As the maintenance schedule for my new C63 requires an initial gear oil replacement for the differential at 2K miles and as the price quoted at my nearest Mercedes dealer gave me pause, I want to take care of it myself.

Can anyone who's done this tell me if there's any issues to be concerned with and what gear oil specification is required, e.g., 75-90, 85-90, any particular brand, any additive required?

Any guidance much appreciated.

 

Use the OEM fluid, it only take about 1.5 bottles.

You don't have pre-paid maintenance do you? It should be covered if you do.

 

Thanks. No, don't have prepaid.

 

Joe,
Can you confirm this is the correct fluid: A001 989 17 03 10?
Thanks!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-GENUINE-...FY2cT8&vxp=mtr

 

I had my mechanic do it this weekend for $240 including the genuine Mercedes fluid that was about $150. He charge $90 for labor

 

Is this for the s or non s varient im at about 3300 miles and i went in at 2400 miles and they said it was vin specific. I have the s model.

 

I Had Mercedes Service do it for $145.60


Labor 70.75
Parts 66.15
Tax 8.70
Total $145.60

 

actually it's 3 bottles that are 1/2 L each 75w140

 

They also make 1L bottles which I assume is what he meant.

 

the number they put in mine was 001-989-52-03-10 3 ea. @ $19.99 ea.

 

I was going to do a full DIY write-up on this, but it was so easy I didn't bother taking pics so I'll just post it here.

You will need:
1) (2) screw plugs part #001-990-23-17. I found these online for $18/ea, which is highway robbery, but I would recommend replacing them. They're a pretty soft aluminum that really wanted to round when I got a socket on them to remove
2) At least 1.5L of Castrol Syntrax 75W-140. The MB part # is 001-989-52-03-10. This stuff isn't "commonly" available at your average auto parts store, but you can find it online for cheaper than at the dealer. The OEM fluid is literally a bottle of this with a MB parts sticker label on it. Note that this comes in both 0.5L and 1L bottles (which I suspect is the source of the confusion regarding exactly how many bottles the dealer charges for). The diff takes ~1.4L; I bought two 1L bottles just in case I spilled any.
3) 19mm 12-pt 1/2" drive socket
4) 1/2" drive ratchet
5) 1/2" drive extension bar
6) Waste oil collection pan

The steps:
1) Lift the car up. The BEST way to do this is on a lift or using four jackstands. You want the car to be level.
2) Find the diff. It's got aluminum cooling fins on the back of it. The housing itself is black. The drain plug is on the passenger's side, the fill is on the driver's side. If you forget which is which, the drain plug will be lower on the diff housing (duh)
3) Remove the fill plug FIRST. On the off chance you strip this plug (and those things are in there good!), you don't want it to be AFTER you drain out all the diff fluid. I found the extension was needed here to clear the exhaust on this one
4) Position your oil collection pan
5) Remove the drain plug. My oil really wasn't that hot after the car sat for 1/2 hour, but be aware of it. Use just the socket (no extension) for this one.
6) Let it drain for a bit
7) Replace the drain plug with a new one. I could not find a published torque spec for the W205 for this; I used the spec from the W204 (35lb-ft)
8) Fill the diff through the fill plug hole directly from the bottle. I originally thought I'd need a fluid transfer pump, but there's enough clearance that the nozzle built into the fluid bottle makes it in pretty simple.
9) Keep squeezing the bottle(s) until the fluid starts to ooze out the fill plug hole
10) Replace the fill plug with a new one
11) Wipe up any spilled fluid (especially from the exhaust)

Pretty easy. Cost me $100 in parts, and took 1/2 hour. Seems like most people opted for the prepaid maintenance, which should cover this, but I didn't and the $225 quote I got seemed silly for something that takes 1/2 hour. YMMV

 

Thanks for the write-up. Very informative.

I want to mention that if something were to happen to the diff and the maintenance wasn't done by MB, there is a chance for a warranty denial. I had a slight issue with warranty work on my S4's DSG because I performed the maintenance myself. The dealer pointed that out but let me slide since the internal ECU in the trans is a known issue.

 

Yup, that's true. I don't think many dealerships would care THAT much though.

After this initial break-in differential fluid change, when should the next one be? I know many differentials require regular scheduled interval oil changes.

 

It's not for a while. Check out my old post.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-c63s-...ml#post7088939

 

I understand what you're saying, and it's a good point. My opinion is that dealerships often mention this kind of scenario to "scare" you into using their service departments, as it's generally their biggest income generator. However, I haven't heard of too many REAL examples of warranty work getting denied due to using an indie shop or DIY'ing.

We all know that TECHNICALLY they can't deny your warranty claim based on not using a MB dealer for service. We also know that it's easy to cite Magnuson-Moss until the sun comes up, but when a dealer denies your claim you're just a guy up against a multi-million dollar car dealership franchise, and possibly a multi-billion dollar manufacturer.

Long story short: I keep my receipts and keep a mileage/service log in Excel. If something does happen to go haywire, I realize that there's a risk (however small) of having to fight a bit to get warranty work covered. I actually usually opt for the prepaid maintenance on cars I've bought, but this time just decided to go DIY, or indie for anything I can't handle. I have a GREAT specialty European indie less than a mile from my house.

 

That's the thing though, this is listed as a required service that has certain requirements, such as the correct fluid, fluid amount, TQ specs, and the proper drainage of the old fluid, etc. You are taking that chance of somebody other than the dealership messing up, which is OK but leads me to my next point. Does it seem logical for a person to save money on a service where labor + parts could easily reach $1000+ for replacement on an item that will see constant wear & tear? Don't know about you but that seems like quite a gamble.

In the end, if a warranty is denied for whatever reason, due to a DIY or the use of an Indy shop, it's the job of the owner to prove it to MB that a warranty claim has to be honored. This would be a long battle.

 

nobbyv, many thanks for the write-up. Much appreciated. By chance have you done one for oil/filter change?

 

ALL services are required. This one's no different. I guess I'd put it this way: would you trust an indie shop to do an oil change on an engine that's likely $10-15k? It's an oil change. It has a correct fluid amount, drain plug torque spec, etc. But in the end, it's an oil change. Personally, I'd feel pretty comfortable that either an indie or myself can handle an oil change, and I'd like to think (call me an optimist) that if my engine blows, MB isn't going to try and hold my feet to the flame because I changed the oil myself.

I understand the cautious approach. But to me, it tends to be a lot of hand-wringing about nothing.

 

If I was buying a used C63 and one had a record on the MB system for the first service being carried out by a main dealer and another just had receipts for a DIY job OR a indi dealer, I know which I would buy!

With that in mind a full dealer service history in Europe is worth the money come to resale and has a significant effect on values.

These cars are not cheap and in my opinion its really not worth cutting corners.

Plus a main dealer will have a record of any technical bulletins or updates that may need to be applied under warranty FOC while the cars in.

Honestly if you paid this much for a car, a 3 years service deal shouldn't break the bank.

 

Guys, it's your money. Do what you want. But I can assure you, there was no "cutting corners" when I swapped the diff oil.

In my experience, NO dealers proactively apply technical bulletins or updates unless there's a specific complaint you log with them that warrants it (see the exhaust SW update in this same forum as a prime example of people trying to figure out the magic words to get their local dealer to correct something covered under a TSB). And If I have a specific complaint that I believe is covered by a TSB, I make an appointment. It's pretty simple.

And if there's actually a recall of some kind, the manufacturer is required to notify me.

Frankly, the money is actually of little concern to me. What's more valuable is my time. And 1/2 hour in my garage beats making an appointment, driving to the dealer, waiting an hour before they even get to it, then another hour while the tech strolls around taking his sweet time (because the job books at an hour, so that's what they'll take), then another hour while I wait for the complimentary wash that will just put swirls in my paint. Plus, I *like* doing mechanical work. I find it soothing.

Not worth it to you? Great! Pay the dealer what they ask. But stop with the hand wringing over what's a far easier job than changing the engine oil. I'm not re-balancing turbo impellers using my food processor and an Exacto knife here. It's a job that a well-trained monkey could do while blindfolded.

 

My point was not how difficult the job is or if you like to do it or not, it's the effect not having a full MB service history will have on the cars resale value. Plus the benefits of having a good relationship with your dealer.

Is a full manufacturers service history a valuable thing to have in your country? If not disregard my comments.

 

As I don't have capability of raising rear end, I took it to a known, reliable independent. Otherwise, I would have done it myself as it's obviously pretty simple. The key question I posed to the indie while making the appointment was weight of hypoid oil he would use. He checked and came back with 75W-140, which solidified my confidence. Labor $110 (minimum 1 hour), oil 36.00, tax 2.88 for total $148.88.

His only comment when I picked it up was they had to take particular care to make sure refill was completely full.

 

Make certain you have the slip differential that needs the oil change at 2000 miles. I was told by 1 dealer I needed it and the other dealer told me I did not.

 

After service saying I didn't need the rear diff oil change and me getting it in writing 3600 miles on the odometer and my diff failed and it is being replaced under warranty

 

This really surprises me. I would think they'd just say, "Oh you want the differential oil changed? Sure."

I don't know about the other models as I have a 2017 C63S Coupe, but the owner's manual on page 130 (yeah I read it) says:
When I got the car there was a big sticker on the windshield that also said this had to be done, but it said at 1,875 miles.

I had it done for $95 at the dealership where I bought the car.