Jaybone

Na... I want to believe how laxy-daisy the common MB driver is on getting there car serviced... 10k turns into 12k..... 13k turns into 15k miles.... then sludge engine....

Everyone feels that its a "They are out to screw me" thing.... Again i dunno.. I just provide the "flip-side"......

K-A

But which out of the 10K or 13K (new vs old) intervals are truly appropriated by the ENGINEERS? I.e, which are intended for the best mix of health for the engine, and value for the driver?

Clearly the bean counters are somewhere behind this, I just am curious to know which number they're behind.

Jaybone

From Mobil's Website....

Oil Change Interval: Oil change intervals can be as short as 3,000 miles or as long 15,000 miles on some new cars. We recommend that you follow the oil and filter change frequencies shown in your owner's manual. With Mobil 1´s high-performance reserves, you can have the confidence to go the full mileage or time frame recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Mobil 1 is especially suitable for the latest vehicles with extended drain intervals or vehicles with oil monitoring systems that vary oil drain intervals.


If I go longer between oil change intervals, do I need to change my oil filter more frequently? Or do I need a special filter?

Continue to change your oil filter when you change your engine oil. Special filters or more frequent oil filter changes are not required;, however, some low quality filters may not be capable of protecting your engine throughout an extended oil change interval.

MCD007

Do they REALLY do all that or just say they do, because really who is checking?


I've DIYed everything on my 01 3 series and just recently DIYed the mechatronic seal on my Z4. Not an easy one to do but I saved something like $400-500. Looks I will have to do the same for my E.

Jaybone

Hands down.. You always save money DIY...

i do my walk arounds... I would say my guys do... Cant speak for everyone... But these guys do the services all day long its like an automatic.. Its like any other job, Foremans are watching, managment is watching, they are under a watchfull eye.... And the more they check the car better it is for them, they might find some issues they can warranty... or find some customer pay items.. all and all they usually go over the car throughly because its good for them and also good for the customer....

BenzV12

That looks horrible
Mechanicians at the dealership told me that car oil should be changed no longer than 1 year regardless of mileage . Let's say MB says 10K miles but you turn out to be 5K miles but as soon as you hit 1 year mark , you need to change the oil from what I see . Otherwise here is the image lol

alsyli

When manufacturers started recommending really long service intervals (i.e., 10k or beyond), my friend's mechanic actually assumed it was b/c the manufacturers wanted the cars to break down FASTER (and thus getting customers to buy new cars more quickly).

My 2003 Accord required an oil change every 3000-4000 miles (at least that's what the dealer recommended). Since I've been driving 17+k miles a year for the past few yrs, I was literally bringing it in for service like every 2-3 months. And since they recommended the premium oil for an older car, the total per yr for maintenance wasn't that far off what the OP had to pay (and that doesn't include the fact that my car requires $400+ each month for 3 consecutive months for non-standard service visits, and the dealer was recommending that several hundred dollars more in maintenance was needed.... It was after this that I decided to get my own MB....).

To the OP, MB service stations do tend to charge a lot of $. It's important to find a good service manager that you trust. I haven't yet had to service my C250, so I can't comment on what the most recent prices are, but, yes, you do have to pay for gas on a loaner (at least I did when I took in my dad's C300 a few yrs ago).

I'm not sure why you expected maintenance in the first year to be free, since no other luxury make other than BMW does that, to my knowledge. I think Audi used to offer it but no longer does. And did you say that Ferrari offers maintenance for free? I'm under the impression people are paying full MSRP (if not much, much more) for a $200,000-300,000 car. Not really a fair comparison.

As for comparing the price of a new BMW to a new MB.... It doesn't really help to compare MSRP. My family's only owned one BMW (and will NEVER own one again, based on our rather horrific experience w/ reliability issues and the RFTs), but my strong impression is that MB gives much more off of MSRP than does BMW.

But sorry you had such a bad experience.... Having a bad service experience can really put a bad taste in your mouth....

El Cid

I think you are confusing one year maintenance with some kind of warranty for nomrmal wear items. If car was new, warranty is four years/48,000 miles except for wear items. Never heard of a one year maintenance plan.
BMW and others have included maintenance with purchase. NOT free; you just pay for it with payments on car. No dealer or company can afford to provide free maintenance.
M-B does have pre-paid maintenance plans for 3 and more years.
When I purchased the car, I asked the sales rep what the maintenance costs were for three years and he told me.
As for loaner, that is 100% up to the dealer to provide. Here again, sales rep told me a loaner every time I bring the car to them because I bought it from them. Of course, that cost for him is also built into what he charges for car and maintenance.
I use the dealer until warranty expires as a minimum, usually permanently. Have had too many problems with independents who didn't fix something correctly, broke something (not my fault) and then have no recourse to a higher authority. Even oil changes on my non-MB vehicles.
Also, independents have no access to all the recall, update, etc. information in the MBUSA computer. They can purchase most of it, but do they? Doubt it.
Used to change my own oil and filters, but haven't in past 10 years or longer. Just not worth the trouble and time for the few dollars you save.
As for warranty issues, law may require MBUSA to honor it even if someone else or owner does routine maintenance, but will there be a fight over a $500 plus expense? You bet. Could say some of the required inspections were not completed satisfactorily.
If you don't believe me, read the Operators Manual. I have never see so many statements re: warranty may be voided if not performed to standards of a MB service center. Consider the extra cost as insurance.
Oh-oil and other services should be performed when manual says to. Most dealers still use the old 3,000 mile thing because lots of people believe it. Of course, they also purchase the $150 annual injector cleaning.

MCD007

Yea they do. It also transfers with ownership so if you buy it 5 yrs old you still are cost free for another 2 years.

hyperion667

damn I'd love to have a 308 out in my drivewayyeah; just like Magnum

alsyli

I wasn't doubting whether you are correct or not. My point was that you can't compare the "built ins" of a $55,000 car to a $300,000 car. How about we compare the fuel mileage or the cost of tires on a mainstream MB to that of the Ferrari? I'm pretty sure you're going to make up the difference in "free" maintenance there.... ::shrug::

ttoE550

To me, it would seem that Ferrari doesn't throw in the cost of maintenance for the convenience of the owner. There must be some other reason. Maybe they want to increase traffic at the authorized Ferrari dealers/mechanics?

MCF

The 1 year of 10,000 miles is STUPID. If a car is driven twice a week with a mixture of highway and city driving for an average of 200 miles of month you mean to tell me it needs an oil change after 1 year!? I believe MB is the only manufacturer that dictates oil changes based on a time interval, not a mileage interval or oil conditioning monitor.

steelgrey

The yearly oil change recommendation is not an MB thing. It's a generally accepted industry recommendation. Oil sitting in the oil pan of your vehicle is not like oil sitting in a sealed container. It ages...it starts to break down and the breakdown still happens during those 200 miles of use per month. Oil is so cheap to replace at a yearly interval even if your nowhere near the mileage that it's just foolish not to. Just for the peace of mind factor. If you own a car that you do not drive frequently with very low mileage it's just a better idea to have all services done by age not mileage. Replacement parts cost significantly more than replacement fluids.

hyperion667

Dealer/warranty work
indy shop/everything else

K-A

Yeah, everybody has a time expiration with oil changes, it's hardly an M-B only thing.

I just passed 11K miles, and my Display is about to pass the "900 miles over" mark. Haven't had the time lately but figure my car is dirty anyway due to all the rain, so will take it in for the oil change and get a wash out of it as well. Of course, crossing my fingers that I don't regret the wash part and they don't screw anything up in that regard.

There are enough Dealers near me to where I can cross shop prices and even find Coupons that last year got my old E an A service for under $140. Not too bad, considering.

ImInPA

Absolutely!!! 1 year or 10k mi. It is not absolute but a good guideline. The contaminates that get trapped in oil if let to sit eventually do the harm an oil change protects you from. Why on earth would anyone buy ANY car and cheap-out totally on oil changes? Perhaps MB should include something like this......

(Warning: purchasing a Mercedes can cause unreal expectations of perfection, increased ***** size and larger *********. Some owners have reported losing their vehicles in divorce. Service bills have been known to cause erratic breathing, internal bleeding and death.) Mecedes Benz is not for everyone. Ask your doctor if Mercedes is right for you.

CEB

Correct. The amount of ignorance in this thread is appalling.

Maintenance can be done at a dealership, an indy, a lift at an auto hobby shop or in your driveway. As long as you do the maintenance and use approved filters and fluids then there is no affect on your warranty. If maintenance is done anywhere but a dealer, then you'll want to keep receipts showing what fluids were used and if you DIY, then you'll want to keep a logbook detailing what was done when.

There hasn't been maintenance included with MB for years and it boggles the mind that somebody can spend $50k plus on a car and not do basic research. I also don't understand how anybody can confuse a reduced one year warranty on defects for certain wear and tear parts for a maintenance plan.

AFAIK, only BMW, VW and Volvo are the only Europeans offering included maintenance and believe me, you do pay for it. Comparing MSRPs of unequally spec'd out cars (or even of cars with very similar specs) means nothing. Nobody gives you anything for nothing.

OP learned the hard way to read his owners manual and to do basic research before buying and servicing his car.

venchka

I don't think anyone caught this: 9 month old car. 2,200 miles. The service warning message was a defect. You should have been in the service department to have the erroneous message cleared. For free. A reputable dealer would have caught this.
Read the manual. Read the service book. Both came with your car.

Wayne

hyperion667

(Warning: purchasing a Mercedes can cause unreal expectations of perfection, increased ***** size and larger *********. Some owners have reported losing their vehicles in divorce. Service bills have been known to cause erratic breathing, internal bleeding and death.) Mecedes Benz is not for everyone. Ask your doctor if Mercedes is right for you.


LOL!!!!! at PA

dfordham

I suspect that part of the dealer prep for delivery is a reset of the timer that sets off the one year interval for service. If this step is omitted, then one year is measured from the time the car is built or received by the dealer.

I had a similar thing happen with a Volvo. It had identical service requirements of 1yr or 10,000 miles. I know the car sat on the dealer's lot for six months before it was sold. Sure enough, six months after I bought it, the service interval light came on with only about 2,000 miles on it.

Regards,
Don

greasykid

LEXUS--Every 5000 Miles

CEB

You're kidding, right?

Every manufacturer has a "time backup" if the car is driven infrequently and doesn't reach a certain mileage.

ImInPA

MCF: Just trade the thing in and get on with your life. The facts as you state them:

1) Bought MB not realizing it was not a BMW.
2) You believe that since oil has been in the ground for millions of years, why should you have to replace yours after only a year.
3) All other manufactures are better and offer better things.
4) $300k Ferraris rule...( I actually agree with this one and think this is what you should get....just for the warranty alone)
5) All MB owners are out to get you. (Again, I agree with this...we are....lol)

Based on the above, I am not sure what your hesitation is. Just trade it and get on with it. Make sure that you understand that your Ferrari will not be a BMW either. You will be fine. Good luck man!!!

CEB

Actually, Ferrari's warranty isn't that good and doesn't include scheduled maintenance.