I had my first Service 'A' done yesterday. When I got home I noticed that there was no check mark next to {FILL DEF} on the service form they gave me. So I shoved a 36" long piece of vinyl tubing down the fill port and when I withdrew it there was no wetness on the tube indicating a fluid in that hole.

So hopefully there is a Mercedes tech on this forum that can tell me why I see no fluid down that fill port after driving a mere three miles and or if I should be able to see fluid/wetness on my 36" vinyl tubing. How would they know it was filled if there is no indication of fluid in the fill port? By volume?

One thing I know for sure. If I drive across this country and get in the Sonoran desert with a message on my display saying I have but two more starts on the car prior to it shutting down.......there's going to be a big problem at my dealer when I get back. And no, I'm not going to go out and buy some DEF and fill it up to the top of the fill port. I paid to have someone else do that already.

Just curious. Remember, it's a 2014 Bluetec with the DEF fill port next to the fuel port.

 

From what I understand it gets filled at the 10K service. If your box was not checked and they did not list the DEF quanity in parts or charged you, then they must have forgot.

Hope my dealer is doing this better as mine is due for it's first service soon.

 

Unless you have prepaid service they probably did you a favor by not filling it and charging you the crazy price they charge for DEF. Go to Walmart and get the 2.5 gal jug for $12 or stop at a truck stop that has DEF at the pumps.

 

I hardly think the MB service dept did him a "favor".

 

Did you request and pay for adblue service? It's about $250.

$25 DIY.

Don't worry about being locked out of your car for no adblue. You will start getting a warning when you're getting closer to empty. Then once you're empty you have like 20 starts before you're locked out.

 

Same happened to me . The service department forgot to add the DEF. Their reply was yes we forgot but we didn't charge you . Im going to DIY it myself. How many litres of DEF do I need to fill the ADBLUE?

 

I have the pre paid plan and it should not cost me a darn cent more. The question is, should I see DEF in the fill hole? Should I be able to dip a three foot long piece of vinyl tubing into said hole and get wetness on it and also when I have it stuck down there three feet and suck on the other end, shouldn't I be able to siphon it into the tube........if indeed they put any in there.

On the invoice the only parts were: 1 TS FILTER...........9 Quarts of Mobil 1 ESP....... 1 Windshield washer fluid.............1 ring, general metal (got me what that is)...........1 dust filter.

I took it back to the dealer this morning at 7 to get the volume switch on the steering wheel fixed. I mentioned the 'no check mark' on the service form for DEF and he said they'd check it out. I went home. I got a call two hours later telling me the volume switch would be here in three weeks and he had filled the DEF. I went and got the car.

Later while just sitting here, I decided to go out and see if I could see DEF in the fill port. No is the answer. So I dipped my siphon tube down three feet and got no fluid in the tube or on the tube. Now I wonder if it's me not knowing the procedure of how to fill the DEF or........nah........they wouldn't not fill it up after they told me they did. So I'm suspecting myself instead or at least having doubts as to the procedure. If I'd done it I'd have bought some DEF down at WalMart or Pepboys and just filled it up til it reached the top of the filler neck and been done with it. Seems simple enough. So why don't I see fluid on my three foot siphon tube it it did get filled up? Filled just by volume of fluid put in and no more?\

One should do their own maint. I could have changed oil and filter and filled up this DEF well under the two and a half hours I sat in the showroom waiting. But nooooooooooo, I had to pay for maint in advance.

Right now Mercedes maint is running a close second to my Jaguar dealer who serviced my XK and put the right rear wheel/tire on the right front and vice versa.........front and rear tires/wheels are of a different size in case one didn't know that. I guesss people get tired and make mistakes.

 

ARTLY........The drivers handbook says the DEF tank holds 7.3 US gallons.

IF anytime in the next five thousand miles I get a Warning that I'm low on DEF.........I'm going to be pissed, especially after I was told they filled it. Filling it to me means topping it off.

The ML now has 10,016 miles on it.

 

You sound like someone who can't wait to go ape next time you get five ketchup packets instead of six.

 

They give out way too many ketchup packets at fast food places. Four will do.

If they screwed up the the DEF why should I believe they didn't also screw up the oil change?

I went to WalMart and bought the 2 1/2 gallon package of DEF. I poured in one and one half gallons to top it off. So finally I believe they did put in DEF the second time around, although one gallon short imho although a large air bubble might account for that. I PAID in advance for a full tank of DEF, not a partial fill.

If one emphasizes at the initial meeting with the service adviser that you want to make sure the DEF is topped off, and they fail to perform, that's sloppy workmanship. Much like my experience with Jaguar where they put the rear tire on the front and vice versa........coolant tank was topped up to the filler cap when it should NOT be filled that far and there's a marker in the coolant tank for FULL.........and the engine oil was overfilled by approx a half quart. Outside of that they did a good job (washed the windshield pretty good).

Both Mercedes and Jaguar service facillites earned a FAIL this year. Now Alpha Romeo is returning to the USA after they got run out of the country years ago for.............poor customer service. I doubt This Time Will Be Different.

 

Unfortunately this is the way life is these days. Hate to have anyone come to my house to fix or maintain anything anymore. The people who service my artesian well leave a bill at my door after service and my once well running well no longer works. The preventative Maint people come and service my four ac units at the house and two would not even run until I went out and reset the disconnect switch.

Things are not what they used to be or we are asking for too much!

 

All the more reason why I try to do as much maintenance and repair myself.

 

I would do my own, too. BUT, life is full of other things that I MUST do so I have to trust the dealer. Mt Lexus service was always impeccable, I expect my MB dealer to be the same.

 

My expectations have gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion.

 

You can bet I will be checking up on them. If the one dealer does not do well I will try the other. I have little choice.

I did go to Wallmart and buy three 2.5 gallon boxes of DEF at under $12 per box. What an adventure it will be getting it into the tank!

 

Well... on dealer fill the computer SDS says what's needed for "full' and full is not a visual - and means full tank, not up the tube...

OP's original dealer was a putz, who did not fill DEF, and fortunately marked it not done correctly - good catch.

"low" warning for GLK250 is about 1000 miles from "empty"/lock-out warning..

 

Why is it that a GLK always seems to creep into your ML postings? Curious.

 

OK. That's what I was looking for. The mechanic uses a SDS readout instead of 'topping it off' to the top of the fill tube. Now I understand why on their second try I didn't see any fluid in the fill port nor any for the first 36" down the tube.