What a waste of time… First I logged into their website on June 15th to book a service appointment. First available date was July 1st at 8am which I booked. Backup date was the second of July, same time. On July 1st at 10 am I get a text message saying “we don’t have an opening on your selected date, the next available opening in July 8th. I booked it and made the call to confirm it.
My service request was a simple transmission service on a 2011 E550 RWD sedan. Torque converter drain and filter, pan gasket fluid and pan bolt replacement, as the bolts are one time use only(stretch type).
First I get a text message saying “the mechanic is not able to provide a transmission service as requested, because he can not drain the torque converter “ She then suggested that I take my car to the dealer.
I asked if they could just drain the old fluid, replace the filter and the gasket and replace the pan bolts with new ones and she responded “we suggest a BG transmission service and here is a link where you can have it done. No we don’t replace old pan bolts with new ones”
Yes I know FCP Euro has lifetime warranty parts and OEM fluids and I have been using them for years. The problem was that I just didn’t have the time (and the lift) to do it on my own, like I have been. I just thought to give someone else a chance to do it with pay of course….
But when they totally disregard the value of my time by texting the day of my appointment that was scheduled two weeks in advance, telling me to reschedule , I booked it for a week later, as I wanted to try them out. But when they tell me that a simple gravity fluid drain isn’t possible and I have to do a forced fluid exchange, using old out of specs bolts, I thought to myself, “this place is good for oil changes, brakes and tires.” Nothing else. They seem to cater to wealthy Meridian women, who like to drop their car keys and drive off after the phone call their car is ready. If you think your car is more than a point A to point B transporter, do your self a favor and go elsewhere…
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, Stavros. I’m sorry your experience fell short of what you expected, and I appreciate you detailing what happened so we can address it.
We dropped the ball on the initial scheduling communication, and that’s on us. Our normal appointment coordinator was out, which created a gap. Your request came in on June 26th, and we should have confirmed availability much sooner instead of a last-minute text on the 1st. You shouldn’t have had to deal with that disruption after planning ahead, and I apologize for wasting your time.
Regarding the service itself, there was a clear miscommunication. The person who responded to your questions is not a technician and was relaying information second-hand while our techs were tied up. Unfortunately, the details provided about the torque converter drain and pan bolts were incorrect. We are fully equipped and experienced with 722.9 transmissions, including proper torque converter draining, filter service, pan gasket replacement, and the one-time-use stretch bolts. That’s standard procedure for us on these units. Suggesting a dealer or BG service was not the right response, and I’m sorry that left you feeling dismissed.
We’re not perfect, and this was a failure in both communication and internal coordination. We’ve already reviewed the situation with the team to prevent it from happening again.
As for the comment about our typical customers, I understand why it felt that way from the outside, but it doesn’t reflect the reality of who we serve. We work on a wide range of vehicles and customers — including many Mercedes owners who expect (and receive) proper service on performance and luxury cars like yours.
I understand this experience confirmed we’re not the right shop for you, and I respect that. We focus on customers who want thorough, technician-led service on their Mercedes rather than a quick drop-off experience. I wish you the best finding a shop that better matches what you’re looking for with your E550.
- Oscar's Automotive