Main Dealer Service History

[EPV 631]

I've just bought a 14 plate Mercedes C250 CDI, 127k, last serviced at 87k, four main dealer services.

I've allowed £450 in my bid to get a major service done, MB want £580, ok, left myself a litte short there but whatever. The question is, do I go to an independent specialist and pay £300ish or, would I be better ponying up the main dealer money and using that as a strong selling point?

Usually in this scenario I'd get an oil service done, not mention it on the advert but when someone rang, tell them I've got an oil service done but not got the book stamped to protect the full main dealer history so the new owners gets more resell benefit. But in this scenario, it's been a good 45,000 miles since it's last service. 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

I certainly wouldn't be pay Mercedes for a service nor a specialist, you simply don't know if it has been serviced or not. Has there been a keeper change after the last service ? EPV, what does the OBC service indicator say about the next required service ?? 

[It's me 612]

if you put yourself in the position of punter it would be good to see a main agent last had its mits on it

go on dvsa history see if there are any recalls too as dealer can do these as he empties your wallet

[EPV 631]

Just now, Arfur Dealy said:

I certainly wouldn't be pay Mercedes for a service nor a specialist, you simply don't know if it has been serviced or not. Has there been a keeper change after the last service ? EPV, what does the OBC service indicator say about the next required service ?? 

Haven't collected yet mate, was just thinking ahead and getting it booked in somewhere to speed up the prep process.

No change of keeper at last service

2 minutes ago, chief nut job said:

if you put yourself in the position of punter it would be good to see a main agent last had its mits on it

go on dvsa history see if there are any recalls too as dealer can do these as he empties your wallet

Yeah thanks mate, always check that on the GOV website when I'm checking a car out. 

[Nick M.K. 574]

17 minutes ago, EPV said:

The question is, do I go to an independent specialist and pay £300ish or, would I be better ponying up the main dealer money and using that as a strong selling point?

You go to your normal garage that you trust a get a full service done at their normal rates. Not MB, not MB specialist. 

At 127K miles your buyer will be much fussier about PRICE, spec and condition over the type of the garage that did the servicing. 

If it was a very low mileage example it's a different story. 

A 14 plate C Class should come without a service book with pages to be stamped. 

Edited July 4, 2018 by Nick M.K.

[Arfur Dealy 823]

I wouldn't...... Wait until youve got the car, it could come with a file of history from a specialist, or alternatively more Merc MD history which wasn't franchise linked to the previous history, Vendor depending there may be more history on a different plate...... You just don't know until you've got the car. Patience..

[trade vet 697]

I bet you paid above Crap clean for that.......and it was for nowt.We have been selling stuff like that for years,just don’t be greedy.

[EPV 631]

9 minutes ago, trade vet said:

I bet you paid above Crap clean for that.......and it was for nowt.We have been selling stuff like that for years,just don’t be greedy.

Below cap average actually   

[trade vet 697]

1 minute ago, EPV said:

Below cap average actually   

Even better.....most of the stuff our guys buy are over Crap Clean and they are still  for nowt.

[EPV 631]

Just now, trade vet said:

Even better.....most of the stuff our guys buy are over Crap Clean and they are still  for nowt.

High mileage puts most off I suppose 

[Nick M.K. 574]

3 hours ago, EPV said:

Yeah thanks mate, always check that on the GOV website when I'm checking a car out. 

GOV site not connected with the system for Mercedes. You can check with any dealer even without doing a service there and chances are it will be recalled for Airbags. Annoyingly they call it a "steering column" recall...

Edited July 4, 2018 by Nick M.K.

[EPV 631]

7 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

GOV site not connected with the system for Mercedes. You can check with any dealer even without doing a service there and chances are it will be recalled for Airbags. Annoyingly they call it a "steering column" recall...

Useful to know cheers 

[justlooking 48]

5 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said:

I wouldn't...... Wait until youve got the car, it could come with a file of history from a specialist, or alternatively more Merc MD history which wasn't franchise linked to the previous history, Vendor depending there may be more history on a different plate...... You just don't know until you've got the car. Patience..

+1

hold your horses, I’d be surprised if it’s not had a service for 40 odd k, there’s a high chance you’ll find a recent invoice or stamp 

Although you could carry on and book it in for service and cancel appointment if you find history I suppose?

we had it recently, 2006 RX400h, 123k, 11 services, all at the stealers, l/s 10/17, I thought ahh ok, won’t need a service.. low and behold I find an additional service in April 18 inc front discs and pads and a 2yr Lexus warranty package that had only just expired 

Edited July 4, 2018 by justlooking

[Stalker 180]

I certainly wouldn’t be giving mercedes all that money. 

Whatever is wrong with getting it done at a local decent garage. 

Its on a digital history now anyway, if a customer isn’t happy tell them to throw the copy of the invoice away along with £500 to get it serviced. 

We would give it an oil and filter and have a spy at the rest of the filters and change them if required. 

[EPV 631]

14 minutes ago, Stalker said:

I certainly wouldn’t be giving mercedes all that money. 

Whatever is wrong with getting it done at a local decent garage. 

Its on a digital history now anyway, if a customer isn’t happy tell them to throw the copy of the invoice away along with £500 to get it serviced. 

We would give it an oil and filter and have a spy at the rest of the filters and change them if required. 

Nothing wrong, if the previous services weren’t all main Dealer. My thinking is, it won’t get to the stage where the billy isn’t “happy” but it will possibly reduce the number of interested parties in the car, given the miles etc. 

[Mark101 536]

26 minutes ago, EPV said:

Nothing wrong, if the previous services weren’t all main Dealer. My thinking is, it won’t get to the stage where the billy isn’t “happy” but it will possibly reduce the number of interested parties in the car, given the miles etc. 

Your ad should read something like "Main Dealer Service History + Full Service by us and New MOT prior to Sale/Collection."

Just done same on a CLS - Services missing for last 48k - so my appointed garage did the lot (inc. one rear coil spring, gear oil, pollen/cabin filters, both air filters, engine oil and filter, brake sliders greased, freed off one sticky calliper - about £450 inc MOT and genuine MB gear oil).  Sold in under 6 hours.

[EPV 631]

I suppose reflecting on this now, my intended audience is usually “a bit of flash for not much cash” or the keeping up with the jones’ crowd. That audience probably won’t care if it’s main dealer serviced. As Nick says, if it were low mileage and attracted the “shit themselves at every unusual sound-been-on-piston heads again” crowd then a main dealer history would be beneficial. 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

12 minutes ago, EPV said:

I suppose reflecting on this now, my intended audience is usually “a bit of flash for not much cash” or the keeping up with the jones’ crowd. That audience probably won’t care if it’s main dealer serviced. As Nick says, if it were low mileage and attracted the “shit themselves at every unusual sound-been-on-piston heads again” crowd then a main dealer history would be beneficial. 

+1 Bang in the money. 

That sort of mileage and price is all about driveway neighbour appear, keeping up with the Jones’s whilst being maxed out everywhere....

[BHM 994]

22 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

+1 Bang in the money. 

That sort of mileage and price is all about driveway neighbour appear, keeping up with the Jones’s whilst being maxed out everywhere....

 Too true!

 

EPV is thinking too hard over a high mileage estate car. Wait & see what it’s like when you get it (a service could be the least of your worries), I’d MOT & if you must then give it a basic oil & filter engine service - £20 of materials. No offence intended but if you think you’ll get your £500 back from the punter you’re mistaken - even then why on earth would you put £500 into a car just to get the same £500 out?. That’s not adding value, that’s working for nowt. A major part of this game is about controlling costs. 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

1 minute ago, BHM said:

 Too true!

 

EPV is thinking too hard over a high mileage estate car. Wait & see what it’s like when you get it (a service could be the least of your worries), I’d MOT & if you must then give it a basic oil & filter engine service - £20 of materials. No offence intended but if you think you’ll get your £500 back from the punter you’re mistaken - even then why on earth would you put £500 into a car just to get the same £500 out?. That’s not adding value, that’s working for nowt. A major part of this game is about controlling costs. 

+1 exactly 

[EPV 631]

8 minutes ago, BHM said:

 Too true!

 

EPV is thinking too hard over a high mileage estate car. Wait & see what it’s like when you get it (a service could be the least of your worries), I’d MOT & if you must then give it a basic oil & filter engine service - £20 of materials. No offence intended but if you think you’ll get your £500 back from the punter you’re mistaken - even then why on earth would you put £500 into a car just to get the same £500 out?. That’s not adding value, that’s working for nowt. A major part of this game is about controlling costs. 

I don't think I'm thinking too hard, deciding whether I should keep up the main dealer history on a 4 year old car or not isn't exactly pondering the meaning of life.

Adding value doesn't just come in the form of xyz in and zxy out, it can also mean adding appeal to several more buyers meaning a faster response, quicker selling time which means savings on advertising costs and addition to the bottom line. Of course I don't need to tell you all this.

[pmpants 14]

When we get a car with full main dealer history we fit a genuine oil filter and assess the air filter, replace with genuine if necessary, then our ad reads "full main dealer service history and just serviced by us at xx miles using genuine parts"

 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

1 hour ago, EPV said:

I don't think I'm thinking too hard, deciding whether I should keep up the main dealer history on a 4 year old car or not isn't exactly pondering the meaning of life.

Adding value doesn't just come in the form of xyz in and zxy out, it can also mean adding appeal to several more buyers meaning a faster response, quicker selling time which means savings on advertising costs and addition to the bottom line. Of course I don't need to tell you all this.

EPV just consider this....when you take it to Mercedes you'll be waiting for the call saying in addition to the service its needs this, it needs that, we recommend you do this, we recommend you do that, your bill will then be considerably more. This will be nicely written out on the invoice and kept on their computer for any potential buyer to find out and come "screaming" back to you demanding that you do the required work. We don't call them "stealers" for no reason......

[EPV 631]

1 minute ago, Arfur Dealy said:

EPV just consider this....when you take it to Mercedes you'll be waiting for the call saying in addition to the service its needs this, it needs that, we recommend you do this, we recommend you do that, your bill will then be considerably more. This will be nicely written out on the invoice and kept on their computer for any potential buyer to find out and come "screaming" back to you demanding that you do the required work. We don't call them "stealers" for no reason......

I realise that S but all I want it the stamp, or in MB case, the digital print out. They can put what they like on the invoice, i’ll Be keeping that myself if it shows up with loads of spurious “works” that need doing. 

Anyway I think I have my answer, in this instance, it’s going to my appointed garage for a major service and i’ll spend some money on having the gearbox oil changed which is a better use of my money than Main Dealers hourly labour rate. 

[trade vet 697]

I get the impression you are a bit nervous about this one.If it’s ex lease,it will probably have good history and could also have a detailed print out .You may find that if you price it right you may attract a buyer from far away.There is  some great high spec mileagey stuff out there,you just need to know how to market them.