My 2018 E400 has been driven a whopping 1,376 miles since its last service on October 19, 2023, and my Mercedes dealer is now bugging me to bring it in for service once again. The car is running fine, no problems or irregularities.

Question: Is service necessary at this point?

Thanks.

 

Some services are time-driven. Three most critical services are oil changes (6 months), transmission service (5 years), and brake fluid service (2 years).

So, even with only 1,376 miles since the last service, you should get your oil changed since it's going on 11 months. When was your brake fluid last done? Transmission service?

Ask the dealer what needs to be done.

 

Oil viscosity does break down with time. And with a turbo car, you have more opportunities to cause damage to the engine and turbo when you skip or delay essential services.

 

Service should be by miles or time whichever occurs first. For me it is time, every year on the purchase anniversary date (about 2,500 miles).

 

If the car isn't under warrantee, I think it comes down to a personal decision. Mercedes recommends oil changes every 12 months or 10,000 miles. I'm always under in miles, but not as much as you. I don't believe that there is any magical deterioration that starts happening right at 12 months, and I'll let it go another month or two with low milage.

 

He should change the oil at 6 months. Never wait 10,000 miles or 12 months to change oil if you want to get lots of miles out of the engine.

 

What is your source for that information? Mercedes recommends oil changes every 12 months or 10,000 miles for my car.

 

As you know there are so many posts on the subject of low mileage and whether an oil change is necessary: whether changing the brake fluid every 20K miles is even necessary, never mind less than 2,000 miles.

Suggest you read those many threads and posts and come to your own conclusion.

As to the tranny oil change at 5 years vs. 50,000 miles:

I suspect as time goes on more will have to make that decision: Having worked on cars all my life, the one thing that manufacturers do well now is make transmissions. Most are bullet proof. My own opinion is mileage and not time determines when tranny fluid should be changed. To answer your question until your car hits 50K miles I would not even consider changing the transmission fluid.

Hope this helps

 

Asking the dealer what needs to be done will tell you what they would do and then you can decide to have them do it, have an independent shop do it, or do it yourself. Actually, the transmission service interval for my SL is 77,500 miles or 5 years. And changing the brake fluid every two years has long been the recommended interval among many manufacturers. The whole point is that performing these services more often than recommended is NOT a waste of money when compared to the cost of repairs. The OP's E400 with the M276.8XX engine is fairly bulletproof, however it can never hurt to perform these services more often than the absolute minimum. I right now have a 2004 Audi TT with over 250,000 miles with the same engine, transmission, and turbo. It has had its oil changed every 5000 miles or less from the beginning. I've read the discussions and watched the videos and my conclusion is to perform these services as I originally stated.

However, it's your decision what to do with your car.

 

There are numerous opinions online both for and against following the manufactures suggested oil change intervals. Search for it and there will be no shortage of info. Is a 10K oil change interval best for the engine or best for the manufacturer to meet government regulations. Can you go 10K or 12 months before changing oil? Maybe. Should you? Not in my opinion. One thing is clear. Changing oil more often can't harm the engine. I did my first oil change of my new 2025 E450 at 722 miles which was just 10 days after purchasing it. Call me crazy but I believe it to be cheep insurance. It cost me $120 in materials and about 2 hours of my time. I'll change it two more times before the 10K change that I'll let the dealership do. I plan on keeping the car for a long time.

 

So in summary:
You can never change the oil too much; I.e. short mileage and time intervals
Only thing this hurts is your wallet.

One caveat is you do increase the potential of someone messing up.
RARE yes but $#!t happens.
My first oil change, At dealership, I am guessing they messed up filter housing and it leaked bad enough they had to come get car from my house with tow truck.

BUT

The opposite is BAD, going beyond the recommendations- well then new engine may be in your future.

Just no right answer here - so do what ya want - your car - your money.

 

With the M276 engine, as with most every other Mercedes, the oil filter is on the top of the engine and the oil drain method is by suctioning from the dipstick tube. That allows you to do everything without lifting the car. Using a Mityvac MV7300 Fluid Evacuator and an air compressor, you can reduce those 2 hours to less than a ½ hour. However, that means less quality time with your new mistress.

 

I


I try not to reply to posts which are opinions - everyone is entitled to theirs: but sometimes facts not opinions are what counts:

1. Yes it is possible to remove the oil by suction through the dip stick instead of draining. You can also paint a room with an artist brush instead of a paint roller. Both will get the job done: one will take hours or days the other a few minutes
2. The recommended change period for oil is 12 months/10K miles, not 5000 miles or 6 months

Others asked and you did not respond: so I will also ask again: is there a reference for oil change every 6 months/5,000 miles or is that your opinion?

 

I've used this method on my W212, but the W214 I have now has no dip stick so you have to get under the car to drain. Plus, it's been suggested that using an oil extraction method does not get as much of the old oil. I would still use it if I had the option now. Still, the point was that it's easy to change the oil and no reason to let it go too long before doing so.

 

I'm afraid all you are going to get here are opinions. It is fact that the answer to the OPs question is that they should change the oil after 12 minths even though it's well under 10K miles. In fact, it's even more of an issue since the low mileage suggests lots of short runs where the oil doesn't get to full temperature and burn up any water in the oil.

 

Sorry, I thought it was obvious. Search the internet for recommended oil change intervals. Virtually every experienced mechanic will tell you that 10,000 miles is too long. Oil viscosity breaks down with use and age. The long change intervals recommended by manufacturers are purely marketing hype to make you think maintenance is cheap for the $70,000 car you just bought. It's because there is competition among manufacturers to "keep up with the Jones'". Kinda like Kia's 100,000-mile new car warranty doesn't make it a better purchase, but sure sounds impressive. It's also because the dealership will incur twice the costs if maintenance is included during the warranty period -- 5,000 vs 10,000. And, at 10,000 miles, the oil may still be within the manufacturer's acceptable performance. But have you looked up the acceptable oil consumption in your Operator's Manual where 0.8 liter oil consumption per 1000km is acceptable? How's that make you feel?



Usually, following the recommended interval doesn't produce tangible negative effects until after the warranty period. So, my statement about shorter change intervals is based on my experience and informed opinion. No manufacturer is now going to say, "Oh, we were wrong. Sorry about the premature wear and failure of your engine. You should change the oil every 5,000 miles." If you want to keep your car for 100,000-250,000+ miles, change the oil often.

I don't get "paining a room with a Q-Tip analogy." Have you ever changed the oil using the evacuation method? It is far faster and just as effective as putting the car up on ramps and draining from the oil pan. I can completely change my oil in ½ the time it would take to put the car on ramps, remove the splash shields, remove the drain plug, drain the oil, change the filter, replace the plug, fill the oil sump, run the engine and check for leaks, replace the splash guards, and back the car off the ramps and put them away. Suctioning from the top is as simple as removing the dipstick and inserting the suction tube down the dipstick tube into the lower oil pan, run the air compressor, evacuate 6.5 liters, change the filter, and refill the oil, all without crawling under a car and getting dirty. So the "hours or days" to paint a room must be the traditional, crawl under the car method.



If you have made up your mind that you are right and I am wrong, NOTHING I or anyone else is going to say will change your mind. Stay with your long change intervals and ignore the prudent recommendations of others. It's your car. My initial response was to provide an informed opinion to the original question.

This may help in your research: Search YouTube for "oil change interval".

 

Well, that sucks! (Or actually it doesn't.) I am sorry to see Mercedes going back to "no dipstick." My 2004 SL500 was like that.

It is NOT true that the suction method does not get all the oil out. The dipstick tube goes into the lower oil pan, which is the lowest point where the oil will collect. I have had my lower pan off to replace (unnecessarily) the oil level sensor switch (see Check Engine Oil At Next Refueling - MBWorld.org Forums) but first suctioned all the oil out. I then removed the drain plug and no additional oil came out. With the pan removed, you can see the end of the dipstick tube and where the extraction tube enters the oil pan. If you use a ramp or jackstands, you will actually drain a little less because the car is not level and the drain plug is on the front (higher) side of the pan. When a shop drains the oil, it is usually on a lift and the car is level.

 

I've been rolling under cars to drain oil for many years. When I can no longer do this, I'll take it as an omen to stop driving (lol).

 

My problem is not getting under the car -- it's getting up from under the car.

 

Contra point: On my Boxster, the oil change interval is 15,000 miles.

As ygmn post #11 correctly pointed out: the only difference will be in your wallet

Finished arguing with you. Your money, spend it as you like.

 

@ygmn is correct, though I think you misread it. "You can never change the oil too much...Only thing this hurts is your wallet."


I'm not arguing with you; I'm just disagreeing. Having owned VWs, Audis, Saabs, Opels, Volvos, and Mercedes, my experience teaches me that it is foolish to try to save a few dollars by using long change intervals. But, as you said, it's my money and my cars. And based on what I am seeing in new cars, I'm happy to keep the cars I have.

 

Exactly my point! I'm looking for a spring-loaded creeper.

 

Just checked my mechanics creeper - Christmas present from wife 40 years ago. You are correct: it goes in, out, left and right but not up! Now I know why I stopped using it!

 

"Asking the dealer what needs to done is like asking a barber if you need a haircut." Love it!

 

Kinda like those LazyBoy chairs that eject you out.