Im a new owner to a 05 c230 kompressor. I dont know much about this type of car but the service b is showing saying its due in 30 days. My car had about 34k miles when i got it and now its at mid 35k. To me the car still seem to be in pretty good shape, i havent had any problems with it. When i bought my car the car dealer where i got it from offer me a free oil change whenever the car is due for it. I've contacted a few places and was quoted around $350 to do the service b job and was told what will be done and inspect to the car. So here's my question, since i feel the car is still in good shape and it only have 35k miles, should i just get the free oil change and then have the car get a full inspection the next time around?

 

If you bought your C from a MB dealer then I suggest it is a good idea for you to have the free oil change there. I would be hesitant about taking the car to any old service workshop who may add the incorrect oil & filter.
Your service book will inform you of other details that have to be addressed at a B Service ie , brake system flush, brake pad , disc rotor, suspension boots & rubbers,steering rack boots & drive shaft boots inspections ect ect.

I suggest if you value your Mercedes Benz & wish to keep it for some time, a $350 B Service at an authorised MB dealer is the way to go.From what I have heard on this forum $350 is not too bad a quote. In Australia a B servive costs upwards of $850.

Good luck, John.

 

Brake fluid flush is a must...it's a good idea to change the tranny oil as well

DIY is a good solution if you want to save money!

 

Brake fluid flush is a must, yes. And yeah, a transmission oil change is not a bad idea. However, a lot of the $350 dealer fees are simple inspections that aren't necessary. A Service B costs me about $120 at an independent mechanic, and I make sure the correct stuff is used (because I buy it).

By the way, if the car is giving you a "Due in XX days" message, it is because you're not gonna pass the 13,000 mile mark before a year has passed since last service.

 

^^^ LILBENZ, is that suppose to be a good thing, that im not gonna pass the 13k miles mark before a year? I think im just gonna take the car in and have the shop perform the service b job. I guess this will be better in the long run. I just dont want to get taken advantage of and leave with a $500+ bill for some stuff that doesnt need to be done to the car.

 

MB's are picky on the types of lubricants and fluids they use, so make sure whoever does your services uses only the MB approved brands. Engine oil, and tranny fluid each have there own special set of specs, so make sure you use someone who knows MB's if you go outside the dealer.

 

Your next service is at 39,000 miles. You should check the service record on this car. Likely the service indicator is triggering on time. Do the B service when due. It's important.

 

After my last "A" service it showed 13,000 miles til next service due. I've only driven about 8,000. The light popped on the dash showing service B due in 25 days. Is there any harm in waiting on the "B" service til the scheduled mileage (or at least til the next oil change)> I believe this service is only an "inspection" anyway, as another poster stated.

 

Yes that service is only an "inspection" suppose to take few bucks from your pocket. You'll see it even if you changed oil yesterday. Will come up every 2 years, but can be changed by star to come every 3 years.

 

At the mercedes dealership that I go to (MB of pleasanton) they charge close to 100 for just a oil change. I usually do that and when ever my services are due and then if it is a service B then I do the other things my self. Basically the only difference is a lot of inspections and a cabin air filer and air intake filter. The cabin air filter is around $30 and super simple to change. As for the intake I just made a custom intake so I don't need to change it until 30,000 miles. You could just get a K&N air filter for 60 and change it your self and be good for life. $100 oil change+$30 cabin air filter+one time $60 Air intake filter is really all you need for service B's and as for service A just the oil change.

 

Get the full service done at an MB dealer. You'll know that you're starting off your ownership with everything up to date (including recalls). I'm not sure where you are, but if you're in the USA, then also go to MBUSA.com and register your car there as well.

It's a bit early for the 39K, so if you want to save money, wait another few months to do the transmission fluid and the brake fluid, but get them both changed at 39K.

You'll never go wrong taking Glyn's advice. And Carsy, UtahK and the others concur. It's a Benz and you need to take care of it. I am also a little gun-shy of Indy shops. One Indy I used put regular oil in on my first Benz, another used the wrong oil filter (not a fleece filter) on my ML320 and they reused the O-rings and it was leaking. I caught it immediately, so it didn't cause a problem, but still, these are expensive and finicky cars, so treat them well and they'll treat you well. You might save a $100 now, but it could cost you $1000 later on.

 

When are you silly folks going to leave your k&ns in your Tahoes?oh, you have a custom intake because your knowledge of fluid and automotive engineering far exceeds that of MB.

listen to Glyn or Frakc....

And don't bother to change the brake fluid at that mileage.

 

I would concur with most of Peydidy's statements since a lot of these Service A & B maintenance items are relatively easy to do and there's a lot of DIY HowTo on this forum,... just search for them.

But the above suggestion for K&N air filter I would not encourage since K&N air filters need to be oiled,... and that oil can get into your system and foul up the MAF,.... which leads to a very expensive repair bill Searching the thread shows a number of posters with MAF problems likely resulting from using K&N AirFilters,... but of course K&N denies that would lead to a problem,... personally, I don't want to find out the hard way.

 

I dont have a K&N I have a different one, just naming an option... also no my knowledge of automotive engineering clearly doesn't exceed MBs which is why I had a person who works at an auto store and has the same car as me and has been working on Mercedes for a long time help me with it.

 

You're fine. Just do an oil and filter change to the car every 7.5k miles and it'll run you a very long time.

I have 125k on my 06 and its my DD. Redlined daily and all I do is replace the oil/filter every 7.5k miles (and brakes/rotors, fluids when the time is needed, tranny fluid, etc).

Maintain the car and dont pay attention to the service a&b crap the dealer charges a ridiculous 250$ for

 

I don't think it is necessary to do a brake or tranny flush with not even 40K on the car. I'd wait a lot longer before doing so ... save yourself some money and pay off the car.

 

Brake fluid must be changed every 2 to 3 years. Brake fluid is hygroscopic i.e. it absorbs water. Not only does this drop the boiling point of the brake fluid which can lead to brake failure but it causes corrosion in the braking system. At the cost of an ABS block these days you do not want it damaged by corrosion by-products. Remember the ABS pump partially circulates the fluid. Change your brake fluid.

Look at all the transmission failure & advice threads recently. I'm not going to repeat them. Service your transmission EVERY 39K miles.

 

What the... So much conflicting and crap information in this thread. I have an 05 C230 with 128k miles on it. Here's what I have learned:

1) There is no reason to ever go to the dealer outside of warranty unless you have an issue that requires STAR coding - e.g. EIS problems.

2) You can run 13000 mile oil change intervals with the 05s and their paper filters. Keep the oil topped up to 5.5L in the sump, keep the air filter good. If you drive only short trips you might want to consider reducing to 8000 miles, but changing it before that is a waste. The M272 cars for 06-07 have large sump capacities and fleece filters - 13000 is fine for these. Before 10k would be a huge waste of money.

3) Do not baby the 03-05 C230K cars with the M271. Drive them hard sometimes and stretch the legs. It will do the engine good.

4) People who work at auto stores are likely more ignorant than the MBUSA dealers. Though that is hard to imagine, I know.

5) Listen to Glyn.. brake fluid changes every two years is required. It is also not expensive. The ABS unit, however, is.

6) I changed the transmission fluid in my 05 at 100k miles. The fluid was OK. I flushed the transmission at 120K miles.. changes were noticeably better. Doing it sooner is a good idea for the 722.6 and an absolute must for the 722.9 in the 06-07s.. don't assume if you take it to the dealer it will be done right, either. It most likely won't be.

7) If you are like me and drive 25000+ miles a year, the car will prompt you for services at mileage intervals "Service B due in 1100 miles". If you drive less than 13000 miles a year, you'll most likely get day intervals "Service B due in 45 days". The oil must be changed once yearly regardless of mileage.

8) Techron concentrate is a good idea every few thousand miles. It is a really good idea on the M271 cars.

 

+1 ^

ABS modular is expensive thats for sure but just imagine if you need to replace brake lines now that would be a *****.

BTW I have maintained my 01 c320 very well and it is still awesome at 171k well except for the dam ABS computer that got water in it :****( lol