Servicing a Leased Car
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Dallas, Texas
SL550
Servicing a Leased Car
Does anyone know what the requirements are for servicing a leased car? I can't seem to find my lease agreement at the moment and I'm not sure if I'm required to complete all of the services or face some kind of penalty. My last 4 cars have been BMWs with the free maintenance...loved that. I'm a year into a 27-month lease and it's time for Service A, and I cannot justify spending $377.00 for the dealer to do an oil change and a lot of b.s. "checking" and "inspecting". What a racket.
Thanks in advance for any info!
Thanks in advance for any info!
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: South Orange County, CA
4 wheels
You must service a leased vehicle, otherwise they will penalize you in the end.
Each service is more than just an oil change, and inspections. They might replace filters in the car, and other things when they go through what the car determines. You can check for this yourself. Search the forums and they will show you how you can use the instrument cluster to give you a detailed list of what needs to be done for that particular service, depending on the car's driving behavior and intervals.
How many miles do you have on your E350?
Each service is more than just an oil change, and inspections. They might replace filters in the car, and other things when they go through what the car determines. You can check for this yourself. Search the forums and they will show you how you can use the instrument cluster to give you a detailed list of what needs to be done for that particular service, depending on the car's driving behavior and intervals.
How many miles do you have on your E350?
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I believe that the search will show him that this feature is disabled on MY06 and on.
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It Is Spelled out on the lease contract..One MUST have complete records of service or there WILL Be a Charge added to the return of vehicle
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From: Michigan, USA
'05 E320 CDI, '07 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2007 Porsche GT3
I believe this applies only to cars that have the Flexible Service System (FSS). FSS was dropped sometime during the '05 model year. My '05, which is an 8/04 build car, doesn't have it. The service booklet that came with my car specifies service operations to be done based on time/mileage.
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Thread Starter
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From: Dallas, Texas
SL550
I found my lease agreement today and paragraph #17 states "you agree to maintain, service, and repair the vehicle according to the manufacturer's recommendations". I'd unfortunately consider the Service A notification in the dashboard as a manufacturer recommendation, but I found another local dealer today that will do it for $225 instead of $377. Still too much, but I'd rather do it and not take any chances. I'm glad you've never been questioned, though!
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Georgia, USA
Honda Accord
bm75204, MB dropped the maintenance program similar to BMW's program a couple of years ago. It is a stealth price increase. If you lease another MB, build prepaid maintenance into the price to make a fair comparision.
By the way, just the oil and filter would cost you in the $75 to $90 range if you were to buy it yourself.
The dealerships make fat profits on routine maintenance (oil changes and brake replacements) and is part of their business plan. If you drive the car aggressively, you may be on the hook for brake pads and tires at the end of your 27 mo. lease. Find yourself an independent MB mechanic to save some money.
I don't recommend the quick lube places, especially for an exotic car (exotic for a quick lube place). Find yourself someone specializing in MB who will stand behind their work or just stick to the dealership for maximum safety.
By the way, just the oil and filter would cost you in the $75 to $90 range if you were to buy it yourself.
The dealerships make fat profits on routine maintenance (oil changes and brake replacements) and is part of their business plan. If you drive the car aggressively, you may be on the hook for brake pads and tires at the end of your 27 mo. lease. Find yourself an independent MB mechanic to save some money.
I don't recommend the quick lube places, especially for an exotic car (exotic for a quick lube place). Find yourself someone specializing in MB who will stand behind their work or just stick to the dealership for maximum safety.
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From: Dallas, Texas
SL550
X72 --- Thanks for the response. I knew scheduled maintenance wasn't included when I got the Mercedes, but I didn't take the time to find out how much my future services would cost (or if I was even *required* to do them). Oh well...at least I found the other dealer to do it for $225 and I'll be done with it. It wasn't the money so much as the principle that bothered me...the service takes less than an hour, and when you back out the cost of the oil, oil filter, and air filter, I was paying someone at the first dealer $300/hour to check and inspect some things. It just wasn't right and they couldn't justify why it cost that much when I put it in practical terms and put the heat on them. It was like going to a restaurant where you have a $5 drink, $10 appetizer, and $20 entree...then charging $100 for the meal.
Last edited by bm75204; Dec 11, 2006 at 11:59 AM.
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From: Encino, CA
a toy
Nag them for a loaner while your car is in service for that hour. They will give it for a $300 service, even though it's only an hour long. Keep the car the whole day and drive the hell out of it. You'll feel better in the end. 
