Mercedes service history goes all digital
This will be excellent when you go to buy that used Mercedes. Rather than searching high and low for that needle-in-a-haystack owner who kept meticulous records and the car serviced to a T, Mercedes is rolling out a Digital Service Booklet. Mercedes says it will be more convenient and efficient to build a digital record of a vehicle's service history than trying to track it on dead trees. The DSB rollout will spread gradually throughout the entire Mercedes range, and owners will be supplied with a folder to house DSB printouts. With service data centralized, you no longer have to rely on your dealer to keep records of your car, which means you can pretty much get the car serviced at any MBZ dealer and they'll know just what's been done to your car. We wish our doctors and specialists could get it together the same way.
[Source: Pistonheads]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
schtaan 5:30PM (3/09/2009)
The service info is just stored in Mercedes own database and NOT inside the car.
That info is only available if the service garage is connected to MBs EVA system. The service record has to manualy be entered there and the garage have 14 day to do that, after that it's too late. Can't be done after that.
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geo.stewart 3:08PM (10/19/2007)
What they should do is also to store it on the car so that any service tech can plug in and download the records.
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desmo 3:09PM (10/19/2007)
Hmm...and strangely enough I've had this with my Subaru for a few years now. But I didn't get a free folder to house my printouts...
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Vivek 3:25PM (10/19/2007)
I wish all car companies would do this.
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KazO 3:26PM (10/19/2007)
BMW's had this through DCSNet for several years now. For a few years now, dealers have had a device that would read the VIN and miles off your key, and it would pull up your car's purchase and service history.
Of course none of this does any good if the car's been serviced independently or by the owner.
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SBC 3:54PM (10/19/2007)
There are services on the web that do this for all cars, regardless of where you service your car. For example, check out http://www.servicebeacon.com/ which is currently in Beta.
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Michael Lis 3:58PM (10/19/2007)
Sorry but this seems like its just another way to guide consumers into only using the dealerships for service.
Given the quality of work that comes out of my local dealership and the extreme prices they charge... well I'll be sticking to dead trees in the glove box and either my oil stained garage floor or my friendly local mechanic.
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Toy Yoda 4:09PM (10/19/2007)
Yeah, BMW has this for a few years, but you'd be mistaken if it streamlines the service of your car or reduces error. Mainly because, BMW doesn't track via VIN. They track via owner name. I am in the BMW database 3 times because the primitives at my dealership can never spell my last name correctly.
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Toy Yoda 4:12PM (10/19/2007)
Ofcourse, this creates all sorts of annoying problems. I didn't have these actual problems, because I can't remember, but it usually something like the following:
BMW SA: You're not due for a service.
Toy Yoda: Well check my other name in your database.
or
Toy Yoda: You know in my regularly scheduled checkup, you forgot to change my oil.
BMW SA: It says you're not due for one.
Toy Yoda: My cars says so. Check my other name, or the third one.
BMW SA: Oh yeah.
Toy Yoda: What else have you forgotten?
docsd 4:55PM (10/19/2007)
Just to let you know - the reason that this is not done for healthcare information is simple, the U.S. gov't takes patients' privacy VERY seriously. With the exception of the Veterans Administration - all patient data is kept in separately confidential databases, every transfer and access to information has to be approved by the patient. The result is that information can often backlog and there is almost no centralization at all outside of insurance companies. You may want to keep this in mind before you get pissed at your doctor the next time around. Either that or put less importance on your privacy.
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