user002

I recently had an oil change and engine air filter replacement done on my 2007 C280 4MATIC. It has only 50K miles and I also had the transmission/transfer case fluid changed as per the servicing recommendations. A few days after servicing, I started noticing a burning smell coming inside the car every time I came o a stop sign. Took car back to shop and they are saying that the valve cover is starting to leak and engine oil is dripping on to the catalytic converter, resulting in the smell. They said the leak is not major now, but will increase over time. Also, it is apparently a 11 hour job to fix the valve cover leak and estimated cost is $1200. My questions:
(i) is this a fire hazard? Can the dripping oil catch fire? In short, do I need to attend to this immediately or can I drive the car a couple of weeks before fixing?
(ii) is there any way the valve cover could have been damaged during the servicing to initiate the leak. The problem was not there before, and started after servicing.
(iii) Is there any simple fix to this problem? Is the 11hour job the only way to address this issue?
(iv) The garage said this kind of leak is common on C-class cars. Is that true?

I realize MB servicing is expensive, but it seems ridiculous that a valve cover starts to leak at 50K miles. I guess German engineering isn't all what it is cracked up to be. My Honda Odyssey with 130K miles is humming along with no issues......
thanks in Advance
Amit