A to B

Transmission Starts....

Lesson No. 001 - Always Shop Around.

With a metaphorical wad of cash with which to service the WolfSled (the boss is known as the Wolf - if you met her...) in preparation for the sale I thought I'd dip my toe into dealing with Mercedes dealers. First call was to Mike Grimsby Mercedes on the Bristol Road in Gloucester. I had touched base with the former official Mercedes dealer a couple of weeks ago. He seemed honest and laid back. He put in a call to his sister business - Robin Lamb Mercedes.

Mike does the sellin', Robin does the repairin' (sorry - couldn't resist that).

Anyways, I was promised a call back from Robin.

Next stop, the local official Mercedes dealer. Again a return call was promised.

Mercedes Benz Hanza (although they are also listed in the Pages Yellow as Audi, Nissan etc Hanza) answered promptly with a mist of unfamiliar terminology. All of my questions were eventually answered, but it did take a sort of journalistic bullying to get any sort of strait reply.

Turns out there are two types of Mercedes service. A's are minor services ranging from £115 to £200 depending on where you go. B's are a little more serious and drum your account to the beat of £250+.

Although the WolfSled has only done 7000ish miles since the last service, it's been two long years. As the return calls started coming in everyone was insisting on a B, with Mercedes C and G (the official girls and boys) telling me she would need a fuel filter thrown into the mix.

I can't quite remember what Mr Lamb from the Bristol Road dealership said when I informed him of his former colleagues recommendation but it was something along the lines of;

"Those rascals".

Indeed a fuel filter should be changed every 50,000 miles or so. It's clearly stated in the service history that the last service had included this. Further to me mentioning this to the professionally friendly lady on the other end of a couple of satellites it should also be said that it states in the vehicle history that the last service had included a new fuel filter and had taken place at C and G. She had even called all of these details up on the screen to tell me this.

That's a code aubergine stroke fail in my book.

That's a a complete triangulation of coordinates to no thanks land.

I don't think I'll be going there any time soon.

So that's a win to Robin Lamb, we'll see how the actual experience goes....

Peeeee Esssssss

An honorable mention should go to MANN in Tewksbury for a friendly and competitive "A" price. Only unfamiliarity and distance had them shown the door.

Transmission Ends...