aceman

Brand new truck. 10000 miles, service was 480.00 with tax.

Of course that includes 5 gallons of add blue at ridiculously over priced rate.
Next time that will be a DYI. WTF is MB thinking with these service charges? BMW/AUDI/etc - cost nothing.


Aceman

MKW

Audi stopped offering free maint around 2006. BMW " free maint " is amortized into the MSRP ( since the dealer still gets reimbursed from BMW for the work ) so people who can write off leases through their businesses love that .
The $$$ dealership oil change has been part of my MBZ owning experience since my first one 25 yrs ago. Nothing new there .

hcetzneb

Next time shop around?? lots of dealers send email deals out. My dealer just sent a 299 a service deals How much did they charge you for the add blue?

And with bmw you pay for it in the sticker so belive me you payed for it upfront... when you bought the car did the dealer offer a service contract??

The offer a service contract for about 1k which includes i think 4 services
which is cheaper than bmw charges on the sticker..

43221B

What gets me is the Adblue. I'll pay $50 for a $25 bottle of wine in a restaurant, but when they ask $200 for that $25 bottle, it begins to get a little insulting. It obviously isn't about the money...

StevethePilot

These days it's always about the money! As for the cost of service, well, there isn't a dealership around these days that isn't counting on the cost of labor (and, to some extent, parts) to boost their bottom line.

This coming from a guy who's only passingly looked at non-MB shops because of the newness of the engine type, and considering how much has gone "south" on my '07 while only getting serviced at my local dealer, but when something has to be worked on for over a week I know I've got a very cheap (usually MB) rental car (read that, "loaner") and whoever is working on my vehicle should have the right tools and the latest service manuals. So I know I'll pay more for the actual "service" but if I ever decide to push the issue I can say the truck's only been serviced at Mercedes Benz dealerships.

They are going to have an increasingly tough time justifying the cost of a bottle of **** as word keeps getting out that the self-same stuff is available nearby for less and with a very short (for diesel) hike for significantly less, though.

lkchris

One suspects MBUSA will improve the adBlue situation shortly, as importing it from Germany seems a bit much. They don't import antifreeze, for example, but rather contract to have it USA-produced.

It's a pretty easy DIY to refill it yourself and you can get it reasonably priced at VW dealers or maybe even truck stops. It's all the same stuff.

alexthe1

Does anyone know where to purchase adBlue in NYC area, except MB dealers? I called several VW dealers and they are selling 1/2 gallon containers for $13.

Thanks

43221B

Go to Pilot Travel Centers and do a location search.

Maybe we should start a thread for Adblue?

evoluzione

just did a quick web search and found this company has it pretty cheap:

mb adblue (10 liters) for $32 -
http://www.worldimpex.com/parts/merc...ue_965277.html


vw/audi adblue (2.5 gal) for $14.87 -
http://www.worldimpex.com/parts/genu...ea_934647.html

hope this helps.

alexthe1

There are no Pilot Travel Centers near me, but NAPA auto parts sells them online. If anyone interested here is the link: http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Res...word&Nty=1&N=0

43221B

Those are good finds on the Adblue/DEF/Urea. Now since it seems that Mercedes and Audi/VW are selling 2.5 gallon containers in addition to the canisters, when they are filling the tanks in their shops, are they just letting it spill over, or is there a way to avoid that? When I filled up mine with 2.5 gallon jugs, some spilled over because it is real hard to tell when the tank is getting full. It wasn't a big deal because the Adblue tank is external, just a little sloppy. A guage on the tank would be nice. Anyone have any insight on this?

lkchris

Best Internet information on AdBlue for Mercedes is here:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/gl-c...st-adblue.html

eurodok

aceman, it's unfortunate, you paid so much, but you've known about the cheaper alternative of purchasing your own AdBlue since 10/09, based upon your post history.

The info on this site is very informative and would have saved you $200 or more like it did me during my recent 10,000 mile service of my 2009 GL 320 BT at the dealership.... Maybe you'll be able to refill your own urea tank with cheaper AdBlue before your next service and save some $$$ and unnecessary complaining.... Good luck!

43221B

Thanks for passing along the link. I think I'll talk to my service department and if all I have to do is suck out all the remaining adblue every 20,000 miles, It'll be getting myself a pump. Seems pretty easy.

StevethePilot

Is it just me? Do you have to do that? I have a CDI and not a BT, so maybe I's confoozed, but I thought you just had to put more in?

lkchris

Check the link--there is concern about dilution and crystal buildup.