Badabing

Just got a 2008 C 350 sport and I had it serviced at Firestone. Changed the serpentine belt, flushed all liquids, cleaned the fuel injection, and had the oil changed to the synthetic 10, 000 mile oil. All this came out to like 450 bucks with a 3 year warranty on the belt.

The car has 55,000 miles on it and they said it did not need anything else.

I guess my question is if its ok to service at Firestone based on anybody else's experiences?

First post by the way .

Badabing

Here's a pic of it.



Had it waxed.

timlippold

I would suggest an independent shop that specializes in Mercedes or at least German cars.

cvx5832

Respectfully I don't think it even needed that belt! What made you change it?

cvx5832

Thinking about it more I would go somewhere else next time. That's a (too) cheap a price for "flushed all liquids". Engine oil, transmission oil, differential oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, etc. If it IS true that they changed all that for $450 I'd be suspicious of the brands they put in your car.

And welcome!

Demvang

I suggest that you should change the engine oil yourself. It's an easy job if you extract oil from top and you know that correct MB recommended oil is in.

Badabing

They showed me the belt in the car.It looked grey and worn a bit . They charged 60 bucks per liquid flush. They stated it only needed power steering, brake, and I forgot the other. Also, both air filters crumbled in the guys hands. Had both replaced at 30 bucks each.

Thanks for the welcome. I have big plans for this C.

Note: I had to wait on the the liquids because the mechanic said it took something DOT or some special liquid idk

davidjohnbamber

I hope you enjoy your new ride. That said I myself would take the car to an independent shop that is capable of servicing your vehicle with OEM spec fluids, filters, etc. You will probably pay more, but you will save in the long run. IMO, or DIY!

c300white

Do you know exactly what fluids and filters were used ? Most of the work you listed is not that complex, so depends on skill of mechanic at Firestone if it was ok.

They probably don't see many mercedes there , and as someone else said, perhaps better to go to a good indie in the future.

Having said that, my "old" bmw indie hired a teenager from jiffy lube at minimum wage. I saw him strip the bolts on a transmission pan while I was waiting for my car ... Never went back ! So even at the indie, you better know exactly who is working on your car .....

Dealwr is also not a guarantee of better service - they will put trainees on "simple" jObs like oil changes - Mercury dealer once returned car to me without transmission fluid .....

michail71

A mechanic friend of mine said the jobs get so routine at the dealerships they can actually have memory lapses while working. Forgetting fluids, bolts and such is something the techs get fearful over.

I had my previous car returned to me from a reputable shop without the axle bolts attached. I drove it that way for 4 days.

You'll find that some shops won't touch any German made car. I've heard of WalMart refusing to do oil change on VWs, even though they sell Euro Spec oils.

LCPLPunk

Honestly you could do most of the work yourself and save a ton of money. You paid 30 bucks for each air filter? They are 10 bucks each online. You said $60 to bleed the brakes which isn't bad for fluid and labor, but fluid is probably about $10. To bleed a brake line all you need to do is jack the car up, remove a tire and loosen one bolt.

If you don't think you are mechanically inclined that's okay, that's what the internet is for. Don't believe me? Go to Youtube, type in Mercedes C350 and see what comes up.

My hood ornament was faded so I wanted to replace it. I bet a Mercedes dealership would charge me quite a bit for the emblem and then probably $20 to replace, however just look at this video and tell me if that's worth $20 in labor.

Badabing

Guys, thanks for all the great tips. I have so much planned for this car that I'm going to have to start doing some of this stuff on my own. I guess I just wanted a real mechanic look the car over once since I just bought it.

Firestone states they had a master mechanic look the car over and also connected the car to some computer that checks the car. The mechanic took me to the back and he suggested those changes. He stated the car was in excellent condition.

Yidney

The real issue is what fluids they used. And it's not just a matter of whether they used brand X vs. the good stuff. Your power steering fluid is mineral based. If they used "regular" power steering fluid, your seals will not last. Brake fluid is DOT4+ which is also not typically available off the shelf, although a much less serious issue. But you really need to ask what PS fluid they put in, and identify the other fluid you do not remember.

Yidney

And it also depends on what software is in the computer they hooked it to. To read everything in your car, they need MBs' proprietary STAR system, which I am guessing they do not have. If they just read universal OBDII codes, that's fine for most "check engine light" type things, but you can also buy your own for $50.

michail71

That car looks beautiful for it's age! I was about to say that looks like Florida and then I saw the dealer frame. Next step is to remove the dealership frame and any decals if they put them on.

MBE550

I agree. Most of tech at those places do not care about using correct fluid on various cars. BTW, you are not supposed to flush things like PS and transmission at that mileage.

LCPLPunk

OBD2 readers can be found for like 13 bucks. They are a good investment when a check engine light pops up and you are freaking out trying to figure out what is wrong.

MBE550

I use this Blutooth version of OBD2 scanner. I was able to read and reset CEL with my previous W211. That reminds me to check my new ride to see if there are any stored codes.

http://amzn.to/1rd4iq8

LCPLPunk

Oooh, nice, might have to buy me one of those!

Badabing

Thank you ! My old car was hit by a drunk driver that blew a stop sign and totaled it. The insurance company gave me 10 thousand for it and I had about 6 thousand saved. Was looking around cargurus for a used C 300 and I saw the 350 for sale at Rick Case Hyundai in broward county.

I live near Fort Myers, so I drove down 2 hours to see the car. Well I gotta say it was love at first sight. Let's just say the 2 hour drive back home in the 350 was heaven. Car is low in Miles and it drives like a dream. I love it !

michail71

Oh wow, I could tell it didn't look like Broward county but wouldn't have guessed Fort Myers. That photo looks more like it was taken up in Martin or St Lucie.

Badabing

Actually its a small town of Fort Myers called Lehigh Acres. Its country with some really good roads for the C.

Staff@WORLD

I would suggest an indy shop as well.

We have all the special tools to do the job correctly and we use all the correct fluids that you car will call for. A Firestone shop will use standard cheap fluid that they have on the shelf and that is not the recommended fluid for your Mercedes Benz.

If you are in the LA area we can always take care of you for any factory maintenance at a great price.

yovenim

I prefer to use mom and pop shops but the Firestone dealer who is one of the closer tire shops near is running an ok deal. They claim I can get warranty and service at any location. How has everyones experience been with the them?

Odd Piggy

Turn around. Run away. Don’t look back.

Our local Firestone franchise couldn’t even get uni-directional tires on the right wheels. 275R17 Yokohama radials clearly marked OUTSIDE with an arrow. The service quality probably varies by location and there’s no way to predict.