Please Help! Am I being gouged on these Service B recommendations?

[JimmyJam]

Hi All,

Love this resource. Has helped me with many issues/repairs. I just took my 2015 3500 NCV3 (Winnebago Navion coach) in to my local MB dealer for B service. They are charging $1030 for the basics, which I know is high, but I’m headed down to Mexico in a week and don’t really have another option. My big concern is the almost $3K in additional recommended services. Please see attached pic of the details and any feedback you can share would be really helpful. Thanks!

 

[lindenengineering]

I can't state too much, but call MB of Littleton & dare to compare
I will do it for that price though, and enjoy grass fed Filet Mignon & a bottle of Italy's finest Barolo from a famous wine store in Denver .
Dennis

 

[Rob S]

If you have over 80k miles, and it has never been done, I would do the belts pulleys and tensioners. The price is a bit high, but you don't want this to go on a trip.

Much less concern on daily driver kept local, but RVs sit for long periods and things dry out and crack and etc.

 

[Cheyenne]

What does your Owners Manual state for service interval on things like Power Steering, Diff and Engine Coolant? I bet they're not due at five years!

And do you really need a Fuel system flush at that age/mileage?

Keith.

 

[JimmyJam]

Thanks for the replies, guys! Really helpful. I’ll have some Omaha steaks sent right over to you Dennis ? I spoke to another Sprinter tech, formally with a dealership and he thought most of those were unnecessary considering all factors. The boost hose oil leak is a known issue on mine so I may have that done. Much appreciated!

 

[Ski Trip]

they also replaced the power steering clamp for free, which is not on this list.

 

[Moto Vita]

View attachment 162766

they also replaced the power steering clamp for free, which is not on this list.

Your location, or identifying the units on your work order, CAD, USD, etc. would make your post more pertinent.

 

[lindenengineering]

Well looking at this reminds me of of a comment by a senior B/L Truck & Bus factory board member when dealing with our chain of international dealers:
Dennis if we could do without ALL these effing dealers trying to rip us off, we would all be much better off !
But we are stuck with a phucked up system!

So.
My first thoughts are how did they come up with $1037 in labor?
A basic "B"service is 2,5 hours at current dealer rates in a big metro area nationwide (like Denver) the labor tariff would be be $200/hr
So labor will be around $500.
Staying on "B' service stuff the fuel filter is padded out a bit but the oil price is discounted by about by $2,00/qrt
The other small stuff is what I call sundries covered by a standard industry "add on" in the industry of $25.
So now we go outside "B "service realms!
Transmission service, that' s a C service or an elective by the customer.
Normally a transmission service is a canned price. Referred to PK31 on the R/O.
The interesting thing is that I see some transmission related parts added but nothing on the actual transmission labor service itself.
So reverting to the labor rate of $1037 as an indication and take off the ACTUAL "B" service price of say $500 you get $537 which is 2,6 hours of labor for transmission service & 4 qrts of fluid . Yes about right if you add in a transmission service.

So questions & comments.
Question? Did you specifically ask for a transmission service?
Comment! Why did 'they simply list the transmission service on the R/O instead of sort of burying in the activity & parts service list?

As usual when observing some of these dealer R/O's I can easily see why customers get confused & it gives the business as a whole a bad wrap.
Dennis

 

[Ski Trip]

Well looking at this reminds me of of a comment by a senior B/L Truck & Bus factory board member when dealing with our chain of international dealers:
Dennis if we could do without ALL these effing dealers trying to rip us off, we would all be much better off !
But we are stuck with a phucked up system!

So.
My first thoughts are how did they come up with $1037 in labor?
A basic "B"service is 2,5 hours at current dealer rates in a big metro area nationwide (like Denver) the labor tariff would be be $200/hr
So labor will be around $500.
Staying on "B' service stuff the fuel filter is padded out a bit but the oil price is discounted by about by $2,00/qrt
The other small stuff is what I call sundries covered by a standard industry "add on" in the industry of $25.
So now we go outside "B "service realms!
Transmission service, that' s a C service or an elective by the customer.
Normally a transmission service is a canned price. Referred to PK31 on the R/O.
The interesting thing is that I see some transmission related parts added but nothing on the actual transmission labor service itself.
So reverting to the labor rate of $1037 as an indication and take off the ACTUAL "B" service price of say $500 you get $537 which is 2,6 hours of labor for transmission service & 4 qrts of fluid . Yes about right if you add in a transmission service.

So questions & comments.
Question? Did you specifically ask for a transmission service?
Comment! Why did 'they simply list the transmission service on the R/O instead of sort of burying in the activity & parts service list?

As usual when observing some of these dealer R/O's I can easily see why customers get confused & it gives the business as a whole a bad wrap.
Dennis

before I reply to this, I would like to clarify that ultimately you are questioning why a Transmission Service was done at 40K ("B") instead of at 60K ("C"), and nothing else, is that correct?

 

[Ski Trip]

Your location, or identifying the units on your work order, CAD, USD, etc. would make your post more pertinent.

this is from Keenan Mercedes in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, USA

 

[lindenengineering]

before I reply to this, I would like to clarify that ultimately you are questioning why a Transmission Service was done at 40K ("B") instead of at 60K ("C"), and nothing else, is that correct?

Basically Yes!
Is this Sprinter of yours a heavy motorhome.
Then 40K is recommended by many including us, but not mandatory because its a C service interval job !
Dennis

 

[Flagster]

My B services done at 40 and 80K by Mercedes of Tucson were both right around 1200-1300 which have included

fuel filter
oil filter and change
brake fluid flush
def ( I often tell them to forget about it because I always keep it topped off)
trans fluid change
and all the misc lubes/air and cabin filters/intake seal/check items

I always take care of the diffs and tcase on my own every 15-20K, they have never suggested the additional items you listed like fuel system cleanse etc

 

[Ski Trip]

Dennis, thank you.

First I want to say, this dealership has been very good to me. At no point ever whatsoever did they ever rip me off. I would drive this van to the Yukon Territory and back, with confidence, based on their maintenance and upfitting of the van, all at my request, all at reasonable prices, and with aftermarket parts and replacement tires supplied by me- not purchased from them- with standard dealership fees waived for doing so- and many other gestures- discounted oil change, a free can of touch-up paint, a loaner brand new mercedes car or Sprinter van for as long as necessary, a private office in the showroom to work from all day, free breakfast every time, and not to mention hourly rates that are significantly lower than anywhere else in the north east.

next, to be clear, had i said "just change the oil and do nothing else," they would have politely explained why that is not the best idea, but would have accommodated if that was my wish- absolutley.

If i showed you more bills from them, I think you would be more than satisfied with their good intentions. For a Mercedes dealer, and Sprinter servicing therein, they have been extremely reasonable to say the least. It is still a Mercedes dealer, and I don't expect anything for free...and most important to me is that what is done is done correctly the first time, and the advice on this or that, so to speak. I drive to almost Philadelpia, PA from Long Island NY, cross 3 bridges each way to go there because it has been such a pleasurable experience, actually. (Smithtown Mercedes on Long Island has been very good to me also, for NYS inspections and a couple warrantee issues- maybe a veer for another time, but I still drive to Keenan in PA for maintenance).

next, I have no record that says a Tranny flush is part of any B or C service, at least for my van, and when googling a B service online- that just leads to more questions. Thus, I appreciate your last post Dennis, for clarifying and inquiring about my rig.

I do not have a motorhome, but it is 4x4, and it came w the free 100,000 mile extended limited warrantee.

I knew I needed an oil change and he had told me last time "40,000 is a big one, and they really like to see that comprehensive service B for 40,000 completed by the dealer if any warrantee issues come up," so I was prepared for a hit. when I went in they said "oil/filter, fuel filter, tranny flush, brake system flush..." basically what you see on the bill. I have trusted them this far, and had no reason to question it.

I could have waited, and almost did. They wanted the van overnight which was an honest miscommunication and was not going to be possible. I told them change the oil and the tires, and ill be back in 10K for the rest, and that would have been fine. Then the master tech said he would stay until 6:30 and knock it out.

 

[Ski Trip]

My B services done at 40 and 80K by Mercedes of Tucson were both right around 1200-1300 which have included

fuel filter
oil filter and change
brake fluid flush
def ( I often tell them to forget about it because I always keep it topped off)
trans fluid change
and all the misc lubes/air and cabin filters/intake seal/check items

I always take care of the diffs and tcase on my own every 15-20K, they have never suggested the additional items you listed like fuel system cleanse etc

you are doing good there, although i'm not sure how long ago that was, and in a different region of the Country

 

[Flagster]

40K was done in 06/2018
80K was done in 09/2020

I am averaging about 16.5K miles a year

 

[Ski Trip]

I will add to my info that a stand alone oil change at Keenan was $173 plus tax in 2018 and at some point in 2019 or 2020 it popped up to $203.

At 20K all they did was an oil change ($173.17), and the fuel filter ($263.00); total bill parts
and labor plus tax was $462.34.

They change the oil every 10K.

And have done a ton of other work for me- Fox/Van Compass shocks upgrades, engine heater, battery trickle charger with aux. outlet, swap tires/alloy wheels etc. I been happy like I said. so many horror stories out there about Sprinters and dealerships, 4x4's particularly. I've never had any problems, thankfully!

 

[Rocinante440]

We paid an outrageous even higher price for our "B" service at a local MB dealer in Central FL. Will not likely go back there, and will probably just use Freightliner locations for "A", "B", and "C" services going forward. Their labor rates are significantly lower and their "B" service quote was far lower. We used MB because in FL the Freightlner locations aren't allowed to do warranty or recall service on MB-badged Sprinters. I have no idea why that would be true. but it's what the Freightliner location told me and this was our very first time servicing the new-to-us van.

 

[Moto Vita]

Well looking at this reminds me of of a comment by a senior B/L Truck & Bus factory board member when dealing with our chain of international dealers:
Dennis if we could do without ALL these effing dealers trying to rip us off, we would all be much better off !
But we are stuck with a phucked up system!

So.
My first thoughts are how did they come up with $1037 in labor?
A basic "B"service is 2,5 hours at current dealer rates in a big metro area nationwide (like Denver) the labor tariff would be be $200/hr
So labor will be around $500.
Staying on "B' service stuff the fuel filter is padded out a bit but the oil price is discounted by about by $2,00/qrt
The other small stuff is what I call sundries covered by a standard industry "add on" in the industry of $25.
So now we go outside "B "service realms!
Transmission service, that' s a C service or an elective by the customer.
Normally a transmission service is a canned price. Referred to PK31 on the R/O.
The interesting thing is that I see some transmission related parts added but nothing on the actual transmission labor service itself.
So reverting to the labor rate of $1037 as an indication and take off the ACTUAL "B" service price of say $500 you get $537 which is 2,6 hours of labor for transmission service & 4 qrts of fluid . Yes about right if you add in a transmission service.

So questions & comments.
Question? Did you specifically ask for a transmission service?
Comment! Why did 'they simply list the transmission service on the R/O instead of sort of burying in the activity & parts service list?

As usual when observing some of these dealer R/O's I can easily see why customers get confused & it gives the business as a whole a bad wrap.
Dennis

My 2016 3500 specifies transmission service at "first B service" (40,000 miles) regardless of use. Mine happens to be a motorhome and I tow with it so I didn't really mind, but mercedes didn't know that when they printed my manual.

 

[elemental]

My experience over the years has been that vehicle workshops each have their own definition of services, whether they are "A", B", "C" or 10k, 20k, 30k, or what have you. The manufacturer also has a definition of these services, which they sometimes document in their manuals. Rarely do the two match up perfectly, sometimes they are extremely divergent. When I have queried about this I have always gotten answers of "that's how we do it" "that's what we've always done" and the like. There will never be any shame expressed on the part of the workshop, or any hint that they are padding the work to increase their bottom line. Ultimately it boils down to what kind of customer you are/want to be:

• Maintenance-tracking, documentation-oriented customer
• Care free, keep it running for me customer

If you are the former, then you have to make your own list of what the manufacturer requires for the various service levels (from your manual), and when you go into the workshop for service compare this list to what the workshop says they will do, not just buy the "Service A" or "15k service" sight unseen as it were. The time to spot variations from the manufacturer's requirements and what the workshop is proposing to do is before the service. That's the time to argue price as well. When the work is done and you need to pay the bill to get your vehicle back into your hands is too late. You will probably have to pay the $$ to get your vehicle back, and if you are unhappy you will have no one to console you. This can ruin an otherwise good relationship with a workshop.

If you are the latter, then you don't have much to do but pay the bill without flinching and be happy. Chances are you will pay more than the first type of customer, but your vehicle will be well maintained with various maintenance items accomplished well within the expected lifetimes of parts and other materials (like fluids). That is, unless you have chosen your workshop poorly and they are either not doing everything that needs to be done OR they are gratuitously throwing in lots of ridiculous extras.

 

[odingrey]

Dude, Westminster did the same to me. Went in for an unrelated thing, they sent me the same thing you got, listing every service they have. All of which I had done recently at a Mercedes dealership, minus a coolant flush, which I had done at a third party. Even asked for oil, which I had done less than 1k miles earlier.