While temporarily working under a systems technician, I really understood what a Benz is truly made of.
BHPian saoitvsk23 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I recently graduated my bachelors in Automobile Engineering from a reputed “deemed to be university” in Andhra Pradesh, and shortly will be leaving to the USA for pursuing my masters in Automotive and Mobility Systems Engineering.
I did my internship from a reputed Mercedes Benz Customer Service Centre here in Hyderabad. I had joined them in Jan 2023 and ended my internship in May 2023, as the minimum time stipulated by my University Regulation was 4 months or 120 days. The dealership has been flawlessly operating here since the last 8 odd years. I have had a wonderful time working with the technicians over there. They possess a wonderful skill that allowed the company to use them efficiently. I had interacted with many maintenance technicians, diagnostic technicians, and systems technicians. Many of them were filled to the brim with extensive knowledge of these Benz cars, as a result of their extensive and exhaustive training at MB Pune and GEC (Government Engineering College) Barton Hill.
I had zero mechanical experience because of the covid lockdown, and had only theory knowledge by watching YouTube videos. I had wantedly opted to work as a Technical Trainee under a certified technician. I had basically learnt how to perform A and B-Type services on these Benz cars. I had experienced almost all the types : A, B, C, E, S and G Class Vehicles. Even the V-Class vans too. I got to work on a C300, LWB S-Class Sedans, and at times would be allotted to work on GLE’s or GLS’s. A few GLA’s, GLB’s and GLC’s here and there. Tons of C-class and E-Class Sedans. This being Hyderabad, the big SUV’s were very common to spot in the workshop. I got to experience, diagnose and service these luxury cars. I never even had a random thought that I would be seated inside a Benz one day.
I am still very, very thankful for all the people who have helped me have a good time at that dealership, mostly by my guiding technician. He was almost like an elder brother to me, and helped me understand the processes and procedures to be followed while servicing a car.
While temporarily working under a systems technician, I really understood what a Benz is truly made of. Modules. Lots and lots of control modules. Perhaps this is not a new thing for everyone to know, as everyone here knows that these individual modules are the backbone for Luxury German Cars. I had a great time learning how to diagnose these modules using their XENTRY Diagnostic tab. This is just pure automotive magic. Generally resetting these would help lose the error, but if not then a replacement would be ordered. Their own logistics system, which is used to haul parts from all corners of the world is just flawless. Literally flawless. Any running (currently produced) part you order, you would get it within 10-20 days. No excuses like “saar there is backorder on parts we cannot source it, sorry saar”. We once had a 240D from the early 1980’s brought to our dealership for a routine service. It took them under 1 month to order consumables like air filters and other filters. There were days when we handled parts which were sourced from Mexico, Spain, France, Japan too at times.
I had got to experience all kinds of their infotainment systems, MBUX being the latest. the MBUX wasn’t my cup of tea though. The previous infotainment system was flawless. Apple CarPlay was amazing. I didn’t know about Android Auto as me and my technician, both of us had iPhones to test them. Wireless charging was good too. The Burmester speaker setup with Surround Sound enabled on the higher models (occasionally E-Class and mostly S-class) was just harmony to the ears. Instrumental tracks felt like concerts.
This one being a Mercedes dealership, it has strict work quality control levels.
Any kind of shoddy jobs are not accepted at all. No last drop of any fluid is wasted. Be it fuel, engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid and coolant. Fuel is never touched. Infact if the fuel is critically low, there were cases where fuel was filled and the customer was billed accordingly. All the useful fluids are carefully collected and stored. The burnt and used oils are carefully disposed by collecting into an oil drainer and emptying it. Every job is carried out by the approval of the customer themselves.
But honestly, after working here, I have gained so much respect for all the technicians. Their blood, sweat and tears go into keeping us comfortable, all while they are paid peanuts, as compared to the service advisors.
And now, a few pictures from my time working there, for your viewing pleasure:
Keyword: Did a 5 month internship at a Mercedes service centre: My learnings