Thoughts on upkeep and yearly cost on a CL65
03-14-2010, 12:23 PM
#26
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96 and 08 911 turbos
Only after a lawyer was involved did Mercedes pay to replace the engine. Originally, Mercedes thought the failure was from abuse. Luckily I was there to take pictures before the car was towed into Mercedes and got pictures of the oil sprayed all over the inside of the hood. So, ultimately, Mercedes paid for the engine. But do you really want your vehicle serviced by a tech that forgot to put two o-rings on a filter assembly? If they forgot something as common as this (ALL modern MBs use this assembly), what else are they going to forget? Not to mention, my friend was without his vehicle for almost a month.
I think it is you that is missing the point. Obviously, we are going to disagree on this matter, and that is fine. Trust me, I understand that not everyone has the knowledge/mechanical inclination/capability or even the desire to do maintenance themselves, and this is fine. However, you are the one that stated the expense of the oil changes on the SRT8 as well as the C65. If a person choses to do this themselves, then much of this cost is much lower than this (oil changes are around $50 each in my E55, a complete brake job [sensors, rotors, pads, and a brake fluid flush] is less than $800). And there is NOTHING in any manual that says that repairs are only warrantied if the work was performed by yourself. This is the same reason you can take your vehicle to any service station and get these things done.
Don't think that just because you take your vehicle to the dealer or a service station that your vehicle is better maintained than mine. I guarantee that I won't forget o-rings on a filter assembly! Not only that, as I working on my vehicle, I also take the time to do a thorough inspection to plan the items I will do for my next service interval. While I am also doing this, I also take the time to detail my vehicle (e.g., if I have the hood open, I take the time to detail the engine bay). Sure, I take my vehicle to the dealer for items that I cannot do myself (for example, my airmatic suspension went out one day while driving. this was covered under warranty, so I let them fix this). However, for routine maintenance, I would much rather do this myself...
I think it is you that is missing the point. Obviously, we are going to disagree on this matter, and that is fine. Trust me, I understand that not everyone has the knowledge/mechanical inclination/capability or even the desire to do maintenance themselves, and this is fine. However, you are the one that stated the expense of the oil changes on the SRT8 as well as the C65. If a person choses to do this themselves, then much of this cost is much lower than this (oil changes are around $50 each in my E55, a complete brake job [sensors, rotors, pads, and a brake fluid flush] is less than $800). And there is NOTHING in any manual that says that repairs are only warrantied if the work was performed by yourself. This is the same reason you can take your vehicle to any service station and get these things done.
Don't think that just because you take your vehicle to the dealer or a service station that your vehicle is better maintained than mine. I guarantee that I won't forget o-rings on a filter assembly! Not only that, as I working on my vehicle, I also take the time to do a thorough inspection to plan the items I will do for my next service interval. While I am also doing this, I also take the time to detail my vehicle (e.g., if I have the hood open, I take the time to detail the engine bay). Sure, I take my vehicle to the dealer for items that I cannot do myself (for example, my airmatic suspension went out one day while driving. this was covered under warranty, so I let them fix this). However, for routine maintenance, I would much rather do this myself...
Basic maintenance on these cars is so simple, there is no reason not to. I get my parts from parts.com for cheap and I spend a weekend morning doing the service A/B and I'm done for another 6 months to a year.
I have the chrysler warranty as well, and if I need something major replaced, I go to the dealer.
But anyway, back to the op.
If you use good sources for parts, and do the maintenance yourself, the 65s are not terribly expensive to maintain. Repairs on engine or suspension however, are heartstoppingly expensive at the dealer.
03-14-2010, 12:48 PM
#27
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06 CLS55 w/ P030, 05 Jag S Type R, 05 TBird-68 Dodge Charger R/T-440 w/4speed I'm original owner
Unfortunately, most auto mechanics don’t bat 1000 and that includes MB Dealers. However, realistically, having the car serviced at the dealer puts the odds in our favor. Sure, they are not perfect, but have a higher percentage to doing it right, taking care of the car while in their shop and also having all the TSB’s, special tools and most of all the experience of work on hundreds of models just like your car.
Shop time at a dealer in my area (SoCal) is $135-150 per hour and they don’t do work based upon hourly. They do it based on MB recommended time for service. This means they may charge for an hour but the work only takes 15 minutes. Another rip off.
I take my car to MB and it took several tries to find the best of the worst MB Dealer. Sure they are not perfect and don’t do the work as a DIY (with TLC and a cleaning rag). However, I take up that slack. Before I take it in for service, I make sure I have done my homework and have all answers to questions. No one buys tires from Dealers let alone other stuff like batteries. Most folks overlook the shabby dealer warranty of 12 months or 1 year. That does not go far for the tires and batteries, not to mention that they don’t offer tire road hazard policy for that expensive tire. However, they do a great wheel alignment and get it right the first time. I compared back to back wheel alignments for my own peace of mind with paper print outs from both MB and Non MB shops before and after. Good thing the MB was the second shop! Save me 5000 miles of premature unnecessary wear.
I bought new my $100K + car. I rather throw out dollars on maintenance and repairs as well as doing some maintenance sooner than later. I feel better about it and enjoy the experience a lot better knowing I am driving a perfectly maintained, and tuned hi performance Mercedes. Best summed up as-- "Trust but DIY verify'".
Shop time at a dealer in my area (SoCal) is $135-150 per hour and they don’t do work based upon hourly. They do it based on MB recommended time for service. This means they may charge for an hour but the work only takes 15 minutes. Another rip off.
I take my car to MB and it took several tries to find the best of the worst MB Dealer. Sure they are not perfect and don’t do the work as a DIY (with TLC and a cleaning rag). However, I take up that slack. Before I take it in for service, I make sure I have done my homework and have all answers to questions. No one buys tires from Dealers let alone other stuff like batteries. Most folks overlook the shabby dealer warranty of 12 months or 1 year. That does not go far for the tires and batteries, not to mention that they don’t offer tire road hazard policy for that expensive tire. However, they do a great wheel alignment and get it right the first time. I compared back to back wheel alignments for my own peace of mind with paper print outs from both MB and Non MB shops before and after. Good thing the MB was the second shop! Save me 5000 miles of premature unnecessary wear.
I bought new my $100K + car. I rather throw out dollars on maintenance and repairs as well as doing some maintenance sooner than later. I feel better about it and enjoy the experience a lot better knowing I am driving a perfectly maintained, and tuned hi performance Mercedes. Best summed up as-- "Trust but DIY verify'".
Last edited by m_berman; 03-14-2010 at 06:35 PM.
03-15-2010, 09:16 AM
#29
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Now, I understand that not everyone has the capabilities to do it themselves, even knowing how easy it is. Let's face it, some people are not mechanically inclined at all!... And for that the dealer and/or independent service centers are there to pick up the slack. But just remember this, those places are in business to make money. They will always recommend things that are not necessary. Even asking for the old parts back is NOT a guarantee. How many people that do not service their vehicle themselves would even know what the part looks like, let alone have the knowledge to diagnose the part to find out if it is defective. I am not saying that every dealer/service center is dishonest... But you just never know. Anyone ever have the dealer/service center to provide a brake cleaning/adjustment on a vehicle with 4-wheel disc brakes? Sorry, but you just got taken. There is no adjusting disc brakes. And to clean them, all they do is spray brake cleaner on the discs... I doubt if they ever take the wheel off the vehicle.. And they probably just charged you $100 bucks to do it...
For me, I take pride in servicing my vehicles. This goes for my very first vehicle (1976 Plymouth Scamp) to my present vehicle. And I guarantee that I take better care of them than any dealer EVER will!!!
Last edited by 06E55; 03-15-2010 at 09:15 PM.
10-13-2010, 04:37 PM
#30
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2007 Mercedes SL550 Sport
would someone PLEASE post how to remove the ABC filter? I tried twisting it off (with gloves on) and it didn't give. Seems somehow I need to remove the spring on the bottom of the filter for it to slide off.
really appreciate this.
02 CL500
really appreciate this.
02 CL500
