About 3 weeks ago I got a new battery and brake switch lamp put in my car because while driving home from work my BAS, ABS and some other light came on along with visit workshop so I dropped it off on my way home. Turns out battery and brake switch needed to be replaced. Picked up the car and all was well. On Saturday morning while getting ready to get in my car the smart key didn't work and the little blinkers on the mirrors didn't budge. I couldn't get in the car so I had to use the valet key. No click when I put the smart key in and couldn't even get the key to turn. The service dept is closed on Saturdays at the dealers so I called my indy and he told me dead battery. Of course I was perplexed because I just GOT A NEW ONE 3 WEEKS AGO!! Called MB road side service and they were out in 30 minutes, charged the battery rather quickly and let it charge for about 10 minutes. I drove my car to the indy and of course being with no appt I had to wait for a few hours for them to get back from lunch and finish a few other cars. Well guess what? I had the old battery in my car!! They NEVER put a new battery in the car! Battery had dirty water and grime and a little dirt on the top of it! Because of their ignorance and being asleep on such a simple task I wasted my entire day and had to cancel and re-arrange appts! If my indy was convenient and on my way to work I would be there a lot more and save some money. When the indy was testing my battery voltage was low so they were nice enough to let me borrow one of their new batteries so I wouldn't get stuck. Thank goodness this was in my driveway. I called and asked to speak to the General Manager at the dearlership but he doesn't work weekends so they put me on the phone with the General Sales Manager. He was more then nice and very embarrassed this happened to me. Offered to pick up my car and drop me off a loaner at my office tomorrow. I left a message for my SA as well. I am SO MAD right now!! I have always had excellent service so I am more then disappointed especially since I already paid sky high prices for this. I have to return the battery to my indy tomorrow after work which is way out of way and I feel Mercedes should have someone drive it down for me since it was there screw up! I don't feel I should be more put out then I already have been. My radio doesn't even work because the code in the owners manual isn't the right one. I have a MB radio but maybe it was replaced so the dealer as to code it for me anyway. I don't feel asking them to deliver a battery to my indy is unreasonable. I also want to speak to the General Manager regarding this. Feed back anyone? How would you handle it? I blame the techs who didn't do the job but said they did. I also have the battery in my truck so that is the evidence I need. I don't think they changed the brake switch lamp because the BAS light came on with malfunction the first few times I started the car but now it is off. I also want that changed as well since that was paid for.
learn.Next time do your own r/r on a simple part like a brake switch,and battery.If you can't or don't want to learn how to do simple maintenance issues,like the above,as well as plug and oil and filter changes you will become a prime target for the dealers shop when it comes time for a mass air sensor and other simple repairs that they will convince you are best left up to the experts(the ones who left in your old dead battery).Lots of diy help here,just ask,try it sometimes,you will be amazed when you finish a job,know it was done correctly and you did it,never mind that you save 400 bucks on a spark plug change and were left to wonder why the dealer charges 15-18 bucks a piece for plugs that you bought for 2.79 each.
ohlord
Forget about complaining,they will just shine you on,the real money at the dealer is in the new cars they can screw people out of their money.
"GOT TOOLS?"
First of all Oh Lord I am 5'2 petite female so DIY is out for me or else don't you think I would do it myself? I am still going to speak with the General Manager because this particular dealership always wins the top customer service excellent award and I think they need to know when the help slacks off! 2nd I have spend $$$ and most people lease their cars so most of the stuff is warranty, they make their money on servicing from people who own their cars and pay for stuff not in warranty. My CPS I plan to have changed as preventative but I will take the car to the indy on a Saturday morning for that one. Anyway, anyone who can DIY yourself is lucky. However not all of us can DIY. For the most part I have had very good service at this dealership so I will keep you posted on what they say tomorrow when I pull in bright and early! PS Indy are good friends so for stuff like MAF I will take it them. They do not mark up the parts like MB does and the labor is $70 per hour vs $125 per hour, they are just so out of the way for me
First, I'm really sorry to hear of your experience. It used to be that buying a premium brand got you a premium service experience, however, it often doesn't even buy a premium car anymore.
This is weird for me because I'm actually going to disagree -- a little bit -- with ohlord. Some people are DIY people and some aren't -- for anything. And there is nothing wrong with either one. You sound like you're a busy professional and you're running all over all the time; my guess is even if you could save a little time and money doing some DIY projects, you covet your (precious little) free time too much to spend it learning how to do DIY projects and you're happy to pay someone to do things that need to be done. That said, you should be able to trust your dealer to at least do the things they (ahem) talk you into doing.
Which brings to mind your recent preventative maintenance thread with the plugs recommendation; now I think they were recommending that but there is a good chance they weren't even going to change them. After all, you're doing them way in advance, how would you ever know? Not like it would run better, etc.
Moreover, in that thread you provided a long (expensive!) laundry list of things you have done to your car. Your dealer -- assuming they've done the rest of that work -- has made PLENTY of money off of you.
I would go sit down with the service manager (and if necessary the dealership manager) and demand that they install the new battery and the new stop switch AND refund your money for that job they obviously didn't do a major part of. Period. All labor, all parts. Remind them of all you've done and that next year you're going to be in the market for a new car.
If they're not willing to do that then you at least know they have no customer service attitude to go along with their lack of integrity.
That said, if that's your only benz dealer in the area, I'd write them off for any purpose, even if they make the current situation right (but that's me). Drive the extra distance to your indie when it's necessary and start banking car payments, deferring any repairs that aren't required. Then advance your next car purchase (great deals start in the summer as dealers clear current inventory) and pick a different brand. Much as it pains me to say that, I have to say you'd probably be lots happier with your dealer experiences (in terms of both sales AND service) with either Acura or Lexus; both of those brands are always at the top of consumer surveys for build quality and service experiences. If you want to stay in the Teutonic world, have you considered Audi? I never would have until a good friend recently went that way, excellent cars, he had no trouble at all with his and his dealer was outstanding. The A6 is an amazing car.
I hope you get some satisfaction from the stealer, looks like yours earned that moniker.
Take care and (try to) enjoy the ride,
Greg
__________________ If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice. Meister Eckhart
When you learn from your own mistakes, that's experience.
When you learn from the mistakes of others, that's wisdom.
When you fail to learn from any mistakes, that's government.
I have considered an Audi or BMW. BMW has a far superior warranty program compared to MB. I almost bought a Lexus but now after much consideration realized they just don't do it for me the same way my MB does. The only car in the line up I like is the $100k LS self parking but that is out of the range of what I want to spend on a car. Used to like the GS but not so much anymore and have read some negative things about that model on the Lexus boards. I still love my car but just want the service I feel I paid for! Anyhoo, will keep u posted!
Vehicle: 2001 SLK 320(96K Miles), 2002 E320 Special Edition(113K Miles)
Location: South Bay Area,L.A., CA
Posts: 1,175
Wouldn't that be considered fraud to charge for parts/work not replaced or done? It may be difficult to prove work, but here you have the physical parts claimed to have been replaced. Besides insisting that they do the work free, I would also report them to Mercedes. This sort of activity may put their franchise at risk, so I think you are in a very good bargaining position.
BTW, I'm also in the Beach cities and the dealer in my area is also very bad - maybe it's the same one (multiple sites in the beach cities). There are some very good Indies in the area.
Vehicle: 2001 SLK 320(96K Miles), 2002 E320 Special Edition(113K Miles)
Location: South Bay Area,L.A., CA
Posts: 1,175
Quote:
Originally Posted by Designo_E320
No other car company beats Lexus as far as service is concerned.
Would not always bet on that. read the Lexus forums and you will see that they also complain of some of the same things at their dealers. One guy reported a fix to his Lexus Navigation system for which he was charged for parts more than $900. He was able to get back the part they replaced. Went to Radioshack and gave the part number printed on the part and got it for $20. It was just a Na-Cad battery!
So you have to select your dealer very carefully, doesn't matter the make of car. And you still have to be knowledgeable about your car to prevent them from screwing you.
Well I just got her back. The Service Manager came out to say how sorry he was and hand me vouchers for a full detail and weekend car washes. They swear they pulled the battery from stock. Oh well, hard to prove otherwise but I still don't buy it. At least she is nice and pretty because she was washed. Overall they made good on their screw up. Life is short so I am just happy to have a new battery in my car (which they lifted the seat to show me a clean new battery) big difference from the one they replaced. They wrote down my new radio code on card as well. I need to meet a boyfriend who works on German cars! Most men around here don't know a thing about the cars they drive. I swear I used to know more then my ex husband! LOL!
Glad to hear you had a good experience: As you have a long term SA who knows you are a nice, level headed person I figured they'd be kissing ass quickly. It's a reminder that even though you know your SA & the management is likely reasonably good, your car gets worked on sometimes by someone who does not have your best interests at heart. I have had it happen at indies as well as at dealers.
As a general comment, all of us who are not mechanics have a much better clue as to what is going on & what to look for thanks to this forum.
__________________
'87 300E: sold after 11years @ 230k & still on the road somewhere in rural Tennessee.
'94 C220 with 93k totalled 10/06 by hit & run broadsiding monster truck: not a scratch or bruise for me
About 3 weeks ago I got a new battery and brake switch lamp put in my car because while driving home from work my BAS, ABS and some other light came on along with visit workshop so I dropped it off on my way home. Turns out battery and brake switch needed to be replaced. Picked up the car and all was well. On Saturday morning while getting ready to get in my car the smart key didn't work and the little blinkers on the mirrors didn't budge. I couldn't get in the car so I had to use the valet key. No click when I put the smart key in and couldn't even get the key to turn. The service dept is closed on Saturdays at the dealers so I called my indy and he told me dead battery. Of course I was perplexed because I just GOT A NEW ONE 3 WEEKS AGO!! 
Called MB road side service and they were out in 30 minutes, charged the battery rather quickly and let it charge for about 10 minutes. I drove my car to the indy and of course being with no appt I had to wait for a few hours for them to get back from lunch and finish a few other cars. Well guess what? 
I had the old battery in my car!! They NEVER put a new battery in the car! Battery had dirty water and grime and a little dirt on the top of it! Because of their ignorance and being asleep on such a simple task I wasted my entire day and had to cancel and re-arrange appts! If my indy was convenient and on my way to work I would be there a lot more and save some money. When the indy was testing my battery voltage was low so they were nice enough to let me borrow one of their new batteries so I wouldn't get stuck. Thank goodness this was in my driveway. I called and asked to speak to the General Manager at the dearlership but he doesn't work weekends so they put me on the phone with the General Sales Manager. He was more then nice and very embarrassed this happened to me. Offered to pick up my car and drop me off a loaner at my office tomorrow. I left a message for my SA as well. I am SO MAD right now!! I have always had excellent service so I am more then disappointed especially since I already paid sky high prices for this. I have to return the battery to my indy tomorrow after work which is way out of way and I feel Mercedes should have someone drive it down for me since it was there screw up! I don't feel I should be more put out then I already have been. My radio doesn't even work because the code in the owners manual isn't the right one. I have a MB radio but maybe it was replaced so the dealer as to code it for me anyway. I don't feel asking them to deliver a battery to my indy is unreasonable. I also want to speak to the General Manager regarding this. Feed back anyone? How would you handle it? I blame the techs who didn't do the job but said they did. I also have the battery in my truck so that is the evidence I need. I don't think they changed the brake switch lamp because the BAS light came on with malfunction the first few times I started the car but now it is off. I also want that changed as well since that was paid for.
Well I just got her back. The Service Manager came out to say how sorry he was and hand me vouchers for a full detail and weekend car washes. They swear they pulled the battery from stock. Oh well, hard to prove otherwise but I still don't buy it. At least she is nice and pretty because she was washed. Overall they made good on their screw up. Life is short so I am just happy to have a new battery in my car (which they lifted the seat to show me a clean new battery) big difference from the one they replaced. They wrote down my new radio code on card as well. I need to meet a boyfriend who works on German cars! Most men around here don't know a thing about the cars they drive. I swear I used to know more then my ex husband! LOL! 
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