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Service histories?

2K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  Writer 
#1 ·
I have just bought a 2006 SL500 with 88000 miles. Nice car, three previous owners, all within the Tampa, Florida area.

There was no service history with the car, just a few recent invoices since January, 2015 from Ferman, who sold the car to the last owner. The original dealer was Lokey in Clearwater and I wrote to them to try and find this important service history. No reply, as yet.

I then wrote to Mercedes N.A., who replied to tell me that neither they, nor their dealers, could release this information, as it was: "personal" and was the then owner's property. Excuse me? Since when did what was done to a car matter to a previous owner?

Does anyone know how I might find this information please? The car's VIN is: WDABSK75F86F109092.
 
#2 ·
Go to your local dealer and ask them for a copy of the VMI
 
#3 ·
Service history is somewhat private information. Any Mercedes dealership should be able to get a service history of any work performed within their dealership system due to warranty considerations. If you had work done at a dealership in FL then drove to CA and had to have the work repeated due to part failure then the warranty for parts and labor would follow the vehicle. Saving your paperwork should not normally be necessary for warranty work within the MB dealership system. That is the beauty of using MB dealerships.

If you have a connection with your local dealership then they might run a report for you as bayhas suggested. Short of that, the next best thing would be a Carfax.

Carfax shows 46 historical records but how much detail for any work done will be sketchy.

(The vin you posted is not correct, should be WDBSK75F86F109092)




Sounds like a great car!

Good Luck,

Bob
 
#5 · (Edited)
Service history

I thought the members of this forum might like to hear about my totally frustrating experience with BB&T bank here in Florida, to do with the purchase of my SL500. I've now owned the car since June 16th but still cannot register it because…

The previous owner had a BB&T bank loan on the car. On 16th June, I went with him to his bank and paid off that loan, to be told that the car had an "electronic title" and that the paper title would be mailed out to me "within 10 working days". When I pointed out to the teller that this meant that I couldn't get the car registered for 2 weeks, she smiled sweetly and told me that that's the way they work.

On 26th June, I called a lady who does title work and was told: "If only that teller had known, she had only to press another button on her computer, and for you to give her $10.00 and you would have had the title then and there."

I called the seller and again we went to BB&T and explained this. The manager said no, that wasn't the way things were done but he did print me a form declaring that the loan was satisfied. Off I went to the DMV office, to be told that I couldn't have a tag without the paper title.

I came home and wrote a scathing email to the complaints department of BB&T bank, only to receive an automated reply to the effect that they would get back to me "within 15 days" (!) So I have an SL500 that I can't drive and it look as if it will have been off the road for nearly a month before I can get it registered.

How on earth can people do business with companies like this?
 
#6 ·
youre always going to have trouble when you do a private sale. But if you have a paper tag, you can drive the car. It always takes 30 days to get the title, maybe 29 maybe 35, you usually have to go get a second paper tag at 30 days.
After you have the car, go to lokey service dept and tell them you d like to get the master sheet and youll probibly be bringing the car back for service. have them look up and see what it may need.
Of course you dont have to take it back to them. And dont bother writing them anymore
 
#10 ·
So I have to wait until I get the title from the bank, via the previous owner and then get a paper tag from the DMV?

Interesting because whenever I've done this before at our local DMV, Pasadena Eve, Pinellas Park, Florida, I've always been given a new plate immediately. Let's hop I at least get the title this coming week! BB&T bank….Doh!
 
#11 ·
Happy day!

Yesterday, I went back to the DMV and registered the SL500. Turned out the girl at the BB&T bank had happily taken my money to pay off that lien on the car but neglected to tell anyone else…Hence only my email of complaint made the difference….

This morning I drove to Lokey's to get the service history and they were very friendly and helpful. Only thing I couldn't get were the first two owner's names but I'm not bothered about that.

Car's had a ton of money spent on it and drives like a dream.

Thank you to all of you who have helped me.
 
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