Dealing with a Dealer

My van is due for the "B" service (30,000 miles) which is scheduled at a dealership tomorrow morning. I hesitate to name the dealer yet. I was to prepping my wife for the upcoming service and noticed that she authorized a "B" service (and I paid for it) at the most recent service at 20,000 miles in February of this year. Only an "A" service was needed at that time per my owners manual.

Clearly I was taken for the $600 difference between the "A" and "B" service.

Should I try to fight this? I am willing to drive to Sprinter of Rocklin but it is a several hours drive vs. 40 minutes to my nearby dealer. The dealer does not have any reviews on this forum yet as they only started selling Sprinters in the past year or so. Should I threaten to lambast them on this forum?

Canoe4Me,

$600 bucks, that's a LOT OF BEER!!!!! https://sprinter-source.com/forums/images/smilies/drool.gif

No need to lambast the dealer on this forum, just report the facts and only the facts. There should be no problem about anyone reporting facts here. Especially where you were sold a service that was not required or recommended by MB for your Sprinter. Of course the dealer will say that it's "their" recommendation that the B service be performed over the A service, afterall, they sell the Sprinters and they have vastly more knowledge about what a Sprinter needs, especially your Sprinter, than the manufacturer. What does MB know, they only make the Sprinter. https://sprinter-source.com/forums/images/smilies/bash.gif

If you have the ticket from your previous service please post it here. Type in line-by-line what was performed and how much they charged you. Just the facts. Curious minds want to know. https://sprinter-source.com/forums/images/smilies/idunno.gif

Also have a talk with the dealer about this and see what their comments are. The more informed you are the better off you are and the dealer will understand that they are dealing with an informed customer and not someone they can turn upside down and shake the last pennies out of his pocket. https://sprinter-source.com/forums/images/smilies/2cents.gif

Good luck and let us know how this goes.

stew

canoe4me,
What year model is your Sprinter?
There was a change in 2013 to the longer 15k mileage between recommended services.
Many of us have not extended to the full 15 K for a couple of reasons.
#1/ We were accustomed to the service interval being 10K miles and had such good service and reliability from our Sprinter that extending the interval by 50% does not seem like such a good idea.
#2/ Your tires will last much longer if rotated at 10k miles.....15k is a little too far for tire rotation and there could be some abnormal wear on the outside edges of the front tires by going this long.
I would guess that the dealer that did your "B" service (fuel filter, more checks) thought that you were on the 10K for "A" service schedule (Oil Service Plus) and at 20k you needed the full "B" or Maintenance Service.
I would certainly discuss it with them and clear up the misunderstanding as to which schedule your Sprinter is on, and get it clear that you want to
go to the longer interval (if indeed the longer 15K maintenance cycle applies to your Sprinter by year model.
It would be helpful if you put the year model/brand/316/319 or 516-519 (2500 or 3500 in the USA) series designations in your signature so other
forum members will understand which sort of Sprinter you have.
Hope this helps,
Roger

What ever you decide don't burn bridges. It's nice to have a positive relationship with the local dealership.

And yes Ive, $600 is a lot of beer .

Its easy to confuse me but at 20k I thought is a "B" service and 30k is an "A" service. My instrument cluster indicated B at 30K but it only needed an A service. The service advisor said that maybe the computer was indicating fuel filter or other B item needed to be addressed and that is why it was saying B service. Everything checked out and A service was all that was needed.

Edit: that is if you are on a 10k mile service plan and it the OP had service at 20k then would assume he is on 10K plan. I thought if my computer was updated to 15k intervals then it would make sense for the computer to indicate B service at 30k but then again it is saying <10,000 till my next service so I am back to being confused.

I was reading the maintenance manual on my 2012 Sprinter last night and noticed it says 10,000 mile intervals but the sequence tracked by ASSYT is A-A-B. The fuel filter is separate 20,000 interval

Thanks to everyone for their replays. I now realize that I was confused and remember that my instrument cluster screen did show that I needed a B device at 20k but my owners manual states the AAB as pfflyer noted above.

I still wonder if I am getting a little beer money shuffled away from me though... Here is what I paid for in February at 20k and this week at 30k.

February: (B service per dealer)

Labor: $220
Filter: $18.85
Oil: $100 (25 quarts at 4$ per quart)
Washer fluid: $7.05
Seal ring: $2.81
Dust filter: $87.95
Brake system flush labor: $66
Brake fluid: $22.28
Replace fuel filter labor: $110
Fuel filter: $183.69
Hose clamp: $3.14
Loom tie: $4.79
Msc. charges: $20.00
tax: $30.95

Total: $827.51


August 30k: (A service per dealer)

Labor: $220
Washer fluid: $7.05
Filter: $18.85
Oil: $100.75 (13 quarts at $7.75 per quart)
Seal ring: $3.14
DEF (adblue) $25
Msc. charges $15.40
Tax: $13.15

Total: $403.34

My Maintenance booklet does indicate flushing the brake system every two years. I picked up the van in November of 2012 but the dealer flushed the brakes in February of 2014. Not exactly two years but the timing is arguable. The fuel filter also was replaced as per the booklet at 20k back in February.

After looking through the booklet everything was done roughly (10 months early for the brake flush) on time by my local dealer but I was confused about the A - B service discrepancy.

I do think that its weird that I was charged for $100 dollars worth of oil and the 20k service required 25 quarts but the 30k service only needed 13 but the cost was still $100.

I am near the fence but not exactly on the fence regarding doing my own service. I pretty sure I could manage basic service but would rather spend Saturdays doing other things. I feel better about being at least somewhat educated so I don't feel cheated each time I get "serviced." I appreciate all of your input.

Wow.

Am I ever being well served by the MB dealer in Nanaimo, BC, Canada

For around 400 I got oil and filter service on my 2008 Navion 2007 dodge, using 13 litres of oil at around 11 Can Dollars per litre, and an AC System test and recharge, and my windshield washer filled, and the tires checked.

The huge difference was the oil and filter service labour was priced at 30.00 dollars!!

Canoe4me
See my comments in line below...

February: (B service per dealer)

Labor: $220 -- Looks like their labor rate is $110 per hour. About standard for a MB dealer
Filter: $18.85 -- Oil Filter - You can purchase this cheaper but this is not a real rip off price.
Oil: $100 (25 quarts at 4$ per quart) -- Can't figure this out. How the heck they put 25 qts into an engine I don't know. they must just charge the flat rate of $100 or oil whether it's 1 qt @ 100/qt or 25 qts @ 4/qt. Go figure.
Washer fluid: $7.05 -- Seems they charge you $7.05 whether you need it or not or just take a drop or a gallon. This is a rip off.
Seal ring: $2.81
Dust filter: $87.95 -- Do you really really need this?????
Brake system flush labor: $66 -- Around $100 for a brake flush is about average. Your total was $88 so that was a good price.
Brake fluid: $22.28
Replace fuel filter labor: $110 -- Charging you another hour for this. On a V6 this is a pain in the ass to replace so your paying for it.
Fuel filter: $183.69 -- Wow, expensive fuel filter.
Hose clamp: $3.14 -- Really, you can get a dozen for that price - Oh yea, I forgot, Mercedes
Loom tie: $4.79 -- For a ZIP TIE - What a rip off.
Msc. charges: $20.00 -- This is just another way to charge you a small amount that you won't complain about. Figure they do maybe 20-50 cars a day. It adds up for the dealer.
tax: $30.95

Total: $827.51 -- You could have done this yourself in your drive way for around $100-$200
Seems they are charging you $220 labor for an oil change and Dust Filter change. A bit much if you ask me. Total labor charge $396. That's a LOT OF BEER!!!!


August 30k: (A service per dealer)

Labor: $220 -- The only thing they are doing is an oil change - boy this is a lot for a 15 minute job...
Washer fluid: $7.05 -- Next time make sure you washer fluid is full and when they charge you insist they remove it from the bill.
Filter: $18.85
Oil: $100.75 (13 quarts at $7.75 per quart)
Seal ring: $3.14
DEF (adblue) $25 -- Walmart @ 10.50/2.5 gal
Msc. charges $15.40 -- here we are again. Times 50 cars per day. It adds up.
Tax: $13.15

Total: $403.34 -- You could have done this yourself for about $100. That's leaves $300 for BEER!!! $220 for labor. Seems that is their standard charge and it takes them about 20 minutes for an oil change. Okay, a total of 45 minutes to include the DEF and getting that last drop out of each quart of oil.

The following are my own personal opinions.

I'm not a big believer in changing the Dust Filter. Heck, take it out, shake it off, vacuum it off, and put it back in especially at $87.95 ea.

I'm not a big believer in changing the fuel filter as often as MB recommends. Yes, I do drain any water from the filter but generally put off changing it to every other recommended time. MB has been all over the place on this so they are even just guessing. If you purchase your fuel at decent fuel stops you should be okay with this. If you think you got a bad dose of fuel then it would be good to change your filter. The filter is going to filter fuel or it's not. The flow through the filter is not at a real high rate so there is plenty of room for the filter to do its job before it really really really needs changing.

You can do many of these items yourself and keep that Sprinter in tip top shape and save a bundle. It's up to you.

Enjoy.

stew

bump

I went to Tom Nehl in Jacksonville Fl. and had my oil and fuel filter service done on my 2012 and will go back again.I live in South Fl. and will plan my travel to stop in for PM on a trip going north to avoid the Dealer that I purchased from.I also purchased both belts, both air filters,and wiper blades for the fairest price I could find (OEM).I wish they were closer to me.

Just had 15k (A service) performed @ Mercedes Sprinter ,Charlotte Nc
Cleaner 4.80
washer fluid 3.50
oil filter 21.50
seal ring 1.90
Oil(6perqt) 78.00
Rotate balance tires
Topped off DEF

total parts 109.70
labor 144.00
misc chg 14.46
discount -25.43
tax 7.16
total 250.49

You can actually chose a la carte. Just tell them what you want: oil; oil filter, etc., sans DEF fill air filter, cabin filter, wipers, windshield washer fluid, etc this can be done by you if desired. Only let them do the hard to get to or the messy ones!

cheers...

trek130 said:

Just had 15k (A service) performed @ Mercedes Sprinter ,Charlotte Nc
Cleaner 4.80
washer fluid 3.50
oil filter 21.50
seal ring 1.90
Oil(6perqt) 78.00
Rotate balance tires
Topped off DEF

total parts 109.70
labor 144.00
misc chg 14.46
discount -25.43
tax 7.16
total 250.49

Click to expand...

VERY good price..!

chers...

Just a comment.
Dealers are not like McDonald's franchises.

Their overheads differ across the country and are directly affected by direct sales tax and behind the scenes taxes/tariffs levied across the board on dealerships/automotive
businesses. The Elon Musk and Tesla legal challenges lay testament to this closely protected and carefully nurtured activity.
Owing to such lucrative cash cows local authorities will give fast track featherbedding approval adding to urban blight just to get yet another dealership on their patch.

At a lower level Colorado makes no cover up that commercial business taxes are far higher than residential properties.
Here is some utterly boring information but useful if you are interested:-
http://taxfoundation.org/article/st...xes-target-commercial-and-industrial-property .

It means that even my business is not exempt from paying almost $1000/month to Jeffco for the privilege of hanging out a shingle! These are general overheads which are passed on and make up the job charge out tariff to the customer.
Consequently you are going to see rates at dealers vary according to territory and state.
Dennis

I should have done a la carte on the "B" Service. They did wiper blades and other easy stuff at silly flat rated labor and silly parts prices. Two really crazy things that I had them not do.... Top up DEF, as they wanted $100 to do this and no fuel filter, as they wanted $385 to do it. I just called the dealer I bought the van from(250 miles away) and the they said $200 to do the fuel filter. That's more in line, with what I paid in the past for this. Once my '08 was off warranty, I did filter changes myself. Also the Service tech rotated my tires, not as recommended by M-B. Now I get to look at rusty, dirty rear wheels.....

If I let the dealer do everything they wanted.... The "B" service would have been $1000+! I should have known better than to go there, but 70 miles is closer than 250, when you need to be working out of your van. Lesson learned....

Nhuskys said:

Once my '08 was off warranty, I did filter changes myself.

Click to expand...

If you want to do you own service (as well you might), there is no need to wait until you are off warranty. Properly documented self-maintenance (or 3rd party maintenance) has no relation to the validity of the warranty.

It is true that if you consistently send dollars to the dealer over the history of your ownership, both the dealer and the manufacturer is more likely to cut you a break in edge cases (e.g., ignoring the fact that you are 7 miles out of warranty). But you will have paid dearly for being treated as "special".