DunninLA

I've got a 2001 E320 with 99,000 miles. I plan to keep it at least three more years. Replaced dampers at 55,000 to move to Koni, motor mounts at 60,000, dashboard display and gas tank at 95,000. Due to replace original battery and muffler, which rattles.

I'm guessing $3,000 per year for upkeep. I drive 15,000 miles/yr, so that is $600 in tires, and $600 in tuneup. I'm guessing about $1800 per year in other maintenance items.

I have a strange feeling I'm about $1,000 too low in my estimate. I will find an independent repair shop now that my warranty in 11/06 and "post-warranty good will labor only" repairs have run their course.

I did read the thread itemizing which repairs seem to be the most common with this model over time.

ProV1

not sure why you had to replace the gas tank, and the shocks at only 55k. MB shocks can go 130k no prob.

if you've been diligent about maintenance, 100k->150k should be no different. if you DIY, your estimate sounds very reasonable.

usual stuff, MAF, O2 sensors, CPS, spark plugs, brakes, no biggie

FlatlineEF9

at 109k, and about 5-10k miles per year, i spend about 1-2k per year, including dealer service intervals.

uberwgn

Spark plugs are due now. Don't overlook brakes/rotors and the other basics.

DunninLA

Oh yeah, forgot to mention gas tank was replaced because when less than three gallons were in the tank, it would start to cut out. That's when the spark plugs were replaced first to make sure that wasn't the problem. At the same time brakes and rotors were replaced (in the back I think).

Replaced shocks at 55k because I wanted firmer shocks, only reason.

ohlord

Man,are we living on the same planet?At 15thousand miles a year $4000 dollars!
Yikes,I've got 6 cars that we drive,and more in the works,and don't have to spend 4grand in total on them.Are you including fuel in that cost,or do you not do a single maint issue?that's 333.00 bucks a month on maintenance!!!!!NEW filter new plugs new oil new evap sensor new window regulator every month and it would be hard to total 333 dollars!Are you planning to take it to the dealer weekly or what?It's an E320 cripes if you did nothing other then change oil and make sure you had good rubber you could drive it for a year doing nothing else to it,Please if you need to spend 4grand,move here I will keep it running just fine
and go fishing more in retirement.For that matter You could buy a like new used 320 withlow miles for less than the 12thousand dinero for three years maintenance. Now tell us all please you are pulling our legs,right?
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"
ARe you having a "B" service every other month?lol, your killing me man....
Really you're kidding us ? 600 bucks a year in tune ups to go 15k miles? plugs every 100000miles ,oil,filter ,air filter,at change intervals of 10k are less than 100 bucks,are you planning on installing a new trans every year ?

ohlord

from benzworld a post on maint and repair costs for a guys car over the past ten months

oil filter $6 (x3)
oil $9/gallon (x6)
air filter $18 (x1)
cabin filter $28 (x1)
spark plugs $2 (x6)
spark plug connector $12 (x3)
water pump $120 (x1)
thermostat $15 (x1)
upper/lower/bypass hoses $50 (all 3 together)
mb coolant $20 (x2)
serpentine belt $25 (1x)
headlight bulb $20 (2x)
foglight lens $10 (1x)
insurance $65/month
yearly vehicle registration/wheel tax $170
labor all done by me. parts all together cost less than $500 alltogether

the year before all i did is oil changes and brake pads, both front and back.
year before that just oil changes. also i go through a couple of headlight bulbs per year, i use the silverstar one that burn faster, that's why

keep us laughing

this is a yearly service history of a Ferrari 550
5,000-mile service be completed.

As we have noted, Ferraris are rarely an owner's primary transportation. As such, same day service is not expected, nor offered. Still, our routine work was completed in only a couple of days.

The complete work performed was as follows:

* Change oil filter (2)
* Change oil (12 quarts)
* Change gearbox fluid (8 quarts)
* Change air filter (2)
* Top off antifreeze
* Top off power steering fluid

Grand total (includes parts and labor): $1,459.00
and this was at Ferrari Beverly Hills.

Haven't laughed this hard in years
ohlord
"GOT MONEY?"

Air Marshall Eldritch

I spend around $300 on maint. I have 109,000 miles now.

The only issue I've been ignoring is the passenger airbag sensor error.

ohlord

Finally,some sanity !Do some of these guys ever pick up a tool?I thougt the purpose of these forums were more in the diy category and in most cases like your post it is,if not then the whole thing turns into a conversation of "did you get that ding fixed",over a cup of starbucks while they wait for the dealers service writer to get the BILL ready.
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"

jimmydagreek

I agree, estimate was way too high. I had 140k+ on my '97 E420 and I don't think I got anywhere near even a grand every year for maintenance and "oh *****" issues. Whoever the mechanics are who are getting even over $2k a year for maintenance are in the money. Hey, I think I'm going to open an MB maintenance shop, lol...

ohlord

find a bunch of peeps that are down with spending 4k a year on maintenance and have them fly you to their town, do the repairs ,take a vacation break,and still turn a healthy profit and never even have to open your own shop!
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"

jimmydagreek

Do I already see a partner interest in my new business??? lol...

DunninLA

Well good! With $600 in tires, probably $300 in brake maintenance, and $600 in tuneup each year (dealer pricing in CA), I'm at $1,500/yr plus unexpecteds.

I'll budget $2,500 then. Just seems to me $1000 for unexpecteds is too low. I don't do my own maintenance... do all you guys really do it yourself?

OceanView

I am averaging about $2000 per year which includes tires.
Some years I go over cause I add things to the car that is not considered routine like Projector headlights, new paint, etc.

Tires really are the bulk of my expenses as I need a new set almost every year and they are $800 - $1000 for a set.

ohlord

You guys are still up to your old tricks,I can barely stand the pain in my side from laughing so hard yesterday,let up already!$600 in tires yearly,what are you running,the soft compound michelin racing tires I have on the race car.15000miles for a set of tires,are you setting them on fire or something?Plugs last 100000 miles,tires good ones at least 30000,tuned car since it is all computer timed and monitored,new filters and oil every 10k,check the belts and hoses,etc.and other maint. are easy diy.A lot of us do our own maint. me because i like to do it,have raced since the mid 1960's and learned to do it myself and have no one to blame if it was done wrong,besides when I hear stories of dealer charges of $880 TO r/r a mass air sensor that costs 200bucks and 5 minutes labor,I loose sleep worrying about you guys that haven't learned how simple and fun it is to work on your nice ride!
ohlord
"GOT CODES?":

FlatlineEF9

Im capable of doing some work myself, like oil changes, tune ups, etc. but for the basic maint. I take it to the dealer so I can sell it later on and have record that a proper mechanic took care of it, rather than the zip tie and duct tape approach. If you can do the stuff, more power to you, but the next buyer might not believe how good of a mechanic you are. I dunno bout you, but Im not gonna keep my 210 forever.

ohlord

And usually better,with records ,receipts and ,done on schedule or sooner,maintained,detailed:looks so nice people think our 99 is an 07.It's not that hard,cheaper parts are avail oem at several sites,except for the tight space avail when changing the plugs,pretty roomy to work on to boot!Bought this last 99 several months ago,tuned ,detailed polished like a mirror,could sell it for more than I bought it for.It's an 8 year old car,not 2,people looking are going to be paying a bargain price for a high quality car,and be satisfied no matter who did the work as long as the work was done properly.
And by proper mechanic,do you mean? The one who hands you a bill for 8 bills large, to do a B service?Or the proper mechanic that bills you for a MAF sensor,"cuz it was bad"?
even though it had not even once displayed a code.Admit it you've seen it posted more than once.So is that the proper mechanic,you're speaking of? Don't get me wrong,they are out there ,usually running their own shop,after years of being disgusted at watching people get burned at the dealer.
"GOT CODES?"
""GOT WRENCHES?"

"GET ER DONE"

ProV1

go drive a 365HP/400lbft torque RWD car, and ***** foot the gas as much as you want, you'll still not get 15k out of the rear tires.

ohlord

Do you mean you can't or can get more then
15000 miles out of a set of tires?
HydroEdge® 90,000 Miles
Agility™ & Agility™ Touring 80,000 Miles
Destiny™ 80,000 Miles
Harmony® 80,000 Miles
X® Radial DT 80,000 Miles
Cross Terrain™ SUV 65,000 Miles
Symmetry® 65,000 Miles
Pilot® Exalto® A/S 45,000 Miles
Pilot® XGT® H4 45,000 Miles
Pilot® XGT® V4 45,000 Miles
With the Michelin® MX™ Series of tires, you can expect excellence in every dimension-handling, comfort, long tread life, and all-weather traction. And when you purchase a Michelin® Pilot® MXM4™, Energy™ MXV4® Plus, Energy™ MXV4® S8, or Energy™ MXV4® tire*, you'll also get the peace of mind provided by the Michelin Total Satisfaction Guarantee. After all, MX Series tires are chosen by more luxury car makers to enhance the performance of their cars.

Two years of 24-hour roadside assistance
30-day free trial period
Online product registration
Free rotation reminders
I'd have to be on the drift 24/7 to burn tires at the rate of 15k a year!
ohlord

ProV1

w/ staggered oem tire sizes, rotation is out of question. then any mileage warranty becomes piece of garbage. even 275/35/18 kumho asx tire with wear rating of 420 still wears out after 15k miles. fronts can go 45k tho

galleryvw

calm down ohlord, i've had years where i hit $4K by the fall. I've also had years where i probably only spent $1500. There are some parts that go bad on an MB that cost a ton of money. You will learn this soon enough. My car is setting off the CEL because of a secondary air passage that is clogged that requires the engine to be broken down - the cost on that job is about $2500. It's over 20 hours of work +parts. Hopefully I can get by without having this done, but it's something I have to be prepared for. I would say budgeting $100-$150 a month for service and repairs would be a good call. If you don't use it all you can put it towards cosmetics like filling dash cracks and repairing worn out trim.

galleryvw

and by the way ohlord, if you go 100000 miles between your plug changes you're a total idiot. it's guys like you that are responsible for all the poorly functioning used cars on the road.


100,000 miles?!!!!

JeffreyP

I tend to agree with ohlord to an extent. I bought my car 4 years ago (this week) and have $1000 put away each year for maintenance (+ tire costs etc...). The only year that cost me close to that amount was the 1st year including replacing alternator, ATF, rear window regulator. The next three years total was less than $1000 including regular oil change at 7500 miles, the other rear window regulator, 4 new tires, bulbs, brake flush, coolant flush etc..

So far in 4 year I am about $2200 ahead. Now I keep my finger cross hopefully that the MAF, TCU, trans, engine or any other major parts won't go.

Also, I don't see anything wrong with changing plugs at 100k miles. As long as they don't misfire, stall upon starting or cause a noticeable reduction to your mileage. The only thing that could be trouble is that at 100k miles they may be hard to removed.

To me, somewhere between 600-1000 each year for maintenance should be enough, tires/rim/appearance items are depending on each individual.

JP

OceanView

I think some of you guys are comparing different tires than some of us.
The tires on my car are 18" low profile tires and they only make them in the ZR rating. These cost more than the standard 16" H rated tires that last 50K plus miles. Besides being more expensive, they also tend to wear much faster.
I usually get 15K-20K on the rears and 25K-30K miles on the fronts.
Living in SoCal, my car usually puts on 20K+ miles per year.
By the way, as your car ages, more things tend to go out and my experience on maintenance costs are on a car that I have tracked for 10 years now with 207K miles on the Odo.
Some of us are not crazy or over exaggerating.
YMMV

FlatlineEF9

Im not saying that youre not a competent mechanic. But I am saying that if you were to sell your car right now, the buyer might not know how good you are, and doubt your ability to perform the maint. I also buy some stuff aftermarket, some stuff works...some doesnt (wouldnt recommend certain brake pads), I change my own oil, sparkplugs, wires, MAF sensor, air filter, etc. But when stuff on my car breaks, I fix it immediately, or get it fixed because I cant stand an unmaintained car. I probably dont have the same skills that you got. I have built cars from the frame up, but honestly...this car scares me, ill be honest.