I need some expert advice. Because of Covid, and because I can do all of my work from home, I've been driving my 2018 E400 Coupe very little since March of 2020. The car had the "B" service performed on October 12, 2020, and it's been driven only 1,630 miles since then (the odometer shows only 13,042 miles as of 9/19/22). Nonetheless the dash is displaying the "A Service in X Days" message.

Is the A service really necessary at this point, or can I skip it, and if so for how long?

My cost per mile driven is already through the roof due to insurance and so forth, and I'd kinda like to keep it under $5/mile! 😱

 

First, you really need to drive more.

It really depends on whether you drive 2 miles per day or a 100 mile drive once per month. Lots of short trips are harder on the car. Keeping track of cost per mile is going to be wildly distorted because you drive so few miles. A service A should be from $250 to $500 depending on who does it and local prices. I don't think spending that over 2 years is excessive. It would probably not cause any huge problem to wait another 6 mo., but it is not really just an oil change. A good mechanic will look over other areas and lube some parts that could dry out.

 

That depends on whether you care about warranty and whether the car still is under warranty. If you can't show documentation that all required services were performed as per schedule, MB can decline warranty claims down the line. The scheduled maintenance calls for a service every 12 months or every 10k miles, whichever comes first. So, the simple answer to your question is yes. The fluids in your car age, whether you drive it or not. The fuel in your tank also doesn't get better with time, and running the engine on bad fuel is not a good idea. Use a fuel stabilizer if you don't drive much. The brake fluid needs to be flushed every 2 years as it absorbs moisture from the environment, regardless of how much the car has been driven. Oil also degrades over time. Moisture and fuel can and will dilute the oil. Much more so the less you drive actually as otherwise moisture and fuel evaporates when the engine gets nice and hot. So a lot of short distance driving where the engine never really reaches full operating temperature for long enough will result in diluted oil and the moisture can cause corrosion. It's actually even more important to regularly maintain a car that isn't driven much, because mechanical systems want to move and if you don't move them regularly and get them to operating temperature they will degrade from sitting around.

I think for many of us the pandemic changed how and when we drive. I also drive much less now than before the pandemic. I won't undo the changes I made during the pandemic so I have much fewer errands now than before and I shop locally much more often where I can walk or ride my bike, so during the week I rarely drive. I've worked from home before the pandemic, but I was still driving pretty much every day to get lunch, but now I make lunch at home or grab something within walking distance. I just kinda realized how much time I was wasting driving around before. I do however drive on the weekends and go for fun drives regularly. With an AMG of course driving is a lot more about the experience itself than getting from A to B, so I drive my car mostly for pleasure these days.

 

As people have said that if it is under warranty then that will probably require a service. If it is not then I would not worry about skipping a service. I often wonder if this schedule of x miles or 12 months is specified to ensure that the dealer gets money out of you at least once every 12 months. The high specification oils that MB specify will have lots of additives in so should not be a problem.

 

I still recommend changing the oil at least every 12 months because oil does expire plus it is cheap insurance for the engine. You don't have to do it at the dealership, it is not a difficult job at all and can be done in the comfort of your own home. Can even be done for way less than $100 USD.

 

Even if the vehicle has not driven many miles, you still want to have regular services performed every 12-18 months, letting cars sit is almost just as bad as running them a lot of miles. I picked up a 2008 S550 with only 45k miles in 2019 and it was serviced consisting at the dealership, many times less than 1,000 miles apart by the previous owner. I would only pay about $300 a year to continue to service the vehicle, and I had a extended warranty replace my front air struts... I am a firm believer of never skimping on maintenance.

 

Keep in mind that Carfax also tracks regular maintenance, so a spotty service history could adversely affect your car's value. I just had mine done, along with spark plugs and transmission fluid/filter, even though my car has just 32,000 miles on it and was only driven about 1,200 miles since the last service. I want to keep that "Well Maintained" badge on Carfax.

 

Carfax is frankly of limited value. My regular services don't show up on Carfax. Not all shops report to Carfax. My dealership doesn't, so the only maintenance that is showing up is stuff I have done at my Indy.

 

The other thing is, the car needs to be driven...These cars are fun to drive and even though you don't need to drive, you should drive just for the fun of it...

 

I didn't read all the posts, but something you should be aware of is the fact that the motor isn't "sealed". It breaths. Which means you're drawing moisture into your oil. Condensation in the oil over a longer period of time sitting is harmful to the engine. When you heat the motor up by driving it, you allow the moisture to be burned off. So keep that in mind. As others stated, but with more indepth reason "why", you should drive the car because it is definitely GOOD for the car to be driven. And BTW, the rear differential is the same. It has a vent, so it is drawing moisture. Drive the car and circulate the fluids, heating it up and forcing the condensation to evaporate.

 

"... the motor isn't "sealed". It breaths. Which means you're drawing moisture into your oil. Condensation in the oil over a longer period of time sitting is harmful to the engine...."

This is pretty much what Mobil stated when I contacted them regarding annual oil changes.

I use my '11 E550 coupe mainly for longer drives and trips. It only has 37K miles and I change the oil/filter annually (flush brake fluid every other year) and do a visual check of other fluids, brakes, undercarriage and driver controls.

Oil and an oil filter are cheap insurance.