Dealer Flex Disc Ignorance--How Can This Be??

[shertex]

So my friend sends in his SDL to the dealer (no, not Jiffy Lube...this is an important detail) to give it the once over before I purchase it from him. I tell my friend, "Make sure they inspect the flex discs, especially the front one." After reading http://www.dieselgiant.com/Mercedes%20flex%20disc%20failure.htm, I'm not taking any chances.

Dealer's response? Service advisor tells my friend that neither he NOR THE MECHANIC knows what a flex disc is. And this is the Dealership??? SA added that he was only a junior in high school when the car was made.

A little alarming, if you ask me. Confirms my growing conviction that a good indie is to be preferred.

[pawoSD]

I'd report that dealer to MBUSA for negligence in service. Thats pretty bad if they didn't even know what a flex disc is!!

[techguy512]

Originally Posted by shertex

Service advisor tells my friend that neither he NOR THE MECHANIC knows what a flex disc is.

You might have confused him with terminology. The official name, per the EPC, is "Flexible Joint Disc", which is found in Group 41 "Propeller Shaft".

[Rusty Boltz]

Maybe, but you would think!!

[pawoSD]

They knew what it was when I called it a flex disc at my dealer.....he had a quote ready for me in like 2 mins, $550 for both to be replaced. $155 (in parts and a couple tools) and 9 hours of my time later I replaced them myself. 11,000+ miles later they are doing great. Saving hundreds of dollars is great encouragement for me to do stuff on my own.

[Hatterasguy]

Dealers are hit and miss. The trick is to find a good one that has some mechanics and people who care.


But in general its not a good idea to take anything older than a W140/210/R129 to them.

[pawoSD]

Sadly for the average MB owner, there aren't all that many MB dealerships nearby in the majority of the country. Except for the wealthy MB-laden areas of course (east coast....Chicago areas....Florida...CA....etc..) In my entire city here, 2nd largest city in Michigan, we have one MB dealer. Thats it. Thankfully they do care and do a good job on our older cars (when we need them, which is very rare).....but for many they may not be so lucky. The nearest next MB dealer to me is just outside Lansing, MI (capitol) and thats about 85 miles away each way. No one is going to drive 150+ miles to go to a dealer....especially at current fuel prices. I certainly wouldn't. My dealer is 17 miles away round trip as it is....they moved too, used to be ONE mile away. Oh well.

[Hatterasguy]

Their are two that are about 10 miles away from me, CT has a lot of MB's.

[Jeremy5848]

It is unfortunately true that some Mercedes dealers don't have a good service department. It's a shame, but you can't assume because they're a dealer for your brand they will know anything about fixing your 20-year old diesel. In some parts of the world where diesels are and were less popular, the dealer may know even less. For older cars, an independent mechanic is preferable, especially one who has chosen to specialize in older cars of a particular marque.

It's really rather logical. A young mechanic, just starting out, is less likely to know the older cars. You will find him (her?) at the dealer, learning his trade. An older mechanic with the money, credit rating, contacts, and experience is the one who will have his own shop and he will know the older cars.

Jeremy