gqa

hey guys, my cars says my B-service is due in 10 days and after looking at what the dealer says is included im wondering is this a glorified oil change? i believe it will cost btwn $300-$400. i know they say they inspect certain things but they don't actually replace anything else but oil and filter. i can buy the oil myself and have it changed by someone who works on Mercedes for much less.

is it really worth it?
i have 17k miles on my 05' sl

iguess

not sure about the status of your car, but you should still have warranty right?

raps sl

My B service is coming do next spring and I don't have second
thoughts about doing it. I think the SL's have to be maintained
right or there could be problems with the car.

gqa

i totally agree about maintaining our cars, but have you ever looked at what they actually do for a B service? from the list i have they change your oil and filter(which i can have done for $85 incl. parts and labor) top off fluids and inspect a few things like brakes and ball joints. i have 17k miles. they dont even change our air filter because we have active charcoal fliters.

so for $370 it seems im just paying for someone to check things i can check myself

ohlord

filter is paper,cabin/pollen filters are charcoal.
both at
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...2@Air%20Filter
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...ollen%20Filter
for a fraction of the shop price.
As to your question if you are on warranty you or a shop can do all the maint items,inspections etc. and be on warranty as long as you do them,document the work performed Mileage, dates and use the correct supplies.
It is just a glorified oil change and top off fluids but don't dismiss the need to do it properly or they may argue if something pops up.
mb spec oil etc.
have fun
nice car!

gqa

thanks ohlord for the info. I'm gonna buy the oil and filter at the dealer with a discount. your right about documenting everything because I'm sure they will try to find some reason not to honor my warranty since i stopped letting them rip me off. lol. I'll get those filter parts as well and keep all my receipts.

bltserv

While under warranty it may be worth the cost. But do things like the air filters yourself. Battery, and maybe even pads yourself. Also you need to reset the 10K mile service warning. My dealer has 10% discounts in the paper
and its good to have them check the charging system and the pad % left.
Back to the idea you are driving a expensive Mercedes. So whats a couple hundred bucks extra every 10K miles to keep your warranty "No Questions asked"

whoover

If it were my car, I'd absolutely have the dealer do the service. They very often find something (like an ABC problem) that can be fixed under warranty and avoid a breakdown problem later. They are just as motivated to find things to fix now (when MB reimburses them) as they are when the warranty is up (and you have to pay). Figure you're paying them a couple of hundred bucks once every couple of years to go over the car with a fine-toothed comb, with someone else paying to fix anything they find. I think it's cheap at twice the price for these very complicated cars.

The other reason to do it is that there a bunch of little things they do that can affect your ownership experience that you or an independent garage wouldn't think of. For instance, the door rubbers get squeeky if they don't get a special lube every now and then. Sunroofs or power tops need special cleaning and lubrication or they tend to pack up. A good service department stays on top of these things, including procedures that were established after your service booklet was printed.

Of course, this presumes you have a good service department. If a dealership is a crook and doesn't really do the inspections and work, you can get ripped off. I have no idea about yours. It's just that my experience with one dealer over 25 years and 8 cars has me convinced that dealership service by the book is well worth it.

gqa

your right about having a good dealership. I've owned a Benz since 99' and every time i take it in for service whether a or b they never find anything wrong with the car except for any issues i point out. then when i point out an issue they always try to minimize it until i have to bring it back the 2nd or 3rd time. like when i told them my keyless go key fob wasn't working, which i had to get the service director involved to get replaced. or the noise behind my seat probably caused by a bad seal, but of course they cant hear it. how about the brake squealing problem, "theres nothing we can do about it"

are you sure they're reimbursed the same amount as if the customer were paying for it because it doesn't seem they're looking to make any repairs under warranty.

it just seems there services are just a rip off and want to scare us into believing if we don't pay $400 for an oil change they won't fix something under warranty. the only thing i feel they will check are the brakes and other items that you have to pay for anyway!

trust me its really not about the money. i have never not had any of my Benz's serviced anywhere else, but then again i really never notice how much there really not doing anything but change the oil. besides how do you really know they checked anything if after 8 years and 4 vehicles they never found anything wrong with your car except you need brakes $$ when i really can get another 5k miles with those pads?

for example i purchased an MB extended warranty for my 00' clk 430 and the one time i had a problem with the top they argued that it wasn't covered until i had to prove it to them( another broadway production) and i always had my car serviced at the dealer.

maybe its just my dealership or maybe its because i didn't buy the car from them, but i would really feel better if they did something a regular shop mechanic who has some knowledge of a late model Benz couldn't do.

jj0822

sorry for hijacking this thread...

Hey Whoover,

Can I ask what dealer you use and possibly your service advisor? I had some work done by the dealer in the SJ / Santa Clara area and the service advisor never returned my calls so I'm looking for another dealer to try for my A service.

Thanks.

geeaccord

I think you should have the services done by them just in case they do catch something they could fix it while still under warranty. Also you will help you out when every you decide to try and sell it it and you can show a record of the work that should help the sales of your vehicle.

gqa

geeaccord that sounds good but they do not try to find anything to fix under warranty. trust me. and for the resale effect. the last benz of mine i sold no one who looked at the car or even called about it asked about the service records. im sure it has some weight but not much in my opinion.

i took my car in to the stealership for the B sevice last friday and I paid $423 total for them to change my oil and filters. the only thing they told me is i should change all my rotors and brake pads which i of course would pay for. they also said there was some play in my ball joints. do you think they offered to replace or repair it under warranty? NOT!

spnslc

Service B was performed this week on my '06 SL. My service was the priciest of this group at $480 (I wonder if it is because I am a woman. I always worry about that!)

Here's the list:
Labor $230; Oil filter $26; Wiper Blades (2) $55; Mobile 1 ESP 5W40 (quantity 9!) $51; Filter Element $64; shop supplies $23; taxes $31.

Does the SL really take 9 quarts of oil?? I don't remember cars taking that much oil. Maybe oil doesn't come in quarts anymore. :-) They mentioned something about the cabin filter, but I don't remember if it was to check and/or replace. I am happy they replaced the wiper blades.

On my husband's Service A for his GL, they updated nav software and performed recall work (dipstick replacement, some other software update and multiple other items), so you don't want to miss out on those items by doing the work yourself.

My car didn't have any recalls. It has been a reliable car, so far, at 13,000 miles and lots of smiles.

geeaccord

I guess I agree somewhat on they charge to much for not doing that much in changing things on the car. I guess some people don't really care about the service..but every since 10 year ago I always try to get a service of the car i'm buying but i guess we all dont do that. Oh I guess each mercedes charge diff prices cause mind wasn't as much.