Mercedes-Benz is a trademark of Mercedes-Benz of North America, Mercedes-Benz USA LLC and other Mercedes-Benz corporations. The words Mercedes-Benz is solely used to identify a make of automobile. It does not imply or indicate any affiliation or relationship between Stephens Service Center and the manufacturer or their dealers.
e know the economy stinks. With so many things demanding everyone's attention, no one wants to think about their car if it's running normal. A situation came up today with a customer that has a 2003 C240. They called us a couple of months ago about a whining noise while they were driving. We told them that we needed to see the car in order to speak intelligently about their problem. We could tell they really didn't want to come in because they thought we would find something they would have to fix. After all, if
you don't really know what's wrong, maybe it will magically
stop being bad. They tried to explain the problem in more
detail but we told them there really isn't a way to know for
sure what the problem is without seeing the car. I did
however, tell them about a potential problem with the
radiator on the 2003 "C-class", "E-class", & "CLK-class" cars
that can cause a noise like they described. I told them
there were two different brands of radiator that were installed in their model. One manufacture, Veleo, has a known problem. The radiator can leak antifreeze internally into the transmission oil cooler. Mercedes has a service bulletin, 27.55/50g, that explains the problem. Antifreeze gets into the transmission oil and causes the transmission to make a whining noise. I told them it can ruin the transmission if they keep driving the car. The transmission cost $5000 to $6000. Dealers will charge $7000. Mercedes-Benz will not pay for the repair after the warranty period. Today the customer had the car towed in because the transmission failed. The radiator was the problem.
We honestly don't need to talk you into something you don't really need. We hear all day long how customers feel about shops that dishonest. We feel like we're all in this mess together. We've been cheated in the "meltdown" just like our customers. It's hard to know who to trust any more. We like to show a customer what it's going to take to repair your car. Frankly, it's the easiest way to build trust. Your welcome to stick your head under the car & see what we have to do. We don't give customers the "insurance" excuse. Whenever you hear a shop tell you their insurance won't allow you in the shop, it's a big clue that they don't know what they are doing and they don't want you to see that they don't. You know when something isn't right with your car. You also know that ignoring it will not make it better.
We had a customer come in the other day with their 1999 ML320 for a routine "Service A". While we were changing the oil, we saw the Tie Rod boots were torn and the joints themselves were very loose. The car had 130000 miles and we don't normally see the Tie Rods this loose. When we told the owner about the problem, and they ask if they could wait until the next service to replace them. We told him that this was a serious safety issue and they must be replaced now. When he picked up the car we showed him the old Tie Rods. He was shocked at their condition and very glad we insisted that they be replaced. He then ask a question we don't normally hear. He ask why we checked the Tie Rods in the first place, when he just came in for a oil change? He occasionally had other shops change the oil and said no one had ever mentioned anything like this on any of his other oil changes.
We see mailings and service menu's from other shops. They all save this type of inspection for their bigger service. It's our opinion that these sorts of inspections are easy for an experienced mechanic to do with just a glance. It's as simple as opening your eye's. After decades of experience, he can even sense that something is wrong. It's never been something we thought we should charge extra for. At the most basic human level, we wouldn't want something bad to happen to anyone, much less someone that has trusted us to service their car. We never know how mechanical failure might turn out. It could be one of our loved ones that get involved in the resulting accident. Life can have a funny way of getting even. Other shops want to wait until the bigger service's to do these inspections. We think when it's time for the bigger service, a customers money could be better spent on actually doing something rather then "Checking" things. Checking things is important but the things they say they check, and charge for, doesn't really get to the point of a Major Service. We check these same things on every service for free and spend the customer's money on actually doing something. What good does it do to "Check" the Power Steering oil for example. When it's time for it to be changed? How are we doing the customer any favor by looking at dirty oil and some how implying that we did something useful?
There is also the matter of "who decides when a part should be replaced?" When is a part truly bad enough to replace? Some mechanics will try to restore a car to the way it was when it was new. I've heard more then a mechanics say, "if they can't afford the repair they shouldn't be driving a Mercedes." Obviously that's a pretty self serving thing to say. This attitude is one of the biggest reasons we'll see a new customer. Owners get sick of feeling like they have to replace half the car every time it goes in for service. For example, we know that some shops want to replace the brake rotors every time the brake pads need to be changed. Brake rotors only need to be replaced when they've worn below their minimum thickness or they are warped. Unnecessarily replacing parts takes money away from fixing things that really need to be repaired. Customers will only spend so much on repairs and then they get rid of the car. We know that people would keep their Mercedes longer if they felt like they had confidence in the repairs. It's one reason why owners question if the repair can wait until another day. Trust is a funny thing. You can't see it coming.... but you sure can see it go.
We saw a customer the other day, that couldn't get their gas cap back on. (This normally happens because one half of the cap didn't engage the neck correctly as it was turned. Once the white plastic part in the cap is misaligned, you can't get it on. The white plastic part needs to be realigned & it will work again. Normally we just twist it back into alignment with a large pair of pliers.)
This customer had been to another Mercedes-Benz Service Department and was told they needed a new $2000 gas tank. (The problem seems to be bigger then we first thought. Since posting this, we have gotten a number of calls from other owners around the country, that have been getting the same $2000 estimate.) We looked at the cap, and the white plastic part was not lined up correctly. However, realigning it did not fix the problem. On this particular car, the tabs in the neck of the gas tank were bent. Mercedes-Benz has a service bulletin about this problem. There is a updated part that fits into the neck that allows the cap to catch correctly and close. Other models just need the tabs in the neck bent back to the original position. Problem solved.
We take pride in the ability to look at a problem and fixing it without wasteful parts. We didn't just start doing this because of the lousy economy. We've done this for over 40 years. There is something fundamentally wrong with charging so much to fix something that can be repaired so simply.
This is a direct reprint of what the California DMV says a car dealer must do to "certify" a used car. Is this what you thought it meant when a car dealer said their cars were "certified"? Feel free to hold us to a higher standard.
"The dealer must perform a complete inspection of the vehicle and must provide consumers with a copy of the inspection report. Dealers are prohibited from advertising a vehicle as "certified" if:
- .
- The title was branded as a Lemon Law Buyback, manufacturer repurchase, salvage, junk, non-repairable, flood, or similar designation. The vehicle has frame damage or was sold "as is."
- The seller failed to provide the buyer with a complete inspection report of all components inspected.
- Odometer does not indicate the actual mileage of the vehicle.
- The vehicle was purchased under state or federal warranty law (repurchased by the manufacture or dealer).
- The vehicle was damaged by accident, fire, or flood unless repaired to safe operational condition prior to sale."
Don't you worry though, the California DMV will help you if you get burned!
When we service your car, there is more to it then what you might think. One of the things we keep a close eye on, is your battery. Everybody knows that modern car's have lots of computers. These computers need a constant and steady supply of power. The battery is ask to supply power for a lot more then just starting the car. When you shut the engine off, the computers stay powered up for different amounts of time. Some will shut down right away, while others can stay on for 10 minutes to an hour. The battery has to have plenty of reserve "deep discharge" capabilities. If the battery is over four years old, the lead plates in the battery start getting sulfated. That means there is a film of sulfation on the lead plates that prevent the electrons from the alternator entering the lead plates. Mercedes-Benz made a great tester that is very simple to use and is extremely accurate. It can tell us if the lead plates are getting to sulfated and thus near the end of its life.
We never want the battery to unexpectedly die. If the battery dies in an uncontrolled manner, a voltage spike can damage the car's computers. If you ever have a dead battery, you should just have the car towed with a "Flatbed Tow Truck".
We perform the diagnostic test on your battery every time we service your Mercedes-Benz. We're not trying to sell more batteries, we just don't want you to be stuck with a dead battery. If you think your battery might be getting old, just stop by and we'll connect the tester. We don't even mind if you watch how it works. It spells it out on the tools screen if it's good or bad. No guesswork.
If your car needs a battery, we only use genuine Mercedes-Benz batteries. They have more amperage then any other battery made. When the system is under peek load, smaller aftermarket batteries can't deliver the proper amperage. That's one reason for intermittent electrical problems. Aftermarket batteries also don't have vent tubes, which are very important for batteries that go in the Mercedes-Benz.
Excellence in any endeavor can be attained only by the labor of a lifetime;
it is not to be purchased at a lesser price.
You must make up your mind at the very beginning.
Your name will stand for Excellence!
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