Under the Service Assistant banner it’s produced a sheaf of leaflets designed to encourage operators to take their vans to Mercedes-Benz dealers for everything from a pre-MoT inspection for a fiver and small repairs to paintwork and upholstery to safety checks on the brakes, tyres and lights and a service for the air conditioning system.

Clever promotions include a 25 per cent discount off labour and oil charges if the operator is willing to accept a standby booking; in other words, if he’s happy to wait until the dealership has a cancellation before he brings his van in for a service. A similar discount is available to tempt customers who may have drifted away from the Mercedes network – possibly into the arms of an independent dealer – back into the fold.

“Around 30 to 35 per cent of four- to six-year-old Mercedes vans continue to be serviced by our dealers and our aim is to increase this total to between 50 and 60 per cent,” Ilbury states.

Having a light commercial serviced at a Mercedes dealership isn’t as expensive as many operators suppose he contends. “It’s worth noting that we support vans through our commercial vehicle dealers and that they charge a lower labour rate than passenger car dealerships,” he observes. “Typically it’s 30 to 40 per cent less. What’s more, many of our dealers are open 24 hours a day,” he adds. Van servicing is provided from 110 locations.