Danno4x4

I just finished performing the 30K mile Service B on my GL320 CDI this past weekend.

Here is a list of the major things that I serviced:

-Oil and Filter Change
-Combination Filter Change (Filter for Climate Control System)
-Air Cleaner Filters Change (Filters for Engine Intake)
-Diesel Fuel Filter
-Inspection and top off of all remaining fluids (Brake, Coolant, Power Steering, Windshield Washer, Auto Transmission)
-Inspected Brake Linings for Wear

All in all, it was very fulfilling and took the better part of my Saturday afternoon. I used a one day subscription from STAR TekInfo to download the procedures for each (which I highly recommend since even changing the Air Cleaner Filters is not as intuitive as most other cars)

The dealership wanted about $1200 for this service... I did it for around $200 in parts and it took me about 4 hours. You can do the math on that one... I just did a job that effectively paid me $250 an hour, not bad.

lkchris

No offense, of course, but remember that you don't have Mercedes technical training and therefore your "inspection eyes" are probably not as sharp as those of those who do.

And, of course you don't have documentation at hand identifying common problems--DTB or dealer technical bulletins--which a dealership may have gone ahead and performed for you for free. It's almost a given there's new software to "flash" the transmission ... there is about every month it seems.

I'm a big fan of doing brake pads/rotors myself, as it's easy and the savings over the dealer are significant. But I'll let them change oil and filters just to keep them happy. A happy dealer is your friend and IMHO worth the "investment."

Danno4x4

Thanks for the feedback Kent... I knew that there would be one detractor in the bunch.

As for my "inspection eyes"... I have been doing this for all of my vehicles for quite a while... My experience has taught me that my own quality of work and the care that I put in my own vehicle far exceeds anything that I have ever gotten from any dealer... The main difference is that the vehicle that I am working on is not just 'another car' rather, its MY car and I have a great deal of motivation to make sure it is done with perfection.

StarTeKinfo actually has all of the DTBs available as well... Which I download once a month

I actually do let the dealer take care of a few things now and again... Guess how much it costs to have all of the software flashes performed during a warranty service... If you guessed anything more than a single digit number, you are incorrect. With so many over engineered technical gadgets on Mercedes Benz vehicles these days, there is usually a warranty service guaranteed about every 6 months.

With the economy the way it is, there may be folks who are tempted to delay or defer regular services at the dealer, because not everyone has a thousand dollars in their pocket to give the dealer for 4 hours worth of work.

The point is this... Don't skip or defer your service if things are tight... Do at least some of it yourself!

A happy dealer may be my friend, but a happy ME, is even better... Friend.

nkole

Would you mind sharing the info you downloaded for replacing the climate control and fuel filters? You've inspired me and I plan to do the work myself as well.

BeanCounter

Danno,

Did you say $1,200 dollars? Is a diesel more than a gas engine for the service. I though Jen said she paid somewhere in the $300 to $400 range for her B service. Let us know.....

kerlyb

X2

lkchris

The material is copyrighted.

Get your own at
hthttp://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/outside/9124/?requestedDocId=9124

Or subscribe for a day and download it.
http://www.startekinfo.com

nkole

This basic info should be in the owner's manual. It's not so much the cost of the extortion (one day subscription) but the headache of creating a log in and finding the information.

Danno4x4

Nkole,

Kent is right... It is copyrighted... And like most things Mercedes, just fumbling your way around the startekinfo.com site for the first time to find the procedure documents is way more complicated than it should be.

That being said, I wouldn't be able to just post the documents here, I have a feeling that Mercedes would 'somehow' immediately be alerted to such a post and would request that the entire thread be deleted.

However, nkole and kerlyb if you send me a PM with your email address, I would be happy to share with you a 'Danno4x4' written version of the procedures.

Bean, there are a few more things that are needed for the diesel... Unfortunately, Service B is not Service B when comparing the gas and diesel versions. In particular, the fuel filter for the diesel needs to be changed every 20K miles according to the Diesel/AMG specific service guide that came in the service manual.

When I priced out the cost of just the parts needed directly from the dealership (Oil, Oil Filter, Fuel Filter, Combination Filter, Air Cleaner Filters etc. just the parts alone came to about 350 bucks. I actually bought my parts from online sellers of Mercedes parts (factory parts) and was able to get the parts for under $200... The parts came in Factory boxes with factory seals. The two that I use are www.autohausaz.com and www.mileoneparts.com (Which is actually Mercedes of Annapolis). The thing is that Mercedes recommends you replace the Fuel Filter every 20K and the Air Cleaner Filters every 40K and you need to remove almost exactly the same things to do both procedures. My air cleaner filters were filthy at 30K (actually caked with dirt and insects... AND lots of Bees for some reason.) so it makes sense to do them at the same time. So when I asked for a quote from the dealer, they quoted me for doing each service individually (think take everything apart, change the fuel filter, put it all back together, then take all of the same stuff apart, replace the air cleaner filter and then put it all back together again) Typically dealers charge by the job and how much time it is 'specified' to take rather than how long it actually takes. Most dealer mechanics will tell you that it rarely takes the 'specified' time to do a job. So the quote that I got to complete Service B for the diesel, including replacing all of the filters, was actually close to $1200.

vinceching

good for you. i've been doing the same. i keep telling people that service a,b,c, etc are all just overpriced, over glorfied oil changes.

vinceching

you remind me so much of sosh in your thought process, and i've debated with him about this subject on the w164 section.

if there are any problems during your warranty, espeically any tsb, or error codes... IT WILL BE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. just because you don't get service a, b, c, etc done at the dealer doesn't mean you aren't entitled to getting tsb researched, and error codes diagnosed.

you really need to get your head out of the sand. because do you really think that the best techs are the ones that are doing the basic service?
nope, its for those newbies who are just starting.

atwal

Basic oil change on GL is pretty easy if you have the evacuation pump, which just goes in the dip stick and sucks out all the oil without opening the drain plug under the truck. oil filter is on top and can be easily losened with a correct size socket. Changing a air filter is little complicated without the instructions, but I was able to figure that out. Regarding any TSBs, if you know they are out there, dealer will do it for free even if you don't get the vehicle serviced from them. Burden is on the owner to keep up the TSB before your warranty runs out. I had the transmission software updated. I change oil on our truck every 6K miles. It is almost due to brake job now, however brake sensor light are not on yet. I would get the differential and transmission fuilds changed by the dealer. if any of you out there know any tricks please share.

Best Regards,

OrthoDoc

Where did you get the oil from? The reason I ask is that we were about 1 quart low on oil on our 320 CDI and had to find a dealership while out of town as nobody sells the Mobil 1 ESP near my house. I asked at the dealer, and they said they only get it in big barrels and could not sell me a quart to keep just in case. They did top off the oil for free and I got a free Stabuck's out of it while I waited so it wasn't all bad.

Fifth Ring

Congrats. I fully intend to do the same thing.

Fifth Ring

Exactly. And more importantly, I have never felt the need to create a repair that was unnecessary in order to charge myself more money!

I have done all my own basic maintenance on several types of cars for years now. I can afford to pay a dealer, but I simply choose not to. They'll get my money when I need a significant repair.

atwal

I usually get the Mobil 1 0W-40 oil from Autozone. They carry this oil. Otherwise trip to dealer is not far way and it is next to the mall, in case wife wants to shop.

B200Turbo

You need to have a different oil.
I got bottle from dealer on the way home.
When my low light came on. Since than no oil consumption at all.
I cannot buy this oil anywhere else because it is specially for diesel engine low ash oil.

Danno4x4

Kamal,

Do you have a diesel or a GL450? If you have the diesel you need to either use a MB229.51 spec oil for the 10K mile drain interval, or MB229.31 (AKA API CJ-4) spec oil for a 5K mile drain interval...

The difference between the 229.51 and 229.31/CJ-4 is that .51 is referred to as a long life oil and is 99% of the time synthetic. 229.31 is regular life oil and most of the time is not synthetic.

For those that are looking for the 229.51... It is getting easier to find, little by little, but it is not something that the typical parts store carries just yet (I have bought mine online or from the dealer) Google Elf Solaris LSX or TOTAL Quartz INEO MC3 (same oil actually) and there are lots of dealers on the net that sell the stuff.

In a pinch, ANY Mercedes diesel can use the 229.31/CJ-4 stuff if the engine is low on oil... It actually says so on the top of the passenger side air filter housing if you pop the engine cover... This oil can be found almost anywhere, and can be found as Shell ROTELLA-T with Triple Protection, Chevron Delo 400 LE and Mobil Delvac 1300 Super... Just look for CJ-4 and MB229.31 on the back label. It is low ash formula that will not clog your particulate filter. The trick is that it is only good for 5K miles... So if you have more than 5K miles left before your next service when you add the oil, you just set it at 5K more miles maximum by adding the oil.

Kamal,

If you have a GL450... Well then nevermind... That meets MB229.5 which is longlife synthetic and exactly what the GL450 engine calls for...

atwal

Mine is GL450.

dieselsrule

I have an E320 diesel, and do all my own maintenance. I get Mobil Delvac1 (mb 229.51)from a local oil supplier in 1 gal jugs, mb factory filters, and bought WIS cd's for all MB vehicles from Ebay for $12.00. I was a mechanic/fleet manager for a construction company, and have worked on everything from lawnmowers to Cat D-9's. Doing your own maintenance is no problem with the proper books.

cablvr

What are WIS cd's?

lkchris

This is your rationalization.

At my dealership this isn't the case--I get to go back to the shop and talk to the guy doing my work.

It perhaps helps that I bring in some DTBs (there's ALWAYS a new one on the transmission) and ask for that service in conjunction with the scheduled stuff.

Life is a self-fullfilling prophecy, and if you expect poor service, that's what you'll get. Sorry your world is so unpleasant.

At my dealership, in contrast, the service department knows my head isn't in the sand and I get treated pretty well. It's my conclusion that cars--especially Mercedes--have progressed to the point where the notion embodied in "fool for a lawyer" is pretty analogous.

Yes, I'm going to do my own brakes when the time comes because it's simple but it's expensive at the dealer. It's fun, too. And when I'm out of warranty, I'll do fluids and filters, too, because I'll be past the time I get DTBs for free. Plus they ought to have ended by then in any event. (Maybe that's wishful thinking!)

lkchris

See http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/o...stedDocId=9124

vinceching

you think i walk into a dealership hoping for poor service? shows me how naive and ignorant you are if you think thats the case.

and don't think you are an elitist just because you can walk into the back of the shop and speak to techs. i've done it lots of times, and anyone who asks can. its not a big deal.

and just because you can walk into the shop and speak to a tech who is supposed to work on your car... you think its left to that tech? do you stay and watch that tech work on your car? have you ever asked the tech how much experience he's had with mercedes? if not, do me a favor and ask. its not going to be for very long.

btw, you state..."At my dealership, in contrast, the service department knows my head isn't in the sand and I get treated pretty well."

ever wonder why? i'll tell you. they treat you well because you are one of the idiots who come in and over pay for an oil change. instant dealer profit of $250+ for less than 30 mins of work. hell, if i was in their position... i'd treat you like a king/queen as well since you obviously over pay and don't mind.

dgiturbo

I order it from here. http://store.avlube.com/index.html
Click Mobil Automotive and diesel lubricants. I also just noticed they are now selling Delvac ESP!