expectMerc

I bought my car certified pre-owned almost 5 years ago with a mantainence contract for 1K which covered two major and one minor service. I paid for the 50K minor service myself. Now the 60K service is due and the dealers have quoted me 975(the one I have been using) and 1100(the one I bought the car from). Supposedly the service is expensive because spark plugs need to be changed.

Are spark plugs really needed at 60K ? What are the alternatives. My dealer has also offered a transferrable maintenance contract for 1650 (thats way more than 1000 I paid before) but atleast it would cover the 80K service which requires transmission oil change. Are these contracts recommended. Are they negotiable/offered by others ? I know previous one was owned by Mercedes so it was a no brainer and I was able to negotiate the price down along with the car purchase.

I have been out of warranty for almost a year now.

stgry1

I could be wrong but I believe they are 90k or 5 years. Since we are both at 5 years, I suppose you could have them done. Personally, I would wait till at least the 75k mark unless you are noticing poor fuel mileage or erratic idle or anything that could be symptomatic. Also, I think they are fairly simple to do yourself if you are inclined. These are maintenance items and are normally not a warranty covered part. There are tons of videos out there to see how it's done. Google is your friend. And from personal experience, 'maintenance contracts' are not as good as they sell them to be. Most of the time they do not use genuine parts, MB trained techs or find a reason to not cover an item. Maybe others have had luck with them but not I.

Colin G

I replaced mine at 61000 kilometers and will probably do so every 2 years.


So easy to change. Plugs are a bit pricey for Bosch double platinums but what the hell.

dennish

Service Mgr @ MB dealership told me 60k miles or 5 Years I changed myself. Easy, so any mechanic can do it. No need to go to the daler.

313Benz

ExpertMerc you have the M272 engine that spark plugs for those engines are are every 90k. I would call the dealer out on the dishonesty for trying to do things way before the Mercedes recommended maintenence schedule. The W204 models with the M276 engine (2013 and up) those have the recommended spark plug service at 60k but I personally think that's too soon. I think MB was just playing it safe since the M276 has direct injection and there isn't much data on those yet.

c300white

I pulled my c300 plugs at 90k and they still looked pretty good. Replaced with denso iridium - easy DIY job - esp if you use magnetic socket - just follow one of the YouTube videos and use torque wrench to
not over-tighten.

Double platinum plugs should last 100k - iridium maybe more - the rule of thumb for old platinum tip only was 60k - but as said above Merc spec is 90k ...

I'd find a good indie if
you are out of warranty- should be significantly cheaper

expectMerc

Thankyou for all your replies. While independent shops differ in opinion, all dealers in the area I called change spark plugs at 60K. I also looked at the maintenance manual and that is what it says for C class. I also had a manual for 2009 and it did not require changing then. Not sure what changed but that is what I saw.

I was also able to find a maintenence contract quote for 1250. They are contracts by MB (even though sold by dealer) and I had good experience with the previous one which I bought for a 1000. Assuming they do, what they say do (I do not know how to make sure of that) it turned out to be a good deal.

All independent shops I called will cost more than 1250 over the course of 2 major and one minor services (The minimum quote I got was $500 including spark plugs and $350 without it compared to $1k for dealer). Offcourse nothing beats doing it your own, but I am afraid I am not very comfortable doing everything myself( I saw atleast one DIY video).

Now the dealer I have always gone to is playing "smart" and quoted me $800 for thermostat replacement (I have a P128 code and engine light is on). He also quoted me 1650 for maint contract and I somewhat feel cheated for always bringing the car to him. Interestingly enough his prices for batteries, alignment and tire are/were very reasonable.

313Benz

Like mentioned already the Spark plug job you should be able to do yourself or by an independent shop at a reasonable price. Thermostat I'm not sure how involved it is for these cars, but I would be surprised if it was something too complex. The only thing I would pay to have done would be the transmission flush.

cvx

Just had to chime in here. M-B factory workshop instructions (I have access to these) give exactly 1.4 hours for the thermostat replacement (facelifted C300). All authorized dealers use and follow these same guidelines set by M-B.

My country is quite expensive with VAT of 24% etc but that job would cost €140 for the part + €120x1.4 of labor, totalling €308 ~ $343 using our countrys authorized dealer

I would love to see the quote from the dealer in writing with the labor estimates and challenge them if they are really proposing $600 for the part or labor

Adi-Benz

I replaced the thermostat not too long ago. 2 hour process, did it on the weekend. Reference FCP EURO video; tip: you don't have to remove everything he says.

FCPEuro

The video is located here, hope it helps

nola000

Did mine myself at 67K. Bosch OEM. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as difficulty.

Noticed a pretty decent improvement in gas mileage.

Alfadude

I have a 2012 C200 and just had my indy shop do the 60K service. That is where I bought the car and have gone there for years and trust them implicity. The cost was $460 including oil change, air filters, cabin filter and spark plugs. Plus they repaired a slow leak in one of the tires. Thought it was more than fair.

VegasWhoa

Do you need a special MB tool for spark plug removal?? Family biz is automotive but don't service MB cars.

c300white

No - standard magnetic plug socket plus 6" or so extension works great ....

Adi-Benz

So guys I don't want to make a whole nother thread since this can be done with a bit of more research BUT, I'm gonna hit the 60k soon. So I have a few questions:


Whats the lowest price any of you have gotten?
How long does the service take/get a loaner?
What do they do in the 60k service?
Is it able to be done by indie shop/do it yourself or must certain parts be done by the dealer?


Also have to check my spedo screen, pretty sure it says service A in 105 days or something? That doesn't seem right...


Edit: Alfa you might be near me. What was the indy shop you used?

Alfadude

I bought my car and have it serviced at Reina International Auto on 128th & Capitol. Been going to them for over 20 years. Independent family business that sells primarily imported cars. Years ago they used to be Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Fiat dealers until those marques pulled out of the USA. Always a bunch of Lambos, Ferraris and other expensive sports cars there. They do competent work and are very fair with their pricing. They used to give me a free loaner when I took my car in for service until last year when the office where I work mover across the street. They sell a lot of Mercedes. They have some sort of deal with Mercedes Financial where they get cars off lease.

edgalang

I ended up doing it myself after discovering this thread. There may be better guides out there, but when I was doing it, this was the best at the time.

http://www.slkworld.com/slk-r172-cla...76-engine.html

Adi-Benz

Sounds good I'll look into it, thanks guys.

benzdude

Just do it yourself. Easy as pie. 30 minutes. (Don't drop your tools into the engine compartment. )

Adi-Benz

Cant access the diy edga, can you upload elsewhere?

Also it that only for spark plugs tutorial?

If I can do the entire thing myself I'll do it, probably over winter break.

Thanks.

Adi-Benz

https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/Digital...ce-Booklet.pdf

If that's all I takes I'll be doing it myself then, save some $$$ for mods ^^

craiger13

How much does it cost from the dealer? I was told that I needed to get my plugs done. I am in PA by the way.

MB Marko

I did mine at 60K, the dealership pulled them and gave them back to me... what a waste of money they looked brand new. I probably won't be doing them again for a long time.

craiger13

But how much does it cost? because the next round of service is the B1