KYBRIGGS82

I have a service "A" appointment with Pleasanton Mercedes in Northern California on 02/14/2013 for my 2012 GL350. What is the average cost for this service and is AdBlue included in this service ? I was thinking about buying AdBlue from a local truck parts supplier and filling the container myself since this liquid is available everywhere .

HamMan

Fill it yourself.

Truck stops have it on tap now.

FastMoneyPlaya

Definitely fill it yourself. Buy a funnel and it will take you 5 minutes. The Mercedes dealer near me tried to charge me for an hour of labor, and about $32 a gallon for the fluid - total damage just for the AdBlue refill was around $300. I learned my lesson the hard way and do it myself now.

Highway robbery. Just think, if they are ripping people off this badly on AdBlue, what else are they overcharging for? Makes me not want to buy another Mercedes:

HamMan

Wal-Mart sells it af Blue DEF

If you spill or over fill rinse well with water.

btw, 2013 GL 350's have the filler next to the gas cap.

KYBRIGGS82

So will a funnel work to fill the tank or is there a special tool required ? How many gallons of Blue Def should be required on an average to fill my tank for my first 8,000 miles? And service "A" costs? $200.00 about right ?

HamMan

No tools needed.

Yes get yourself a .99 cent trans funnel.

Pick up a 2 1/2 gallon box, that will be enough to get you 3 - 4000 miles.

A second box will most likely over fill and spill on the ground (not on your garage floor!)

You will be warned in the message center if you ever get low.

Easy job, just do it and feel the savings.

FastMoneyPlaya

All you need is a funnel and about 5 gallons of AdBlue which cost about $12 per 2.5 gallon container at Advanced Auto. All you need to do is unscrew the cap and pour it in. It's like filling your windshield washer. I use a funnel because you dont want to spill anything. You can also use a plastic hand pump/syphon.

I forgot how much service A cost, but I don't think I've ever walked out of the Mercedes dealer for anything close to $200

HamMan

Right 2-$300.

$100 for the oil change.

The rest to rotate the tires and inspect...

Tell the dealer to leave the Ad Blue alone and ask how much money for this visit.

I am at 50,000 miles and going in today for service B.

As a gift my wife bought me a three, prepaid service plan for $1,500.

Maybe to shut me up about the cost every time the truck goes in.

I do not know if there is much savings in light of my own Ad Blue servicing.

KYBRIGGS82

I went to a local truck supplies retail shop and they had TerraCair 32.5% Aqueous Urea Solution DeNOx Grade at $14.25 for a 2 1/2 gallon container. Not AdBlue or BlueDef so should this work ?

FastMoneyPlaya

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is an aqueous urea solution blended with 32.5% high purity urea and 67.5% deionized water. DEF solution is used in Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) to lower NOx concentration in the exhaust emissions of diesel engines.[1]
The solution may also be referred to as AUS32 [2] or as AdBlue, a trademark held by the German Association of the Automobile Industry (VDA), which ensures quality standards are maintained in accord with ISO 22241 specifications.[3]

HamMan

Same (right) stuff.

KYBRIGGS82

Completed Service "A" today at Pleasanton Mercedes Pleasanton,Ca. $176.00 total including sales tax and any other fees. Not only that, the dealership washed my car inside and out, had great pastries and fresh coffee. Looked at the 2013 GL350 and what a nice car, but we also looked at the new 2013 Range Rover HSE. I think I see my 2012 GL350 for sale very soon.

FastMoneyPlaya

If you like the Range Rover, there will be a new model out for 2014. They are dropping the V8 for a supercharged V6 which gets an extra 2 mpg... still not as efficient as the GL350, though...

Also, if you wait a year, the Mercedes dealer will give you about $45K for your 2012 GL350 - that's what they offered me for my 2011 last month. I decided to keep mine rather than take the hit on depreciation.