Luxury cars come with higher repair costs - SFGate
Every time I take my 2007 Mercedes Benz ML350 to the dealer, I am amazed by the high maintenance cost. The first time I got an oil change, I was charged for two oil filters, both of which were “fleece” filters. I pointed out what I thought was an error for charging me for two filters, but they told me that my engine has two. This past week I took the car in, and they said one shock absorber was leaking and needed replacing, but both should be replaced at the same time. The cost for replacing two rear shocks was an astronomical $1,200. About half was labor and the other half parts. When you buy a “luxury” car, part of the deal is that you’re going to pay luxury prices for maintenance and repair — especially at the dealership. If you had, say, a Ford Explorer, your bill for two shocks would have been $600. But, of course, then you wouldn’t have the prestige of paying twice as much for the Mercedes shocks. While you still might want to go to the dealer for anything unusual or complicated — since the dealer knows these cars better than anybody — there’s no reason that Dieter and Fritz down at German Auto and Hummel Figurine Emporium can’t do your oil... And they’ll do it cheaper than the dealer will. They’ll still have to buy certain Mercedes parts from a nearby dealer. Source: www.sfgate.com
