Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


Reply
  Search this Thread
560,048 views
Old 10th June 2021, 13:10   #361
BHPian
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Noida
Posts: 332
Thanked: 617 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund View Post
Got my car serviced through Global Star this time. I got a message about their “value service”. For my W204 C-class, this type of service costs 20k. For 20k, they change your engine oil, oil filter and wash your car. Other than the “value service”, I also got all brake pads changed, got the cabin filter and air filter changed, got new brake fluid and also got a coolant flush done. The total bill came to about 68k. ...........

Hi, just last week got a W204 facelift C200 from 2014 with around 36500km on the clock, the car badly needs a service and the 20k pack you mentioned seemed right until I saw the contents which are pretty less, meanwhile have got a list of prices for almost all service essentials from an FNG that seems reasonable, please find below:

Air filter 1500 (Mann/Mahle/Hengst)
Oil filter 750 (")
Fuel filter I think it only has a filter in the tank, need VIN to confirm.
AC filter 1750 (Mann, or other German filters)
Engine oil Mobil/Liquimoly 6 litres x 800 to 1000/litre
Brake pads front/rear 2500/2500 (Remsa, made in Spain OE supplier)
Brake discs front/rear 8500/7500 (Meyle/Febi etc)
Coolant 4L x 850/L (Meyle - MB spec)
Front and rear shocks: front shockers will be 18/26k basis VIN.
Rear shockers approx 15k
Spark plugs: 850/1250 depending on type.

Last edited by khan_sultan : 4th July 2021 at 09:13. Reason: trimmed quoted post
dhruvritzed is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 10th June 2021, 13:35   #362
BHPian
 
Sanidhya mukund's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 620
Thanked: 5,810 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by dhruvritzed View Post
Hi, just last week got a W204 facelift C200 from 2014 with around 36500km on the clock, the car badly needs a service and the 20k pack you mentioned seemed right until I saw the contents which are pretty less, meanwhile have got a list of prices for almost all service essentials from an FNG that seems reasonable, please find below:....

Hello!

Congrats on the new acquisition! I have the same car, same model year. What colour is yours? The above prices seem to be in line with what I have heard at Global Automotive India, Gurgaon and the various shops near Khan Market. The savings for most of the parts are between 50-75%, so one surely does end up saving a significant amount during the service. The only catch over here is that unless one buys directly from the parts vendor, it is quite difficult to judge whether the parts are good quality ones or nasty China/Taiwan made parts.

My other car is a Ford Ikon. Over the 20 years that I have owned that car, one thing that I have noticed is that there a various people with all sorts of claims, but they eventually end up being lame. For example, I was once promised by a local garage that they will be installing genuine Monroe shocks in my Ikon. I went ahead with the repairs, but within 10-15K kms, the car started being floaty. I had to again replace the shock absorbers, but I went with the Ford dealer the second time. I ended up paying for the same replacement twice. The so called ‘Monroe’ shocks were just some cheap parts that were designed to break.

Such experiences have made me loose faith in FNGs, especially when it comes to crucial components like the brakes. Of course, if one has the eye to identify cheap parts from good ones, then by all means, the FNG route makes tremendous sense. But if you can’t really tell the difference, then it is best to stick to the MB dealer, at least for crucial areas like brakes. Could you please let me know the contact details of the FNG you contacted?

Last edited by khan_sultan : 4th July 2021 at 09:14. Reason: trimmed quoted post
Sanidhya mukund is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 10th June 2021, 14:58   #363
BHPian
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Noida
Posts: 332
Thanked: 617 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund View Post
........

Such experiences have made me loose faith in FNGs, especially when it comes to crucial components like the brakes. Of course, if one has the eye to identify cheap parts from good ones, then by all means, the FNG route makes tremendous sense. But if you can’t really tell the difference, then it is best to stick to the MB dealer, at least for crucial areas like brakes. Could you please let me know the contact details of the FNG you contacted?
Hi, had a word with a BHPian who has a penchant for repairing old Mercs, so the prices and quality are not questionable, having maintained my polo and laura with better than O.E products and the authorised service centres, it's not really very hard for me to judge the quality of aftermarket parts, as you said there are plenty of fakes, but then Mercedes service seems like a rip off. I could afford the 25-30k bills I got for the A4, not the 90k estimates I'll get for the C.

As far as brakes go, I agree with you, I will also source Mercedes O.E stuff only, but Sachs and lemforder offer good quality stuff at competitive prices in aftermarket, range of oils available is unparalleled and filters are mostly available in Mahle and O.E, so not much to worry about, plus I'll have miniscule running of 4000km a year on this car, so have time at hand to try stuff.

Last edited by khan_sultan : 4th July 2021 at 09:14. Reason: trimmed quoted post
dhruvritzed is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 14th June 2021, 08:32   #364
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Ludhiana
Posts: 100
Thanked: 54 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

The tyres of my C 220D developed a crack and needs replacement. I have been using Continental 255/55 R16. The present ones just were good for around 15k kms and have now given up. Although I have been getting alignment done at regular intervals still I have been unlucky when it comes to the brakes and tyres of my car.

Any suggestions as to which brand should I go for now? Need the suggestions urgently. Thanks in advance
rickygupta2 is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 08:47   #365
Distinguished - BHPian
 
androdev's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: bangalore
Posts: 3,083
Thanked: 21,784 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by rickygupta2 View Post
Any suggestions as to which brand should I go for now? Need the suggestions urgently. Thanks in advance
Michelin if available. Pirelli has also served me well when I could not get Michelin in the size I wanted. Along with Continental, these are three brands commonly used in this category of cars.

Can you pls share more details about your tires: manufacture date, sub-brand name (sport-contact, eco-contact, etc.) and why do you suspect it developed a crack? Thanks.
androdev is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 08:55   #366
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Ludhiana
Posts: 100
Thanked: 54 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev View Post
Can you pls share more details about your tires: manufacture date, sub-brand name (sport-contact, eco-contact, etc.), and why do you suspect it developed a crack? Thanks.
These are Contisport 225/55 R16. The present one had a bulge and the crack was expected. But I don't know why every 20k km I have to get the tires changed. I don't get the alignment done from the authorized dealership due to the high price.

BTW got Yokohama Blue Earth quoted for Rs. 10,500. Are they good?
rickygupta2 is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 09:27   #367
Distinguished - BHPian
 
androdev's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: bangalore
Posts: 3,083
Thanked: 21,784 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Yoko is a good choice. Make sure the date of manufacturing is recent and is same for all four tires. Michelin is #1 for many on the forum including myself but I guess their supply is an issue in the market.

20K km is low - 30-35K is to be expected I think. Do all 4 wear out, or is there anything unusual about the wear? I don't think alignment and balancing have much to do if the wear is uniform. Faster wear has more to do with softness of the rubber compound and how aggressively you accelerate and brake ;-)
androdev is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 10:19   #368
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Ludhiana
Posts: 100
Thanked: 54 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev View Post
Yoko is a good choice. Make sure the date of manufacturing is recent and is same for all four tires. Michelin is #1 for many on the forum including myself but I guess their supply is an issue in the market.

20K km is low - 30-35K is to be expected I think. Do all 4 wear out, or is there anything unusual about the wear? I don't think alignment and balancing have much to do if the wear is uniform. Faster wear has more to do with softness of the rubber compound and how aggressively you accelerate and brake ;-)
They all wear out from the outer side. The front ones wear faster. Juts one last query. The front ones are totally new (done just 5k). These are Contimax tires. Can I go for Yokohama at rear? So I'll have Conti + Yokohama both. Will that affect the car performance in anyway?

Last edited by rickygupta2 : 14th June 2021 at 10:39.
rickygupta2 is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 10:49   #369
Distinguished - BHPian
 
androdev's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: bangalore
Posts: 3,083
Thanked: 21,784 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Wear from outside or any other uneven wear is an issue that needs looked into. Mostly the shop has done wrong alignment as they might not know the correct settings. Either you go to a reputed place with fancy equipment or stick to the dealer. This could be the reason for the premature wear. Get it aligned at the dealer once, ask them to give you a printout of alignment and use the same in future with outside shops. I think you are going to the wrong shop - the good ones will have a database of settings for each specific car model.

There is no technical problem with mixing tiers, but looks a bit cheap on such a car. Maybe you can get two new Conti tyres for now and switch the brand later.

Last edited by androdev : 14th June 2021 at 10:53.
androdev is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 11:05   #370
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Ludhiana
Posts: 100
Thanked: 54 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev View Post
I think you are going to the wrong shop - the good ones will have a database of settings for each specific car model.

There is no technical problem with mixing tiers, but looks a bit cheap on such a car. Maybe you can get two new Conti tyres for now and switch the brand later.
Oh ok. I will look into the alignment thing once. Conti tyres aren't available anywhere. Trying to get them.
rickygupta2 is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 15:10   #371
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Ludhiana
Posts: 100
Thanked: 54 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev View Post
Yoko is a good choice.
What about Falken? Getting them at a reasonable rate with 5 year warranty. Dealer quote is 9200.
rickygupta2 is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 15:27   #372
Distinguished - BHPian
 
androdev's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: bangalore
Posts: 3,083
Thanked: 21,784 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by rickygupta2 View Post
What about Falken? Getting them at a reasonable rate with 5 year warranty. Dealer quote is 9200.
I can't speak about quality but it has less social acceptance :-) Take two Yoko tyres, put them on the left and use current Conti pair in the right. When you do wheel rotation, make sure brands are not mixed on the same side of the car. It's a decent compromise I feel.
androdev is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 14th June 2021, 15:35   #373
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Ludhiana
Posts: 100
Thanked: 54 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev View Post
Take two Yoko tyres
Actually, I am getting Yoko Bluearth. Just read that they are meant for snowy/winter weathers. So a little vary if they will be long lasting in Punjab where we have 46-degree temperature in summers and 1-degree in winters. Your views?
rickygupta2 is offline  
Old 14th June 2021, 16:38   #374
Distinguished - BHPian
 
androdev's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: bangalore
Posts: 3,083
Thanked: 21,784 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by rickygupta2 View Post
Actually, I am getting Yoko Bluearth. Just read that they are meant for snowy/winter weathers. So a little vary if they will be long lasting in Punjab where we have 46-degree temperature in summers and 1-degree in winters. Your views?
BluEarth series has multiple sub categories, you have to be more specific with the tyre variant. Yoko website is using C class on their BluEarth portal :-)
https://newweb.yokohama-india.com/pr.../bluearth-ae50

More feedback here:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...s-website.html (BluEarth AE-50 tyres listed on Yokohama's website)

PS: Post your tyre related queries on tyre section of the forum, you will get more helpful responses.
androdev is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 4th July 2021, 03:02   #375
BHPian
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 65
Thanked: 55 Times
Re: Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India

Hello all, after being recommended by a few bhpians I decided to get my E200 serviced from Global Star, Okhla. They quoted me 22k for a “basic” service and also offered me a complimentary Mercedes me adapter. So I have booked a slot for next week with them. But just out of curiosity I also called up T&T, Okhla to ask about their price, as I used get my car serviced from them before. Surprisingly, they quoted a ridiculous ₹48000 for the same “basic” service !
I’m really confused now. So my question is, is T&T trying to rip me off or is Global Star too good to be true ?
Merc_Freak is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks