SAguirre

OK, I have been meaning to post this issue for a while: My car’s service interval is now stuck (set to the odometer) at a set 10,000 miles! My window sticker and owner’s manual both state that my car has the FSS system and that the computer uses the oil quality sensor and driving style to determine the oil change interval. It used to start at 13,000 miles.

When I first got the car and MB had to pay for the service they INSISTED that 13 to 14K miles on an oil change was totally OK. So I had my oil tested when the computer let me drive 14,500 miles on one oil change and the lab said that the oil was still fine. Even at that many miles I threw away perfectly good oil and the oil had very low particulate readings!

Now, for the last few years, I get my car back from the dealer and the service computer starts off at 10,000 miles! I have kept track of it and it is NOT how it used to be. The old system used to start at 13k and then take off miles differently depending on how I drive, now it takes off 1 miles no matter what my driving is like. This seems to have changed when I had some automatic software update at the dealer (that I did not ask for).

In October I took the car to get serviced at my dealership and the service advisor and the head mechanic said that they could change the setting to have the service interval use the FSS. They tried and they could NOT get it to take. They even ordered a new “gateway” and put it in, but that still did not allow the computer to be changed. They kept my car for two days and worked quite hard on getting this to change. They failed, but did not charge me for their wasted time.

I finally got around to calling MB USA customer service; I had to argue with the idiot on the phone telling him that MB HAS NO RIGHT to take features off my car! He kept on saying that the new standard for MB is a 10K mile oil change. I kept on telling him that that is fine, but MY Mercedes is NOT a NEW one and I was sold something else, I have it in writing. I even asked him if they were going to start removing features from my car like the “rest” button from my climate control since the new ones don’t have the button anymore! He finally gave up and escalated my issue.

I got a call back from Mercedes and the manager told me that I had to bring my car into the dealer to have the dealer retrieve the service history from the computer. I got a case number and called my service advisor with the number. My service advisor called MBUSA and had to once again explain to them that the problem lies in that the dealer CAN NOT access what they need to.

So that is where things are…

I was NOT a fan of letting the FSS go for so long, but after repeated oil tests I realized that the computer is working and I want to go the full 13K (give or take) from my oil. Has anyone else noticed that your FSS has been deactivated and set to the odometer? Has anyone got it to change back?

Steve

I am quite mad here! I did not authorize anyone to remove features from my car. I would much rather have the computer tell me I have 13K miles left on my oil and then I can decide if I want to change the oil sooner.

Barry45RPM

OK. You're right... but what's to keep you from leaving the oil in untill you want to change it? You are not in violation of your warranty booklet, and you are following the reccomended interval as stated by the manufacturer. If it were my car, the less they get out the SDS and play with the programming of my car the better. I do my service during the anniversary Month of delivery to me, no matter what the DIC says. You're also right Mobil 1 is good for far longer than what Mobil or MB push oil changes for nowadays.

SAguirre

I know Barry; it is just a matter of principal! I take the car in to the dealer and some knucklehead decided to have this changed as part of a service "update" to the software. I know I can do whatever I want as far as service goes, but I am completely fine with a 13K service interval, but I DONT WANT my MFD flashing that I am due for service that I am not for 3 thousand miles or so. That is simply annoying. If Mercedes discontinues rear window shades in their cars, are they going to rip mine out?! You know…

Steve

Barry45RPM

You have a point with the shades!

clk500b

i know how you feel. The dealership changed mine to 10000 after the first service back in 2004 when i got the car. Like saguirre, i get pissed when the command center tells me i am over due for service.

Polar Bear

The "standard" settings is indeed 10k miles. What they will need to do is to change the FSS setting in SDS to 1.3x the "standard" interval. The option to change this setting is indeed there. The factory setting is at 1.3x. They just don't know where to change it.

Ronaldk

Have experienced the same problem in South Africa. After a service some two years ago the FFS computer was no longer flexible (religiously subtracting 1 km for each driven km of the remaining milage to next service) and "fixed"" at a 15 000 km interval. With my recent service I requested that the operation of the FFS computer to be checked. The reply was nothing wrong.

On star diagnostics I saw my frimware version of my cluster was indeed dated 2003 and therefore there was no software "upgrade" that could explain the behaviour. The indicator again reflected a fixed 15 000 km service interval and would not adapt to driving style. I requested further clarification from the dealer principal and really had to "perform" to get them to connect the car to the service computer again. Looking over their shoulder I could finally note what the problem is. The machanic, when updating the service computer of the car, has the option to select premium oil grade (i.e. 226.9 - the long service life oil type) which is normally used in RSA and voila! the adjustment factor of 1,3 is used by the board computer and the interval immediately jumps to 20 000 km. Driving a couple of miles there after showed that the board computer subtracted less aggresively from the remaining miles to next service whilst driving on the open road.

Therefore your solution should reside with the oil quality input provided to the boardcomputer by the mechanic. Big money making sheme if you ask me. The w211 was renowned for extreme long interval in RSA. Up to two years and occasionally even 26 000 km perhaps the stealerships are trying every means to get the mb owners to more frequent the garage!

SAguirre

Thank you for this post! I will see what the dealer says bout this oil quality issue being the culprit. I will be willing to bet you that this IS the problem. Once, after my oil change, I DID get the 13K mile interval and then it was back to the 10K after the next two oil changes. My dealer is always very cooperative and helpful; I bet they will want to know this. But as usual, I am the only consumer that they deal with who notices this stuff!

Thanks!

Steve

SAguirre

Issue is finally fixed. Apparently Mercedes DID deactivate this feature when there was an automatic firmware update during one of my recent services. After they hooked up my car to the Stuttgart computer they re-flashed it and the menus for all the proper setting became available. The suggestion that was mentioned earlier in the thread was a good one, but my computer on the car did not let the mechanic access the settings.

Weird and annoying,

Steve

Polar Bear

Did they say what device they reflashed? It almost sounds like MB in Germany downgraded the firmware for you. I would assume it was the ASSYST PLUS module, but I guess it could be the ZGW.

SAguirre

Well, the head mechanic said that when he plugged in my car to the computer connected to Stuttgart (this time) it allowed him to access the menus that he used to be able to get into. He said that there WAS some reprogramming done, but I did not ask what exactly because he made it sound as if it happened while he was on the phone and the car was hooked up.

At least the FSS is now active. I have to get around to posting my oil report that shows that I still had good oil after 13,900 miles.

Steve