New Jersey - Page 9 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

NYC300E · #**121** 01-13-2006, 09:30 PM

There's a great guy named Jeff who does good work on my Me/be 300e in Queens. They only works on Mercedes. It's called Ernst foreign car Service. The number is (718) 539-5522. My car is an 87 and he keeps it rolling like new.

Benz300 · #**122** 04-14-2006, 11:59 PM

Yes, you heard it. it's one of the biggest mercedes dealers in NJ, BUT they've charged me less than some of the indies in central jersey. Best part is, they never give you hassle when you go back within warranty period to get something fixed if it gives problems again. I've had them fix stuff even after the warranty mileage had expired.
These days indies charge about 90/hr in central jersey. that's about what ray catena charges as well. And I trust the dealer service more than any indie in NJ atleast. dont know about other states. I've tried almost all the indies in the central jersey area by now.

the indies always are nice when they make money but always have an attitude if you go back to get something done right which they didn't do the first time.
as an example, Sears aligned the 260E, screwed it up, charged 109.00
after 3 visits and quite frustration, i went to ray catena. they charged me $90 and perfecly aligned it !

#**123** 04-15-2006, 12:47 PM

Hmm, this is the first -extremely- positive review of Catena's I've heard. No thanks. I'll stick with Exclusive Auto in Lakewood. Bob and his guys know Mercedes probably better than any mechanic in Catena's, AND he doesn't charge anywhere near $90/hour. I know a guy that works in the repair department. I still go to Exclusive Auto.

Benz300 · #**124** 04-15-2006, 01:21 PM

you can read my posts. I've pretty much tried all of the other private shops in NJ. I've wasted money at the private "exclusive Mercedes shops" as well. at the end they fix half the job, dont honor their warranty and I had to end up going to ray catena to get the job done properly. Most of us here are pretty thorough about how the work gets done and for that matter I've learnt the hard way that not all dealers but atleast ray catena does the job right. their staff is really curteous and they dont mind taking my cars in last minute without appointment either. to me that's good service.
I can't say the same about the mercedes dealer in morristown or in south jersey. They're arrogant to the point where I didnt want to deal with them. They even had issues when i brought my 87 car in. They would look at it and make me feel as if I should've thrown the car away by now and buy a new one instead of having it serviced there and waste their precious time.
Morristown Mercedes even denied aligning the 260E last year. then 2 months later they changed their service manager who agreed to do the alighment but still couldnt get it right. ray catena had it aligned perfectly everytime I've brought it in. I've had major engine service, transmission service, suspension, electrical services for the 190E and 260E and always ended up paying less than what the indies quoted. can't beat that

I might not buy the car from them, as their sales dept. wants to keep way too much margin, but I'll recommend them for service.

ronald_m · #**125** 04-15-2006, 06:21 PM

Hands down to "the german car shop" in Edison.Sergio and Gabe knows Mercedes.

peterhardie · #**126** 04-18-2006, 01:36 PM

Good to know about Catena's alignment charges, may check them out. My guy doesn't do alignments, and a good alignment is not easy to find.

I am loyal to my tech, Euopean Tech in Emerson, all Mercedes, and the owner is the nicest tech around. Haven't shopped for a tech in years, no plans to.

I have always said, find a good mechanic, and marry him or her. Sometimes price is not the best indicator.

chivas · #**127** 07-09-2006, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benz300

you can read my posts. I've pretty much tried all of the other private shops in NJ. I've wasted money at the private "exclusive Mercedes shops" as well. at the end they fix half the job, dont honor their warranty and I had to end up going to ray catena to get the job done properly. Most of us here are pretty thorough about how the work gets done and for that matter I've learnt the hard way that not all dealers but atleast ray catena does the job right. their staff is really curteous and they dont mind taking my cars in last minute without appointment either. to me that's good service.
I can't say the same about the mercedes dealer in morristown or in south jersey. They're arrogant to the point where I didnt want to deal with them. They even had issues when i brought my 87 car in. They would look at it and make me feel as if I should've thrown the car away by now and buy a new one instead of having it serviced there and waste their precious time.
Morristown Mercedes even denied aligning the 260E last year. then 2 months later they changed their service manager who agreed to do the alighment but still couldnt get it right. ray catena had it aligned perfectly everytime I've brought it in. I've had major engine service, transmission service, suspension, electrical services for the 190E and 260E and always ended up paying less than what the indies quoted. can't beat that

I might not buy the car from them, as their sales dept. wants to keep way too much margin, but I'll recommend them for service.

They just built some insanely huge service garage... i mean this thing is HUGE!!!!!!

it's not sales the dealers makes money on, it's service and if they do a good job then they will prosper.

ILUVMILS · #**128** 07-09-2006, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chivas

it's not sales the dealers makes money on, it's service and if they do a good job then they will prosper.

Nothing could be further from the truth!!! New car dealers wouldn't even HAVE service departments if they had a choice. The money they have to spend to support a decent service department is huge compared to what it costs to run the showroom. When you consider the fact that salesman can turn a profit of several thousand dollars in a short amount of time it's a no-brainer. Also, the overwhelming majority of headaches/complaints/hassles are generated by the service department. Don't get me wrong, though. A well run service department DOES turn a profit, but it's nothing compared to sales.

chivas · #**129** 07-09-2006, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILUVMILS

Nothing could be further from the truth!!! New car dealers wouldn't even HAVE service departments if they had a choice. The money they have to spend to support a decent service department is huge compared to what it costs to run the showroom. When you consider the fact that salesman can turn a profit of several thousand dollars in a short amount of time it's a no-brainer. Also, the overwhelming majority of headaches/complaints/hassles are generated by the service department. Don't get me wrong, though. A well run service department DOES turn a profit, but it's nothing compared to sales.

the amount of money generated from service could > then sales. not everyone would buy a MB (or any brand) from that one shop but if that said shop does extremely well in service, they will get repeat customers and that's where the money's made.

i can buy a car from a street dealer or from somewhere else (like on ebay) but when it comes to servicing and if the dealer by me has a good rep, i'm bringing it there. guess what? they didn't make the sale but they made a customer.

the overall cost to run a proper service is tough but it's still big money to be made.

whunter · #**130** 07-09-2006, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILUVMILS

Nothing could be further from the truth!!! New car dealers wouldn't even HAVE service departments if they had a choice. The money they have to spend to support a decent service department is huge compared to what it costs to run the showroom. When you consider the fact that salesman can turn a profit of several thousand dollars in a short amount of time it's a no-brainer. Also, the overwhelming majority of headaches/complaints/hassles are generated by the service department. Don't get me wrong, though. A well run service department DOES turn a profit, but it's nothing compared to sales.

You sir are correct...
Service can Not generate the revenue that sales does.

Have a great day.

Schmohey · #**131** 07-28-2006, 10:25 PM

Are there any good shops in Jersey (preferably in South Jersey, but North is ok) that does r12 freon recharge?

Benz300 · #**132** 07-29-2006, 01:18 AM

go to ray catena mercedes dealer in edison. They do r12 recharge and will warranty the work as well. Unlike indy's who insist on changing the system to r134 and then leaving you with a system that wont cool as it should. spend the extra $ and be happier in the long run.
good luck.

Schmohey · #**133** 07-29-2006, 04:02 AM

Do you know how much do they charge?

PH1958 · #**134** 08-27-2006, 07:14 AM

Ramsey Motors (in Ramsey, NJ) recently reopened and retained a very knowledgeable and trustworthy primary mechanic. While Ramsey, NJ is in Bergen County, it might be worth a try.

jrock0210 · #**135** 09-01-2006, 05:20 PM

Does anyone have any experience with Phil's Foreign Car Service on Route 46 in Roxbury, NJ (Kenvil section of Roxbury). It's about a mile down the road (heading east) from Roxbury Foreign Auto, which is Heinz and Andreas' shop. Thanks for your input.