Mercedes-Benz of Manchester

Misdiagnosis of unnecessary repair job - Differential Seals Holloway Motor Cars (HMC) almost hit me for a $710 rear axle differential seal repair it turned out I didn't need on my 2002 MB C240, TWICE misdiagnos Holloway Motor Cars (HMC) almost hit me for a $710 rear axle differential seal repair it turned out I didn't need on my 2002 MB C240, TWICE misdiagnosing a seal leak (which they documented.) I paid another Mercedes Benz Service Dept (MBoB in Burlington, Massachusetts) $66.00 to inspect my differential, and received the following report: "....No leaks found. Checked for leaks. No leaks detected. Checked fluid level. Fluid Level is correct. Checked vent tube. Vent tube OK. Vented vapors from differential can cause grime to build on cover which can be mistaken for a leak. No corrective action required...." HMC got it wrong - Another MB Service Department (MBoB-Burlington-Mass) got it right with a FAR MORE thorough inspection. I have records and documentation (e.g. MBoB/Burlington report, STARTEK information, HMC quotes, etc.) to substantiate everything above and below, all of which HMC should have as well. HMC's Service Department did a "complimentary walk-through" for me on my C240 on 5/5/15, and listed repair work needed, including differential seals ($710, pinion and 2 rear axles.) Their vehicle inspection report explicitly stated "Rear Diff Leaking", so this was no recommendation to replace the seals because of high mileage. I then took the car for an inspection again (with me present) on 6/5/15 (after I had pressure-washed the differential to test for a leak myself), and the surly mechanic (Don) AGAIN tried to say the front/side seals were leaking based on grime toward the rear (rear cover "pumpkin" seal ?), even though there was no sign of fluid leaking in the front (pinion) and side (axles) seals upon external visual inspection. He didn't bother to check fluid level or vent clogging. I challenged Don on his diagnosis (and other things), and Don made an unprofessional comment about how he wasn't getting paid for this walk-through with me (at which point I escalated to the Service Manager Rosie Cray to discuss a complaint and next steps for diagnosis....) After the 2nd inspection, I sent detailed information to them, informing them their diagnostics practices were flawed and likely often in their favor, as they didn't go "that extra step", and check fluid level. After discussion with the Parts/Service Head Brenda Bagdonas, we had an inspection set up to diagnose this a third time for 6/26/15. Then, after 10+ years of business with them (and nearly $14,000 spent) by a loyal customer for service and repair, I received a letter (dated 6/18/15) stating they're cancelling a THIRD appointment (6/26/15), and informed me they no longer wished to do business with me because "Holloway Motor Cars takes allegations of unethical business practice very seriously". This was an odd response on their behalf and, In my opinion, I believe they felt they were caught red-handed, and I became a liability/risk for exposing this (detailed below) - So they cut me off from the only Mercedes Benz dealership and service department within a 40 mile radius of my home. They almost cost me $710 for differential seals requiring no work, using a visual (external) inspection only (it looks "grimey".) In fact, another dealership (MBoB, ref above), clearly indicated this method of diagnosis is inadequate with the following statement in their diagnostic report: "... Vented vapors from differential can cause grime to build on cover which can be mistaken for a leak...." Best practice would have been to check the fluid level, and, if OK, clean the differential externally, then see if it's leaking at a later date (e.g. next Service B - recommended by HMC/MBUSA every 20K miles.) Also, they should inform the customer if they see fluid/oil on the floor where normally parked (e.g. garage), see HMC immediately. All totaled (based on my visit to MBoB/Burlington), an extra ~ 10 minutes of work for proper diagnosis which HMC chose to avoid over the course of 2 appointments. Then again, if visual inspection only tilts business toward you.....well, let's say something "didn't smell right" on this one....caveat emptor. I was on top of this, and avoided an unnecessary repair - So they cut me off. This is warning to other customers to please do the same - HMC could take advantage of your lack of technical knowledge and desperation to avoid a much higher repair job (in this case, gear damage.) Whether it's an honest service practice error needing correction, a "culture of corruption" (e.g. to help generate revenue needed to pay off the modernization of their service facility) or a corrupt mechanic (throw in some quick flat-rate jobs at high mileage) is unclear at this point, given how poorly Holloway has handled all this, including lack of responsiveness and unwillingness to engage mediation efforts to get this resolved. And another thing: It's my contention that HMC is doing inferior work at a higher price when they do a RWD (and likely AWD/4MATIC) differential seal replacement. After being told by MBUSA I HAD TO PAY to access their STARTEK technical information and documentation system to get simple answers to technical questions (STARTEK is used by their dealership service depts for reference), I put aside my irritation with this, "bit the bullet" and paid my $19.00 for 1 day access. And going through their flat-rates for repairs, my findings show they can do ALL the seals (including the rear cover, not included in MY quote from them) for less than the 5 labor hours they quoted to me for partial seal replacement (pinion and axles, cover seal excluded.) The reason they don't do the rear cover seal, I believe, is because it's the only seal that requires removal/installation of the differential from/to the vehicle (all others can be done with the differential still attached to the vehicle, from under the vehicle while on a lift.) I came up with 4.3 labor hrs - 0.5 hrs to remove/install the rear wheels, 2.8 hrs to remove/install the differential (including removing driveshaft and axles) and 0.25 hrs per seal (VERY HIGH estimate) to remove/install the old/new seals (qty = 4 seals: total = 1.0 hrs.) If an expensive seal replacement is truly needed, ALL seals should be replaced, not just 3 out of 4. That's the case even if adding the rear cover seal adds a bit more cost (parts and labor), and I believe I've shown it can actually be done FOR LESS. Again: Inferior quality (partial seals) at a higher cost to the customer (more labor hours exceeding the cost of the extra seal.) Through various consumer advocacy and protection agencies, I have submitted a detailed "whitepaper" on this, using STARTEK information I obtained. To date, HMC hasn't challenged me on this. Until Holloway states they have reviewed their practices, and fixed them where needed, I feel other customers should be alerted. So far, they've done nothing to engage a once-loyal customer like me seeking to prevent this from happening to other customers to close on this, and providing proof they've changed this. Finally, I recommend every customer get a copy of their service record from HMC, and check to see at which mileage differential seals were replaced, if done. If it was below 150,000 miles, and you never saw fluid on your garage floor, you should complain to Holloway. You very likely didn't need this repair job, as all they did was to check to see if your differential was dirty ("grime test") - They likely didn't check the fluid level at all. More

The service is there low point. The mechanics themselves are great and know what they are doing, the customer service on the service side is just lacking, dropped of the car with an The mechanics themselves are great and know what they are doing, the customer service on the service side is just lacking, dropped of the car with an appointment, and requested a loaner, after dropping it off waited almost an hour to get a loaner which ended up being from enterprise across the street. I got no calls during the day saying the car was done, ended up calling them around 6pm to find out it had been done some time already. Couple days after picking up the car I started to get calls from 'Pam' just asking for a call back, this morning I got calls every 15mins, I finally made contact with them to find out they had slightly undercharged my 339$ Service A (AKA Oil change) to 239$ and wanted my credit card number. More

Refused a purchase I sent my brother to buy me a car that I could use for my family in the USA The dealer refused to sell him and subsequently me, a car After bein I sent my brother to buy me a car that I could use for my family in the USA The dealer refused to sell him and subsequently me, a car After being hung up on by the sales manager don and numerous conversations I parted ways with this dealer and would recommend that others do the same I purchased a beautiful Volvo xc90 yesterday and could not be happier More

Car purchase A great car buying experience. The employees at Holloway treat you first class. They are very knowledgable and friendly. The vehicle was delivered A great car buying experience. The employees at Holloway treat you first class. They are very knowledgable and friendly. The vehicle was delivered on time as promised. I will buy again from them. More

Best dealership I've ever dealt with I bought a new 2015 C-Class in September, 2014. My sales experience with Vaughn was friendly, laid back, and thoroughly professional. As it turned o I bought a new 2015 C-Class in September, 2014. My sales experience with Vaughn was friendly, laid back, and thoroughly professional. As it turned out, my car had numerous early build issues and was in for service often. At that time, I had the pleasure of working with Rosie in the service department. Holloway always offered me valet service, and would pick up my car and leave a new Mercedes loaner for me. After what we all agreed was a much too extensive service history, Rosie and Vaughn had me order a new C-Class. I just picked that car up, and they made the swap as painless as possible. Mercedes customer service also helped with this trade. Crystal, the sales manager, was also involved and treated my wife and I like we were friends. I can not say enough about my experience with the folks at Holloway in Manchester. My wife and I have always been treated with great respect, any concerns are heard and addressed, and we feel like we are part of the Holloway extended family. This is a truly exceptional dealership. More

Purchasing a GLA45 AMG Fantastic. Friendly, easy, no pressure, everything that most car shopping experiences are not. Great value for my trade, in fact it was sold before I Fantastic. Friendly, easy, no pressure, everything that most car shopping experiences are not. Great value for my trade, in fact it was sold before I had left the building. Enjoying the car immensely and expecting great things when it comes to servicing, repair etc. Vaughn was my primary go to guy for this sale and is a wealth of knowledge, experience and such a nice guy. Usually the finance guy is the one who tries to up sell you with all kinds of things that you don't really understand but sound appealing. Not in this case. Travis just made that money side of things happen. Crystal is a picture of professionalism, efficiency and knowledge. She handled my trade in and after one phone call had sold my trade enabling me to get what I asked for. That takes some ability. I would urge anyone to go and check them out and the cars are extremely good value for money given the service and the style. More