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I just bought a 2009 C350 w/ 58,000 miles on the clock. I'm a DIY'er when it comes to maintenance. I've been around cars for the passed 12 years and have the tools and knowledge to do most, if not all basic, many intermediate and some advanced services/jobs you would typically do on a car. That said, I don't feel it's necessary to pay someone $100+/hr to do something I can do myself. I came from a BMW M3 and did all the work myself. The only thing I took it to a shop for was a wheel alignment.

All that said, I was wondering two things:

What is a REALISTIC maintenance schedule for a C350 for a DIYer? I know what the manual says, and I like to follow manufacturers recommendations as close as possible, unless their recommendation is overboard or too lenient regarding frequency. Do people really follow the 10,000 mile oil change guideline? In my M3, they recommended an oil change every 15,000 miles roughly. Myself, and most other owners cut this in half, and did one every 7500 miles. This is about as far as I like to go on an oil change. 10,000 miles seems ridiculous to me. Should I do it more often, or is it really not necessary in these cars for some reason? Everything else I'm just going to follow the manual on.

I have no records of maintenance with the car, and don't know what has been performed. I've spoken to a dealer that serviced the car, and they said the only record they have is that a Service A was performed at 11540 miles. In addition, the Carfax says:

-3057 = Crankshaft position sensor replaced
-33089 = Maintenance inspection completed, Recommended maintenance performed, oil and filter changed

My cars computer currently says Service B2 is due in about 250 days. I don't really understand the whole A and B service thing, can someone explain that to me? From what I understand, it starts at A0 and B0, then goes to A1 and B1, A2 and B2, so on and so forth, every 10,000 miles. Is that accurate? If thats the case, with my B2 being due around 60,000 miles, does that put me right on schedule with recommended maintenance? Of course, just because the computer was reset everytime a service became due, that doesn't mean the service was actually performed. What maintenance would be good to perform right away before I get back on track with the maintenance schedule, just in case anything was missed by the previous owners? I'm most concerned with transmission flush and filter change.

Thanks for the help in advance. I really want to ensure my Benz is maintained in accordance with Mercedes recommendations but I have no clue what has already been performed and where I should start in catching up.

edgalang

I have been on the 10k mile oil change interval for 10+ years. As long as you are using quality synthetics, 10k intervals is standard, even with other automotive brands. It's also easier to track since you perform maintenance on 10k, 20k, 30k, etc. No odd/even/odd/even numbers to track.

Currently my MB and Lexus hybrid is on the 10k plan.

Just an FYI...Mobile-1 (the default factory oil for MB) is rated to last for at least 11k miles.

Carsy

Think about doing the engine oil change yearly depending on the miles you put on in a year.

I would do the trans flush & filter change asap . Supposed to be done every 39,000 miles.You should be able to tell by the colour of the fluid & state of filter whether it has been done before. If just draining make sure the torque convertor is drained too.

Glyn M Ruck

10K miles oil change with Benz approved oil & fleece filter is conservative. Used to be 13K mile.

Khan28

A and B services are glorified oil/filter and air filter changes. You can easily do all of them by yourself. There are lists on the forum and online on what they contain. There are better rated oils than Mobil 1. Check this out http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.5_en.html.

SoCal208

As MB factory : @ 39K miles : transmission service required, DO NOT SKIP this important step, not too late to do the transmission services NOW (use MB transmission fluid, gasket & filter).

Glyn M Ruck

It would be more correct to say that all products on the approved list are equal, miscible & fungible.