This marks my third and final visit to Inland Mercedes family business for an oil change, and each year, their practices seem increasingly questionable. My Mercedes, which has 48,000 miles, has consistently been flagged for needing new brakes and rotors. During this visit, I was quoted $2,154 for front and rear brakes and rotors, along with an additional $1,763 for a timing cover reseal. The documentation stated that my tire pressure was checked at 32 psi across all tires, despite having recently replaced all four tires, which actually show 34 psi in the front and 41 psi in the rear.
The oil change itself took about 20 minutes, after which the technician returned the key. However, Sonia kept the key and asked the technician if the vehicle required brakes as he was leaving, to which he confirmed that all four needed replacement. Shortly after, Sonia’s husband entered, and they began whispering and conversing in another language while I waited. When I inquired about my vehicle, Sonia mentioned that the technician was just finishing up. About five minutes later, she called me into her office and handed me the key, even though the technician, Alex, had not returned with it. When I questioned how she obtained the key, she claimed she went outside to get it.
I understand that times are tough, but attempting to deceive customers out of their hard-earned money while claiming their prices and services are superior to those of the dealership is utterly dishonest. It raises suspicions that they might be intentionally damaging vehicles for profit. Another customer who brought in their vehicle was informed it could take a day or more to be assessed, despite there being no other cars in the bay, while Alex was on the phone and Sonia’s husband was in the office eating. This experience has led me to believe that they are no longer a trustworthy establishment, if they ever were. They should be embarrassed by their conduct.
