If there is anyone in Latvia who knows everything about the technical side of Mercedes-Benz cars, it is Māris Putnieks. And that goes for all cars - passenger cars, vans and trucks. Maris has already been working as Mercedes-Benz AG's general representative in Riga, Latvia, for 25 years.
Māris Putnieks started his career in the company as a diagnostics expert. For the past four years, he has been the official Mercedes-Benz Service Manager - half of the time for trucks, half for cars and vans.
Do you remember your first day with Mercedes-Benz?
It was full of surprises and new features. I had absolutely no experience with this brand. The first strange thing I encountered was their classification. A colleague said: "Go and have a look at the 140, see its mileage". Went out into the courtyard - there's no such marking anywhere! Later I realised that they are called by their body type. The engine capacities were also a surprise. At that time, in our province, a 2-litre engine was already considered big. Here - S500, S600. Not to mention the sensations of driving them.
Mercedes-Benz has brought many technological innovations to the automotive industry. Which of them do you find most impressive?
In my time, I think the most impressive was the introduction of the CAN system, which completely changed the electrical system architecture of the car.
Mercedes-Benz is known as the family car brand from generation to generation. What is the most special Mercedes-Benz car you have had the opportunity to work with?
I can't name one in particular that is significantly better than the others. Several remain in my memory. One of them was the W126 560SEL belonging to the Danish Embassy, whose equipment and trim was "wooooow"! There are many clients with whom I still communicate. They have changed many models, but they are still in the Mercedes family.
A diagnostic expert is like a doctor who has to find the cause of "feeling unwell". What is your biggest victory (most interesting story)?
Here you really have to act like a doctor- dispatcher, because you have to get out as much information as possible about the complaint from the client, process it, investigate it. You also need a reliable team in the service that you can trust.
The most interesting case probably was with the CL500. This car sometimes had a fault in the braking system. The process took almost 2 years. The case had been referred to me by a previous colleague. Step by step, we had changed the whole system, but there was no result. Throughout the process, Daimler technical support colleagues were involved. The client had prepared a claim for submission to the court. I decided to go through the whole process from A to Z again. And the root of the problem was revealed in the first diagnostic step, which was not done correctly. There is a reason why among diagnosticians there is a saying: "Trust no one"!😊
After a quarter of a century spent in the world of Mercedes-Benz, when it seems that you know it all, where do you look and find new challenges?
Mercedes-Benz is full of challenges. Constant innovation and rapid model changes mean that we never rest on our laurels. And the absolute best part is that you have to learn all the time.
You work with people day in, day out, and deadlines are important. How do you keep yourself in balance?
The main emphasis is on the word 'people'. It is both colleagues and customers who give the motivation to continue working. Of course, a good team is the foundation. Family and sport (table tennis) are one of the essential elements of maintaining balance. I very much agree with Kurt Vonnegut's prayer "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to always tell the difference". Very wise words.
Every brand has its strengths and its weaknesses. What would you say are the strengths of Mercedes-Benz cars and what would you advise customers to do to avoid weaknesses?
Mercedes-Benz is a brand in which enormous energy is invested. This results in the SAME product that we are privileged to work with. That is my strong belief, and that is what I tell my customers. I can't name an ugly model of this brand, no matter at what time it was made. To avoid weaknesses, the customer needs to love the brand and take proper care of it. Then it will be the best companion for a very long time!