[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Hello all!
Would really appreciate if someone could tell me that is it an issue if I mix power with normal petrol? Will it cause any damage to the engine?
Please note that I have NEVER filled it up with normal fuel, and have ALWAYS only used Power.
Thanks
Sanidhya

Normal Petrol is just fine. I am not sure why have you been using Power all these days. Waste of money.

And Yes - mixing Power with normal Petrol is just fine.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Maybe someone like Nikhil can shed more info, but I have got none of my cars aligned from outside. Regarding balancing, I have found Hunter machines with the road force balancing, the best. Am not aware if anyone in Ludhiana or Chandigarh does have one.

I get my Endeavour and c220d alignment done at Madhus quite regularly. Contrary to your point, with not disagreement as such, I have always avoided dealerships for alignment. As, in my experience, they have always been a little lax on perfection which some of like. But again, it depends on individual dealerships. My Merc dealer seems to be fine and once I got the alignment done there during first service.

For me, thankfully, all dealers of repute in Bangalore use Hunter machines so that part is not something I need to worry.

And yes, most of the latest data is available with Madhus. And the boys their are very knowledgeable and have an OCD to perfection :-) So my reason to go outside could be different than guys in cities where third parties do not have good staff and equipment.

Sorry Mods: Realized the second post after I posted. If needed, kindly merge. Apologies for back to back posts.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

Normal Petrol is just fine. I am not sure why have you been using Power all these days. Waste of money.

And Yes - mixing Power with normal Petrol is just fine.

Hello, thanks for the reply. I had been using power because the owner's manual says that one must use 91 octane in this car, and I was under the impression that the regular petrol available at indian petrol pumps is 87 octane.

I believe using normal petrol in high compression engines causes knocking. Although I don't think the M271 has a very high compression ratio ( pretty sure it's below 10), but since this was our first time owning a modern merc, we just blindly followed manufacturer recommended guidelines. What particularly scared me was a past horror story from long ago. There used to be a W115 diesel in the family that had its engine severely damaged due to adulterated diesel.

Regards
Sanidhya

[sam_boy]

Hello Members.

I am looking for a competent service center in Bangalore to cater to my 2011 ML 350. Any leads would be much appreciated.

Thank You.

[nandadevieast]

Well, for once an year that i send my T-jet for service, i have always paid more than that amount, especially after my 3 years got over. Something or the other crops up and there is a long list that totals up to a huge amount. You are talking about a Merc. Yes for a 2nd service, that’s on a higher side. Thats why i want a Toyota now.

I have always wondered if cheap service is a myth? Are people reporting leaser numbers? Unfortunately i am too busy and amply clueless about workings of a vehicle from a technical point of view, so i always wonder if lack of involvement makes them fleece me.

[niruvrs9669]

Maintaining our 2009 ML 320 CDI purchased from B'lore's Sundaram Motors

It's been 12 years of owning this beast, primarily used by my father for his self driving adventures and rest of the time with a driver. It looks like we were sold a "lemon" or may be a reset TD vehicle by a group of professional looking sales folks from Merc and a bank executive accompanying the batch. We were probably too naive to take the tempting discount offered on the table not knowing that it was a bait to sell a vehicle with some issues !

Quite a number of issues during 1,20,000 kms clocked between 2009 and 2016, some notable ones below;
1) Bulging of tires, changed a few and settled with the Pirelli's
2) Entire audio system had to be replaced under warranty
3) Repeated issues with Airmatic suspension struts
4) Engine struts
5) Electrical issues with locks and lights.

The whole of 2017 and 2018 the vehicle was hardly driven as our company owned workhorses X5 (2016) and Q5 (2012) were being used more often than the ML.

The last ML service in Feb 2019 had following long list of issues reported with almost negligible Kms on board since the previous service, with a service estimate given at whopping Rs.9,00,000 ! , while the resale value of the vehicle probably is not more than Rs.18,00,000 in 2019 ! We had to settle with only most needed service fixes and leave the rest of the items for later.

1. Front LH High beam bulb not working – need to replace.
2. LHS mirror assembly damaged – need to replace
3. Glow plug of 5th cylinder open circuit – needs to replace.
4. Rear LH take off device missing – needs to fix.
5. Starter battery non recommended – needs to replace.
6. Front wiper blades not cleaning properly – needs to replace.
7. Rear wiper blades damaged – needs to replace.
8. Wiper washer hose found leakage- needs to replace.
9. Front both headlamp spray actuator nozzle damaged – needs to replace
10. Front RHS AC vent damaged – needs to replace.
11. Centre console lamp damaged – needs to replace.
12. OCP switch damaged – needs to replace
13. Dicky door switch damaged – needs to replace.
14. Spare wheel tire validity expired – needs to replace
15. Rear LH power window switch not working properly needs to replace.
16. Non recommended coolant – needs to replace.
17. V-Belt tensioner assembly weak and play needs to replace.
18. Power steering rack found leakage – needs to replace.
19. Engine mounting found weak – needs to replace.
20. Rear both wheel arch damaged – needs to replace.
21. Front RHS alloy wheel bend – needs to replace.

I'm in the same boat like some of you who are looking out or found an external trustworthy workshop with decent work ethics, to keep the costs low for the spares and labor. We tried one at Hyderabad in 2018 for an external service and to get the engine struts replaced, while it was satisfactory it's still not a feasible option to drive up to Hyderabad every time we have a niggle.

Looking for sound advice on the below;

I'm contemplating on removing the airmatic suspension setup and replace with the regular suspension coils to avoid future break downs, uneasy hissing noises and have peace of mind on future maintainability of the vehicle. Is this a good idea? If yes, may I request for an experienced workshop contact in Bangalore ?
*****

Also, I don't see any point in selling the old vehicles especially after seeing the cost of new vehicles and that tiny value & pride that they add over the previous versions, which are more cosmetic in nature. We don't even get the same driving pleasure IMO.
Example:
Skoda vrs in 2005 costed about 15 lacs, but a similar vrs without a stick costs 45 lacs in 2020 ! I decided to keep the old vrs which probably has resale value less than 3 lacs today but the driving pleasure hasn't changed much over the years.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by niruvrs9669

Maintaining our 2009 ML 320 CDI purchased from B'lore's Sundaram Motors

Is this a good idea? If yes, may I request for an experienced workshop contact in Bangalore ?
*****

Originally Posted by sam_boy

Hello Members.

I am looking for a competent service center in Bangalore to cater to my 2011 ML 350. Any leads would be much appreciated.

Thank You.

I would recommend CarSmiths - you can find his details here

[VPJ74]

We are looking to buy a 2019 GLC 200d. Car is under warranty, so warranty valid for another 2 years. We will be using the car daily and will run about 15000km mostly city driving annually. We will also plan to use the car for 3-4 years before selling it off.

I am keen to get some advice on service, maintenance and extended warranty. What are the approximate service costs for first 2-5 years? Would high running need tires/brakes change every 20-25K?

How expensive will it get to maintain the GLC diesel over 3-4 years?

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by VPJ74

We are looking to buy a 2019 GLC 200d. Car is under warranty, so warranty valid for another 2 years. We will be using the car daily and will run about 15000km mostly city driving annually. We will also plan to use the car for 3-4 years before selling it off.

I am keen to get some advice on service, maintenance and extended warranty. What are the approximate service costs for first 2-5 years? Would high running need tires/brakes change every 20-25K?

How expensive will it get to maintain the GLC diesel over 3-4 years?

Average service would be around Rs. 30,000 or thereabouts + costs of AC filter / brake pads / other consumables & wear and tear items.

4th year service will be considerably more expensive (75,000 - 1,00,000) as it includes changing the gearbox oil.

Since it is a later model, reliability should be decent and you can take a call on EW before the manufacturer warranty expires.
However, the EW is quite pricey and you can ask a dealer the cost of the same before you make up your mind on the purchase.

Brake pads / tyres typically will last 20-25,000kms. Please factor the same as well.

[tapasvi.l]

Originally Posted by VPJ74

We are looking to buy a 2019 GLC 200d. Car is under warranty, so warranty valid for another 2 years. We will be using the car daily and will run about 15000km mostly city driving annually. We will also plan to use the car for 3-4 years before selling it off.

I am keen to get some advice on service, maintenance and extended warranty. What are the approximate service costs for first 2-5 years? Would high running need tires/brakes change every 20-25K?

How expensive will it get to maintain the GLC diesel over 3-4 years?

I suggest go for that extended warranty for peace of mind. It’s about 2-2.5 lakhs. I suggest that because once the battery had died and for them to come and jump start and take it they charge a bomb. Factor insurance, that’s about 70-80k per year. So 3 years it’s about 2.5 lakhs maximum. Service depends on how they rip you off. Brake pads, oil change, AC and other filters. Your looking at 2-2.5 lakhs for 4 years maintenance. So extended warranty, insurance and maintenance, your staring at about 6-7 lakhs. Considering your given usage. Could be less, mostly will be less

[sgm]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

I get my Endeavour and c220d alignment done at Madhus quite regularly. Contrary to your point, with not disagreement as such, I have always avoided dealerships for alignment. As, in my experience, they have always been a little lax on perfection which some of like. But again, it depends on individual dealerships. My Merc dealer seems to be fine and once I got the alignment done there during first service.

My C220D is due for its first year servicing in a couple of days. This is my first German car and I have been spoilt with low servicing costs of Corollas for more than a decade.
I have covered around 7k so far, so the usage is low. Planning to do wheel balancing and alignment from Madhus. Doing it from outside, does it affect the warranty ?

[Puneet0051]

No Sgm that doesn't affect the warranty. I have taken Compact Plus where its included in package but I know of ppl here who get it done from outside

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by sgm

My C220D is due for its first year servicing in a couple of days. This is my first German car and I have been spoilt with low servicing costs of Corollas for more than a decade.
I have covered around 7k so far, so the usage is low. Planning to do wheel balancing and alignment from Madhus. Doing it from outside, does it affect the warranty ?

Absolutely not. There is no impact on the warranty.

Madhus will have the alignment specs and data from Mercedes in their system for the C220D specs. I had got it done there when the car was new. They did a good job. In fact the new car alignment was incorrect.

Subsequently, once at 5k also got it done at Sundaram as the car was there for a tyre change. One of my tyres had burst. They too have Hunter equipment from Madhus but Madhus' technicians are a class apart. So I prefer going there.

[sgm]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

Absolutely not. There is no impact on the warranty.

Madhus will have the alignment specs and data from Mercedes in their system for the C220D specs. I had got it done there when the car was new. They did a good job. In fact the new car alignment was incorrect.

Thanks nareshtrao, I know that Madhus do a wonderful job.

Originally Posted by Puneet0051

No Sgm that doesn't affect the warranty. I have taken Compact Plus where its included in package but I know of ppl here who get it done from outside

Thanks Puneet0051 for clarifying.

Do you guys think it is a good idea to go for a Compact Service Package (Not Compact Plus) to cover the regular yearly service for 3 or 4 of years, assuming a usage of around 12k KM per year ? Are the rates given in MB website fixed or can the dealer work out a better deal ?

[Durango Dude]

Why reimburse the Germans with hard earned INR and Indian Govt taxes get ripped of in the process, unless you have very deep pockets and a benevolent family to pitch in. I can afford one but can barely afford it's up keep. Brain always gets the better of the heart when it comes to Germans. Some one wants to gift me one better take care of the up keep too.

[Puneet0051]

Originally Posted by sgm

Thanks nareshtrao, I know that Madhus do a wonderful job.


Thanks Puneet0051 for clarifying.

Do you guys think it is a good idea to go for a Compact Service Package (Not Compact Plus) to cover the regular yearly service for 3 or 4 of years, assuming a usage of around 12k KM per year ? Are the rates given in MB website fixed or can the dealer work out a better deal ?

@Sgm I was also going for compact package initially but I didn't see any value in it. For eg- Wipers cost about 12k a pair which are covered in higher package. With your kind of usage you may be better off not going for a package at all. Let me know your first servicing cost I was told it would come to 35-40k.

They didn't negotiate on the published price at all