MB Service Plan
Discussion
Hi all new here and getting ready to pick up my new to me MB. It comes with a full dealer service history and so I'm tempted to keep that going. I see MB do a service plan but just want to make sure it is what I think it is.
It says I can pay for 4 services & MOTs spread over 4 years, does that mean regardless of what type of service is required, the costs are already calculated into the plan and I pay no extra?
It's coming up to 60000mi on the clock so presumably the plan covers that, the 75, 90 and 105000mi service and all of the costs involved?
It says I can pay for 4 services & MOTs spread over 4 years, does that mean regardless of what type of service is required, the costs are already calculated into the plan and I pay no extra?
It's coming up to 60000mi on the clock so presumably the plan covers that, the 75, 90 and 105000mi service and all of the costs involved?
In a similar position to you, I bought a Mercedes SL400 in December with full MBSH and toyed with getting the service plan. If you sign up then there are no extra costs for the services going forward, whether minor or major- but of course anything outside of the service items will be added at Mercedes labour rates. After lots of prevarication, I got my car serviced last week via an independent Merc specialist. It was half the price of the b service quoted by Mercedes.
As a specialist they were able to update the central service record- Mercedes dont do service stamps, its all kept online centrally.
I was very happy with the service received and as the car is now 9 years old I didnt feel it was an issue. I once had a 911 of a similar age and was advised a specialist service is absolutely fine on an older car, as often the specialists will be more attuned to the needs of the older cars as they see so many more of them.
As a specialist they were able to update the central service record- Mercedes dont do service stamps, its all kept online centrally.
I was very happy with the service received and as the car is now 9 years old I didnt feel it was an issue. I once had a 911 of a similar age and was advised a specialist service is absolutely fine on an older car, as often the specialists will be more attuned to the needs of the older cars as they see so many more of them.
I agree with everything said by Bustlepuncher.
I bought a three year old SLK55 at the time and decided that I would have the service agreement for two years. This was because they had a discount offer at the time and it was due a major service followed by gearbox oil change. All this was included in the service agreement price.
As it worked out, it would have cost me the same at a Specialist with each of the items paid separately. Whenever I needed any separate work done, I took it to the Specialist (extra work tends to be nearly half the price of Dealership).
After those two years, I then had the annual service done at the Specialist.
Now, that was back in the day. Since then, main dealers have changed their pricing model and it has got more expensive. They price their individual items at a much higher rate so as to make the service agreement look better value. However Specialists have not increased their prices anywhere near that extent so the gap has widened.
Also bear in mind that main dealers have detailed task notes for inexperienced mechanics to follow so anyone can work on any car and they are not allowed to stray outside of those notes i.e. if they see something slight which needs correcting, they make a note of it rather than just get on with it and fix it (every additional task is chargeable).
Specialist rely more on their experience and knowledge share. Most important is to find a specialist who used to be a senior technician/mechanic/engineer - you will get a more experienced person working on your car who has more knowledge of older vehicles than compared to a main dealer. Because they are not restricted from specific directives they tend to be more flexible and will fix something on the go (if it's minor then they may not charge for it).
I bought a three year old SLK55 at the time and decided that I would have the service agreement for two years. This was because they had a discount offer at the time and it was due a major service followed by gearbox oil change. All this was included in the service agreement price.
As it worked out, it would have cost me the same at a Specialist with each of the items paid separately. Whenever I needed any separate work done, I took it to the Specialist (extra work tends to be nearly half the price of Dealership).
After those two years, I then had the annual service done at the Specialist.
Now, that was back in the day. Since then, main dealers have changed their pricing model and it has got more expensive. They price their individual items at a much higher rate so as to make the service agreement look better value. However Specialists have not increased their prices anywhere near that extent so the gap has widened.
Also bear in mind that main dealers have detailed task notes for inexperienced mechanics to follow so anyone can work on any car and they are not allowed to stray outside of those notes i.e. if they see something slight which needs correcting, they make a note of it rather than just get on with it and fix it (every additional task is chargeable).
Specialist rely more on their experience and knowledge share. Most important is to find a specialist who used to be a senior technician/mechanic/engineer - you will get a more experienced person working on your car who has more knowledge of older vehicles than compared to a main dealer. Because they are not restricted from specific directives they tend to be more flexible and will fix something on the go (if it's minor then they may not charge for it).
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