jimm

Just wonder how many of you get the expensive “Recommended Maintenance”
as per MB recommended intervals?

I have NEVER had these done on ANY car. And never been sorry. I know that,
while many of you will disagree, I am thousands richer because of it.

I’ve even pretty much discontinued their “free inspections” when I'm in a shop
because they are ALWAYS going to exaggerate “something” that I MUST have!

Again, never a regret for this economizing. (Lest we say .. “cheapness.”)

jimm

==========

‘08 E350 Sport, P2, Black/black, Parktronic,
Voice, Bluetooth, Burl Walnut, Split rear seat,
Wood/leather steering wheel

lkchris

Yet, everything you read about buying a used Mercedes says "look for complete service records."

Another instance of pay now or pay later.

jimm

And .. I have also heard that “you can never have too much life insurance.”
(Of course it’s the life insurance salesmen who promote that thinking.)

jimm

pinebaron

All Recommended Maintenance by MB and additional/interim 5000 mile oil changes myself; its not a lease.

Untertürkheim

The problem with that attitude is that you will never know when something is wrong with your car, posing a danger to yourself and other motorists. I am extremely happy that there are the extremely detailed TÜF inspections in Germany to eliminate that attitude towards service.

Needless to say, I have always done service by the book, and I cannot remember refusing a reccomended service. I feel my money has been spent very wisely, I have never had a breakdown, and I have always recieved my asking price for any car I sold , since they usually look and drive exactly like when they were new, despite quite a lot of miles.

jallison12

I view it more like investment. I want my car to last 5 more years, not 1. So, I do want problems found asap. But then it is up to my budget how much gets fixed, above what is necessary. I don't have money to burn. But I do think it is money wisely spent to keep my car running reliably.

No criticism of your approach. To each his own. Good luck.

jallison12

I am planning a trip to my uncles in the spring. He is gonna show me oil / filter / brake pads (maybe) changes which should save me $$$ per year.

I drive about 20k miles per year. The recommended oil change is at 13k miles. But I am planning on changing oil in the spring and fall myself.

NCE500

For me, the dealer will see me for any warranty work and once every 12 - 13 months as dictated by the FSS.

I am fortunate to have a local MB specialist, owned by ex dealer service guys who went independant, who know MB exceedingly well. I always took my E500 there for a six month oil change and check over. They charge about 65%of what MB does for an oil change, use the same Mobil1 oil and OEM oil filter, and are fully StarScan capable. From knowing folks with a bit older cars, their charges for brakes and other maintenance/repairs is also much less than the MB dealer.

They are going to see my 550 next week for the 1st six month oil change and to check over my car to be sure everything is as it should be after my recent dealer service work.

Most cities have one or more independent MB specialist who may be worth checking out for that second opinion regarding those "must do" items.

Clinton Horn

I am pretty much on jimm's side. I tend to view "inspect" as a useless service.I can "inspect" belts, hoses, sunroof rails, brake pads, fluids, etc. In addition, I will rotate tires, oil change, brake pads, fuel filter, Air cleaner, spark plugs, bulbs etc. Where the dealer gets a nod from me will be electrical problems, tramsmission failures and major engine problems. I cannot even begin to diagnosis an electrical failure or a transmission problem.
It will be interesting to watch the 211 board morp from those who have paid full price for new vehicles and are OCD to the point that they must have the car in pristine, as new condition. These are the people who are keeping the dealer in business and I am greateful that they do so. That allows me to use them only when absolutely necessary. As those folks purchase 212 cars, this board will change into more of a do it yourself help center, such as the 124 board. As for records, that old saw about not buying a used M-B without records is still true as far as I know. The FSS and warranty pretty much relieved me of worrying about the car I purchased. As for my resale, the 3rd owner will probably probably be looking at 150,000 + miles and those people tend to look at the overall condition of the car rather than service records.
It is obvious to me that many people who purchase these cars are willing and able to set aside an annual budget to insure peace of mind and reliability. I do not think they deserve criticism. I am just not one of them.

unclebenz

How often should E500's get an oil change im hearing all different numbers, one guy told me every 8000 miles? I always do it every 3000, please advise.

Davel

I understand his point of view, but its very general. I dont over service my vehicle (which i purchased new and plan to keep), but i dont ignore needed maintenance. This is my 3rd MB so i have learned how, when, and why they need to be serviced. If you look at the services, many of the items are check and inspect, and most of the service is changing the oil and replacing filters dust and air. Depending on how the vehicle is being used and driven the recommended service may not apply and you may be able to ignore some areas for extended amounts of time. I purchased a BMW Z4 a few years ago that i use as my commuter so my E is only driven a few times per month 100% highway now maybe 3k miles per year, but i will still change the oil at least once a year althougth the computer is not going to recommend it.

At some point all vehicles need service, and what you put off today may effect other things down the road. And i still think a trained MB technician needs to look under the car ever now and then

Barry45RPM

Once a year or when the FSS reminds you. Your car runs the best "oil" and the best filter, and has a huge oil capacity. Any sooner & your wasting money & time.

Barry45RPM

While I hate wasting money, the service intervals are pretty far apart on these cars. If you consider what you will pay over the time you will have the car, its not robbery. Service at the dealer is not always necessary, as you can find an independent ship to do all of the service and you can save a big chunk of dough. The "Big 3" manufacturer's dealerships have signs all over their service departments advising all kinds of phony check-ups, and inspections... they never reccomend the services intervals that the vehicle manufacturer has printed in the book you get. They always reccomend much more freequent oil changes, flushes, and inspections, pumping up their business. Benz dealerships on the other hand pretty much reccomend only whats in the book.

However, not checking stuff can leave you stranded on the road, or with an expensive tow bill, or cause an accident, or leave you in a dark parking lot, all dressed up waiting for Roadside Assistance. Heres a funny thought...

What if your exact post was a quote taken by a Times reporter as spoken verbatim by the President of American Airlines referring to all their Boeing Aircraft? How does it sound then?

These cars (2007 onward) do not require a lot of scheduled service.

unclebenz

so your telling me I should only be changing my oil once a year even if I drive 15k miiles a year?

rjm

Yep. No point in doing it more often with synthetic oil. Just follow the manufacturer's guidelines.

gnma

I'm with Clinton Horn. HOWEVER, until warranty expires, I will have her serviced by MB. only so they can't pull that "your car wasn't serviced by us" speech.

Anytime I work on my cars, I'm sure I'm doing a better job than any tech. for the obvious reason - its MY car. I'll torque bolts down to the recommended factory specs, and do all the "inspecting" that's required. Ck. out performance cars' forums (such as our beloved AMG relatives). I guarantee all the DIYers are pouring their hearts and souls into their cars in a way no dealer mech. would. Now THAT'S care and maintenance. Follow all recommended service intervals and the FSS, document your work with receipts and OEM (or better) parts and u've got a car that will command respect from any enthusiast potential purchaser should you at any time regretfully wish to part with your love.

I'm looking forward to working on my MB. If a job is required that I can't handle, then of course I will have to go to the $tealer. But as mentioned earlier, as these cars get older, troubles will start, and the DIY'ers will learn how to fix them. (Over at the Supra forum, there's nothing we can't fix/modify). Dealer who??

I will say, MB is tricky bec of its star system, and that's where we can get screwed.

There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction knowing you car was serviced/repaired by yourself, and $$$ has been saved.

I understand that there are those who don't have the time or patience to perform work themselves, and there is a value in itself by having the car serviced by the dealer. Personally, I"m a DIY'er and love working on cars.

Just my .02.

NCE500

No to belabor the point, but I do think we should keep things in perspective pertaining to oil change intervals.

We are driving $50K - $70K cars. An oil change at an MB dealer is about $125, takes about an hour with an appointment, and you will likely get your car washed and vacuumed as part of the deal. Going with an independent MB specialist will set you back about $85, and also takes about an hour of your time with appointment. I routinely spend $85 taking the wife out for a reasonably nice dinner.

Agree that we use 8 - 9 quarts high quality oil and good filters, but oil is dirty after 6 months, particularly if we operate in very hot or very cold conditions. Changing oil twice a year is not going to hurt our cars, break the bank or consume a lot of time, and will demonstrate that we maintained our car at trade or sale time. Relative to the cost of admission of a W211, it is an insignificant expense.

If I were leasing, and knew I was going to turn in at end of term, I would do the once a year change as per FSS.

However, I purchased mine and spending an extra $85 per annum on an "unecessary" oil change and having the rest of the car checked over every six months for that amount of $$ is o.k. by me. Just my opinion.

Barry45RPM

The oil hasn't lost any of its lubricating properties by 15,000 miles, and the reason for the extra oil in the pan is to have less of it up in the engine at any one time, also stretching the oil change interval by having extra oil in the pan. The Fleece filter is a much better than average filter, and it too stretches the oil change interval to a year because it filters more, and smaller particulates from the oil.

If any of the above were not true I might change my oil at 6 months or less like I change my other cars regular/non synthetic oil 3 times a year because they have 5 1/2 Quarts of regular oil, and use a cheap $4.00 paper filter which doesn't filter as well and simply mandates a shorter interval, just like the car's design engineers have written. Not having an engineering degree I cant debate with the engineers who know better than I on the Benz's longer reccomended change interval.

But if you want to change it more often, you certainly arent hurting the car.

Some people spend a couple of hours waxing their car, take a breather and put another coat of wax on, not realizing that they are using a modern cleaner wax, which removes the 1st coat of wax when you apply the 2nd coat. Others read the label on the wax & save the time & money.

HELL ONA HARLEY

Do these rules apply to your Harley also???

gnma

I found the following link very interesting. Most notably, the last post. It supports MB's 13K mile oil change interval, and NOT before. The member who posted this seems to sound like more than an avg. DIY'er with actual lab results of oil samples to support his viewpoint. He ends his point by stating "in other words changing oil more often results in HIGHER ENGINE WEAR."

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w211...2006-s500.html

If the above is true, then it is no longer an issue of "2 $125 oil changes instead of 1 won't hurt my $$$ engine". It could be quite the opposite...

Just as everyone has their view, mine goes with MB and their recommended 13K mile oil changes.

Man, I love auto forums...

pinebaron

Frequent Oil Changes: Since I prefer to change oil every 5000 miles on my Bluetec, I wrote to MB USA to check if I was causing any harm to my engine.

See response below from MB USA: Does this count?

Dear Mr. xxxxxxx:

Thank you for your internet inquiry.

While an oil change is recommended every 10,000 miles, it will not harm
your vehicle to change it more often. Please bear in mind that service
intervals also include inspections of various components and parts of your
vehicle and computer diagnosis. Changing the oil is not a complete service
and the service counter in your vehicle will still need to be reset, after
a full service.

We hope you find this information helpful.

xxxxxx.
Case Manager
Mercedes-Benz USA

KYBENZ

Having been witness to what has happened to engines that were "maintained" with the old FSS schedule on earlier Benz's I changed the oil every 6000k on my 06 E.
It was a lease that has since been turned in. I also plan to do the same on my 08. I see both sides of this argument however as some of the recommended services are quite costly.
We sometimes have people who lease a car and can barely afford to maintain them and therefore do not.
That is a car I would pass on in the resale market for sure, as no service records = lower price.
It is a shame that with the great lease deals out there that many people have the mentality that " Hey it's a lease, so what if I service it." I also see the way that these same cars are abused and when brought in for problems obviously caused by the abuse come in for warranty work are stunned to find out warranty will not cover the repair. One guy even came in about two weeks before his lease turn in complaining of "defective" interior panels.....They were cigarette burns....Classic

konigstiger

Has your dealership provided a free oil change at 13000 miles or 1-year (whichever come first) under MY03 and MY04 free maintenance? https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....4&postcount=55

gnma

Tks. for the info. Its hard to argue with info. coming from MB!

star3

I agree. I'll leave this one in the hands of engineers smarter than me.