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Mercedes-Benz Of San Francisco
Rating Details »
Categories: Car Dealers, Auto Repair [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA500 8th Street
(at James Lick Fwy)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(888) 864-7719
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sponsored Result
Special Offer Nearby
Fleming's Auto Service
- Category:
- Towing
- Neighborhood:
- SOMA
Failed smog due to your check engine light on? Free scan of your vehicles ECU when mentioned you saw us on YELP. Diagnostic's maybe extra.
41 reviews for Mercedes-Benz Of San Francisco
A few months ago, I went in search for a new car. A Sales Associate named Kay Sinphanich helped me located the vehicle I wanted at a fair price. I found the car I wanted & could not be happier!
The customer service here was great; Kay places her emphasis on satisfying her customers, rather than profit margins (those will as a product). She was a great help & made the usually stressful process of buying a new car quite comfortable, actually enjoyable. Based on some terms of my negotiation specifics, I had the opportunity to work with her for about a month out. Each time I met/spoke with her, I was greeted with the same warmth & attentiveness I received before signing all the papers.
Honestly, I was impressed with her & will definitely refer others to Kay when I have the opportunity. So, if you are looking for a new Benz, come here & ask for Kay Sinphanich.
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This is the first experience with MB-SF that I have had. I will not be going back. Service should be first and foremost when it comes to a business. Underneath the nice facade that the company displays as you drive up to drop off your car they show in multiple ways that they do not care about their clientele.
1. I had to have my vehicle towed to their facility because it was the closest MB dealership to where my car broke down. Once I got there it was a madhouse with no one really knowing what they were doing. I was told to go to the service area to get some assistance and waited several minutes while all the open service advisors seemed to jib-jab, while I stood there. Strike One!
2. The car was with the dealer from 8ish to close. I did not receive a call from the advisor about the condition of my vehicle or whether I would have it back as promised on the invoice. I finally got a call at 4pm! as I was starting to dial him again. He told me that the problem was a fuel pump. They should not have taken that long to figure it out. They also told me that the person just started putting installing the new fuel pump at 4pm!. Get this, the technicians leave at 4:30. I am not a mechanic but I am certainly not sure that a half hour is enough time to button my car up and get it on the road. Strike Two!
3. When asked for a loaner or something to get me through the day, I was told by the advisor that they do not give out loaners. Considering that this company prides itself on service, quality, and a superior product I was floored. Toyota gave me a damned loaner when I had to have it serviced over night....and Mercedes does not? I think that is BS. Strike Three!
Three Strikes and You are OUT!
Once I get my car back from this outfit of idiots I cannot wait to get my survey to them about the shitty service and lack of attention.
Please be worn! Do not buy your car here. They will promise you the world and after you sign the contract, they treat you like a second citizen!!!. The customer service is horrible!! I found few months after I spend 70K on what I thought was a brand new car that in fact it was a used car. they said one of their best customer brought it back after only few days of using it blabla...and I have nothing but problem with the car. They refuse to take care if the problems and give the runner around..... its always someone elses fault. I finally called the corporate today but they are independently owned so you may not have the backing of the Benz.
Make sure you ask for Alan Cheung. We bought a used car and he spent a great amount of time making sure the car was just right for my wife and I. He was very honest and told us what he was looking at and why it was important.
I left feeling extremely satisfied that I made the right choice in not only the car but the dealership as well.
Update - let's talk service. Jennifer is the solution; absolute 5 star service rep.
a) Called to ask about a technical service bulletin I learned about on the MB enthusiast forums and was informed it was already done as part of the CPO; great.
b) But she proactively searched other TSBs and found a pilot bushing replacement hadn't been done yet, scheduled me for the next business day. Above and beyond the call.
Some people here complain about the service, but some people whine no matter where they go. The same thing can be said about health care delivery (I'm a physician). But if you inform yourself ahead of time and know what to look for/ask for, you'll get better care for yourself or your car. Usually not impressed by dealership service depts, but this place is great.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/10/2009
Recently bought a low mileage, certified pre-owned C230K SS from SF Benz and I am ecstatic with the… Read more »
No thanks. If you like to sit and wait while they do the "let me check with my manager", this is the place for you. They play all the horror car dealership games.
I parked my car outside on the street. The salesperson said it would be safer to park the car inside so she asked for my keys so she could move it into the dealership lot. I gave them to her. Big mistake. I sat there waiting for them to run the numbers for over an hour. I asked for my keys back (which again took over 1/2 hour), and they returned my keys and registration. I asked them how they got my registration and she said it was in the car. Oh really?
I know taking your car to the dealer is expensive, but get this:
A few weeks ago I took my car in for routine service and a "free Spring check up." To my surprise, I was quoted nearly $3,500 for new repairs, including repair of both front and rear breaks and roters for $1295, and wheel alignment for $275. I just had this dealership do the front breaks and rotors in late 2006 for $1000, and I was surprised I would need to do it again so soon. I declined all the service suggestions.
I took my car to a brake shop well rated in Yelp and the mechanic found my front breaks only had 75% wear and didn't need to be replaced. He did the rear breaks, rotors, and alignment for $370. That's $1,200 less than what I was quoted! 75% less . . .
So, what can I say? You an make your own opinion on my experience. I expect work to cost more at the dealership, but I also expect the dealership to be spot on in its diagnostics and not recommend unnecessary work at outrageous prices. There's a word for that . . .
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Worst car buying experience ever. I just purchased a 2007 E63 a couple of days ago and think it is the biggest piece of crap lemon I have ever owned. Now the car being a lemon is bad enough but the fact that this dealership sells cars that they don't inspect claiming they are Certified Pre-Owned is an total BS. The car I purchased had several problems that easily show up on the CPO checklist that apparently SFBenz figured weren't worth fixing. So, now that I am stuck with the car you would think the car would be fixed, WRONG! Apparently SFBenz doesn't know how to do an alignment on a car. Not two days after purchasing the car, it was in the shop all day. I just picked up the car and the alignment is off again. So now I need to take the car back into the shop again to get a second alignment in as many days.
Granted the people who work here are nice, but nice doesn't make the fact that they sell garbage any easier to swallow.
Problems with car:
1. Pano Roof Broken
2. Back seat not latched correctly
3. One of two keys not working
4. Partronic sensors broke not working
5. Car alignment off and pulling to right.
All of these problems should have been noted and corrected before putting out to sell. You couldn't pay me to trust this establishment enough to purchase even a floor mat. But now I could honestly say I would never purchase a Mercedes Benz again. No wonder they are at the bottom of the customer satisfaction list. It is because of shady places like Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco - San Francisco, CA 94103
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My rep. was Jennifer. She was great. Always had my car in on time, and did the job as quick as possible. She was very friendly. and just great at what she does. They always wash my car so when I pick it up, it is squeaky clean!
If you want a good price on a new car, don't go here. If you are OK with paying MSRP, then this place is fine. The front desk and test drive people were pleasant, but when it's time to talk about price, the person you test drove with passes you onto some other people who are not as polite. We dealt with an asian woman (subordinate) and a black man (manager) and they would waste our time by leaving to go "discuss" in the office whether they would give you that price (i.e., the answer is no). I know that all salesmen do this and I think it is a stupid strategy, but these people took an unusually long time. I was too inexperienced at the time to realize that one should not have to spend the entire afternoon "negotiating."
Lesson learned: all you have to do is email all the dealerships in your area and tell them the car/options you want. An "internet sales person" will just flat out tell you the price in the email. If they don't tell you by email, move on to the next dealership. I was so irritated by the two salesmen at the SF dealership that I didn't even bother contacting their internet rep by email. Dealing with any car salesman is pretty annoying, but I cannot emphasize how awful these two SF salespeople were.
I have brought both of my MB's into the service department for years, dealing with both warranty on CPO and no warranty service. I always go to Jennifer, and she is fantastic. I completely trust her with my service and what needs to be done, and she also very candid about what can wait until next service. She is extremely knowledgable, very friendly, and service is prompt and very clean. Great experience !
came here to help my grandmother buy a car --- Liz Boeder is the best ! she is the perfect example of what you call excellent customer service and will answer all your questions even when repeated 10 times (like my grandmother). She makes sure you get what you want, and will make you feel like you're worth a million bucks.
Let her take you out on a test drive so she can show you what a Benz is really about with her madd driving skills!!!
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I helped my aunt buy her second MBZ from them. I always shop for car online so I get to interact only with the internet department. In person, internet dept service is great.
Staff is curtious, helpful and and fast.I will definitely go there for next MBZ.
Ask for Dino.
This dude spent endless hours helping me find the exact pre-owned car I wanted. A real pleasure to work with.
Thanks Dino.
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I called here to get pricing for my service B maintenance on my car. I told them that the belmont autobahn location quoted me a lower price and requested that they match the price. They refused to match the price!
The next day I called to see if someone could help me figure out how to work something on my car. After getting transferred a zillion times, the service department couldn't even answer the question. Their answer:
Call the 1-800 number and have someone come out to show me how to do it! OMG!!
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Vast and simply spacious sales office, definitely beats its prior space at Van Ness. I spent a few hours with my boxing comrade and a family friend in search for her perfect new ride to bring her to and fro: SF - Contra Costa County hood. Ms. Legal Counsel did not have any specific model in mind, just in search for that perfect one that she could call her own; one that would reliably take her to her daily commute to work.
I enjoyed the sales service style we experienced with her regular Mercedes Benz sales guy. After checking out various permutations of BMWs and Benz's we found the perfect one! Car shopping is like dating somehow. A few cars looked good in the dark, but when you expose them in direct sunlight, you simply squint and say, WTF? It reminded me of a few one-night-stander's; wherein you wake up the morning after confused as to why (is this mass of matter beside me)? Alcohol and dim lighting can really skew one's sense of judgement.
After a few hours she found her perfect one. The sales guy was great by her standards; though, perhaps because I have been a Sales Engineer for many years, I could have done a more aggressive hard-court press on him. Being in Sales, one can immediately see through the negotiation process, as Superman can see through via X-ray vision.
The finance guy was a treat, a funny and humble Pinoy. Though I'd slam him every so often when he attempts to further upsell their ultimate value-prop.
Overall, I should say four stars, even if I could see that we could have squeezed a bit more of a deal. Bottom line is: our baby girl is happy and safe with her very beautiful new C-class Kompressor. Welcome back my girl, to the Mercedes Benz club.
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I had a fabulous experience at Mercedes Benz of San Francisco. The staff and customer service department are great. The selection is unparalleled and it is particularly useful if you are trying to decide what to buy, as you can sample these cars for more time than just a test drive. Definitely fantastic selection!
Every time I help out a friend looking for a car - it always comes down to roughly four choices; Hybrid, Mercedes, BMW, or Audi. OK, OK, maybe an occasional Porsche and I have been known to help with interior selections on a new Bentley from time to time.
Yes soooo back to Mercedes...the man you want to deal with WITHOUT A DOUBT is Dave Dizadji. He has over 15 years in the business and will give you the deal of a lifetime if you are a Mercedes lover.
And if you aren't he won't make you one...you'll more than likely become one by the outstanding help of his knowledge and expertise and involving the great selection they have at this location, mind you. I'm even more happy he is finally here in SF!
Anyhoo -I'm very satisfied with all the help I've received from him and it always feels great to help out a friend - especially when you can refer the best person!
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I am only giving one star because you have to... The service since I leased my C230 in oct of 06 has been awful! The car itself has been mediocre at best, at 10,000 miles it needed new brakes, which I had to pay for. And I was told that I was "lucky" that I didnt need them at 6,000 miles. There has been a strange squeaking inside the dash since I got it, that has yet to be resolved.
On to the terrible service...Everytime I go in I am treated like a "woman" who knows nothing about cars. I am brushed off with all my concers and talked to with a condescending tone.
To top off all of this, I locked my keys in my car over the weekend. When I bought my car, my sales person told me to call M.B "road side" ANYTIME i needed anything, and they would help. So I called, They were going to charge me $200 to unlock the doors to get the keys...because it wasnt in my warrenty. ummmm, I'm leasing my car, can someone please tell me WHAT is under warrenty??
I will NOT be getting another at the end of my lease. And I encourage you and all your friends to stay away!!
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When looking to service your Mercedes, between the 2 options here on the Peninsula, I'd give Mercedes Benz of San Francisco the upper hand. Here at the new facility, the advisers are courteous and offer options to maximize your current warranty. Other places, (Autobahn) tend to place the blame on the customer and rather not do warranty work. Example would be the 4 trips to Authobahn Motors to fix a supercharger issue, whereas other owners on MB forums had their issue fixed the 1st visit at MB of SF. To all Benz owners out there, I strongly recommend paying Mercedes Benz of SF a visit for your next service. Ask for the service advisor, Jennifer.
By the way, free shuttle service within SF and $10 voucher for the taxi ride back to the dealership.
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So after Staples and Cafe Roma Bambi Bottoms and Bunny Bottoms were walking back to Bossa Nova and stopped by the Mercedes store to check out the NEW C350 (MSRP about 40k fully stocked and worth every penny).
OK, so this car is amazing. I first saw it at the Castro Street Fare being offered as a prize by the Academy of Friends for their annual fund raiser and ever since I have been obsessed ( you see if I buy this car this will make me the 4th generation MBZ owner in my family). Now the problem is parking sucks big time where I live and the nearest Lot charges $350.00 a month add insurance at about 2k per year plus a $450.00 car payment and Bambi will be broke and will have to live in the new MBZ and that wouldn't be fun. Imagine Bambi scoring a cute one and doing the dirty in the car. That would get tired after the first few times. And then my wardrobe which is currently set up as a second double bed since I have ran out of closet space will definitely swallow the car and there goes the new MBZ up and down the city looking like a rag doll.
So I have decided that I will walk in the mean time until I move. Which by the way my living situation is concerning me since my landlord died last week and his 32 kids (and I am not kidding all 32 of them) are hovering over the building like vultures to sell it and run which means I may have to move.
Now back to the MBZ show room...overall the staff was wonderful and their new showroom is slick and modern compared to the old location on Van Ness which looked totally dated.
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My experience with Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco's Sales Team has been positive; hence, I rated them with 5 stars. Hell, people always treat you well when they want your money. The true test is the level of service they provide after they get your money.
My experiences with Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco's SERVICE DEPARTMENT on Folsom Street has been POOR.
I was so happy when the warranty on my new Mercedes-Benzes (MBs) expired...I was now free to bring my MBs to qualified, skilled, trained, and ethical technicians -- not mechanics but technicians.
I now bring both of my MBs (C280 & 500SL) to Randy and Lawton at Octane of San Francisco: http://www.octanesf.com
They are both highly skilled, MB factorty trained and certified, and ethical MB Technicians.
I am an exotic car enthusiast and owner -- I've owned a few Ferraris in my past; I own one Ferrari now, and I am in the market to add a Lamborghini to my paddock; hence, I'm use to a level of service which includes, but is not limited to, customer focus, attention to detail, and mechanical reliability after repairs (not having to bring my car in for the same problem multiple times).
Now, perhaps I am not realistic in expecting that civilian dealerships (dealerships not working on exotic cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis), like Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco's Service Department, should provide the level of service that my exotic car service vendor provides; however, I would think, at the very least, civilian dealerships, like Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco's Service Department, would demonstrate some level of customer focus and attention to detail when it comes to their work on my MBs.
For example, I would expect Mercedes Benz of San Francisco's Service Department to replace the oil cap after changing my oil, charging me a price that reasonably close to my estimate (maybe, it was a bad idea that they saw me in my Ferrari when I had my sister drop off my car), not guessing the cause of the problem but knowing the cause of the problem, fixing the problem the first time rather than three visits later for the same problem; and, not forgetting to remove their tool from my engine compartment.
It would also be nice if they greeted me in a friendly manner rather than cattle stock. Hell, casting directors, during my LA auditions, greeted me better, and they have over 200 actors and actresses to audition a day!
Bottom line is that Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco's Service Department does not have the level of service of which I am accustomed, nor do they have the level of service accustomed to MB car owners.
In comes in Randy and Lawton from Octane of San Francisco.
I now bring both of my MBs (C280 & 500SL) to them: http://www.octanesf.com
They are both highly skilled, MB factorty trained and certified, and ethical MB Technicians.
They listen to my MB problem; they understand it; they fix it the first time; the final charge is close to the estimate -- sometimes below the estimate; and, they look for any other problems that I did not mention and bring the problems to my attention.
I do not recommend doing business with Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco's Service Department.
Check 6.
/s/ Alfonso Faustino
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My partner and I purchased our ML350 from Liz Boeder last year. We found Liz to be a pleasure to work with and have been really happy with the car and with the service we've gotten at the dealership. I highly recommend Jennifer as your service technician. She's friendly, efficient, and follows through. This was the only real service our car has needed in one year... so our total cost for service maintenance for one year: $550.00. Not bad at all...
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UPDATE 2/16/08 ---- I LOVE this place. they have something for everyone. I needed something more practical this time, and they hit bullseye. I thought i would try BMW instead this next time around, but Mercedes (this location at least) is just way cooler, less stuffy, and you get much more. They really are great. Sexy cars. Adorable sales crew. They will work with you and they don't play games. They are real quality, luxury, sporty and fun at the same time. What more can you ask for????
...original...
I loved my mercedes, it was pre-owned but looked barely used, it was dreamy, in a mega wild dreamy way, but a month later it was totaled, full on totaled, and although i liked just about everyone i dealt with, and although i love their cars, and they really do give great service to you after you buy, i think it's time to move on to the next. not sure what it will be yet, and will always have a soft spot and will almost shed a tear when i drive by that beautiful showroom (and yes, it is nice just to walk through and the sales people i met have all been pretty cool here), but there are so many other great cars to try. So in conclusion, i think everyone should try a mercedes once, and this is a great place to get one, but i think my time has ended with them for the near future. But good memories may bring me be back some day.
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I did not purchase my last two Benzes at this location, but I have had both of them serviced here.
It's unfortunate that my favorite service advisor Fabrizio left the company. When I dropped off my car for some regular maintenance, Fabrizio would offer to get me a cab and cover the fare. Now, I deal with Russell Fong. He's pretty awesome...very friendly and gives me follow-ups as promised. He is also the same advisor my boss deals with.
The sales staff was fine, nothing superior but nice enough. Although once you have bought from them, you become a nobody again. Its the service department that really needs help though. They do not know the meaning of real "customer service". Everyone walks by and ignores you, until you stop someone to ask for help. When they do help, its just real basic service, and then all 4 of the times I've picked up my car, the guy says he knows I was in a hurry, so they didn't take the time to wash the car (which I did not even expect or ask for). Every time! I wonder if they just say that to everyone.
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Quick note of "above and beyond" service here. I couldn't think of anyone else to call when I discovered a flat tire on my car @ 4:45pm on Sunday. Obviously the service department was closed so I pressed "2" to speak to sales. The woman who answered was nice enough to look for the closest tire service center to my location that was open on late Sunday afternoon. She even pulled up directions and gave me the phone number. This was not her responsibility at all but she was a big help.
UPDATE (1/2/08): Had a minor service issue...they took care of the problem with lightning speed and Bavarian efficiency. Very nice staff, all my questions were answered, repairs were under warranty (free) so it was essentially the best possible experience for car service.
I've now gone to this service center twice... and I completely agree with Iani P. it's almost as though they're doing you a favor by being there. Just not friendly. My tech, David, did deliver my car back to me when they were finished with it, although, he didn't sound too ecstatic about having to do it. I'll give him a few points for that.
I had an Audi before this and they were worse which is why Benz is getting 3 stars. Before that I had a Lexus and damn straight, if they just made more attractive vehicles, that's all I'd ever buy. Best service, period.
Disclaimer: I haven't purchased or serviced a car here. That said, I've spent much of my professional life training sales and service persons for the car companies, so when I recognize extra effort I try to give credit.
I made an appointment with this dealer for a Saturday afternoon - didn't realize it had changed locations (didn't read the confirmation email) and gave up on making it when I saw the 'We've moved!' sign at the old Van Ness location.
Sunday afternoon I try again, this time calling at ten minutes til close because I happened to be in SOMA. The woman on the phone was nice enough to stay on the phone with me as I found the place and stayed after closing to show me the car. (It's a really pleasant space to be in by the way - then again I might be biased as the same firm did the interior of my building).
When I returned the following day to drive the car, one of the managers went on the drive with me, recognized I know what I was doing behind the wheel and allowed me ample opportunity to drive the car on and off the highway. When we returned to the dealership, no pressure, no hassle, just anything else I can do for you? Would you like me to call when we get the option you're interested in in stock?
I got two follow up calls and a follow up email, but again, no pressure and the woman was so pleasant and candid to speak with I'm glad she did.
I can't say you'll get good service after the sale, but they do know how to make a good first impression.
After the quality issues Benz has had and with all the increased competition it's good to know the employees (and with the new C class the engineers) are at least *trying*.
I am so dissappointed I have to give these guys 1 star. I tried 3 times to give them a chance to earn my business and they screwed up each time. I am not a hustling type of guy, nor am I looking for a bargain. But I did have a couple of "interesting" situations where I needed help in buying a MB. So, after all is said and done, the Pleasanton dealer got my business unfortunately.
FYI - nice showroom and selection here....
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Don't go to ANYONE but Jennifer. Call and make an appointment with her and she will take care of EVERYTHING for you. I have gone before and literally left as the others that work there are not competent at all.
My car is always clean and done and Jennifer makes suggestions and doesn't waste your time or $. I had a really important client that needed his car serviced and she took care of all of it for me and my client was super happy.
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If you want to buy a vehicle, contact Alan Cheung, Internet Sales Manager at SF Benz. He seems to one of the few honest salespeople around. I just called around looking for a car. He spent time finding what I wanted, then more time showing me a vehicle.
I didn't buy the vehicle I looked at, because of a problem found during my mechanics inspection, but I'd still recommend Alan if you want to buy a vehicle.
wondered into here one day on a lark. thought i show my wife a benz. the young asian salemen wouldn't let us leave without selling us a car. there seem to be a 350ml they wanted to sell for under $30,000.
i called my son to do a edmunds check and found they had a rebate on it. somehow we got the models mixed up but the salesmen didn't catch it as he googled edmunds also.
the short, we brough a benz with an extended warranty we didn't really need. those closers are good. they sell everything to make monies for the dealership with minimum benefits for you, the consumer.
caveat emptor
Bought a CPO few months ago, the sales person, Lukeman, is very professional, friendly, gave us good interest rate. It was a pleasant experience buying the car. However, I'm disappointed with the service department. I left them a message about a problem on Sunday, and nobody call me back. I call them again on Monday afternoon, and asked why nobody replied, the preson said it's because it's Monday. I don't know how many days it would take to listen to the voice mails and reply to the customers, but I definitely had better, faster, and more responsive service from other auto dealers before than this one. Good sales service, poor service department.
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I had a horrible experience here. I dropped off a friends e320 and the service guy would barely make eye contact. They took forever to process the paperwork, and the entire customer service experince was miserable.
On another occasion I brought my car in for service - they said it would take a few hours - no call, and when I finally got a hold of someone they told me my service advisor had left for the day.
I left a message for the general manager - never heard back from him. I will never take my car back here and will tell everyone I know to stay away.
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We just purchased the new 2008 C350 and LOVE it. Bill is a nice salesperson. We also purchased a 2006 SLK350, and were pleased with that as well.
When I purchased my ML55 here, the price was awesome considering at the time there were huge mark-ups on all AMG models. Since then, they have taken care of everything and beyond when it came to servicing the car (well, the Clay St serivce anyways). The only problem I had with this place was the receptionist at the retail location which isn't a big deal.
Just stopped by to see the new 2008 C CLASS wow what a car. Check it out if your into the latest MB's. Great building and since I work in San Bruno its easy to visit when I am heading up to the city. Nice people and a brand new showroom is really s spectacular place to shop. It was nice having free WIFI while I waited for the C Class, for it was being test driven while I arrived. Anyway nice place friendly people, no car dealership is perfect but MBSF come close... Bill one of the sales folks was really nice. Anyway I would recommend...
This is about the service dept. at MB of SF (bought on the Peninsula).
Cannot stress strongly enough how overpriced, incompetent and generally useless this place is! (And to anyone with the attitude that "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" - it doesn't matter how much $$ you have, you should expect value for those $$, and these guys just don't provide it. We can and would pay a premium for excellent service - here you pay a premium for incompetent service!)
Took our E there for the last six years, pretty much exclusively as it was for the most part under warranty, although there was plenty that we paid for too. Almost never did they actually fix everything that needed to be done the first time around - there was always something that got forgotten/not done requiring yet another visit.
As one example, the car was going in for service and at the same time we noticed the rear tire was low. So my husband had them take a look at the tire as well (I usually go to an independent tire shop, but hubby is a bit lazy :)). They patched it rather than replaced it, but that night the tire was absolutely flat. So I took it in to my tire shop and had them look. My guy said they had put a plug in the sidewall, which is a total safety no-no. Under no circustances would any competent tire person plug a hole in a sidewall. I left a message for the MB manager - never heard back.
And that's just the quality of the actual service. Then there's the massive hassle factor of their "service advisors" (can you say worthless layer of expense, aka full-employment project for dudes who think that by wearing a tie they will hide their lack of customer service skills). In theory I could see the value of these jobs, but the reality is that they rarely returned phone calls, you have to call them (and they NEVER answer the phone - you just leave voicemails). And since we had ongoing problems with all service items actually being addressed and fixed in the first visit, one can only assume that the service advisors weren't paying attention/didn't give a crap.
(Example: car had fairly quiet but noticable thunking sound coming from the front. Take it in for service including figuring out the noise. Nothing done about the noise, no comment about it one way or the other. Take it back to check the noise again - this time they say they can't hear the noise. I pull out of the building and hear the noise immediately. I turned right back around and into the shop again. I insisted that I get a mechanic to actually ride in the car with me. Within one block the mechanic heard it loud and clear and knew exactly what the problem was (and no, he didn't actually need me to point it out to him).
Now, car has 110K miles and is out of warranty, so we found a great independent mechanic (feel stupid for sticking w/ MB of SF as long as we did). Just today he was looking at the car and asked about the service history, because there are a few things (um, about $3K worth of things) that should really have been dealt with earlier and/or are signs of haphazard maintenance. I think he thought we didn't bother to service the car, or did it on the cheap. I told him that we had always used the dealer for service. I guess we thought that while the dealer might be more expensive, at least you got the best work. WRONG!
The reality is that on balance the car has been stellar - some electrical issues (made more annoying by the inability of dealer service to resolve quickly), but mechanically the car is a tank and still great to drive. In all likelihood we would have been life-long, automatic Mercedes buyers, except for the miserable service here. Even though the next car might be a MB, we will definitely look at BMW, Audi, etc., primarily to avoid having to deal with the service dept. again.
I had terrible service here on all fronts! I had an appt. at 11 for a routine maintenance and the person I scheduled an appt. with "was out". Why make an appt. then? So I got shuffled off to another guy (who was actually the only nice guy in there, I think his name was Steve and it's the only reason why I'm giving 2 stars, because he alone was nice) and he was nice enough to set me up with a rental for the day. I go to the Enterprise counter on the premises with my paperwork in hand and no one was there. I waited about 15 minutes when some kid (what I refer to as kid means about 25) strolls in, no apology, no "sorry to make you wait" but a curt, "what do you need, a car"? No stupid, I need a manicure! Of course I need a car. I was assigned to a C230 and after being treated like a criminal (I had to have several forms of ID, supply 2 phone numbers, an emergency contact and on and on) he walked me out to it and we had to inspect every square centimeter of it to make sure there was no damage. You'd think they were giving me a friggin Maybach. Then he makes this big stink about the gas tank and I need to return it at EXACTLY the same level (like that's possible). Then he says, "are you taking the car out of the state of California?" I nearly lost it. It's a damn loaner car for the afternoon you idiot! What do you think I'm gonna do, steal the car and take off for Vegas? Anyway, after that unpleasant debacle the service guy at Mercedes fails to call me back all afternoon. He told me the car would be ready by 1. By 3 he still hadn't called, so I called and was told "about 45 more minutes". At 5 still no call, so I called again and he says "I was just going to call you, it's ready". They were unfriendly again when I got there and I was treated like I was being a pain in the ass customer. I don't know, I just didn't feel very welcome at all. I suppose I'm used to a higher level of customer service which I don't think is asking too much at a Mercedes dealership.
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