Silver Arrow Mb Ltd

Where to start? I have used repair garages for 25 years and Silver Arrow MB is the worst experience I have ever had with a vehicle repairer. If you are expecting a prestigious specialist Mercedes class service, you will be very very disappointed.

The engine management light came on on my Mercedes CLA and the vehicle went into limp home mode. I took my car to a mainstream garage initially. They were unable to fix the fault and told me that the vehicle needed a Mercedes specialist.

To avoid an expensive bill, I was not keen on taking it to a Mercedes main dealer and after a Google search discovered Silver Arrow MB in Titchfield. They market themselves on their website as: "an alternative to main dealer prices; this therefore helps YOU (capitalised on their website) cut the cost of maintaining your Mercedes Benz." This could not be further from the experience that I had and if anything I feel completely ripped off.

I explained to the woman on reception by telephone that my car broke down on the motorway and that the engine management light came on and that another garage could not fix it. I asked if they had the expertise to deal with engine management faults and the woman on reception assured me that they did.

I dropped my car off with a brief note reiterating the conversation I had with the receptionist. The receptionist then phoned me and said they had identified the engine management fault and that it would cost £1,100 to repair. I agreed to this cost. A few days later, she phoned back again and said that they had identified additional work that required a further £500. I was not expecting that as it was getting expensive, but I did not quibble over it and agreed to the additional cost, and again sought reassurance that it would fix the engine management light fault. She assured me that it would fix the problem.

When I picked the vehicle up a few days later, I paid the £1,600 and was told that the engine management light problem had been fixed.

After two short journeys and only two days later, the engine management light came back on and the car again was in limp home mode, so I could not drive it on the motorway. I phoned the garage back and the receptionist immediately said that they were very busy and could not fit me in. When I expressed that I was unsatisfied with that response, she then reluctantly agreed for me to bring the vehicle back in. Within a couple of hours, the receptionist phoned me back and said my car was ready for collection. I asked her if the car was fixed, she said no and asked that I come and collect my car. When I returned to their garage, their mechanic was present and he immediately blamed the first garage, failing to acknowledge that the reason I took it to them was because they market themselves as a Mercedes specialist. Essentially I was fobbed off, that much was very clear.

I then took my car to a Mercedes main dealer and they identified additional work completely different to that carried out by Silver Arrow MB at a cost of approximately £800. The work carried out by the Mercedes main dealer has fixed the car and engine management light problem, which clearly suggests that the work that Silver Arrow MB purportedly carried out was not properly identified or needed at all.

The fact that the Mercedes main dealer fixed the car for £800 and these so-called Mercedes Silver Arrow MB specialists charged me £1,600 and could not fix the car and engine management light problem speaks for itself.

Do not use this garage, save yourself time and money and go to a Mercedes main dealer.