CAracer

Just completed my differential service. Dealer only charged $106. They also topped off the oil, which was a quart low for free.

Anaheim Mercedes in Ca.

bushburninc63

You have the Performance Pack?

CAracer

No, but I do have LSD. There was a sticker on the window that stated the differential needed to be serviced at 2000 miles.

bushburninc63

So you got the LSD without the Performance Package?

shchow

The car does not come with LSD without the performance package.
All cars (unless you are referring to a true off roader with a locked axle) have an open differential, which is not LSD...

220S

I believe that sticker is on all the cars (someone who owns one can chime in) whether they come with the performance package or not. Mine (W211) had it on the sticker (and no PP.)

The LSD is only with the PP. Hopefully the dealer didn't take you on this one.

Or maybe you have the PP and didn't realize it

CAracer

I do not have the performance package. But, I did called several dealer service centers and they all said that the differential needed to be serviced @ 2000 miles. They also said it was a LSD in my car.

bushburninc63

You got hosed man, if only the Performance Package includes an lsd and your car doesn't have the pp then you have no lsd for them to change the fluid.

220S

The dealer should only be doing this service (and for free as a courtesy, too) for the P030 cars equipped with a LSD.

Go down to the dealer and have them run a VMI on your VIN. The VMI will tell you exactly all the options that came with your car. If there is no P030 or LSD listed, then you should complain to your dealer's service manager and MBUSA.

Unless Daimler decided just recently to add LSDs to the latest W212s as a stand alone option, they only come with the performance package

There were a few threads about changing the gear oil at 2k on W211 P030 cars. It is supposedly to be a free service done by the dealer for all P030 cars. Do a search.

Somebody with a new W212 P030 car on this forum should be able to help you.

CAracer

I just talked with another dealer and he's sure that all E63's have standard Electronic LSD's. And that they need fluid serviced at 2000 miles. I don't believe that they hosed me either as one poster stated.

I do agree that the Manufacture should pay for the differential fluid change, since it needs to be done at 2000 miles. If I spent $106. dollars needlessly, it's still cheap insurance compared to replacing a failed differential from improper or required maintenance.

220S

You should post that dealer's name here. In the meantime run the VMI on you car's VIN.

From MBUSA/AMG own website: Performance Package adds stiffer suspension, an electronic controlled LSD and larger forged alloy wheels.

CAracer

Anaheim Mercedes did the maintenance on the differential. Long Beach also confiirmed that it needed to be done as well. It's a small amount of money to assure future maintenance free problems.

t-im

Not to 'stir the pot' but are you basically brushing aside sound advice from knowledgeable E63 enthusiasts that are trying to help you realize you don't have LSD and you probably just got hosed?

bushburninc63

Did you try to confirm that you have an LSD through the VIN, or are you just listening to hearsay from the dealership that jacked you of your money?

CAracer

Not at all… I've read many posts on several forums for many years. And, I’ve found that the information given from people that give advice is often based from what they've heard or read from someone else’s posts. They become experts from reading other's forum postings, and not from real experiences. I find it hard to believe that several dealers would lie and mislead their customers for a mere $106. dollars.

I may not have true LSD as you point out, But, I truly believe that the differential service was necessary. So, I will take the loss of 100 bucks, knowing that the dealer will cover my differential in the event that my differential fails sometime in the future. At least the dealer can’t deny the warranty for lack of preventive maintenance. It will cost me much less in the end by not listening to the so called enthusiast's advice.

So, thanks for all your concerns and comments. I guess I'm not a knowledgeable enthusiast like the rest of the poster’s here on this forum.

In the future, I'll be less likely to post to this forum. It seems that most of you already know all the answers,

bushburninc63

We're just trying to help you out, so you don't get ripped off by the dealers. If you don't want to hear our advice, so be it, but we're not here to try to be know it alls and smartasses. I don't know a lot about cars, but I do my research if I have a question or problem about my car.

My fiancee just got a 2010 e63 too and from my research her car does not have an lsd. You had me question myself when you originally posted this thread, but I found out the answer for myself.

bushburninc63

Here, read this thread, it was for the c63, but it applies to the E63 also.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...000-miles.html

One of the post in the thread

220S

+1

CA Racer, MBWorld members aren't trying to BS you at all. Some may get right to the point ("you got hosed") but why come on here if you don't trust anybody on car forums? You basically just dissed everybody here.

I just called Beverly Hills Mercedes (a dealership with an AMG Performance Center) and they said NO, only if the car has the performance package. They gave me MBUSA's phone number. I called MBUSA. After 5 minutes on hold they got me to a tech: NO, only if you have the P030 package.

I then called Anaheim Mercedes. The service guy said, "we do a 2k differential service on all AMGs for a special price to keep your car well-maintained." I told them what MBUSA said. He said, "Oh, well we just do it for our customers." I said MB doesn't require it. He says, "Oh well, then maybe it's not necessary."

You want facts, there they are.

The diff oil for AMGs with a LSD is 1.3 quarts of Castrol SAF-XJ. The diff oil for non LSD models is 1.3 quarts of Fuchs Titan EG 5010 D. This is according to MBUSA. I suggest you check your invoice to be sure they used the right gear oil.

In the meantime go outside and look at your wheels. Are they the forged AMG performance package wheels? No? Maybe your dealer swapped them out when you weren't looking.

Again, just run your VIN (the VMI from the dealer will show everything about your car plus what's been done to it by any USA dealer.) Or go look at the Monroney window sticker that's required by law to be on all new cars. Surely your dealer gave it to you (it's a good thing to keep esp for resale) It will list the P030, or any optional stand alone LSD (which according to MBUSA isn't available.)

If you're happy with your dealer's service and "peace of mind," then fine.

I suggest you be sure to buy some fresh nitrogen for your tires, too.

Mantooth

You're seriously going to dismiss this as if nothing was wrong? Even If I thought EVERY single person on MBworld was full of ****, and they gave this advice, I would heed their warning and at least call MBUSA. If you're okay with being screwed out of $106, what makes you think the other sucker will be okay with it, too? If they tell you it's required, and don't just suggest it, they should fully reimburse your $106.

$.02

CAracer

You guys are pretty tough on this forum. "You got hosed", that is to the point. And, not the best way to convince someone that they overpaid for service that was not needed.

Anyway, this is my first Mercedes. Unfortunately I relied on several dealerships advice on the differential maintenance @ 2000 miles. If the dealerships don't know when it's due, who can you really believe? I guess forum members...

I want to thank all of you for your sound advice. I also want to thank Dan for the Data card he sent me on my car, which really helped to further clear up this matter.

As all of you state, I do not need the differential service until a much later date. You were right on.

I just got off the phone with Anaheim Mercedes and they offered to refund or credit my account for the $106. They apologized and were very clear that they had made a mistake. I guess you can't ask for more than that.

Again, many thanks to all and sorry for not taking your recommendations seriously.

220S

You'll discover that they are good dealers in SoCal and not so good ones. Some of the techs can be good and some not so good. And the service advisers can be totally clueless sometimes. It's like going to a hospital; you muck through all kinds of clueless people until you find the right doctor who knows what's up.

But there are a lot of well-informed MBWorld members here. A search is your friend. And eventually, just like finding the right dealer, you'll find members who have good, solid advice.

You might also want to find a good Indy mechanic. There are lots of great MB Indies in the SoCal area. You can talk face to face with the person who's actually working on your car. Since maintenance (oil change, etc.) isn't free, you can go to an Indy and have it done there. If the Indy finds something that needs fixing under warranty, then head over to the dealer for that.

It's good Anaheim stepped up to the plate and admitted error. When I asked why they were doing 2k diff changes when it wasn't necessary, they sounded kind of embarrassed.

ps, I would check to see what diff oil they did end up using. MBUSA says two different kinds for the two different diffs.

VCA_AMG

Score one for MB World.

Welcome to the forum CAracer, enjoy your car & your postings here. Lots of incredible MBZ knowledge here!

Mantooth

I'm glad you got everything taken care of and that you're happy with the outcome.

bushburninc63

Sorry to use such harsh term, but I'm glad you got your money back. Never trust a dealer unless you know somebody personally there. Always try to cover yourself when bring your car in. Like notice the miles that was on the car when you bring it in. Some idiot will always try to take it out for a test drive, happened to my previous car a few times.

Taiwanese

$106 refund is nice.

But did they put in the right oil?