1st service tomorrow, advice?
 

Tomorrow at 12:30 AM is my first official service, after numerous warranty issues and fights with the dealer i bought the car from, (will never return again), im driving all the way to Tampa, FL tomorrow to get my car serviced,

Cost?
Anything to ask them about?
JB+ tune installed, will they care? (other people I know have said the dealer is laid back with tuning)

My dealer says if I don't do maintenance with MBz, they would void my warranty. Is this true?

I don't think that's true, I remember my (now previous) dealership saying I can get the car serviced at a certified Mercedes shop, but it has to be Ceftified to my understanding, and I don't think it's up to the dealership to void your warranty, it's up to Mercedes itself

You can't change your own oil at home?

Yes, but service A is more than just oil, it's new oil, oil filter, belt inspection, and a few other things, plus you would have to know how to reset the service warning and have all the tools to do the oil change, plus proper service documentation is good when selling the car, if you do it yourself you won't have that, overall it's better just to get the dealer to do it in my opinion

It's even more than that. During an electrical system test during my first A visit, the tech found one weak cell and replaced the battery under warranty before it turned into an on-the-road failure. They go over quite a bit. And, in order to qualify for complementary MB roadside service, one has to spend at least $100/year in dealer service. But, yes, one is free to go elsewhere or even do the work in your driveway. Keep good records and the warranty will be maintained, unless of course they can show you did some harm while attempting your own service.

Can't answer on cost as it varies depending what Country your from but on the question of your JB tune I would be very wary ie. AFAIK your warranty will be voided if you have those type of tunes installed unless it was a dealer specific approved and installed tune eg. various ones available from Brabus etc. - best to re-check with your dealer again and if possible get it in writing that they are ok with the tune otherwise temporarily remove it if need be.

+ 1

If people are concerned about the cost, then go to another approved MB service centre other than a MB dealer or an approved mechanic workshop which are mostly less expensive for the same job, they will carry out the same job, stamp your service book/s and your OEM warranty will be maintained :)

Here in Australia there are authorised MB only service centres which carry out the same scheduled A & B services for about 2/3rds the cost of the dealers, maybe there's similar in your Country/s.

All you have to do is keep a record of service with receipts. The maintenance book will tell you what to check for with each service (A, B, and maintenance interval items)

Even if you mod your car, MB would have to prove that the alteration caused a problem.

No, that is false. You can do your own service, it is a smart idea to keep your own records or receipts as proof. Dealers just like to scare people into paying their insane service fees...

Even if there was a mechanical issue, they would have to prove that your lack of service or mis-service caused the issue, which they most likely will not be able to do.

I'm friendly with my service advisor and he knows about my JB+ tune, he doesn't care. Although to be smart "just in case" something goes wrong, it would be good to remove it temporarily before dealer trips. In the slight chance that the tune did cause any issues, if you never brought the car in with the tune they won't know it ever had it, so they can't possibly void warranty.

Also, I do recommend that you contact MBUSA about your poor service experience at your local dealer. They very much value input like this and will do their best to rectify the situation. I wouldn't go name-dropping, just say they need to investigate the dealership themselves and tell them about your issue. They will send someone to mystery shop and make it right (which is what I do for them) and they will even send a rep to the dealership of your choice to investigate your problems if the service guys can't figure it out.

I also believe that they offer free service giftcards on their site with the amount varying depending on your model.

How much does the A service cost because I had a complimentary maintenance plan on my car before but that car flooded and the new car doesn't.

which service i been thinking to bring my moms car in for service a5

It really depends on your particular dealership. I would really try to add it on if you can, as it beats even the cheapest dealer prices...

If I remember correctly you said you were in NY. Here the prices are relatively high. The best "deal" I could find on Service A was $200 when it went on a promotion. Otherwise my local dealer usually charges around $350... Service B is even more, kind of ridiculous.

I'm not doing Service B for 100% certain, the lease I have is 20K miles and service B is right at the end of my lease. What does service A entail because I'm not paying $200 for an oil change.