Mrbruce

Good Day all,

I just had my 1st service (a) at 10K performed at my local MB dealer. To say that I was unimpressed would be fair. While there i asked about the 39K transmission service that I read about here (FYI I have a 2014 c 300 4matic) A series of e-mails later, my advisor 1st said it would done as part of the 40 K service but listed the cost as 325 and 958 for the 40K. never indicated if there was anything done to the TC. Later the service manager responded as well and partially answered my question, since i have the new, blue fluid and 2014 tranny no service is needed until 70K. But i have to say that with respect to what they actually do at the various service intervals, well the best answer they give is that it's like RAGU, it's all in there.

So my question is what are they required to do at 20K, 30K, because they don't do what the manuals call for
Does anyone have the actual invoices to share so I know what they should do?

Carsy

IMHO the manuals are your friend as they are written by engineers who have developed your car & intimately know its internals . They therefore know how to maintain it.

On the other hand many service managers competence is unknown.

My advice is for the owner to know what is required & at what interval & find a workshop that will do it & prove that it has been done.

In the past during warranty work I hovered at the workshop door to make sure I was fully informed by the actual mechanic what was happening, what was done & why.

I have fully serviced my 220CDI myself since new with all the correct MB fluids & filters.

Good luck & don't take any BS

JC .

FFM

Honestly, it's kind of a lose lose. If you know what you are talking about service advisors will hate you lol, in most cases. I think it infringes on the notion that they know what's best.

I too just took my car into the dealer for the first 10k service, for the first time ever actually just to see.

I'm in a pickle because I wanted to keep this vehicle dealer serviced, but as a former master tech I'm likely more qualified than the tech that's working on my car haha. After realizing a standard oil change service is running $230 I'm basically getting charged $132 in labor because of me being lazy and not wanting to do it.

Yet when I found out the next service at 20k miles was $450 I laughed again. There's NOTHING a car with 20k miles needs replaced to justify that. I'm thinking now I will just do this **** myself like I do with my M.

Can't imagine not having "dealer" service records will hurt the resell long as I maintain receipts that I am doing it myself. I just don't know if I can justify spending needless money on something I can easily do myself in order to have a piece of paper that the dealer did it.

awstansbury

What does your "2014 C300 4matic owner's manual" say needs to be done at the 40k mile service interval with regards to the transmission service? My advice is to stick to the provided owner's manual for service guidance -- if anything happens it's your best legal foothold if something bad happens in the future. Local lore may prevail as to what your dealership as a whole recommends, but be careful they don't compromise your warranty.

Trancebolt

I havent taken my cpo in for anything yet, but my svc b is up in 400 miles. I want to do the tranny service, and the manual says so; but two places have told me they changed it to 70k for any 7g plus. Im not so sure. It feels like it needs it. Goes from 650-1150 with tranny svc. So all in all my car is worth it to me, but why would they push the fluid svc to 70k and risk breaking things permanently?

Mrbruce

well I now have an e-mail from the service manager of my local MB dealer. I have no intentions of getting the tranny service until 70K per his instructions. In the event I have an issue, MBUSA will have to stand behind their guy. Moreover, it's not unusual for fluid lifespans to be extended. Just look at oil, back in the day it broke down every 3500 miles, now 10K is just fine.

Do what you want, I don't care if there are discrepancies between the manual and the dealer. MB wil still have to pay!

Mrbruce

but just to be clear, it does depend on your model year and transmission fluid. I was told the blue is the extended milage, so maybe you want to find that out?

Carsy

AND the inconvenience ...of chasing them for restitution & a loaner. Head in the sand philosophy imho.

TheRulesLawyer

The 7g+ in 2012+ cars is scheduled for a 70k transmission service. However MB had recommended service intervals too long in the past. I'd rather change it early and pay a couple hundred in extra maintenance cost than risk a multi thousand dollar grenade if you plan on keep the car long term.

FFM

Which is kind of sad really, considering cars with the ZF auto's like the ISF the trans fluid is supposedly a lifetime fluid.

edgalang

Then you sir are talking about me. Since I plan to make this a 10 year/200k mile daily driver, and plan to stick to the maintenance schedule BY THE BOOK. I guess we'll see how my "multi thousand dollar grenade" will pan out.


EDIT:
I just realized I caught myself in a lie (apologies), since I no longer follow the book regarding brake fluid change intervals (for any car). I instead base my interval change on water contamination using periodic samples taken from the master cylinder. As long as it does not exceed 2%, the fluid will remain. But OTHER than that....BY THE BOOK

TheRulesLawyer

I don't buy 'lifetime' fluid no matter who is making the claim. Lifetime of the warranty maybe. Who knows, maybe its even 'okay' at 100k. However if you're hoping to have a 200-300k lifetime you might think about servicing it sometime.

TheRulesLawyer

I hope it works out for you. I'm just a little skeptical given their history with transmission service issues. Granted I haven't heard much about 7g+ failures, but we're still talking about relatively new cars. Cheap insurance and all.

FFM

Agreed, I still would change it regardless of the manufacture recommendation. But a 40k interval is a joke, 70k is more realistic but still.

edgalang

I completely understand your concerns. I just wanted to balance your outlook with a more positive one to anyone going to read this thread in the future. We all know that negative experiences often get heard more than positive ones, and regardless of the outcome, I do plan to stick around for at least 7 more years to report my findings/experiences along the way. I am however positive I made a proper choice in regards to choosing a DD for longevity and do plan to maintain it as the creators designed for it to be.

On a similar note, the days of the 3k mile oil change is long gone, yet I still run into a few of those followers every now and then.