kczmb

Recently I had a minor problem with my S55 (found out it was just brakes). Every horror story about mechanics taking advantage of women proved 2b true. But fortunately I got some helpful advice at this forum b4 I went to the mechanics.

I posted a question & some of the guys pointed me in the right direction. I also looked thru the forums 4 info that would help me, which saved me big bucks.

Know what the Service A & Service B include, then ask 4 what your car needs as well. Just going with the regular service A or B means u pay a lot for inspections. Then you'll pay a lot more if new parts or more labor is needed.
To keep your engine in top running condition, learn to check your own fluid levels, wiper blades, tire pressure and other functions. You already know when headlights & seatbelts malfunction. So instead, ask your mechanic for new spark plugs, & a coolant system flush with your oil change. Then throw in a "Would you lubricate &/or check my throttle linkage?" before he close the hood. Make sure he resets your FSS counter and indicator light. This will give you a lot more bang for your buck.

I thought it would be helpful to Newbies like myself if I repost the info I found about the standard Service A & B scheduled maintenance.


Flexible Service System - A-Service
- Change your vehicle's engine oil and filter
- Ensure the warning and indicator lamps, horn, windshield/headlamp wiper and washer systems, and seat belts are functioning correctly
- Inspect tires and check tire pressure (including spare)
- Inspect brake pad thickness and disc condition
- Check and correct all fluid levels
- Reset your vehicle's FSS counter

Flexible Service System - B-Service
- Change your vehicle's engine oil and filter
- Replace the dust filter in all SLK, CLK, C-Class and E-Class models, and in S-Class and SL-Class models without the active charcoal filter
- Replace windshield wiper inserts
- Inspect and rotate tires
- Lubricate and inspect throttle linkage
- Ensure the parking brake, steering play, headlamps and exterior lamps, warning and indicator lamps, horn, windshield/headlamp wiper and washer systems, seat belts, and backrest lock (S-Class only) are functioning correctly
- Inspect tires and check tire pressure (including spare)
- Inspect brake pad thickness and disc condition
- Inspect front axle ball joints and Poly-V-belt
- Check and correct all fluid levels
- Reset your vehicle's FSS counter

I want to thank a lot of the MB World Senior members, Fanatics, and Super members for being so generous with their knowledge and great advice!
OliverK, tusabes, & shaw01 really came thru 4 me!
DMI+RY posted the above Service A & Service B guideline originally.

kczmb

I forgot to mention la22bay & Supergenius40 were super helpful too!

tusabes

glad to be of help, and glad to have a female forum member...this place is mostly guys and its nice to see . Hang out for a bit, theres a lot of good mb info to be had here besides just fixing problems.

hardwork s-430

thanks for all the info kczmb i just bought my s430 last friday and i wanted to start with a full tune-up with fluid change around how much would that cost you think? i live in the bay area and the dash says exceed 6000 so i dont theink the guy did a tune up on it.

rondocap

Yeah, you got it! The more knowledge you know about the car and how it works, what it needs, etc - the more power you have. (And you'll save much more, too)

It feels good to know what's going on with your car and what it needs, and even to be able to do somethings yourself.

kczmb

Congrats hardwork s-430! I bet you got a good deal on it, buying this time of year.
If this is your 1st Mercedes then I'm sure you'll have fun finding new scenic routes for a while. ;} Unfortunately it's hard to find a good mechanic that's qualified to work on your S class AND resonably priced. I'm lucky that the same mechanic I had for my BMW takes care of all my MB's. Been using him for 10yrs now so gives me the best deals ever!
I lived n Cali where I had a great mechanic, but that was in Orange County. You should look 4 a local MB club, there's probably lots of them 4 your area, right here on this site. If not, make one so u can get to know some of the other MB owners in your area and find out where they take their cars. I don't prefer the stealership, but do what you're comfortable with.
Post some pix, I would love to see it!! kc

Supergenius40

Thanks for the post kczmb. My wife has a 04 SRX and it took an act of God to replace the day time running lights. My S500 has been easier to work on even easier then my G35. It helps if you know how to do small things like Brakes, Oil Change, filters etc. the forums have a ton of DIYs cataloged. The mechanical repairs are manageable but the electrical stuff on these cars is specialist required. That’s where the escalated cost comes into play. But one thing I would like to stress. Get a warranty before you hit 100K miles. Or keep $1000 to $5000 open for unexpected repairs.