dealer for approx $2600. Some hate this but to me its been worth it as I nit pick every detail and dealer never blinks an eye at fixing under warranty. Mine has 30k and for no reason at all blew a coolant hose off a turbo and burnt the turbo. I assume that paid for the warranty. Its also transferrable.

 

Let's see what everyone thinks ... the car I'm closest to buying ... 2016 S550, 60k miles, super clean, very well equipped (MBC, High-end 3D sound, heads-up display, exclusive Nappa leather, power/memory rear seats). Service history TBD as discussed. No warranty, pure as-is transaction.

Let's assume it looks great in person and drives perfectly ... seller is asking $45k, what do you think?

 

I suggest you start your own thread as you shoud get more responses. Also, add some pics. In the meantime, check Kelley Blue Book, https://www.kbb.com/ for values of the car. To me, buying something like this w/o warranty is risky. At a minimum, have the car inspected by a MB dealer once you get serious about its purchase. And follow suggestions above re mtce records and Carfax.

 

suppose your correct a car owner can do all sorts of terrible repairs. Funny how the other day I brought a 2017 Smart Car that goes on the back of a Semi truck tractor we are going to buy. The car has 20000 miles on it and the carfax shows ALL SERVICES performed by MERCEDES dealer services. What I find ironic is that when I checked the air filter it was dirty as hell and the cabin filter was ready to change as well. Also the brake fluid was slightly amber instead of clear. So I MYSELF changed all those things and made sure it was done correctly.

I take serious issue with you saying an owner doing service is a red flag. THIS OWNER KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING TO HER CARS because she has the EXCACT same service manual the dealer uses and has all the time in the world to make sure the job is done correctly. Dare you to show me a DEALER tech that is not pressured to do stuff really fast.

PS I took my Maybach to the dealer THREE times to get the heads up display snare drum noise fixed. They NEVER FIXED IT. I DID after I gave up on the dealer.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

I can be a witness of bad jobs by dealer service. v8 oil filter was installed on a v12 engine. And the latest:
If you don't look at it yourself then you just never know...

 

I respectfully disagree. Insurance companies will most likely make more money on most of their cases, meaning that in most cases the cost of maintenance is going to cost them less than what you paid (most of the time). Therefore if you always have emergency fund/cash, you should always save your money and there is no problem to get a car with no warranty if it’s already about 5K less than the market, therefore you saved 5K on the car and probably 2-3K for not extending the warranty! Most of these well-built cars (s-class) go up to 100k miles with little to no major maintenance when maintaining them well. The W222 has an amazing historical reliability record so far that outweighs almost any previous model.

 

I was faced with the decision on warranty close to 3 years ago when I purchased my 2015 S550 4Matic. It had 17K miles on it and still looked and smelled like a new car. Close to 3 years later and at 44K miles I have had zero problems. I may have a strut that is starting to fail but I can get a new one for around 400 bucks with core charge and swap it myself. So for me the choice would be easy, save your money. Most warranties are a suckers bet with the warranty companies making most of the money. Now, if it was an AMG car, I might feel differently but for your garden variety S class it is probably a waste of your money.