Patrick West, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Commercial Vehicle Certified Diagnostic Technician
Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell Service Technician, Patrick West, has a new accomplishment to add to his list of achievements! Patrick is now 1 of 120 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Technicians nationwide who can call themself a Commercial Vehicle Certified Diagnostic Technician! Patrick was hand picked by a Mercedes-Benz Field Technician Specialist to apply to the course. From there he was selected by MBUSA to partake in the course.
Patrick grew up in Fayetteville, Ohio, just 50 miles east of Cincinnati, on a cattle and crop farm. He began his career early by servicing and repairing his family’s farm equipment. He started his professional career as a technician working at a dealership at just 16 years-old working on commercial vehicles. After years of working, learning, and loving commercial vans, Patrick decided he needed a change of pace! It just so happened that a new dealership was opening with an open position for a commercial van technician, at Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell! This is when he decided to switch brands and begin working on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans. Patrick says he decided to make the change because he feels Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans are a “better product” which makes working on them that much better!
When asked why he chose to work on commercial vehicles rather than standard vehicles, Patrick says he was thrown into it because he was “small enough to fit!” The more serious answer being he finds them much more simple to work on! Without so many different models, Patrick says he is able to become an expert in all things Sprinter!
So what’s next for Patrick? Hopefully a 1967 Lincoln Continental – his dream car!
The Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell Service Department is serious about safety…that’s why Shop Foreman Barry Norman is grinning so broadly! Today he is working on a 2010 S400 HYBRID which is actually the very first model in the automotive industry to be marketed with a lithium-ion battery.
HYBRID cars and SUV’s have complex wiring systems so it’s crucial that proper training and protective measures be observed during their servicing, troubleshooting and repairs. To protect the vehicle’s occupants and Service Technicians, all Mercedes-Benz HYBRID power circuits are heavily insulated and the high voltage cables are clearly distinguishable by their bright orange coloring.
Mercedes-Benz HYBRID vehicles require specialty training so service should only be performed by a certified professional. This training is also vehicle specific: a Technician certified to work on a HYBRID S-class is not necessarily certified to work on a HYBRID ML or a B-class Electric. Barry attended an intensive S400 HYBRID training course in Jacksonville. To stress the necessity of the training, attendees were shown pictures of actual burns sustained by the improper handling of live, high voltage components. This is why insulated rubber gloves are a must-have for Technicians working on HYBRID vehicles. These gloves must be inspected for punctures and tears prior to every use. Additionally, they must be inspected and certified by an outside party every 6 months to ensure that the integrity of the gloves have in no way been compromised. The coordinating hard hat Barry is sporting in this photo is not required by the factory for HYBRID handling – it was just a happy coincidence!
At the conclusion of the course, participating Technicians must individually demonstrate to the instructor how to set up a “safety zone” (think a bright yellow caution tape fence) and competently deactivate and re-activate the high voltage system. Once HYBRID training is successfully completed, Technicians sign official certification documents which are kept on file by Mercedes-Benz.
Is your Mercedes-Benz HYBRID due for service? Book your next appointment online at www.mbfm.com or call us at 859-331-1500!
Meet Bridgette Alfaro, Service Coordinator at MBFM…and Bridgette’s brand new GLA250!
Bridgette’s been all smiles at work the past couple of days. If you ask her why, she’ll smile even wider and say something like: “My life has changed so much in the past 5 months! I moved across the country, I have my very own apartment, I have a great job that I enjoy everyday and I drive a 2015 Mercedes-Benz!”
Bridgette’s originally from Austin, Texas. She’s her parents’ only daughter and her brothers’ only sister. Bridgette likes to joke that her move to the Midwest has been harder on her tight-knit family than her: “Sure, I was nervous to leave but I was excited too!” So, how did it happen that an ambitious 19-year old decided to throw a couple of suitcases into the back of her Longhorn orange Jeep and drive off into the (figuratively speaking) sunset?
“It was a great opportunity – how could I say no?” In all fairness, the opportunity didn’t just fall out of the sky – Texas isn’t exactly famous for its precipitation – it arrived because of her eagerness to accept new challenges and her desire to excel. Bridgette’s strong work ethic and sunny disposition made a big impression on Jeff Pauley, Service & Parts Director at MBFM, while working together at an automotive Dealership in Texas. “Bridgette has a really bright future ahead of her. She has maturity and ambition far surpassing that of most of her peers.”
So what’s our beloved Service Coordinator’s response if you ask her “What’s next?” She’ll get all wide-eyed and excited and say: “That’s an easy one – Service Advisor!” Challenge accepted.
In the meantime, Bridgette’s MBFM family is eagerly awaiting her reaction to her very first winter…with snow. No worries though – Bridgette’s GLA is a 4matic!
We were lucky (and happy) to play a small part this past weekend in a “car rally” for Jason.
“Meet Jason. Jason is a kid full of energy, something we wish we all had. I didn’t know Jason a few months ago but I got a random email from a friend that changed that. A friend named Jack sent me a message asking for my help. He noticed Jason sitting outside his house one day watching cars drive by and he was always waving. This went on for a while. After some contact with Jason’s parents, Jack asked me if we wanted to gather some cars together and hold a rally for Jason, just a little drive to his house so he could see some cool cars and meet some awesome people.”
Kathryn Allen Couture stopped by earlier this week for a fun photoshoot with her luxury handbag designs. Visit her website to learn more and see the collection: kathrynallencouture.com
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“With the idea of luxury and the highest of quality in mind, every handbag and accessory is crafted using old world techniques, and a hands-on approach that is truly rare in today’s industry. The sumptuous exotic skins are handpicked from all corners of the globe, and each handbag’s hardware is carefully curated from a century-old establishment in Italy. The company’s handbags also boast a beautiful suede lining and quality thread that is hand-dyed by a group of multigenerational artisans to match each exotic skin. It is this meticulous step-by-step approach that allows Kathryn Allen Couture to provide a bespoke service, giving every client the ability to create their own luxury handbag from start to finish.”
Our in-house photographer, Lyndsey, took the CLA 45 AMG up to Devou Park. A stunning backdrop for an equally stunning car. Follow us on Instagram for more jaw-dropping pictures: @MBFtMitchell
You can also see these pictures on the official Mercedes-Benz of Germany Instagram: @mercedesbenz_de, and on @der_landgraf
Our dealerships were given the challenge to create a walk-around video for one of our cars. Together, Sable, our Social Media Manager, and Mike, our AMG Expert, put together this video.
Interested to see what our dealership in Cleveland did?
Throughout the experience we learned more and more about the brand and more of what Mercedes-Benz is all about. And to say that the Mercedes-Benz brand is trailblazing the road of innovation for the car world, wouldn’t be a lie. The sticker price on your car not only ensures that you have one of the most beautiful, high-performing, hand-crafted vehicles on the road- but it’s one of the safest and often times, the first of its kind.
To date (or at least, as of February 19) Mercedes-Benz had 100,219 patents and counting. To put that into perspective, it’s significantly more patents than Apple has. Mercedes invented the trunk, the glove box, door handles that you can grab with your entire hand rather than lifting up- just to name a few. But the best part about all of these patented ideas, is that Mercedes-Benz sells them for $1 so that other organizations have access to this information and can use it for their own products.
Later in the day we got to see first-hand a lot of these patented ideas in action and headed to the Barber Motorsports Park for an off-road experience and then to the racetrack to try some cars our for ourselves. I’ll save the racetrack post for next week- it’s to awesome not be a standalone experience.
But the off road experience was wild! Groups of three piled into GL 450’s driven by MB USI employees. You either went one of two ways: into the woods, or on the open course. My group headed to the woods first.
At this point, we were on a 70% incline- and the car completely adjusted itself to the necessary settings, and you can kind of hear our guide talk about that a little.
At one point they balanced the car on TWO wheels! From this it just looks a little messy, but it was super cool!
We also drove through nearly 2 ft. of water without an issue.
This is what it looks like when the off road feature is engaged. This prevents the bottom of the car from scraping anything below.This is how your wheels look normally.The open course.Team Land!
For someone who sees cars in the showroom and online, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to actually experience the innovation and safety feature I so often read about. Never, would I ever, have thought a GL was capable of the same off roading as a G-Wagon (surprise, it is!). Not to mention, this came with 360 degree camera views (even one up above) and a reallllly nice back camera for using your hitch- perfect for those of you who own horses, a boat, whatever else you can tow behind you.
After this, I definitely have a new level of respect for the mechanical technology in these cars. Especially the GL 450.
To see more videos from the trip, check out our YouTube Page.
The Brand Immersion Experience is designed to bring over 26,000 Mercedes-Benz employees to the factory in Vance, Alabama. Over the course of two days, employees receive an immersion into Mercedes-Benz brand culture, including a factory tour, classroom training, and off-road experience and driving at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. You may remember that Erik went back in the fall, and Sable had the opportunity last week.
After spending all day at CVG due to flight cancellations and delays, I finally made it to Birmingham at roughly 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Day 1 commenced at 7 a.m. for breakfast and then we were split into our groups (Sea, Air, Land). Like Erik, I ended up in the Land group. Once on the bus we were headed to the MB USI Training Center.
Inside the training center we did a few activities and met our facilitators for the next few days: Christie and Johannes. Both fantastic leaders and enthusiasts for the brand. Land group immediately hopped the bus and headed to the factory tour; however, the factory is a designated International Trade Zone, so we were unable to take pictures on the inside.
Way back there, above the trees, you can make out the factory. MB USI produces some 200,000 cars a year. These cars, produced in the 5,000,000 sq. ft. factory, travel more than 6 miles over a span of 3 days before they roll off the production line. Shipped to over 130 markets worldwide, these cars are processed by 1,700 robots and touched by over 500 human hands.
The factory in Vance, AL., produces the ML, GL, C-Class, R-Class and new GLE models.
This GLE is from my trip to Detroit earlier in the year.
The factory can put out 1,200 cars a day, which means every 90 seconds a car rolls off the assembly line. Every car is built because of an order, rather than mass production and handing dealerships however many cars MB USA thinks is good.
A lot of this is made possible by the incredible Kuka Robotics systems in place. At 10 ft. tall, with the ability to life 1.2 tons, the Kuka can select, identify and install parts. When the factory first opened in 1997 there were only 24 Kuka’s, there are now nearly 2000.
With the ability to measure accuracy up to a nanometer, the Kuka is all about precision. In the body shop, it is assembly production only. No casting or forging takes place here, where 90% of the process is automated. At some stations the Kuka has over 300 targets to check as well as welds.
Take a look at the video below to get an idea of what the Kuka is capable of.
Reed, our tour guide, let us know that if there are ever any errors they are corrected or the car is scratched completely- there are never “repairs”.
The factory is also set up with what they call “Just In Time” which is a mechanical delivery of parts to different areas. These robots deliver parts to the machines to last them 24 hours. This way, if anything were to ever be damaged it only effects one day of production as opposed to many.
From the body shop, cars head to the paint shop, which is a pressurized environment that applies: e-coat, primer, base coat and top coat. Did you know that prior to top-coating, each body is cleaned with emu feathers on rotating rollers to remove the finest dust?
After the paint shop, the cars head to Assembly, which is the opposite of the body shop: 90% hands on interaction and only 10% automated.
The factory, much to my surprise, is a 0 landfill site and contributes no waste! Incredible, when you consider how the large the facility is! From paper to plastic caps, there is a container with a flyer about why recycling this product is important.
To say that the factory tour was impressive would be an understatement. The attention to detail for each and every car is astounding, and adds up to a total of some 15,000 parts- double the average car.
The Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell AutoSpa membership is designed to maintain your vehicle’s appearance between detail services. Members receive an automated soft cloth exterior wash and an interior vacuum of the passenger compartment. The dashboard is lightly wiped down and the exterior of the car is dried with a soft chamois.
Complimentary ‘Pit Stop’ service is also available upon request.*
*Pit Stop service includes: inspection of tire tread depth/condition and nitrogen pressure adjustment, four-wheel alignment inspection, battery power test, top-off windshield washer fluid. This first-class service is completed in about 15 minutes while you relax and enjoy refreshments in our client lounge.
*Due to weather restrictions, the car wash will be closed when it is 30 or colder outside! Please check local weather listings, as well as our Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates.
AutoSpa Charter Membership
Anyone who purchases or leases a vehicle from Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell will qualify for an AutoSpa Charter Membership. You’ll receive unlimited Spa service/Pit Stop inspections for however long you own or lease that vehicle.
Have you already purchased from, or serviced a vehicle at MBFM? GREAT NEWS!!:
Anyone who serviced their vehicle with Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell from our opening in October 2013 to December 31, 2014 qualifies for a Charter Membership!
Anyone who purchased or leased a car with Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell from our opening in October 2013 to December 31, 2014 qualifies for a Charter Membership!
AutoSpa Memberships
Are available to anyone who owns a vehicle, regardless of make or model, for $250 plus tax. AutoSpa Memberships are purchased per vehicle. The membership guarantees unlimited Spa service/Pit Stop inspections for 1-year from the date of membership purchase.
AustoSpa Memberships can be purchased in the Service Department. Your vehicle must be present at the time of purchase so that the exterior can be inspected to ensure there are no accessories or other physical characteristics determined to be incompatible with our mechanized car wash.
How Does It Work?
Each AutoSpa Membership is tied to a vehicle VIN number. You’ll receive a clear windshield sticker that is placed near the VIN plate. The sticker must remain on the car in order for memberships to remain valid. If you lose the sticker, it can be replaced at MBFM for no additional charge.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I own another car. Does the AutoSpa Charter Membership/AutoSpa Membership cover this car too?
AutoSpa Memberships are Vin specific. One car = one membership.
Can I share a membership with a friend or family member?
No. Memberships are non-transferable and are VIN specific.
I have paint that requires my car be hand washed. Is this included in the AutoSpa Membership?
The AutoSpa memberships are strictly for service by our state-of-the-art automated car wash. However, if you purchase a vehicle from MBFM that requires hand washes, we are happy to perform this service. Please expect this car wash service to take a significantly longer amount of time, especially during peak hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Can I purchase a gift card for a membership?
You are welcome to purchase a gift certificate in the amount of a membership ($265.06 after tax) but no membership will be issued until the vehicle and owner are present for the required vehicle inspection. Membership enrollment is not guaranteed until the vehicle has been inspected.
What about gratuity?
Gratuities are a lovely gesture, but not necessary or accepted.
I heard you offer a courtesy wash, is this true?
Yes. Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell offers one complimentary courtesy wash for any Mercedes-Benz vehicle that has not been purchased, leased or serviced here with the option to purchase an AutoSpa membership.
I purchased my car from another Bernie Moreno Company dealership, do I qualify for a courtesy wash?
Yes. Any client that has purchased a car through a Bernie Moreno Company dealership qualifies for one complimentary courtesy wash with the option to purchase an AutoSpa membership.
Opened in October 2013, Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell is a Bernie Moreno Company. We serve the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati area. MBFM is a luxury dealership with a personal touch. Our vision is to be recognized as a place of delight where engaged team members take ownership of our client's experience, regardless of their role, with the goal of creating positive memories.
Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell! 