Topic: No more free data cards from the Classic Centre?

[ptashek]

This fresh in from the MB Club UK forum: "As of 30th August 2018 there will be a charge of 100 euros for requesting copy of your data card from Mercedes", and there's one person who wanted to order one at a dealership in the UK, and was indeed asked to part with £90 in exchange...

Mind yours gents if you have them, they're worth a fortune now.

[Harv]

100 Euros?!

[ptashek]

100 Euros?!

Madness, isn't it?

[floyd111]

and for that you get at least an actual card.. or just a PDF copy?

[marku]

and for that you get at least an actual card.. or just a PDF copy?

Neither I would reckon just the same rather poor copy of a microfiche. At least it was very acceptable when free. It does seem a lot but I suppose for the work involved its not a lot. I guess more people are requesting them now as their availability is now more widely known.

[ptashek]

Im disbelief, folks from the UK club are making some enquiries through official channels as to what and when changed exactly.

[Balfour]

...and there's one person who wanted to order one at a dealership in the UK, and was indeed asked to part with £90 in exchange...

That was me, I'm afraid. Turns out I was a couple of weeks too late to request the data as the fee came in at the end of August...

[UTn_boy]

It's $150 here in the U.S.  What I don't understand is how it costs $150 to type in a VIN on to a computer, have the data card come up, and email it.  All data cards were scanned in to a database years ago, and actual data cards were incinerated, so they no longer exist in physical form.  Also, how is it that they can get away charging people for something the car owner already owns....or owns the majority of the rights to?  It's corrupt, and I've a feeling this will end badly for MB. 

[Squiggle Dog]

I really feel like Mercedes-Benz is taking a turn for the worse when it comes to support for older vehicles. It worries me. Ten years ago you could get practically every part and nut and bolt for just about any car they ever made, and lots of free information. Now parts availability is highly reduced and any support that's left costs dearly.

[stillmatic]

I was refused a data card from MB a couple of months back after being instructed on this forum to write to them and ask for info. I was sent to my local dealership instead, could this be related?

Thank you for your e-mail.

We apologize, but we (Mercedes-Benz Classic Customer Center) are not able to issue a data card for your vehicle.

Please contact your local Mercedes-Benz dealership to apply for a data card.

The department for service and parts is able to provide a data card for your vehicle.

Thank you for your understanding.


Kind Regards

Mercedes-Benz Classic Contakt Center / JDE

[ptashek]

I was refused a data card from MB a couple of months back after being instructed on this forum to write to them and ask for info. I was sent to my local dealership instead, could this be related?

Apparently, yes. You can now only request the cards via the dealer network.

[marku]

Thought that was always the case got mine from the dealer I bought parts from.

[UTn_boy]

I really feel like Mercedes-Benz is taking a turn for the worse when it comes to support for older vehicles. It worries me. Ten years ago you could get practically every part and nut and bolt for just about any car they ever made, and lots of free information. Now parts availability is highly reduced and any support that's left costs dearly.

Your feeling is spot on.  Mercedes is purposely exhausting all classic parts with no plans to restock anything.  I'm excluding things like filters, etc.....but even those are thinning out, too.  The only models they're concerned with keeping support alive and well for are 300SL and Pagoda models.  The price gouging is a tactic they're utilizing to thwart any/all interests in the older models.  I'm not sure why they're so against supporting the older models......maybe because people are starting to see that the newer models are already coming apart at the seams while a lowly W123 or W116 with hundreds of thousands of miles on them are still alive and well?   I know about 3 years ago classic Mercedes sales outnumbered new car Mercedes sales.  Not in volume, but in dollars.  I think this scared the crap out of Mercedes, and their retort is what they're doing now.......ending parts supplies and price gouging on what's left. 

Someone recently suggested that Mercedes can no longer make quality parts the way they used to be made in any efficient manner, and that if they could the prices for the end user would be astronomical.  I don't find that to be entirely true, but it does make some sense to a certain extent.  So who knows. 

[rumb]

In the 3 years I have been restoring my car I have seen many items that I already purchased that are now nla. Add to that the dozen or so critical parts like 6.9 front strut upper bushing that are nla and I feel like I am in the last group that will ever be able to fully restore one of these cars.  At least for me I have already bought nearly every new part possible for a 6.9 that I can find. The parts on my shelf are worth as much or more than the rest of the car I am working on.
On benzworld.com they trash talk uro to no end, but they are at least a company that is stepping in and making many nla parts. I think that is the way Mercedes is handling it now. Let someone else make the parts.

[UTn_boy]

I'm all for another company making part that are no longer available, but until URO can step up quality control I can't imagine buying things they make will end well.  A few years ago I tried to help URO by physically sending them various parts made by Mercedes to further develop what they were already replicating.  Sunroof seals, motor mounts, door seals, front/rear glass seals, etc.  I included cross sectional cuts and diagrams noting how their product differed from the Mercedes part, complete with measurements, radii, and even the proper material the part should be made from with chemical formulas.  I never heard back from them, and they never returned my NOS parts like they said they would.  So I just have to assume they don't care.