Should my approved used Mercedes Benz have a full service history?

I bought an approved used Mercedes-Benz C-Class from a franchised dealership and was told it had full service history. We requested the documentation several times during and after the purchase of the car only to find out it had missed its first service and was in fact serviced at two years and 20,000 miles. We found this out having owned the car for nine months. When we challenged the dealership we were told the service history was not important and it would have no effect on the longevity of the vehicle. When we again said we weren't happy, we were told we weren't entitled to nine months free motoring so the best they could offer was a free service. We are not happy with this as if we had known from the beginning about its service history we would not have bought the car. What are our options?
This hinges on whether or not you were told the car has a full service history prior to purchase and whether or not one of the qualifications to be an 'Approved Used Mercedes' is a full service history. If it does then you were defrauded of the difference in value between your car and one that had a full service history.

I'd suggest going around a few Mercedes and independent dealers to determine an average difference in value between one that had a full service history and one that was first serviced at 20,000 miles. Then ask for that amount of money in compensation and if it is not forthcoming issue Small Claims procedures against the dealer for that money.
Answered by Honest John on

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