Hey all, I know there have been post about this but is really curious should I do the A/B service at dealership and pay the cost or just get the components and have a shop do it cheaper. Plus what are the pros and cons besides price going to the dealership.

 

If under warranty, get it done at a dealership, if you have a good relationship with the SA perhaps they can help you out with working on tough warranty claims, building rapport basically. If you are out of warranty, good European independent is the way to go.

 

I do it myself on the hoist.

 

Actually, this is the way to go! DIY is good because you know they (you) actually do the service and you know it is done right.

 

DIY everything but the cabin air filter… what a royal pain. Just that is worth taking it to a dealer or indy. I go to the dealer as they’re 5 min away. A good indy for me is 30 min away and that’s a hassle most of the time. If I had a big repair I’d go to the indy shop. Balance convenience vs $.

 

For sure, the one in the engine bay is much easier but the activated charcoal one underneath passenger footwell/glovebox really challenges your back.

 

I handle all my maintenance, including Service A and Service B, myself. Honestly, it's not that difficult if you have access to the Mercedes-Benz documentation. The manuals are clear and thorough, so as long as you follow the steps carefully, you can easily take care of things like oil changes, air filter replacements, and other routine tasks.

With the right tools and a bit of patience, you can save yourself a lot of money by doing it yourself.

 

I found the cabin filters in the Maybach to be easy compared to changing the one in the GTC which was an exercise in contortion in that tiny footwell and high door sill your back has to sit on.

With that said ebay has Mercedes WIS for sale for usually around 10 dollars and its the same manual set the dealer uses. IF you have ANY mechanical aptitude you can do the maintenance yourself and save a ton of money and learn about your car at the same time. If you dont like that idea then I would say an independent shop that is known for Mercedes repairs would be a good idea. Just let them buy whatever is needed to service the car. They usually dont want to install something that a customer supplies for a number of reasons.

 

I prefer dealership , yes they're not perfect either yet more expensive too .
However, sometimes I take my car to an indy shop who knows how to deal (pun intended lol ) with a Mercedes-Benz . (Mostly for basic stuffs like oil change )

 

Might be easier if you lift the vehicle up a little but make sure to secure it. Safety first obviously. Perhaps with a hoist, you can lift it up to like chest height.

 

My local Benz dealer is up to $425/hr for service. Their rate increased by $225/hr in the last 4 years due to ridiculous legislation in IL that states warranty service has to be bill out the same as cash paying customers. Just a simple oil change is now $475. Thankfully I have a good German specialty shop that will do an oil and filter change for $99. So no point going back to the dealer for any kind of service

 

Refering to the GTC no its the high door sill that you have to put your back on and get your upper body into the passenger footwell in order to gain access and see the cabin filter. There was simply no other besides removing the passenger seat. The seat out would definitely make it a lot easier since you would now have a place to lie as your getting at the filter.

Come to think of it changing the spark plugs on the Maybach was a job as was a job with the GTC spark plugs but at least the jobs were not painful.. The cabin filter for the GTC, thats a different story.

 

That is a different story to what I expected altogether, I was hoping that simply moving the seat back and away would had been enough, removing the seat is another pain. Most MBs, I guess German makes also likes to put the filter there, but in the case of the AMG GT, it does seem to be more difficult, not saying other vehicles are not difficult though.

 

Well please understand the filter is VERY easy to change BUT you have to contort your body into the passenger footwell to get at it. IT also have two or three (cant remember total) metal clips that secure the filter cover. They are tiny and easy to drop so thats another reason you have to get in there to get the filter. Here are a couple pictures of the footwell the second picture has the panel you remove to gain access to the filter cover.

 

Thanks for the pictures and sorry for the confusion, yes that was what I meant, that is the same as many MB models from A-Class to S-Class. I was hoping you can lift the vehicle up with a hoist with the door open, vehicle up to like chest height and then so you don't have to bend your back and tuck and look up but from your image, it confirms to me that it is just the same as many MB models.

 

A-Class, although the A-Class seems to be just tuck in and lock up then slide then drop
Other cars like C, E, S most of them require removing a plastic panel before seeing the sliding tab like so:

 

Replacing the cabin filters in a W222 is literally a 10 minute job start to finish.

 

Pros of going to the dealership:

1. free coffee
2. some of the SA's/parts counter people are attractive, although mine gained weight and I'm not as about it anymore
3. Genuine parts

Cons

1. you don't have $1000 anymore
2. misdiagnosed problems
3. you leave with zero gained knowledge on your car and how it works

Use an indy for oil changes, do your own filters, give the small guys the business. If you're out of warranty it's the time to start learning and saving. Life is the pursuit of knowledge and leveraging your skills to sell your value.

Also buy AMSOIL
Alphaeuropean.myamsoil.com

 

Funny you guys are talking about the cabin air filter, I just did mine. What a ridiculous design!

On the "A/B" service, all that's really involved is an oil and filter change (+ brake fluid for the 'B') and a lot of inspections that give the dealer the opportunity to sell you additional service.

 

$425????
OMG

 

Don't need a lift. Get some ramps and a good floor jack. I have Race Ramps and they have lasted for years
Need a bit of more height for the transmission work, but its possible.
Another option is a QuickJack. I use mine all the time as well. Gives you enough height for almost anything except engine removal.

 

For no apparent reason, I got an email from Mercedes Benz of Fresno saying their price for a 'Service A' is $179.99. Good for them, that's a fairly realistic charge ...

 

Fairly?

 

I do all the service work myself except for transmission fluid changes (I don’t have the patients to deal with that).

Anything that would not be possible without a lift or if I’m having issues I’m to dumb to fix I have a local mechanic I go to.

If they can’t fix it there is another independent specialist but they are pricey (less than the dealer though). And if it really came down to it I’d goto the dealer but hopefully nothing goes that wrong.

Good luck!

 

DIY with the help of WIS is the way to go, that way you know it is done and done right. You can't trust dealerships or certain shops nowadays.