1M of braided return hose is NOT enough for the OM606
 

I read the EPC which indicated a total of 1.165M of return hose was needed to replace the 6 lines on the OM606 plus a little extra for the plug end piece, for a total of about 1.2M.

I went to my dealer who said they only charge by the meter, so if I want 1.2M I would have to pay for 2(!), but the parts guy said I would not need more than 1. Anyway, I believed the EPC not the parts guy and told him if I was going to be paying for 2, then I would take 2 not 1.2 (after all it lists for $15/M) so why should I pay for 2 and take 1.2?

Sure enough it takes 1.2M to complete the job. Maybe in the 4 and 5 cylinder engines you can get away with 1M, but for the 6 you definitely need 1.2M...so for anyone looking to do this job keep that in mind.

Also, it seems so petty to me that the dealer would not simply cut 1.2M and charge for that since they are cutting it off a big roll anyway...they are just used to charging the service customers for 2M so they don't want to change the system I guess. Still, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

And, another example of a parts salesperson who didn't know what they were talking about...the only thing more irritating than the experience I had would have been having to go back to buy more to finish the job if I had listened to them and only bought 1M.

The power steering return hose presents a similar situation. You need about .6 meters, but you have to buy a full meter. Then the excess is totally useless. (My figures are approximate.)

It seems that a lot of the dealer parts departments operate in accordance with the same motto: "The customer is never right."

If a gas station can sell gas by the thousandth of a gallon, you would think that bulk hose could be sold by the centimeter!!!

The gas station has it's tanks topped off every so often. How often can the dealer top off that spool of hose? You sell fractions of a piece of hose and what do you do with the last 3/4 of a meter? You cannot top it off like a gas tank.

I'd rather buy 2M just in case I have a "whoops" issue with it. Last time I did this, I definately needed that extra when I found that the first hose I put on was too short. Yes, it would work but I'd rather have a little more length between the injector #1 and #2 since the nipples don't all line up

So you think that they cut so precisely that they end up with exactly one meter left on the reel? Won't happen.

Does a good business adapt its policies to fit the needs of the customer? Or does it allow the bean counters to dictate policy?

Farm and Fleet? No. Home Depot, probably not. However, when I got the hose, I did see them measure it out and it was pretty close if not on the dot. Your dealership might not but in principle, I understand why they do it. Also, it makes pricing easier. 3 M? unit price multiplied by 3

So you would have us believe that the MB dealers' computers can't deal with decimals?

I would say if they are capable of using a ruler (whether scaled in inches or CM) they should be able to measure any length the customer wants. Also, it would seem the computer should be able to multiply $15 X 1.2, if not, then the clerk should be able to and just enter it manually. In fact I know they are capable of cutting whatever length I wanted...it was the attitude that "if you want over 1M you'll pay for 2M regardless of how much you take" is what was unpleasant.

I don't mind having "a little" extra...if they had offered to sell a meter and a quarter or a meter and a half I would have been satisfied with that. But now I have over 2.5 feet of extra hose that I may never use, and if I do I will still need another meter anyway to replace it all again. Another $10+ wasted.

When I go to an auto parts store and buy heater hose I don't ask for 6.5 feet, I ask for 7 and pay for 7. But when you sell hose by the meter and the job only takes a small bit over one meter to complete and the hose is that overpriced I think it is reasonable to sell it by some fraction of a meter. A meter is a lot more than a foot, it's over a yard, and if the auto parts store started selling hose by the yard instead of by the foot it would probably piss people off there too.

Frankly, MB would make more money if they sold the pieces pre-cut to the 165mm and 340mm lengths needed for the replacement rather than in bulk anyway.

Shall we get into sunroof lube by the gallon when you need a teaspoonful per job?

Sixto
93 300SD

Computers? Yes. Parts counter people? Well.....

I asked for the filter and prefilter. Note. I also gave the VIN. This clown could not seem to find it where I said it was. He said it was some expensive item called a pump at the rear o the car. After I looked at his screen, I found that he had been looking at the GAS model. WTF? I said diesel. His reply was "Oh, well, aren't they the same?" I grabbed the mouse and clicked away till I got what I wanted. This was a guy that has been there for at least a couple months and he doesn't know the difference between gas a diesel? He also doesn't know how to use EPC and I had to do it for him? I use EPC sparringly so I am not an expert. He should be an expert.

Now, having heard this, what is your question again? If I can get the right hose at 2M length instad of having them fudge around with 1.2, I think I'll be happy. You want fries with that hose too? Lets stick with the basics and if they can master that, we can talk more. Please don't ask them for oddball sizes and lengths. Most of them are not that sure about the metric system as it stands.

Make friends with someone there and ask for a dab of the "goat jizz" and you are fine. Not saying that is what I did.

I just bought a bunch from Phil, I wanted a couple feet of extra because it does leak.

Pfft. The diff capacity is about 1.1 litres. Guess what size the bottles come in.....

Liquor comes in fifths, but how many bars would stay in business if they only sold it that way? Eggs are sold by the dozen. Do restaurants insist on serving only 12-egg omelets? Does the corner market charge for two pounds of 'taters if you only get 1.2 pounds?

Yeah, I usually have to step them through the EPC to find stuff too...if I don't just bring in the printout myself, that is. I am sympathetic to some extent because they have a lot of models to deal with and I only have a few, so I know what page and section each part I need can be found. But nearly every time I go I have to correct them on something they have screwed up...that's just life today.

Hoses are sold by the foot - true at auto parts stores, true at dealers.

Just buy the extra, it's NOT that expensive per meter. :rolleyes:

MB Dealerships Parts Sales
 

It just boils down to customer happiness...do you want the person back as a customer or not...MB Dealer parts does not care...
They would not last long without the sales arm...
Not many businesses can operate like MB dealership parts counters...

Sorry dude, not the return hose, at least not at the 2 dealers I surveyed for it...MB prices and lists it being offered by the meter and that's how they sell it.

At $15 per meter it is pretty costly for what it is. And, yes, I do hate wasting money...I don't mind spending money on cars, parts and yes, fuel, but I don't like wasting it.

Frankly I was more irritated with them telling me I only needed 1 meter even though I knew I'd need more. I kinda felt like them saying they were charging me for 2 if I wanted anything more than 1 was punishing me for thinking I knew more than they did...when the fact is I did know more than they did.

Not true at my dealer. Ford dealer, maybe, but not Mercedes Benz. Either you buy a meter, or nothing at all. The only exception is the coolant bypass hose, sold by the inch. Some online parts vendors even sell that by the meter!!! Ouch!!!

And the parts stores want to sell you a SAE 3/8" hose to replace a 12mm, in the case of the power steering hose.

True at which dealer? Not any MB dealership I know of.

bummer. 3/8" ain't even close to 12 MM...
John

But that is what I am saying. And you want them to enter fractional values into the computer. Garbage in garbage out. Lets keep it simple for the guys there. If they can look out the correct part and give it to me in whole meters, I don't want to rock the boat and have them do it in inches or half a meter or whatever. I'm scared of the results. You might be presented with a bill because they transposed a decimal place.

Not true. 3/8 = 0.375 inches = 9.525MM. so, A little grease and a lot of shoving and viola. Hose fits in. :D Only 2.475 MM difference. What is that between friends. :D

When it's a return hose in a hydraulic system, the difference can be huge. A 3/8" hose has a cross dection area of approx. 71 sq. mm. A 12mm hose has a cross section area of approx. 113 sq. mm. That means that the correct hose is 59% larger than the 3/8" hose.

Your point that numbers can be challenging is well made. Very well made, in fact. And you are to be commended for being such an easily satisfied customer. I know that the store clerks appreciate the fact that you are willing to accept whatever part causes them the least amount of inconvenience. Whether it fits or not.

It was a joke, by the way.

As to that, well, not true. I am willing to accept it in dimensions that cause ME the least inconvenience. I don't want to go down there and find that they have cut the part to their lack of understanding of my directions. Case in point, I called a shop and had them cut me out 4.5 feet of hose since they have a cutter and I don't and it was SS brainded hose. What did I get in the bag when I came home? 4 pieces of 1/2 feet hose. Yet I got billed for a stretch of 4.5 feet. That is why I make it easier on them. So it is easier on ME in the end. Call it resignation on my part to bang my head against the wall. Now I have it as easy as I can for them so they can make my life easier. That or teach them how to do their job. No thanx. I am NOT a teacher.

If you have the dealer replace the return lines, do they charge you for 2 meters and keep the remnant? Someone who gets his/her 606 serviced at the dealer should get a firm job quote for the sake of the discussion.

Sixto
93 300SD

I can tell you from the receipts that the PO of my car used to pay his dealer for 9 qts of oil at every oil change even though the car only takes 8 to get it up to full....what does that tell you about the way dealers charge?

It tells me they are not above stealing $7 from every customer for every oil change they do...it does add up! :D

If they use bulk oil, maybe. Why maybe? Well, because I have seen many techs dump in all that the manual specifies. IOW, if it takes 8 according to the manual, 8 gets dumped in even if it reads full at 7.5.

It also tells me that you need to be next to the tech when he is working on your car. Every time I don't do that, I regret it. Case in point. I had a 91 190E 2.6. I said I needed a coolant flush to get all the oil out. 4 months later I was back wondering if that was all MB's coolant lasted. SA just looked around and mumbled something. This time I asked for Gilly. Guess what, oil never came back. Finding out later that that tech was famous for his brake flushes where he replaced the fluid in the reservoir but not flush the lines. Needless to say, I never used that tech again. My jobs at the dealership were done ONLY by Gilly nor nobody. Currently it is 210OLEMOTOR. When I go there, I specify that he does the work. They work on a 4 day 10 hr/day shift so I call and ask if Nick O is working on the said day. Also, I am there when the work is done so I get to BS with him and maybe pick up a few pointers. My Ford? Same. Chevy? Same.

What I was saying and implying was there's no way to get anywhere near 9 quarts of oil into the car unless it is one quart overfilled so they were either charging for 9 and using 8 or overfilling by putting 9 in...either way it is wrong. Maybe they put 8.01 quarts and charge for 9, like the guy who needs 1.2 meters of hose but gets charged for 2.

My bet would be they charge for 9 quarts and use 8 (or fewer) though.

That is what I am afraid of. They dump all 9 quarts in and you have oil froth as your crank beats the oil. Did you ever ask them as to the rational when they charge for 9 while the capacity is 8? I'd be curious.

This was from receipts I got from the previous owner's (PO) service records, not mine - I don't use the dealer for oil changes...NEVER, and my E300 has never been to them for any reason except for a free inspection of the spring perches shortly after I bought it. I guess I could call them up and ask, but I am sure they will say something like they use slightly more than 8 and sell in bulk so the 9 quarts is what they charge for...

Since I built my garage I have done all of the work on my cars myself. My only use of the dealer's service department is for my wife's C240 that's under both warranty and free MB service coverage for the first 4 years/50K miles. It's a leased car, so as soon as the warranty is up the bank takes it back. The dealer can do whatever they like to it - it belongs to US Bank, not me!