Ray Waters

I am new to owning a Mercedes-Benz so I have a certain lack of knowledge on some things that I hope someone can shed some light on.

I drive a 2007 Mercedes-Benz C280 4Matic with 93,241 miles on it. My last synthetic oil change was done at 86,000 miles, so I figured I'm due for another oil change at 96,000 miles... At least that's what the dealer tells me. Is this correct? My main concern is that my car also says I have a Service B due in 6,600 miles, which I'm pretty sure includes an oil change, among other things. So should I get an oil change in 3,000 miles, when I'll need a Service B in another 3,300 miles, or should I just get the Service B 3,300 miles early? If an oil change is due every 10,000 miles, it doesn't really make sense to have 2 done in 3,300 miles.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

slammer111

In Canada the service interval according to the cluster is every 15000 km, alternating between A and B. You can probably get away with every 10000 miles if it makes it easier to keep track.

The computer countdown can be manually reset as well. If you're sure the oil change was done at 86k miles, then it should be fine to wait until 96k.

If I were in your shoes, personally I would try stretching the services a little bit (say 500-1000 miles at a time) so that eventually you end with a round number such as 110k miles before each service. Takes the guesswork out of when the next one is due, and that wee bit of extra travel won't kill your car. Just curious, for a USA car, what does the service interval (distance) set to?

Ray Waters

I know the last oil change was definitely done at 86k. So I will probably just wait until 96k for the next one. I'm not sure why the service B says it's due in 6k when the oil change should be due in 3k... Maybe because the last oil change was only done after 5k. The service interval distance is set to 10k.

Saints&Sailors

The service interval is 13k miles which is why you are seeing the differential in what the vehicle is telling you for the service interval and what the dealer is telling you. Dealer says 10k miles, MB says 13k miles. Dealers like making money so they try to get you to do maintenance more frequently.

C230 Sport Coup

Just do what the car tells you. It actually monitors the condition of the oil. Stealer err Dealer just want your $$$. Same
as it ever was. Here's the service sheet. Yes, it say 06 but 06 and 07 are identical cars.

Service "B" from the dealer is mostly inspections. Like they look...at it. Maybe.
You have eyes. Look for yourself. The sheet tell you what you what to look at..
Ask for an oil change and nothing else.
They'll likely give you a free inspection anyway to try to sell you more stuff you don't need
and the inspections end being free. Just ask for it.

Or better yet, just do it yourself. Get an oil pump that runs off the battery
off Amazon and pump right into containers the local garbage company will recycle right off
the curb. No climbing under the car. 0w40 Mobil one in 5 gallon jugs are like $25 at Wally Mart.
Filter comes out from the top, easy peazy. Takes less than a 1/2 hour.

Saints&Sailors

You nailed it. The A Service/B Service thing is nonsense - they literally just look at a few more things which you could easily do yourself. $50 in oil, $10 for a filter, and a few basic tools and you can do the oil change in your driveway. In my opinion, changing the oil on a w203 is easier/cleaner than changing the oil on my old Jeep. The filter design alone makes it substantially easier.

C230 Sport Coup

Yes, no need to climb under the car,
though some people just feel the need to get every drop.
I've been using a pump since I passed the warranty period.
On my C230 and also on sig other's ML, which has same engine as yours,
but larger displacement. I fill 2 gallon bottles on hers most of the time so who say I'm not getting
every drop?
If you haven't purchased a filter wrench, do yourself a favor and get the Mercedes one.
I went through a bunch of cheap ones before I bit the bullet and paid the 20 bucks for the real deal, well worth it.
It has a bolt that can be screwed on the side if need be to get a little extra traction.
I had a cheap wrench get stuck on the filter holder...what a pia.
It also has holes on top, you can screw into the push it out if that happens.
Being on the forums as long as I have, and learning as much as I have, has also become a cottage
business for me....I have some nice oil change kits on my website...
check it out...benzexpert.com
Actually not oil change but transmission fluid change...