ESIX3POWER

I hit 4600 miles and the Service A due in 30 days light came on..

sneuman

My understanding is that it is one year or 10k miles. How long have you had the car?

Dema

I guess MB changed service interval computer setting, when MB provided services for free, the computer was triggered by actual mileage driven, but currently it starts complaining about service each 12 months, so if your car sat at dealer lot for few months and computer wasn't reset as part of delivery activities you can get reminder very soon. Just ignore it until you keep car for 12 months.

mg-E550

Mine never came on...got mine changed at 7500 miles or so because I had to take the car in for something else so I figured I'd just get it taken care of.

Do you drive in any unusual conditions that might have put extra wear on the oil?

LaicepsYdobon

10,000 miles or 1 year since the last service whichever comes first. Looks like your car sat around at the port/dealer for a while. My last car I got in July but my service reminder came on the following April while I was under 10,000 miles. It happens

K-A

If you're under the 10K Miles, and the "time limit" comes up, I wonder how long you can stretch the "past due" time until they might give you some Warranty problems?

Oil Changes have become the biggest scam.

If Jiffy Lube had their way, we'd all still be going at 3K Miles (many still do), and when M-B was putting Services on their dime, it was what, once every 15K Miles? Now that it's on our dime, it's 10K. BMW's done the same, etc. etc.

mg-E550

Great point!! my 650i was every 14,000 miles. I had a tough time getting comfortable with that.

ESIX3POWER

next month will be 1 year! I was one of the first ppl with the new E. Thx!

ash_cpe

It's interesting, I think MBs and BMWs have their oil change at higher Mileage, since they require twice the oil. for example , we have and 3.7 Acura and that takes just 4.5 qs, however E350 takes about 8.5~9 qs....

LaicepsYdobon

Thats an interesting fact about the quantity of the oil; I never thought about that. But also don't forget about the type of oil the different manufacturers use. We have a Lexus, Audi and VW in our family all which require oil changes every 5k but our MBs and BMWs are usually at twice that much at 10k+ miles. The reason for that is because the BMWs and MBs use full synthetic oil while the other cars use a blend (or mixture) of it. That is one of the advantages of full synthetic oils; you can run them longer since they are engineered to withstand the high engine temperatures and the extra wear and tear but at the same time this extra longevity does show up in the cost of the oil. We also had a Porsche in the family and the dealer insisted that they will only change oil every 2 years or 20,000 miles. Needless to say that particular car never got taken back to that dealer

Dema

People reported here that turned cars after lease with 30,000+ miles on odometer without any oil change. So I guess it is hard to have any warranty problems not doing a change.

BTW BMW stopped doing annual oil changes unless you have less 7,000 on odometer.

K-A

Yeah, Porsche's have very long and spread out oil change intervals.

OceanView

I hate going to the dealer for oil changes.
They charge too much. I can do it myself for about $75 and check the car out in about 30 mins. If I go to the dealer, it's gonna cost me about $200 plus I have to wait around for about 2-3 hours. Only thing I get is a free car wash, big whoop.

Does anyone know how to reset the computer? The info I found said something about a reset button but I can't find it on the car. Either I'm blind or it's not there on this model.

EDIT : Nevermind, Found it on the sticky at the top

Dema

It was described in manual for w211 and w210. I didn’t check for W212, but I guess nothing changed. You need switch key in ignition position without starting engine, then go to service menu and hold accelerator pedal for 10 seconds. I do not remember exact sequence though.

petee1997

You are right about the cost of the oil and filter change. I just had the A service done on my wife's W212 and the cost surprised me. It was $404.53. Included in that amount was $219.00 labour. There were a couple of campaign changes done on warranty but no extras in the A service.
It's a little ridiculous and I feel like I'm played for a sucker. Jiffy lube could do this for $100.00. I'm anxious to see what they will charge for the B service. By the way the equivalent service on my 997 was $322.00 and I thought that was high. I guess I was a little spoiled driving Bimmers where maintenance is included in the price of the car.

hyperion667

wow, didn't realize oil changes would be so expensive......would it make sence to get prepaid maintenance for this reason? locks in the price or something.......no doubt it will be a bit more expensive in 10, 20, 30 K miles.........
and respectfully, I'd skip a place like jiffy-lube......those guys do know how to change oil, but I find that the people who specialize in the car are better and know more about the quirks or tricks to particular models......if there are any....
it's been said that MB's are not the most user friendly cars either.......for instance, if the jiffy guy came across an unknown problem, would he 'wing it' or try to find the right answer? and yeah, there is no guarantee the MB service guy will know, but it seems more probable that the dealer would be better.......just MO though you know?
and plus they lube stuff up too huh? and add other fluids......

yeah, it's expensive, but I would prefer some peace of mind too (hopefully)

OceanView

That's crazy!
It's a pretty easy DIY. Maybe I will do one when it's time for my first oil change.

mg-E550

My B service was over $600. agree with you on the sucker part. Additional cost is largely replacing brake fluid I think

kingofire

I have a Mityvac that I bought from Amazon and now that I can access the oil filter from the top, it makes it an easy change. Just put the plastic tube in the dipstick hole and use the hand pump to get the oil out and just make sure you have the tools for the oil filter removal and don't forget to remove all 3 oil filter gaskets and replace with the new ones. Don't forget to lube the gaskets with fresh oil. I'll be using either Mobil 1 0w40 or German Castrol 0w30 with a Mahle oil filter. I also get my oil analysed at every oil change. Over kill yes but its become a hobby and love everything about motor oil.

KHARBAT1

Kingofire , how do you get your changed oil analyzed ? what would results tell you ? Thanks

thenew3

$404.53 for an A service? you should call around. Here in central CA, there is only one dealer within a 50 mile range, he charges $219.95 for an A service on the E350. When I called dealers around northern CA (SF area, there are several dealers) they charge $169.95 for the same service.
However driving an hour to and from those didn't make sense for the $50 savings. Plus my local dealer offers a 15% discount for costco members, so overall I'll be paying around $187+ tax. (the dealers near SF don't give costco discounts) so price difference is only about $18.

I would avoid places like Jiffy lube, have had bad experiences with them personally, as well as many friends and relatives.
Things such as leaving the oil fill cap off so oil sprayed all over the engine compartment, forgetting to tighten the oil filter so it leaked or fell off, stripping the thread on the oil drain plug bolt, stripping the thread on the oil filter housing, using the wrong oil, not using enough oil, using wrong oil filter etc. Lots of jiffy lub horror stories. They don't guarantee their work. 20 years ago we nearly had an engine completely destroyed by Jiffy lube.

El Cid

Mileage is not sole factor in how well oil is performing. Age is also a factor as oil deteriorates as it ages. This is why all manufacturers have a recommended mileage OR time for replacing.
Another consideration is how the vehicle is used. I put very few miles on my car, but most of it is stop and go and driving for 10-15 minutes and then restarting. No, it's not a taxi, just live in a very small town.
BTW, if you can afford a $50,000 car, you can afford the extra money for service by the dealership.

CEB

How dare you utter the words "Iffy Lube" on a forum?

Short story from several years ago