wiz357

I really hate having to deal with the dealers. When I had my S55, MB of San Diego would give me a Toyota Corolla for a loaner. But, that is not the worse of it. In order to have your car seen, you'll have to make an appointment 2-3 weeks in advance. When you get there, you'll will get seen 1-1.5 hours later than your scheduled appointment. They never ever get their promised time right. One time, someone called me from the dealership to tell me that my car was ready. Guess what, when I got there, it was not. I had to drive back home in my spiffy Corolla loaner. After 2 years of dealing with MB, they finally settled took lemon S55. After my abismal experience with my S55, the servicing dealer and MBUSA, I swore off any Mercedes.

However, I'm such a HP freak that I could not resist having an E55. So, with hesitation a bought one. My selling dealer House of Imports in Buena Park sucked. My salesperson did not spend a single minute to explain anything about the car. He basically handed me the keys and bid me goodbye. Hey, I already paid for the car. He already got his commision from me. He needs to entertain his next customer. There was no aftersales phone call or anykind of thank you card.

If there's any consolation, my E55 has been trouble free. Nothing like my POS S55. Other than the tranny oil leak, I have not brought my car at the dealer for anything. Anyway, I needed to take my car in for the schedule C service and some minor warranty work. Since I would never ever go back to MBSD, with hesitation, I took my car to a small MB authorized service only facility (Heinz Geitz) a mile away from my house. Surprisingly, they were ready to see my car in two days. That is an great improvement from 2-3 weeks waiting with MBSD. I informed the service advisor that I would need a loaner while my car is in for service. So I bring my car to the service center, I had them check my outside temp gauge that consistently reads 10-15 degrees higher that forecasted temp. I also had them check my seat that makes a clicking sound everytime I take a corner fast. Also, I inquired about the front and back travel of the driver seat. Nothing major.

I got my paperwork and ready to go. Then my loaner arrived, guess what I get as a loaner. A spiffy red Chevy Aveo. I mean, you bring in an S55 you get a Toyota Corolla. You bring an E55, you get a Chevy Aveo. Stupid me for expecting a better car. I bet if you bring in your C-class for service, you'll get a Trek bike. After two days with the sporty Aveo, my dealer called to inform me that my car was ready. Sure enough, just like MBSD, none of the warranty compaints I had was done. The outside temp reads even higher. Now it reads 40 degrees higher. The driver seat still clicks. As for the seat travel, the answer I got was, the car was not engineered for small people. My wife is 5'1", 98 lbs. I guess MB did not want anyone less than 5'3" driving the car. I'm really insulted how these authorized dealer threats their customer. I feel like I bought a Chrysler. Wait a minute, I did buy a Chrysler. What am I thinking expecting more from a Chrysler?

MB Fanatic

Bring your car to MB of Laguna Niguel. If you make an appointment they will give you a C class, E class, or maybe even an ML. Most are C230, c240/280.

firstkill

try the one near carlsbad...

a tab better.. but not great by any standards...

at least u will get a C class loaner....


Fk

CE750

What I hate about MB ownership is the PATHETIC MB Customer Service.. For a company of this level, they're worse than Walmart. Nordsrom's could teach them a thing or two about CS.

I blame namely MBUSA, not DCX.. they just sell them the cars.

As for the Dealers, they're only as good as MBUSA demands them to be... which isn't very much. I get better service from Volvo and I know American car owners with better service.

Go the the W211 forum and look up this thread: Lexus vs. MB

Evolution Marine

wiz357 - I feel for you, I have the same problem ( HP addiction). So, what I do, I expect the worst from the dealer and then I am not disappointed. A sad state of affairs, but that is the reality of the situation, so we must deal with it the best that we can. How else are we going to satisfy the "NEED". Of course I still complain hardily. - Bob

IanSL55

MB of Laguna Niguel is great, as is Fletcher Jones in here in Newport Beach (where I've bought and have my cars serviced). At FJ, appointments can be made online and in most cases can be made as little as 2-3 days in advance. As far as loaner cars, I always been offered a C class or better, though I usually opt for a shuttle ride back to my house (they also pick up).

~ Ian

MB Fanatic

I think there is just something that differentiates our South/West Orange County dealers from those others in the region. Either case, both are good dealerships but I wont go back to FJ for personal reasons and their attitude.

JAY55

Yeah dude, bring your car to Laguna Niguel, they'll give you a C class alright, limited 50 miles per day. Great eh? Make sure you check your odometer on your AMG to see how many miles they racked up.

MB Fanatic

I always tell the guy that I have to go to LA and he lets me go up to 100 miles a day lol. Even though the furthest I go might be Newport or something from San Clemente.

RezF

Wiz357,
Reading your post brings a couple of things to mind:

1) There is an unwritten rule in the car biz that you take care of your own customers first. The MB service loaners are scarce and are thus reserved for customers who have purchased their cars from that particular delaership. If you complain about it, they ALL tell you the same thing : "Loaner cars are not part of the MBUSA program. They are a courtesy provided and paid for by the delaership, itself. We only have a few MB cars for loaners and they are all out at the moment. However, we (the dealership) will pay for you to have a substitute transportation from Enterprize Rental, while we service your car."
When I took my SL 55 into my local dealership (not where I bought my car from) for one of the many problems it had, they always gave me a rental as a loaner. I got fed up, and called the other dealership where I bought my car from and the service manager told me to bring in the car to them for servicing. When I took my car in, the service manager brought a new E 500 out of the SHOWROOM and gave it to me as a loaner while my car was being serviced for a few days.

2) If the salesman just handed you the keys and told you to drive off without going over the car with you, you should have nailed him on the CSI when MBSA called you with regards to your sales experience. The salesmen depend on the CSI money a hell of alot more than just the commission on the car. This also holds true for service. If you had a poor service experience, then do NOT give them an EXCELLENT rating when are contacted for the survey.

In general, I, too, had found the MB service experience to be horrible with the Master Technicians and Shop Formen being less competent than what I had perceived them to be.

wiz357

I would love to, but I already take one of my cars in OC for service. Everytime I do, it is just a major PITA to drive through all the traffic on the way there and back.

I'll probably try Hoehn in Carlsbad next time.