Mr_Nick

Hi everyone,

My 2014 E250 BT is coming up on its 10K "A" Service and I wanted to make sure that doing the oil change myself won't void the warranty. I'll be using
Mobil 1 0W-30 ESP motor oil/Wix 57062 oil filter and Peak BlueDef DEF002.

The salesman at my dealership said if I did the service myself that it would void the warranty. I call BS. I've been doing my own oil changes for years and think its ridiculous for me to spend over $600 to have this done at the dealership.

Thanks for any advice!

Foozini

It depends on the country, of course, but in the US this is absolutely not the case and is, in fact, against the law and FTC regulations.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles...ne-maintenance

Raymond Lee

Foozini
You have guided us properly with the subject matter. I certainly learned about it very much today. Thank you!

Mbracer26

Back in 04 when I didn't know any better, my service adviser told me the same BS and I dropped $200 for a oil change. Do or have someone else do the oil change and reset the indicator yourself. Screw you stealership!

dbldpr

Thanks foozini for taking the time to give us the information. It was very helpful

screw991le

No it will not.

But I have a question, I have the pre-paid maintenance. Do I have to use them in a row? Or can I skip the A1 service, go to another shop for it and then go back for the larger services in that 3 year period? It does not say anywhere on the contract that I have to use them in a row.

CarolinaBluetec

I have mixed up self service, Indy service, and dealer service on the same cars. Never a problem with warranty. keep your receipts though.

rediesel

I've had times that I wanted to strangle the dealer's SA, but for the most part they are rational folks and being nice during service helps foster relationships if/when real issues arise. My cars currently have pre-paid maintenance on them.

The sunroof failure/flooding has caused issues for people who DIY, as this (20k mile) maintenance item is often overlooked and claims have been denied.

The way dealers/buyers look at carfax and service history these days you may be depreciating your car as well - if you lease or plan on owning for 10 years you don't care about this.

Mr_Nick

Perfect! Thanks so much for this information!!!

El Cid

By law, your warranty will not be voided. But when you drive into dealership and expect warranty to cover a repair, will the dealer be on your side? Will he go to bat if MB says not covered or performing as normal?
If you have not been using the dealer for service, what is his incentive to work with you on issues in the future? Not much.
Also, the maintenance has to have been done to MB standards. It says so dozens of times in the Operator's Manual. If dealer says wasn't, you have to go to court to prove differently.
Why would you not let the dealer do pre-paid maintenance? You have paid for it already and an independent would have to bill you as he cannot get paid by MB.
I view using the dealership just as I do paying for insurance on the car. That and the fact that it is done with MB parts to MB standards by trained MB technicians. Also, most indies work on a lot of different cars and do not have the information resources available that an MB dealer does.

MBNUT1

I think that you may find that the dealerships do not necessarily perform the services to Mercedes standards. I know this from experience. My dealership flushed my transmission as opposed to draining it including the torque converter and did not replace the filter as called out by the owners manual. When I complained to Mercedes about it they told me that the dealerships are independent franchises. Now would Mercedes stand behind the warranty if I had a transmission issue. I'm certain that they would, but don't assume that the services are guaranteed to be performed to spec. I went back and made them do it to spec.

islandbeef

+1 Foozini said

Personally, I do my own minor maintenance fixes or use my Indy mechanic for scheduled wear & tear maintenance (unless the stealer offers a special - coupon, etc). Lower labor costs influence this move.

Heavy duty warranty or recall repairs, I take to the stealership. The free donuts and coffee in the swank waiting areas are a nice touch.

thefisch

I wondered this myself. My 3 pack of service expires 4 years from the date of purchase. I drive less than 10k a year so I will likely only get 3-4 services done before this expires. I was thinking I could use an indy for the cheapest of those 4 services and the prepaid for the other 3. When I asked my SA about this he said they have to be done in order. But I wonder if anyone has tried it and can share.

El Cid

How did you know they did not replace the filter? Not listed on parts list on work order? This would help me check behind my dealer.
I also think MBUSA's attitude is strange, although I have run into the "we don't won them; they're franchises" rebuff before. It seems MBUSA would want the people selling its product and displaying its sign to do a good job. Why else would MBUSA send out satisfaction surveys to people who got cars serviced?

JALLEN4

The Magnuson-Moss act guarantees the consumer that repairs made by independent providers or by the consumer must be proved to be faulty in the area of question for the manufacturer to deny warranty.


What it does not address is the area of "special tools". Every manufacturer charges every dealer yearly for a number of special tools the manufacturer states is integral to certain repair and maintenance operations. No tools...no warranty reimbursement for the dealer.


If an independent or a consumer does a maintenance operation that requires the use of a special tool and does not have that tool, it would by definition be a defective maintenance operation.

MBNUT1

The dealership was promoting the use of a flushing system. This is not what Mercedes recommended. The procedure is to drop the pan and replace the filter. It was evident from the work order that neither was performed. I was taken back by the whole thing particularly that I had to argue to get the factory specified procedure done.

El Cid

Thanks for the info. However, I sometimes wonder that M-B recommends too many things and too complicated procedures.