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I just picked up a 2009 C350 a month ago with 58,000 miles. Im nearing 59,000 now, and my service indicator is stating Service B1 Due In 175 Days (I estimated, but its close to there). I don't suspect any type of regular service was done on the vehicle by the dealership for the last 15k miles or so, but was wondering how the service indicator typically works, and given my miles, if service was performed from 0 miles when it was supposed to be, what would I be on? B2? A2? A3? etc...


Doesn't it go like this.. A0=10,000 miles, B0=20,000 miles, A1=30,000 miles, B1=40,000 miles, ..etc? If that's true, should I be nearing B2, and not B1? How could this be possible? If you reset the service indicator, doesn't it automatically go to the next service..ie resetting at A0 goes to B0, resetting at B2 goes to A3...etc? At B1 I would think Id be around 40,000 miles.


Lastly, if all my assumptions are correct, should I reset the service indicator a couple times to get back on schedule?

Carsy

Wow , you are receiving a lot of help. You should headline your request with 'blacking out chrome " or installing "pink led running lights"!!

Your assumptions are not correct.

There is no A0 or B0.

A1 is the first service after the prescribed miles or 1 year.

B1 is the first big service after 2 years.

Your service booklet should show this information.

I think your service indicator is showing correctly.

Cheers.

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Thanks for the help, I was beginning to think no one would respond lol.

Given your explanation, even with there being no A0 or B0 (not sure where I read that, I think somewhere on the internet) wouldn't I be even further OFF schedule?

I'm due for B1 in 8000 miles approximately according to my dash. That would mean (theoretically) that A1 (the very first service) was done about 2000 miles ago. The car was made in 2008 and has 59,000 miles on it. Shouldnt I be nearing B3 by now?

Based on what you said, and what the car is telling me, the timer was either never reset after each service, or there has only been one oil change done on the car since it was brand new off the lot.

Carsy

You are correct of course . My mistake. B 3 it is . JC

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Im slightly confused at this point.


I reset my service indicator, and now it reads "Service A due in 365 days". Not "A4" like I suspected it would. I was under the impression it just counted up from A1 to B1, then A2 to B2, A3 to B3, etc. Did it reset back to A1? I'm confused as to why there is no number next to the "A" now.


Sorry to keep beating a dead horse. My biggest pet peeve about vehicles is proper maintenance, and I suspect it was neglected on mine prior to my taking delivery. I was planning to do a B service and transmission fluid and filter change at 60,000 miles (Im at 59,400 now) and resetting the indicator so it's in line with A4 being due around 70,000 miles (where it should be based on 10,000 miles a year).

Carsy

That is what my service indicator does . Resets for the next 365 days .

If you want your service indicator neatly reading the correct service I think it will have to be reset by the dealer .I for one would not be paying the dealer to do it.

Your car has not necessarily not been serviced. It quite probably has not been done by a dealer . The independent may not have know how to reset the service indicator.

What does your service book say ?

What does your engine oil look like ?. I would change it again after a couple of weeks if the oil looks suspect. You could always send a sample away for analysis to Blackmores ?sp.for peace of mind.

At least you are servicing the transmission at the correct time.

Good luck, relax & enjoy the new horse ,err car.

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Oil looks good. I bought the car from a dealership, so I'm sure at the very least things like oil, filter and air filter were changed before it was put on the lot. I don't have my service manual (or owners manual for that matter). It didn't come with the car.

Basic history I've come up with on the car based on Carfax, calling different dealerships, the title to the car, etc, it was purchased in 2008 by the original owner, and traded in at 21,000 miles around late 2010/early 2011. During that time, the only records I have of maintenance is a Service A at 11xxx miles (found this out by calling the dealerships which the Carfax say it was serviced at).

2nd owner bought it from a dealership in January 2011, and drove it until 57,000 miles, at which time it was turned over to the bank in March of 2013. The Carfax simply states "All recommended maintenance performed" at 33,000 miles. Whatever that means..other than that, no other service records whatsoever. No records of a tranny fluid change, no records of a service B ever being done. After it was repo'd, it was auctioned off to a dealer in another state, and then sold to another dealer in yet another state, where I purchased it.

In other words, it's been passed around from owner to dealer to owner to bank to auctioneer to dealer to dealer to me. Plenty of hands in there to neglect the maintenance, and with a service counter still showing 8000 miles until service B1, which was supposed to be due as far as I can tell in late 2010 at the latest, I think I have reason to be suspicious of the vehicles maintenance history.

My only concern is, if the counter was never reset after the first A service, wouldnt it have been showing negative miles (and many of them) for service B1 before I reset it? According to the computer (not saying the work was never done, just saying according to the computer) it's almost 40k miles overdue for it's first B service. I'm just a little confused as to how that could be, yet it still showed 8000 miles until B1, and now after being reset, it simply says "A", not "A2".

It is what it is, I bought the car, and I'm quite happy with it, I'm just trying to get it back on track with maintenance like I said, and that means doing all possibly neglected maintenance (basically a full B service and transmission fluid and filter change) and resetting the service reminder so it's showing what SHOULD be due WHEN it should be due.

Thanks for the help. I know I'm making this more of an issue that it needs to be. Just don't understand Mercedes and the way their service counter works.

spyked

On any used car I buy, I get all fluid service performed so I have a solid baseline for me to start from (and sleep better). Doesn't hurt...can only help. Get transmission, brake, coolant, and oil changed now, then you start fresh.

Either way, given the history of your car, and the fact that it was probably beat on (who gets a car repo'd at the mileage???), I'd get all the fluids refreshed right away.

I can't help with the service indicator, they are different for the refresh models I guess. I don't see a letter or number - just says "next service due in xxx days." I would think it would just say A or B - not sure why they need to track a number (what does 1 or 4 mean?) in these cars.

Carsy

I am pretty sure that you can download a service manual. It will help you a lot to understand the car.

Can anyone help here ?

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I've downloaded and read it, I understand the basics of it. Service is done at every 10,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first. First service is Service A, basically an oil change with some inspections. Second service (at 20,000 miles) is Service B, which is a Service A, plus some other added things. After Service B, it goes back to Service A, then B, then A, then B, etc, every 10k miles. Add in a transmission filter and fluid change every 40k miles, some spark plugs and fuel filter once you get into the higher mileages, and you have your basic maintenance schedule for these cars. Simple, right?

My only confusion is why the differentiation between which A or B service it is (ie A1, B2, etc). When I reset my service indicator, there were even options in the menu for "Service 1", 'Service 2", etc, which when clicked did nothing from what I could tell. Why my car first said "B1" then just says "A" is what's confusing me. What does the number next to the service mean? Is it not the number of that service that has been performed, ie A1 is at 10k miles, B1 is at 20k, A2 is at 30k, etc? That's what I had always assumed..?

I'm sure I'm making a bigger deal out of this than needs be. I know in the end it's as simple as "do all routine maintenance and reset your service indicator, the end". I had just hoped I could get an explanation of what the numbers mean next to each service, and given a brand new car from the factory is driven exactly 10k miles a year and all routine maintenance is performed, what should the dash say at every interval (ie A1 due at 10k, B1 due at 20k, etc, or A due at 10k, B due at 20k, A due at 30k). The B1 that was showing on my dash is throwing me for a loop. If the 1 was never there, I wouldn't be confused at all.

Carsy

Maaate ,you're like a dog with a bone & good for you.

I have developed my own service routine which fits with the number of Km the car does per year .This completely disorganises the A & B services on Assyst Plus.So I cannot help .

At 50,656 km Service Code B1 came up with workshop code 606 . Work that out

I change the engine oil & filter every 10,000 km , do the B service as per book & drain the ATM every 50,000km.

The best advice I can give is to ask the service tech. on your next visit about your queries.

Please let us all know the result.

In the meantime I would get right on to flushing that transmission.You're overdue .

Carsy

Take a look at the attached. It helps ....I think...

Glyn M Ruck

See Wiki for manual downloads.

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see that helps a lot. thank you for the pic. so the number isn't the number of that service you're on, it's a code to indicate what if any additional service items need to be performed. that definitely cleared up any confusion I had. so what I'm going to do is a full b service and transmission service and then leave the counter as it is since I reset it (service A due in 365 days)