oinick

I had Service B on my GL 320 done today. The estimate was for $435, but with tax and a new charcoal interior air filter it came to $537. Does this seem like the correct amount?

Now the service interval indicator reads "9990 miles until service B". What happened to another Service A or maybe a Service C?

Newbie_2_MB

Yikes! I had the "Service B" indicator come up at around 10,000 miles and took it in for service. The dealer ended up doing an "A" service. I'm at 18,700 miles now and it will be going in soon for Service B. I was hoping it was closer to $400.

StevethePilot

Wow, what'd you do to your charcoal filter, dude? Now I'm suddenly not looking forward to my Servicio B.

Still, at Schumacher - well, when they screw up they want to fix it. I had my headlights readjusted yesterday just because they didn't look aligned and last night when I got home, my heart sank as I saw where whoever was doing the headlights had used a clearly dusty/dirty/gritty towel to do some wipe-downs on the center of the ... well, the Germans call it the "bonnett," we call it the "hood." Very clear swirls both in the 3M clear bra film and in the clearcoat on the hood (clear under the flourescent lights of my garage, that is). I left a message for my SA and then because I was in the area I actually drove it in before he had a chance to hear the message. He looked at it (through the rain on the hood), said, "Oh, my goodness, let me go take care of that right now," and personally took it backthere, where, fifteen minutes later, it was beautifully buffed out. (I've re-checked my dried truck under the flourescents!)

My point? I don't know if they'd charge me $102 for an interior charcoal filter on a truck that's less than a year old. How long have you had your 320?

STP

MB Fanatic

Every service is different. Just because it says Service B, it doesnt mean that you have to get the charcoal/electrostatic filter replaced. The car will tell the dealer what to replace. Pretty cool ehh?

carpersn

Short of asking my dealer, which i have forgotten to do, i've never known that there was a charcoal filter in the GL (i have the 3 zone system)...in my 211 E with Thermotronic (and in my 210) there was always a button to activate or deactivate, but, no such button is obviously in the GL. Additionally, I know that at least in the 211's with Thermatic (2 zone vs. 3) there is NO charcoal filter; loaners i have had without these have been nasty behind trucks.

SO, i take it since they charged you for it, i can assume that there is an AUTOMATIC actived charcoal filter without any button on the GL?

Thanks! Can't believe i've waited a year to figure this out.

Blk04cobra1

That sounds about right...

BlownV8

I'm not sure if my GL450 has one but it seems as if it does not. In my E55 and my old CL600 there is a seperate button that activates the charcoal filter but there is not an option for that on my GL. Furthermore, the GL seems to be suceptible to bad smells from other vehicles and the environment where as the E and CL never suffered from exterior smells passing into the cabin.

blittle

You know.......you are right------I have noticed the same thing

MB Fanatic

The new filter is an electrostatic filter that is always on. Its a combo of charcoal/electrostatic.

Danno4x4

Thats what I really like about that dealership... Too bad you can't get that kind of service everywhere. I understand that everyone is bound to make a mistake every once in a while... But its the really good ones that own up to that mistake and make amends.

By the way, I think I am gonna go ahead and do the B Service Myself and save a few bucks.

MB Fanatic

Good luck finding the 229.51 specification oil. I think only the dealer has it. I would just rather take it to the dealer and let them deal with it, besides they might find some other stuff wrong with the car and fix it. There could be TSB's, software updates, or something else.

oinick

Just got back from a weekend soccer trip to Atlanta, where my daughter's team kicked ***, by the way...

Anyway, I drove the GL IMMEDIATELY after picking it up after the Service B. Let me say what a complete pleasure it was to drive. Just like new, maybe better. Feeling pretty smug right now, no matter what the damn Service B cost!

StevethePilot

Do it yourself? Ghasp!

One reason I don't do those is because I've found that a filled service book can add a significant amount to the re-sale value of a Mercedes.

Of course the other is that I'd more than likely crush my skull or lose a limb. Whenever my wife goes out of town, she reminds me, "No ladders, no power tools, no electrical work, unless the life insurance is paid up."

STP

Danno4x4

I have not had a problem finding the oil... I have bought a couple of quarts of the Mobil1 ESP oil from the dealership, but it seems there are a bunch of other oils that conform to MB 229.51 specs, basically any synthetic oil that meets CJ-4 low emission diesel specs will work...

As far as the other stuff they would find, I am sure that my every 3 month recall/warrantee visits that I have been having will cover those.

Steve, you are right, in general a completed service book is a good thing to have from a resale perspective, but the question that I have asked myself is is the cost associated with having the dealer perform each of the services worth what the potential increase in resale... For example, lets say that I keep the car for 90k miles... Thats 9 service As and Bs... at an average cost of 600 bucks a pop... Thats 5400 dollars. Now if I do it myself, maybe it costs me 100 bucks per service... so bringing it to the dealer saves me $4500. I doubt that that I would see a 4500 increase in resale value over just for a "Mercedes Completed Service Book" which I fill out anyways when I do the service myself. I also keep all of the receipts for the services that I complete.

I enjoy spending a few hours in the garage "wrenching" on my vehicles... Generally its pretty satisfying.

StevethePilot

Uh, I'm not disagreeing with your decision to save the money up front but you might very well see that $4500 out of a complete service book, especially with a first-year vehicle. Maybe not, but I know that a lot of folks who buy used MBs (and BMWs, Volvos, RRs, Bents, etc.) love things like complete paperwork (and matching serial numbers, that kind of thing) just like they were collecting any other car. No, not everyone, but a goodly number of 'em do.

STP

Danno4x4

Hey Steve,

I didn't mean to sound negative... I guess I just let my frustration get the best of me... 600 bones and change for service A (mostly an oil change) just seemed to hit me right where it hurt the most.

I am in the middle of selling our 2002 RX300, and the funny thing is that even though I have kept the records religiously and had all of the major services completed at the dealership, that doesn't seem to be much of a selling point... It seems like price is the most important factor. I had figured Mercedes SUV and Lexus SUV were likely to appeal to the same folks...

In the end, I consider myself to be pretty mechanically savy... ****, if you will... in making sure that my cars always get the best care... In a lot of cases I have been disappointed with the quality of service I have gotten from independents and dealerships alike... So based on that, it seems that knowing my own quality of work and my capabilities, I would like to think that I provide higher quality service on my vehicles than anyone else is capable of.

Perhaps my attention to detail is why people often tell me that I would make a terrific pilot

Newbie_2_MB

Wow, my Service A was $250. I have Service B scheduled for 3/5 so now I'm kinda nervous about how much that's going to set me back.

cschmelz

http://avlube.com/mo1espfom5wc.html


229.51 specification oil! See, was that so hard??

MB Fanatic

Aside from your horrible attitude, thanks for the link. Great site.

BJ021

I see nothing wrong with a guy that knows what he is doing changing the oil. I also do not see any loss in value especially from someone who loves his ride and takes care of it. Car values have most to do with condition and very little to do with who changed the oil.

I also agree that our GL's are in the service department now and again, if there was a problem - they'll find it.

Newbie_2_MB

I just had the B service done on my GL today...$266 + tax.

I had an '08 PT Cruiser as my loaner-mobile. Ugh...what a gutless wonder!

StevethePilot

TIME TO CHANGE DEALERSHIPS! A PT Loser? Holy crud, people who own those aren't allowed around sharp objects, from what I hear, as they're on constant suicide watch!

GROSS!

STP

Newbie_2_MB

I would if I could....next nearest dealership is about 50 miles from me. That's what I get for living out in the boondocks. Allen didn't want me to even park the thing in our driveway overnight!

JimBarnhart

I had service B done yesterday, along with the trialer hitch recall and a few other things I've posted in the forum.

My cost of Service B is listed at $250, but the didn't include 'parts'. For parts there was wiper blades, oil, filter, and 'ring, general' which I'm thinking is probably the drain plug gasket since it was $1.07. Add that all together it was $375.