Problems begin with servicing luxury cars in Russia
The German automobile concern Mercedes-Benz has completely disconnected Russian dealers from its software.
This was reported by the press service of MB RUS, the Mercedes-Benz distributor in Russia, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Indeed, dealers are disconnected from the manufacturer’s online software systems. In some cases, the lack of access to online systems will lead to an increase in repair time,” the Izvestia distributor said.
Now, the company says, car repairs and maintenance will be carried out on the basis of “accumulated experience and knowledge.”
“Due to the withdrawal of Mercedes-Benz AG from the Russian market, JSC MB RUS does not have any additional capabilities to check and carry out other service activities installed for Mercedes-Benz vehicles by the manufacturer,” the interlocutor added publications
At the same time, the Russian Automobile Dealers Association (ROAD) said that official dealers are experiencing problems with software for most foreign brands.
An industry source familiar with the situation cites increased repair times as the main problem.
“This applies not only to Mercedes, but also to BMW. It is clear that now dealers are doing their best to comply with warranty obligations to car owners. Third-party software and equipment sold on marketplaces help bypass restrictions. But in fact, the term “official dealer” is losing its meaning,” says the source.
In turn, Rosstandart did not receive messages from automobile concerns about the termination of recall campaigns in Russia and reminded that “failure to implement the agreed program of measures may have signs of an administrative offense” - Art. Code of Administrative Offenses on the manufacturer’s failure to take measures to prevent harm when handling products.
The situation with the blocking of Mercedes-Benz software from the point of view of ease of car servicing was called alarming by the vice-president of the National Automobile Union, Jan Heitzer, who believes that other concerns may soon limit access to their software for Russian dealers.
“Of course there are workarounds. Some dealers connect to services through European IP addresses or contact other companies, since most often online services are programmed by third parties. In addition, some of the diagnostics will “migrate” to offline mode,” says Heitzer.
He emphasized that disabling the software could lead to problems with the alarm system and car key coding.
A member of the public council at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow, Pyotr Shkumatov, explained that before turning off the Mercedes system, they collected information about the technical condition of the car, which made it possible to determine the malfunction in a matter of seconds and quickly fix it.
“We must prepare for the fact that service stations and dealers will have to study third-party software. I think the flow of customers to unofficial service stations will increase, since for the most part they have always used third-party diagnostic programs,” predicts Shkumatov.
In addition, experts agree that due to problems with servicing new cars, including those imported as parallel imports, the demand for older models and less sophisticated vehicles will increase.
Problems with servicing luxury cars in Russia are beginning.