Mr. Wood:

Would you be willing to fully comment on the rules that your Internet site is applying as it concerns posts that reference the quality of work delivered by dealer or independent shops?

Several recent posts which have contained references to the quality of work delivered by dealer or independent shops have also contained admonishments from you essentially suggesting avoidance of such references.

If you would please clearly and specifically state the rules that your Internet site is applying as it concerns posts that reference the quality of work delivered by dealer or independent shops, all contributors and readers would be in a far better informed position concerning the workings of your Internet site. As of today, the "Rules, Policies, and Disclaimers" posted on your site make no reference to this subject while at the same time you continue to place warnings in posts. There seems to exist an opportunity to better communicate the rules that you are applying but not proactively informing particpants and readers of.

Thank you in advance.

Pat Burke

Good question.

Our "charter", if you will, is to be the "Ultimate Mercedes Benz TECHNICAL Site on the Web".

To accomplish this lofty goal it is essential that we bring together several experienced and certified Mercedes Benz Technicians who can provide answers for our members. In order to attract the best Techs we have to provide an atmosphere that is comfortable and enjoyable for the Techs to participate in. Please keep in mind that with the exception of Benzmac (who is a partner in MercedesShop) ALL of the professional Techs you see in the Shop Forum are here on their own time. Why? Because they enjoy sharing their vast experience and helping people like us who are passionate about our cars. If a Tech no longer gets any enjoyment out of participating in the Shop Forum, they leave. That's a loss to us all.

We strongly feel that this site provides more benefit to our members if we can draw upon the greatest depth of knowledge and experience possible. Some of the member’s questions in the Shop Forum have answers from as many as 5 Techs with a combined total of over 100 years of experience! Having Techs available here from both dealerships and independents is a resounding plus. Both groups have devoted their professional lives to the maintenance of Mercedes Benz automobiles and have amassed an impressive “database” of valuable information. Although there are clearly differences between the two groups it is undeniable that they are both professionals and proud of their profession.

Like all engineering and technical people, Techs share the desire to solve technical problems. Our site allows them to do this on their own terms in a non-threatening environment. If the conversations in our Shop Forum begin to drift away from technical discussions and into debates about dealer vs independent then we are no longer in the “shared territory” but rather heading into the areas where they differ. At the end of the day someone is going to feel threatened or insulted and will come to the conclusion that it’s not worth it.

There are several places on the Internet (newsgroups, mailing lists, chat rooms, etc) where anyone can discuss and debate topics such as dealer vs independent, MB vs BMW vs Lexus or whatever. We feel our site provides the greatest benefit to our members if we stick to focused technical discussions and provide our members access to the greatest depth of professional knowledge possible.

As always, we welcome opinions from any and all of our members and Techs. If we’re off base then tell us! We would really like to hear what our members have to say on this subject.


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Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC

I think your points are exceptionally well made, and I think that you and your partners have done yourselves proud with this site. The information that everyone involved here makes available is really and truly valuable, and almost always unerringly sound. I for one, as a Mercedes Benz enthusiast,owe you guys a debt of gratitude (and freebie beers whenever I'm in the Atlanta area!).

Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE
Both running as-new!!

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Lets hope that there is no intent out there to say that a " Dealership" is better than an " Independant", or vice-versa.

And as a total smack you from behind approach I, whom as a Backyard mechanic at best, found out something about the wrong oil the dealership was using period.

So it also goes to show you that you do not have to be a " Mechanic" to find mistakes that are being made.

Hence the power of the Internet, RESEARCH!!

And as the kids say nowadays, " this site rocks".

Keep up the good work, this site is very well put together, I have followed it since its inception, who knows where the future will take it, but you have something good here, keep running with it.

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Chris Ecklund
98 300 DT