Anyone else had experience of Main Dealers who 'Top up' your windscreen
> washer fluid even though it was full when car went in, and then charge you
> for it!!!. Also 'helpfully' giving you (sorry - charging), a litre of 'Top
> up oil' - how often has anyone topped up oil in a car recently (unless it is
> old or knackered).
> They also 'flushed out' the fuel system and the oil system (the car has
> 10,000miles on it) - or at least they said they did and charged for it!!!!.
> Well, rant over, feel free to reply if you have had similar experience.
> PLEASE, no replies about how I should be thankful and not to complain. BYE >
>
One simply cannot give over a car with the instruction to "Do whatever it needs" for that's just an invitation to have your pocket picked.
Over the years I've learned to specify exactly what's to be done so I refuse to sign an order for a "B" or "C" or "E" service for these are open ended make work ventures that have no cost relationship to the actual service performed.
The more specific YOU are the less THEY can justify charging.
I normally use a local garage to service my 190, but after some problems with it stalling for no reason at all (seemed like fuel starvation to me), the osf ball joint needing replacement and it needing full service, I thought I would treat it to a 'proper job' (local expression) at the main dealers in Bristol (UK) - what a fool I was! I asked them to service, replace ball joint, investigate the fuel fault
When I got the car back, they had: replaced a windscreen wiper that was only 2 weeks old (£20) failed to replace the air filter seal properly broken a plastic spigot off (somewhere near the Carb!) failed to diagnose the fault (even when I told them to investigate the fuel pump) hadn't replaced the ball joint - instead they had ordered the whole arm assembly ("because we don't have the equipment to just replace the ball joint") and wanted me to bring the car back to them the following week for fitting
after the minor heart attack when presented with the bill and the inevitable arguments, I drove the car to pick my wife up from work - and guess what - it stalled! Called the AA - he looked under the bonnet, found the problems with the air filter, broken spigot - agreed with me that it was probably the fuel pump. Managed to get the car home (at 15mph) Phoned dealer - blew my top - they kept my 190 for a week - still unable to diagnose the fault - eventually, they had to send the pump out to a specialist company ("as our testing equipment is not working") - replaced the fuel pump and the car has been perefect ever since. They did, at least, have the good sense to give me a replacement car for the week - but it was an 'A' class 190 - not a proper mercedes.
Needless to say, I will never go back to Cruickshanks (appropriate name) again - instead, it will be the local dealer and a merc specialist for the more technical jobs Andy
The whole 'Main Dealer' monopoly has to be broken!!!. The only reason this car was brought to a 'Main Dealer' in the first place was to keep the 30 year 'Mobilo Life' warranty up to date, but I would rather have the work done at a local specialist, This would then invalidate the extra warranty.
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