Long journey of auto service

Innovative service personnel found a walnut shell blasting technique for cleaning intake valves.

With the invention of automobile 126 years ago came the inevitable birth of auto service. As the inventor of automobile, Mercedes-Benz also played a major role in the history of auto service.

Looking back, service has come a long way, leaving behind lasting memories of its journey through the trials, tribulations and successes that helped pave the way for the industry as it is today.

Legendary origins

To continue her trip, Bertha Benz bought fuel at local pharmacies.

In 1888, Bertha Benz - wife of "the father of the automobile" Carl Benz - drove from the German city of Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother.

On her journey, Bertha encountered several barriers including difficulties in refueling and general technical challenges.

But she too was inventive, able to overcome obstacles with pioneering solutions - and making history by finding the world's first service technician.

At the time, fuel was only available in apothecaries for medicinal purposes, but Bertha boldly went to a local pharmacy to purchase fuel for her automobile.

To solve the other technical challenges, she consulted a blacksmith to help her mend the vehicle chain, used a long hairpin to clear a fuel pipe blockage, and also invented the automotive industry's first brake lining with the assistance of a cobbler, who helped nail leather over the brakes - making the cobbler the world's first-ever auto service technician.

So what began as a family trip marked the dawn of a long and adventurous history in auto service.

At the turn of the 20th century, cars were serviced in small, meager shops that were often unsafe place to work.

When large, sophisticated repairs were required, all of a car's fuel was drained, often causing dizziness from gasoline vapors.

A fatal hazard could be anyone who came close to workshops with a lit cigarette. The site could easily catch fire due to widespread fuel and oil residues, often held in an adjacent ditch where they had been drained.

Innovative solutions

Early workshops had a far from perfect work environment and lacked professional maintenance tools, so technicians had to find innovative solutions.

One breakthrough came when a vehicle was brought to shop after its engine experienced a drastic loss in power.

Available tools and materials were unsuited to the problem, so mechanics had to look elsewhere. They found an unexpected weapon - walnut shells.

They created walnut shell blasting to clean intake valves using fine particles, bringing the engine back to life.

Such initiative and perseverance laid a solid foundation for the future of Mercedes-Benz's After-Sales Service.

Bizarre experience

In the 1960s, a Mercedes-Benz service mechanic in Indonesia had a bizarre experience.

While driving a Mercedes-Benz service vehicle, he noticed the engine made an unusually loud noise.

When he opened the hood, he could not believe what he saw - a two-meter-long python staring back at him.

He quickly shut the hood and thought of ways to solve the problem. Eventually, a farmer came to his aid with a long stick to remove the snake.

From its humble but creative early days, after-sales service made tremendous progress as it took shape and reached the high standards that the industry offers today.

Each milestone in the auto industry was inseparable from improved maintenance and repair services.

With a heritage stretching back more than 125 years, Mercedes-Benz's After-Sales Service has evolved and continues to reach new heights. But it is still based on the renowned automaker's commitment to technical excellence and dedication to serving customer needs.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn