ajm0824

I know it's been discussed before but...

Had the car 13 months with 6k mi and Just dropped off my car for Service A (bout $270)

I got no electronic indicator that i needed to change the oil or bring in for service. Have low miles, but it's been a year & I understood the threshold to be 13k mi or 1 yr (whichever first)

Service rep told be I can have the service done but didn't have to. Said that it was 13K mi or 2 YEARS??

Is it really 2 years?

I had them do it anyway as it is not a lease and I am not comfortable with waiting another year for an oil change.


Any thoughts?

BudC

I have a 2004 E320. This was the last year with free maintenance. MBUSA will pay for Service every 10,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first.

You can decide how long you want to wait between services but I would not take the advice of an SA. Most of them don't know very much.

RobertG

change you engine oil twice a year you'll feel better ,I do it the same way-spring and fall.

X72

Hey ajm0824, I do my own oil changes. So 8 quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40 at $5.16 (bought at WalMart) per quart plus a Mann fleece oil filter (bought online) that meets MB specs which cost me about $14. So my total cost is about $56. The way I drive the car, the FSS won't ask for an oil change for approximately 15 to 18,000 or nearly 2 years, eventhough when the counter is reset, it says next service in approximately 12,000 miles. I usually do an oil change once a year or every 9 to 10,000 miles. I don't reset the counter on that change. Until now I have had the free maintenance and allowed them to reset the counter when the dealer did the service. If I had to pay the dealership to do the oil change, I bet it would cost about $120 to $150.

If you really want more opinions, go look at the forums at www.bobistheoilguy.com I have spent hours looking at those forums and feel much more confident in the decisions I have made until now.

You can have your engine oil analyzed for $30 with an interpretation. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ I recently read an oil analysis submitted by someone with a Porche Cayenne that ran almost 20,000 miles before having the oil changed. The analysis was fine.

I have just changed the oil instead of having it analyzed to see if it is ok to run the car for the full 2 years without an oil change. I may do an engine oil analysis next time around just because I am curious.

If you are only going to put 12,000 miles on the car in 2 years, it will probably be fine although I would suggest that you do an oil analysis just to be sure. But if you are worried about it, just do a once yearly oil change. Just make sure you use an oil and an oil filter that meets MB specifications if you are going to have the service done outside the dealership. I highly recommend that you avoid all "quick lube" service locations. It is just not worth taking the risk of the headaches that they can cause you.

I use Mobil 1 0W-40 because it is an oil that meets MB 229.5 and is relatively easily available in the US. If you are driving 6000 miles a year, I think two oil changes a year is overkill. This car has an 8.5 quart sump filled with a fine synthetic motor oil.

Let us know what you decide to do.
William
2003 E 320

ajm0824

Thanks X72 for the detailed response

I bit the bullet and had them do it for $270. err on the side of caution... but get raped (for now) I will be checking out those forums and , given the way I drive, will be chaning the oil myself in 1 year (w/ computer reset). and not bring it back for the service for at least 2. I also may check that analyze service in the interm... to reasure.

Thanks again!

X72

Hey ajm0824, don't feel bad about the $270. In the scheme of things, that is really insignificant. It also motivated you to look for a better solution.

Check out this link posted by gregs210
http://www.mbnz.org/forums/forums/th...osts=10&fid=17
Click on his gallery link and you will see really detailed pictures on and oil change for a W210, which is similar to the W211. On the W211, the oil drain plug is not on the side like in the W210. On the W211, the drain plug is in the rear of the intricately cast oil pan.
All you need are some ramps ( I use the Rhino ramps which I bought on sale somewhere for $20), the correct oil cap wrench ( get the correct one or make sure the one you get fits well; I don't want to know how much it would cost to replace the part that the oil filter slides on). You will also need the correct socket for the drain plug (I don't remember offhand), and of course a new copper crush washer for the drain plug.
The beauty of doing the oil change yourself is that you know for sure that it actually was done, and you also know you did it right.

Of course, safety is the most important thing; saving a little money is not worth it if you are not handy, careful and meticulous.
William
2003 E 320

Double Eagle

You have a poor SA telling you that it's OK to go until the FS light comes on. You should definitely get your car serviced each year and be sure they also complete all of the Tech Bulletins that apply to your car in addition to getting the oil change. With the 2003 and 2004 models, this is all free, however, I believe you will have to pay for the oil change on the 2005's. You should NOT, however, have to pay for the TB's that apply to your car. At two years, you also now must get the coolant and brake fluids replaced in addition to the oil change.

X72

By the way ajm0824, those letters you see in the instrument cluster do not correspond to the A and B service, but range from A-H with each incremental letter representing one hour of labor as an estimate.
Someone on this forum posted this link talking in detail about FSS and I apologize for not giving them credit for doing so.
http://www.mercedestechstore.com/pdf...2008-16-02.pdf

paulhu

I purchased my 2004 E500 in August, 2004. Currently it has only 3,800 miles. I took my car to the dealership last week for a checkup/oil change. I was told that I still have 9,000 miles to go before my first service. So the way I am driving, I will probably get 10,000 miles in about 3 more years.

BudC

My Service Advisor told me that MBUSA will pay for service if you have EITHER 1 year or 10,000 miles on your car. You should get the free service after you've owned the car for a year no matter what the mileage is.

This is the e-mail I received from my SA about the subject..

Hi! Bud,
Sorry its taken so long to get back with you they will let us service the
car if its been 1 year since the last 1 was done or since the purchase date
of the car if its the first service. or 10,000 miles whick ever comes first

Thanks Robert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bud Cook" <budcook@***.net>
To: "Robert Wolf"
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 10:20 AM
Subject: Maintenance Criteria

>> Robert,
>> I have a 2004 E320 with about 7,300 miles on it. I bought it July 30,

2004.

>>
>> I would like to change the oil in the car but if MBUSA will pay for an
>> oil change based on time rather than mileage, I will wait for another
>> month or so to bring it in.
>>
>> Can you tell me what criteria applies to the free service? Do I have to
>> go 13,000 miles or so to get the free oil change or will MBUSA pay for
>> it based on time (such as one year)?
>>
>> Thank you in advance,
>> Bud Cook
>>