Just a couple things in reply to everyone, MB of Lancaster PA 385.00 for B service which included new wipers and my old one were still good. I have an 08 c350 and it has a dipstick have they since stopped that?
Bought my car from a MB of Hagerstown WV and they pick up your car and drop a loaner off for any and all service and it is a three hour drive to my house. I have only taken advantage of that once because I don't like all those miles racked up.

For those that mentioned a "tire rotation" as part of the "service" I find this hard to beleive, as the tires on the C Class are staggered -- different size front and back so they cannot be rotated.

Surprised noone mentioned this yet.

Only on the sport. The luxury models don't run staggered wheels.

Yeah i would love to de-stagger my 350 so that i can rotate my tires. I can't see really what of a much of a difference it'd make using a smaller tire in the rear. I 'm thinking about just finding a set of fronts at a junkyard or something and putting them on the rear as I don't think the rears will fit up front.

They can be swapped left to right unless they are directional. My Bridgestone RE050As as one example are non-directional but have an outside so I have swapped them L/R several times. I will probably get 40K miles out of them.

And no, radials have not "taken a set" since the original Michelin X Stop Tread.

I also agree with a lot of the earlier comments about being a good customer and having a good relationship with your SA. I was due for my Service B, and my SA wrote me up for a standard oil change ($130) and free a multi-point inspection that covered everything that the Service B would cover. Including the $100 off service coupon I had from MB, my last Service B ended up costing $30. Coggin Mercedes-Benz in Fort Pierce, FL. They also gave me a free loaner C300 to drive and a car wash while my car was in for service.

How often do these things come along? I am thinking seriously about buying prepaid maintenance. It would pain me to get discount coupons and not be able to use them.

Wayne

To me, it makes sense to have the services performed by an authorized dealer for the first couple of A's and B's. It makes warranty claims easier, and it is true that they do follow on MB service bulletins. Last time in the shop, apparently they corrected the routing of some cabling (they didn't tell me where, MB likes to keep their dirty secrets I guess). My GLK is going on to its third year, and I will give it in one last time when it reaches 50,000 km for the transmission oil change.
Beyond that, I have every intention of doing my services myself, because it's not rocket science to change oil and a filter! Speaking of filters, by the way, can somebody tell me how I can reach the air-conditioning cabin filter on a GLK? Should I take it out from inside the car, or is it reached somewhere under the hood?

Thanks!

Look behind the glove box. Good luck.

Thanks a million Steve. Found it! It's a ten-minute job to change the filter, and I can get it at the local parts shop for half the price they sell it at the dealership!

Why I would let an authorized place to do the service is to get the corrosion warranty, ie 6 years from start then it adds one year every time you do the service up to 30 years.
And due to all the salt on our roads it's really worth it!
Plus since the service book is digital now a days it's easier just to let the shop do their thing to get a complete history of the car.

Good point regarding the corrosion protection. I do my own inspections, I wash my car myself and when I've been through salt, I make mighty sure that I hose down the inside of the fenders and behind the bumpers to flush out the muck. In truth, when I look at all the Mercs on the streets here, I don't see any rusty ones. It would appear that MB (and, in fairness, most of the other brands) have at last managed to deal effectively with the issue. When I was a kid, I lived in Montreal where the age of a car was not counted in miles, but in winters. Beyond 4 winters, it was basically a write-off full of holes. As a student at McGill, I bought (in 1971) a great and beautiful Ford Galaxie, 352 Cubic Inch V-8, all of 5 years old, for 200 bucks. When I lifted it with the bumper jack to change a tire, the chassis actually split just over the rear axle... Eaten through by salt. Those were the days...

ticondo46, in all fairness Mercedes have done a really good job on the late models (2008 and forward).. so there is a minimal chance of getting a rusty merc, but still there is a chance.

The 2000-2006 models where really awful, so I guess they learn their lesson.

SERVICE A COSTED ME $185 after tax Oakland MB:y:y:y:y