Do i really need to change the oil now?
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Do i really need to change the oil now?
I have a 2006 CLK 350, which I leased last March ('06). I drive the car like a grandmother. My car only has 6000 miles on it, but for some reason it is telling me to get Schedule A maintenance (the oil change) already. The book says the first maintenace is at 13,000 miles so i'm not even half-way there. My two questions:
1) can I just ignore the message and wait until I get closer to the 13,000 (considering the price of their oil changes I do not want to go in unnecessarily).
2) does anyone know if I'm obligated to go in to do the maintenance (ie. it would subject me to contractual breach) for not getting it done (even though it is so ahead of schedule).
For some reason my brother's car had the same problem, and he only had 8,000 miles, and had the car for less than a year. What's the point of saying that oil changes need to be done at 13,000 miles when it doesn't seem to be the case?
Any help appreciated.
AB3
1) can I just ignore the message and wait until I get closer to the 13,000 (considering the price of their oil changes I do not want to go in unnecessarily).
2) does anyone know if I'm obligated to go in to do the maintenance (ie. it would subject me to contractual breach) for not getting it done (even though it is so ahead of schedule).
For some reason my brother's car had the same problem, and he only had 8,000 miles, and had the car for less than a year. What's the point of saying that oil changes need to be done at 13,000 miles when it doesn't seem to be the case?
Any help appreciated.
AB3
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From: Chicago
2025 AMG E 53; 2018 GLC300 4Matic; 2003 360 Modena
Short answer: Yes, follow the display and change your oil.
Long answer:
1 year and 13k miles interval is very difficult to achieve. I make the analogy of a driver that drives 13k miles per year under ideal conditions. Ideal conditions is the key word. I liken it to driving the car in warm, low humidity conditions, always driving at least 30 miles between starts, and a nice mix of highway and city driving. Realisitic - rarely, but the engine oil is always reaching operating temperature and burning off contaminants and moisture.
The service system minder takes many factors into account when calculating and informing the driver to perform scheduled maintenance. When you factor in time (you're are approaching one year), and other factors (choose which might apply to you)... long idle times, short drives, many start/stop cycles, primarily city driving, they all contribute to shortening the intervals.
I received a Service A message with less than 2000miles on the oil, merely because I had reached 1 year.
Long answer:
1 year and 13k miles interval is very difficult to achieve. I make the analogy of a driver that drives 13k miles per year under ideal conditions. Ideal conditions is the key word. I liken it to driving the car in warm, low humidity conditions, always driving at least 30 miles between starts, and a nice mix of highway and city driving. Realisitic - rarely, but the engine oil is always reaching operating temperature and burning off contaminants and moisture.
The service system minder takes many factors into account when calculating and informing the driver to perform scheduled maintenance. When you factor in time (you're are approaching one year), and other factors (choose which might apply to you)... long idle times, short drives, many start/stop cycles, primarily city driving, they all contribute to shortening the intervals.
I received a Service A message with less than 2000miles on the oil, merely because I had reached 1 year.
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Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Boston, MA USA
03 E320 -wife's car now; 07 Porsche Boxster S - my toy
In addition to what kjb55 posted, the FSS defaults to 13Kmi when reset and the 229.5 spec oil is selected. From there, FSS calculates when the next oil change should occur. I drive almost 18Kmi/yr and FSS comes up at approx 15Kmi to change the oil. Most of my driving is highway in 45-55mph commuter traffic.
Regards,
paul...
Regards,
paul...
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 666
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From: Boston, MA USA
03 E320 -wife's car now; 07 Porsche Boxster S - my toy
Regards,
paul...
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,278
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From: San Jose area
'19 E63S sedan
I think you've gotten some bad advice here. The same thing happened with my C55 (also bought in March '06) and I noticed it was the one-year anniversary of the build date. Sure enough, the service indicator comes on one year from the build date if the dealer didn't reset it to the date that the car was placed in service. They are supposed to do that when they deliver the car. My dealer had me run the car by and they reset the start date so it'll come back on in March.
MB doesn't use FSS anymore; the indicator is simply 10,000 miles or one year.
MB doesn't use FSS anymore; the indicator is simply 10,000 miles or one year.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Chicago
2025 AMG E 53; 2018 GLC300 4Matic; 2003 360 Modena
I think you've gotten some bad advice here. The same thing happened with my C55 (also bought in March '06) and I noticed it was the one-year anniversary of the build date. Sure enough, the service indicator comes on one year from the build date if the dealer didn't reset it to the date that the car was placed in service. They are supposed to do that when they deliver the car. My dealer had me run the car by and they reset the start date so it'll come back on in March.
MB doesn't use FSS anymore; the indicator is simply 10,000 miles or one year.
MB doesn't use FSS anymore; the indicator is simply 10,000 miles or one year.
It's worth considering that time, in addition to the in service date, when considering an oil change.
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Joined: Mar 2006
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From: San Jose area
'19 E63S sedan
Sorry for the 10K/13K confusion. Yes, the 10K applies to AMGs and V-12s only. But I believe the service life of synthetic oil is such that accelerating the change by a few months is just a waste of money. But of course, it won't hurt either.
The build date of my S65 was 18 months before I bought it "new," so the first thing I did was have an unscheduled oil/filter change. But four months extra on the C from build to first service didn't bother me at all. It kind of annoys me that the dealers have a new scam going in encouraging the clock to start with the build date even though the factory is clear that it should start with delivery.
The build date of my S65 was 18 months before I bought it "new," so the first thing I did was have an unscheduled oil/filter change. But four months extra on the C from build to first service didn't bother me at all. It kind of annoys me that the dealers have a new scam going in encouraging the clock to start with the build date even though the factory is clear that it should start with delivery.
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From: SCV SoCal
2002 CLK430
Maybe I'm not comparing apples to apples, but when I used to rebuild Porsche engines, the first oil change was THE most important change of it's life. After 500 miles, we'd change the oil. It was common to change the oil in a brand new 911 at 1000 miles. The early miles set up the wear patterns for the rings (although I understand that Mercedes Benz doesn't hone cylinders and hasn't since the M113), lifters, and bearings. The wear material (bits of metal) ends up in the oil filter. It could be that the quality of synthetic oil in a MB is light years ahead of the dino juice we used in the 1970’s, but I'd change the oil. Especially if there's an MB dealer willing to do it for $40.
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Joined: Mar 2006
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From: San Jose area
'19 E63S sedan
Not only has the oil improved, the fleece filters are way beyond anything we had then. And we used to use single-weight break-in oil for the first 1000 miles. All quite incompatible with modern technology. Of course, a change of Mobil 1 and filter costs about the same as a Mahle cylinder and piston set used to cost me.
My feeling is that the factory is plenty conservative. I maintain the car by the book and sleep fine at night. I'd worry about a $40 oil and filter change though. That's less than the cost of materials.
My feeling is that the factory is plenty conservative. I maintain the car by the book and sleep fine at night. I'd worry about a $40 oil and filter change though. That's less than the cost of materials.
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From: Boston, MA USA
03 E320 -wife's car now; 07 Porsche Boxster S - my toy
Regards,
paul...
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Sorry for the 10K/13K confusion. Yes, the 10K applies to AMGs and V-12s only. But I believe the service life of synthetic oil is such that accelerating the change by a few months is just a waste of money. But of course, it won't hurt either.
The build date of my S65 was 18 months before I bought it "new," so the first thing I did was have an unscheduled oil/filter change. But four months extra on the C from build to first service didn't bother me at all. It kind of annoys me that the dealers have a new scam going in encouraging the clock to start with the build date even though the factory is clear that it should start with delivery.
The build date of my S65 was 18 months before I bought it "new," so the first thing I did was have an unscheduled oil/filter change. But four months extra on the C from build to first service didn't bother me at all. It kind of annoys me that the dealers have a new scam going in encouraging the clock to start with the build date even though the factory is clear that it should start with delivery.
