jangy

Just curious as to how much we would be willing to pay to have the peace of mind that all warranties concerned are in the same house and may even get better access to factory info for development?
An example is the dealerships that are RENN dealers as well.

vader

I don't think having mods done at a dealer will save your *** if something major breaks Jangy...I think they sort of look the other way if the car has mods but if Benz says NO due to mods...there is nothing the dealer can do...

jangy

I'm not talking about having your dealer install the EVO rotors you can buy. i am talking about the dealers openly selling and installing the parts. Pcars have done it for years and there are absolutely no warranty issues. RUF cars almost became a name brand in and of themselves. Heck, even AMG was a private firm. Keep in mind my plans are always grand.

jangy

I may as well open up a little more. What if MBUSA re-branded some of these components and had MB part numbers associated with them?

dinko

I wish Mercedes would do this. Porsche is definitely ahead of the game in that aspect.

vader

Ahhhh...I misunderstood ! Hell yes...if MB did that I bet they would get quite a few takers..but enough to come up with an entire product line ??

jangy

Their interest is also in cosmetic mods. Obviously all must be street legal, but rims, etc are a sinch. Something to consider, since SoCal will be the test bed. Think 030 package.

glassJAw

But isn't AMG already that?? AMG Mercedes are just modded Mercedes from the factory. Now you're talking about modding a modded Mercedes.

2MANYCARS

I would say hell no to my stealer even if they offer me the opportunity. Techs at dealerships are good at maintenence work ONLY. I'll leave the hardcore stuff to my race shop in NJ.

glassJAw

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

jangy

I consider AMGs to be OEM, not really modded as before. Yes, I am talking about mods for AMGs, but also the standard brands. The concept is to begin offering the AMG "mods" that are available to our European brethren.

jangy

I completely disagree. Completely. The technicians have the skills, training, tools, etc. Have you bothered talking to yours and seeing what his insight is? Their hands are currently tied as the SA is your front man. Don't confuse that with the techs not knowing the car.

Your race shop in NJ may be awesome, but i have yet to see a shop that is nearly as capable as a dealer. In San Diego, the only shop I would say compares is Symbolic and their prices are SKY high.

For those happy with their race shops, great. I want a one stop shop for EVERYTHING. MBUSA is also seeing the potential business in offering such services.

Again, think of the 030 package. Where can you actually get one after the fact in the US?

Can Drive 55

AMG proposed a similar question on the AMG Lounge Forum. They are in the process of evaluating responses to their asking if people in the USA would be interested in purchasing and installing AMG products that are currently only available in Europe. Maybe if we flood their forum with positive responses, they will look more favorably on making such products and services available in the USA.

jamusa

Dealer install for me..........they have seen far more engines than.....the guy down the street,and is usually more famaliar with a specific model MB
Also from a warranty stand point,you stand a better chance of getting your car warranted,than with the garage down the street,b/c mb is gonna say that they are not mb certefied,or trained on this specific model,no matter how good the guy is.
My car is K4 modded,but the SA send it through like a stock car.......

blackbenzz

BMW is way ahead of the game with this. They sell Dinan parts at the dealer and it wont void factory warranty!

benzmodz

You mean to say that they could sell Hella and Bosch headlamps instead of selling them as MB parts ?

benzmodz

OEM just means that it has a MB part number.

jangy

What? You thought I just pulled this out of the air? I've been lobbying for it for YEARS.

jangy

Hmmmm, makes you wonder. Dinan is not available at all dealers, yet. Also, many MB dealers offer RENNtech parts and install. I was hoping to bring that to San Diego, but not so sure RENNtech is interested in my cause.

jangy

Thanks for the clarification. Actually, it means Original Equipment of the Manufacturer. AMG aftermarkets would not be OEM, but nice try.

vader

I agree with Jangy on the dealer mechanics. I'm sure there are independent shops that have excellent people . Dealers also have excellent people who have been around these more than anyone. Problem is there are also the usual slackers who don't know squat too. You just have to get the best guy. Its good to have a friend inside. If they added the AMG Manufaktur stuff and mods that would be excellent. As long as you didn't get gang raped in the process.

glassJAw

Agreed. I think it could really work. All the dealerships have to do is find a few willing technicians that WANT to do this kind of stuff and train them. And then any car that wants to be upgraded gets sent these specially trained guys who also have bumper to bumper experience in Mercedes.

vader

There are "go to" guys at every dealer . Glassjaw you are probably one of those guys...the AMG cars usually go to those select few guys. My car stays inside overnight and when I bring it in.. the people at the dealer know it's something special coming in for service.They aren't the bread and butter everyday cars they work on every day. The expertise is there...but the willingness has to come from AMG/MB. They do it now with the wink of an eye, but Authorized AMG upgrades would really be killer.

jangy

Now that you've come around a bit, let's add the twist of having it not be just AMG mods. How about if they offered tuner parts and cosmetics. Let's say HRE rims? Etc? Would you consider getting them there with the assumption that MB and said companies would have the bugs worked out?

jangy

By the way, I used HRE as an example as they have not shown any interest. I am not implying that they or MB is interested that particular relationship. I am looking for a deal on HREs myself, so please don't start PMing me for quotes.