munis

So I am almost hitting 40k km (24k miles) on the car now. Till now I have been doing an oil and filter change every 10k km (6k miles).

- For my first service at 10k: I went to my trusty mechanic to get the oil and filter changed, they do it infront of me, so I know it is done right. I used Mobil 1 0W-40 Euro Spec and Genuine Filter.
- For my second service at 20k: I went to Mercedes to get the Service A done. Gave me the car back in 20 minutes, so I do not even know what the hell they did in there. Checked the oil and filter later, they changed that atleast. They are supposed to do a bunch of other checks, not sure if they did those right.
- For my third service at 30k: Same as my first service
- For my fourth service at 40k: Going to Mercedes for their Service B, but this time I am going to a dealer where you can see the workshop through the windows, so that I can see what they are doing. They are doing all the service A stuff plus combination/dust filter change. I am going to pay a bit extra and get the intake air filters changed as well.
- For my fifth service at 50k: Going to my workshop for getting the oil changed. Then I will take it straight to mercedes for getting the trans oil and filter changed as well.

Why all this maintenance? I think the way I drive the car, I do not particularly go easy on the engine or transmission. So I just half the recommended Mercedes intervals for maintenance that comes with the service book.

What I wanted to know from you guys is, do any of you do an engine flush before an oil change with those engine flushing solutions? Mind sharing at what intervals you do it and which one do you use?

RichardCranium3

I've never subscribed to "engine flushes" except when I was 16 and didn't know any better (SeaFoam straight in to the intake on my D16 SOHC Honda!). Yes, it can break down sludge in the engine, but if you're truly getting sludge, you're probably running the wrong oil or not changing at the proper interval. If it's an "old" engine or high mileage, some of that sludge might be helping more than it's hurting when it comes to various engine seals.

Really, IMO, the MB service details outlined in the manual are their for more marketing peace of mind than anything. Yes, our cars should presumably be manufactured to a higher standard than say, a Kia, but the proper care & inspection should be no different. There isn't anything mentioned in the Service A that an at-home knuckle buster with a methodical mindset can't accomplish. I've handled all of the maintenance on our 2012 Land Rover LR2 for nearly 60,000mi without issue. The worst thing that's happened...two of the four batteries on the TPMS system have died. Getting a new set of those (which requires removal and remounting of the tires) and a brake fluid flush are the only things I'll pay someone else for unless something major comes up. Same goes for my C43. I've got one oil change and at home inspection done. I'll be doing new pads at 20k/mi, new rotors at 30k or 40k depending on wear. I'll probably pay for brake and trans fluid flush, but that'll likely be it. I document everything I do in the same maintenance booklet MB would use, so if anything fails, the onus will be on them to prove the failure was regular maintenance related.