Local MB Dealer has a B Service special for $620.
Local Indy shop has B Service special for $290.

Here's what MB dealer will do for B service:
Perform all Mercedes-Benz required services including:

Synthetic Motor Oil Replacement
Replace Genuine Mercedes-Benz Oil Filter
Replace Air Condition Cabin Filter
Brake Fluid Exchange
All Fluid Level Checks and Corrections are Dependent on Factory-Recommended Service Intervals for your Vehicle's Year and Model
Tire Inflation Check and Correction
Brake Component Inspection
Reset Maintenance Counter
Adhere to All Required Elements Listed by Model Year and Specific Model as Indicated on the Corresponding Service Sheet for Mercedes-Benz Maintenance Systems in the USA.
As an added value we will also:
Inspect All Belts & Hoses
Inspect & Rotate Tires (if applicable)
Measure Rotors
Perform Multi-Point Inspection
Conduct Road Test
Provide a Complimentary Car Wash

Local Jiffy Lube will also most of the above services for $90, + $9/qt after 5 qts, for full synthetic oil, with exception of replacing cabin air filter, brake fluid change, rotate tires (not needed on our car), road test, & car wash. Or they charge $36 for services if we bring in our own oil & filter.

So wondering if it's worthwhile to have Indy shop or Jiffy Lube do the basic services, & get cabin filter and brake fluid change elsewhere (cost?), is it worth it, or don't bother?

 

Take it to a Mercedes independent mechanic. For the love of god do not use Jiffy Lube.

 

Never, never, never, never trust Jiffy lube or any other shop of similar nature. The tech's are not trained and many will cheat on the kind of oil or not change it at all. Many just wipe the filter area off and claim they changed the oil. Also, there have been numerous TV investigative reports on these quick oil change shops and how they cheat and sometimes ruin engines.

 

+1 DO NOT take your car to Jiffy Lube. There's nothing but horror stories about how stupid they are and countless cars they have damaged.

 

I had to take cars back to jiffy twice for oil leak afterwards. Granted this was more than 15 years ago, but I don't ever plan on going back to them.

Your indy (and dealer) should offer an oil change only service ($100 to $150) which is about the same as Jiffy. Then you can do the rest yourself or shop around.

If your indy will do the oil change, cabin filter and brake service for $290, they would get my business. Not worth the hassle of piecemealing the rest to save a little more.

 

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/what-t...ube-1782172003 Enough said! AVOID JIFFY LUBE.

 

Used to work at a mechanic shop, you can tell when a car has come from Jiffy Lube, it's pretty bad.

 

Are you really going to trust some High School kid who usually does not even own a car to change the oil on your E Class Mercedes?

 

I'm almost thinking the OP's comment about going to Jiffy Lube is a goof.

Be that as it may, a quick change oil center did damage a Honda I own. They make a point of taking out the air filter to try to sell you a new air filter. They busted the air filter box and the jerks their never bothered to tell me what they did. I discovered it once home as I always check my oil level once I get home from an oil change. I saw the cover to the air cleaner box was not on properly - a WTF moment, and then realized it was not on properly because the dope snapped the hold down screws.

 

are you crazy???

taking your benz to Jiffy Lube

 

DON'T DO IT!!!!! I would never trust any vehicle I own to the Jiffy Lube type places.
A few years back, my sister took her car to a quick change oil place. Next day, her car caught fire and engine compartment burned. Couldn't prove it, but appeared the oil cap may not have been replaced correctly and/or it had been overfilled and oil blew out on top of hot engine.
Now she goes to the dealership even though current car is 10 years old.

 

As in all business interactions, your results may vary...and there isn't any question that the level of training on your particular car is going to be far superior at a dealer than a local oil change shop. Having said that, JiffyLube (and its ilk) are franchises. Some franchisees are car freaks with excellent techs who invest in training and do a great job. Some aren't. I worked in one for a while going through grad school (after apprenticing at a Lotus Aston Martin dealership and getting an ASE Master), so a blanket "no way" isn't how I would see it. However, if I did take it to a quickie shop, I'd first recon the place (clean, certificates, look competent?), then interview the manager to see if mine was a car they even wanted to work on, and finally keep a close eye through either the window or the bay to see what has been done. Whether dealer, independent, or quickie, I always follow up by checking myself...errors get made at the best of shops. Frankly, on a B, depending on inconvenience/mileage/pocketbook, my assessment of the risk/reward curve could be a bit friendlier than some of very well put suggestions prior.

 

Why not save yourself the trouble and just drive your Mercedes into a wall before you go to Jiffy lube

 

This^^^^^^

 

I worked at a Jiffy Lube for one week during college. Had to quit. First, they were in this mode of "pressure testing" every radiator cap that came through...talked a lot of innocent people with factory remaining warranty into new radiator caps because "the car could overheat at any minute"...$19.99 oil change special every day of the week...average invoice was $67...remember this was circa 2002...flushes required, air filter is horrible, and for God's sake man your radiator cap is screwed!

Worst thing that made me quit...young girl comes in with her Honda Civic...I'm at the top of the car while the pit guy changes the oil...evening supervisor comes over to the hood after I checked the newly filled oil, and pulls down on the hood...but the hood prop is still in position, snaps it in half...he throws the pieces inside the hood area and shuts it, sends her on her way.

WTF? I asked the manager (who is the owner of the franchise) the next day about it, he laughed it off, I resigned.

 

You are definitely an outliner at Jiffy lube, for every ASE master mechanic they have, there are probably 100 techs who are no better in fixing cars than you or I. Personally, I would rather have peace of mind instead of taking a chance at Jiffy lube. On top of the incompetence and dishonesty, these quick oil change places are not train to spot problems. If I was trying to save a few bucks, I would much rather take it to a indy Mercedes mechanics who I can trust.

 

theyre still in business? lol

 

Good for you. Walking away like that says a lot about you.

Your story about that Civic reminds me of an oil change issue I had over 20 years ago at another quick lube place. While keeping an eye on the shop, I noticed they drove it out of the service bay but they didn't bring it up to the front where customer pickup was. So after a few minutes, I took a stroll around the side of the shop to find 4-5 guys standing around my car trying to figure out something. As I approach them, they scatter except the one who drove it out. He says everything is fine but the the hood wasn't flush on one side. Found out later they had left something on top of the strut that messed up the hinge when they tried to force it closed. Had to get shop owner involved but they ended up paying for a dealer body shop to fix. Still cost me my time and aggravation. Was offered a couple free oil changes as compensation.

 

I think almost everyone have one of those quick lube horror story at one time or another. A long time ago, Jiffy lube double gasket my oil filter in my Honda, the filter came loose after half mile form the Jiffy lube. To make a long story short, oil all over the road and had to tow it back to jiffy lube.

 

if your in LA, GNMotors could be an alternative

 

If you bought the car and plan on keeping it go with the MB dealer at least for the warranty period.


If you leased and plan to let it go - who cares.


Never go to Jiffy Lube with a car you plan to keep, NEVER!!!

 

I'd been meaning to do a write up on my schedule B service experience in the Houston area a couple months back after I got it done.

I'd called about 10 places from Conroe (Woodlands MBZ) to Sugarland (Sugarland MBZ) and everywhere in between:

North MBZ -- decently priced and they'd done all service on my car since birth
Star Motor Cars -- most expensive and no loaner cars
Greenway MBZ -- very expensive
Euro Carwerk -- same price as dealer
Motorwerks -- couldn't fit my schedule & I heard their quality went to shh...

Another indy near Edloe/West Alabama -- similar to dealer pricing & no loaner

Another indy in The Woodlands on the west side of 45 on frontage road

I also contacted my buddies personal mechanic that services his Lamborghini and he said he couldn't do it for weeks but he recommends Sugarland MBZ out of all the dealers.

Long story short, Sugarland MBZ had the best price amongst dealers. Not only that, Woodlands MBZ had a 15% off coupon off the Sched B service.
I got Sugarland to accept the Woodlands coupon so it made it even cheaper.
I think the total was $510 because the regular price was about $600

They even had a loaner GLK for me!
Car was ready at about 1pm (dropped it off at 730AM)

I'd say stick with a dealer and Sugarland MBZ did right by me.
I've visited: Sugarland, North and Wodolands MBZ locations thus far.

I hope this helps.

BTW, I don't work for any dealership or get kickbacks, just wanted to share some helpful info to the board since I've received helpful info from the board.

On a another note,
the day after I got my car back from Sugarland my pano sunroof would make creaking noises as it opened/closed.
Never happened before.
Finally after a few weeks I took it back in for them to look at it.
SA said it would be $150 "diagnostic fee"
I said what is there to diagnose? It wasn't squeaking when I came in here but it is squealing when I left.
Long story short, they gave me a loaner car and the next day it was fixed.
They said some wires were bunched up in the track (and they also greased the track again).

So, I was out $150 for that which is the savings from the coupon I used that they almost didn't want to accept when I showed up and presented it to them even though the manager's approval notes were already in my account before I arrived)