[ajmat]

Mercedes-Benz will be allowing the retailing of parts to anyone, even FNGs. A distribution network is currently being established. The only parts which would require visiting a dealership are security-related items like spare keys and some security modules.

This was confirmed to Team-BHP by Mr. Santhosh Iyer, Managing Director of Mercedes Benz India.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GTE]

They allegedly used strong arm tactics to prevent spares being sold by 3rd parties including hiring an ex cop who used his connections to get some perfectly respected people arrested on a Saturday night. All because they found that owners preferred getting cars serviced outside. They would never dare to do in Europe what was done here.

[Sumedik]

Originally Posted by GTE

They allegedly used strong arm tactics to prevent spares being sold by 3rd parties including hiring an ex cop who used his connections to get some perfectly respected people arrested on a Saturday night. All because they found that owners preferred getting cars serviced outside. They would never dare to do in Europe what was done here.

This is interesting and borderline illegal. On what grounds were those people arrested? Were they car owners or 3rd party parts sellers?

Surely Mercedes does not make the owners sign a contract stating that the cannot get the car services outside?

[GTE]

They were 3rd party sellers. Most manufacturers pressure customers to utilise only 'official' workshops, which they could not dare to do in their home & other markets because of the "right to repair". As a lot of posts show we have some of the most brilliant people in the world when it comes to repairing the unrepairable.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by GTE

They allegedly used strong arm tactics to prevent spares being sold by 3rd parties including hiring an ex cop who used his connections to get some perfectly respected people arrested on a Saturday night.

There will be more, which can be about some spurious parts being passed as MB OE or even stolen parts or imports which are not documented.

If someone has imported genuine parts from overseas, no one can be in a problem. No manufacturer will go into trouble over something so little. Please do post more details.

[GTE]

The fact is that we don't have enough protection for the consumer. When it involves a car the size of the problem is so much bigger. I have been dealing with the person concerned for decades & they have always been forthright about what comes from where. It is the right of the owner to put whatever they want in their car. The manufacturer only responds with a semblance of justice if the person is connected. Last year a mechatronics was replaced foc in a car well over 5 years old because of obvious reasons. They take advantage of the fact that litigation is very painful & therefore are totally arrogant.

[Sanidhya mukund]

This is a huge relief and a welcome move for those of us who own ageing Mercs. The only reason why I am compelled to visit the MB authorised dealership is the fact that I cannot get MB original parts anywhere else. However, this also forces me to use their labor, which is ridiculously overpriced, and quite frankly, lousy at doing even basic things.

For a 9 year old car like mine, it really pinches when I have to pay bills upto 20% of the cars residual value just to ensure that MB original parts are used in my car. Over the counter sales would mean that I can use good quality parts AND have my repairs carried out at reasonably priced workshops that actually know what they are doing.

[vishal9999]

I've been independently maintaining my Mercedes W212 E350 and BMW 7 Series, both of which have been out of warranty for the past year. I've been sourcing replacement parts from external suppliers, and the cost of these parts is only a quarter of what the showroom charges. In many instances, I've been able to find higher-quality brands like Brembo for brakes and brake disk at a lower cost than what the showroom offers.I've primarily been obtaining parts from various dealers located at Opera House in Mumbai.

I believe it's essential for our community to come together and share the contact information of reliable spare part dealers on this forum. This way, we can help fellow team members save money and, at the same time, encourage companies to offer more reasonable prices for spare parts.

[Naetik30]

I believe it is required by law for car makers to sell their spares to one and all. So Mercedes is not doing anyone a favor. Please, lets stop thanking them for this.

[Simha.k]

I wonder how a company like MB ducked penalty and fines and other litigation with CCI in place..? How did they not have OTC model for selling spares all these years?

[harikrishnansp]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

There will be more, which can be about some spurious parts being passed as MB OE or even stolen parts or imports which are not documented.

If someone has imported genuine parts from overseas, no one can be in a problem. No manufacturer will go into trouble over something so little. Please do post more details.

+1 . There are two sides to the coin. Even in the aftermarket parts business, vendors face this problem. All luxury brands have fake parts out there. God knows about the quality/performance of these parts.

[L8ButV8]

Originally Posted by GTE

They allegedly used strong arm tactics to prevent spares being sold by 3rd parties including hiring an ex cop who used his connections to get some perfectly respected people arrested on a Saturday night. All because they found that owners preferred getting cars serviced outside. They would never dare to do in Europe what was done here.

GTE, request you to please make a post on this, if you have more info. This info will be very valuable to the forum, just like the Skoda exposes a while back.

We have found Mercedes' after sales tactics very interesting-- they follow up relentlessly for services. Recently they gave us a Rs. 5k gift card, in exchange for allowing them to check our car's odometer reading. We were surprised, but took the gift card nevertheless. It is a separate matter that the 5k gift card is useless given how they overcharge

[itwasntme]

Do BMW & Audi also allow similar counter sales?

[dhanushs]

Excellent move. There are some really passionate workshop owners, with great work quality and ethics, are limited by only non availability of Genuine Spares..

This will also give the owners the much needed flexibility of getting the work done from their convienent place.