Hi all!

I made my first service appt. for service A for my '02 C320 wagon, coming up this Friday. My service advisor also says that at 5 years, they recommend a service that includes changing the spark plugs, fuel filter, etc. I have only had the car for about 2 months, and he thinks they may have performed this service already, so they are checking on it.

my question is this, if they have not done it, should i get it done? the car only has 49k miles, and i have read around here spark plugs are usually replaced every 100k miles. but it has been over 6 years (the car was "born" on 2/13/02).

i am leaning towards doing it, it is just that my mileage is so low. but i keep thinking, if i do it now, i wont have to do it again for awhile.

also, i have read a few threads around here that says that the spark plug replacement is covered by warranty...not sure if this is the case, but boy would that be nice!

any and all input would be appreciated!

 

Spark plugs are not covered under the warranty. Neither is fuel filter, etc. Plugs at about 100K and fuel filter at about 60K.
When you see what the dealership gets to do both of those you might not be so keen on having them do it. Just be sitting down when they give you that quote! Of course, it's up to you.

 

The dealer will undoubtedly gouge you well beyond what the job is worth and without a doubt I would have someone else change the fuel filter if you are not into doing it yourself. [/align][/align]Spark plugs on the other hand may well be worth having the dealer doing; here's why:[/align]Your cylinder heads are aluminum while the spark plugs are not and given the length of time they have been in the heads, it is possible that they have corroded into the heads (assuming that Mercedes does not use Never-Sieze when installing the origionals. If the dealer strips out the threads on the head when removing the old ones, it's then THEIR fault and they have to fix same. If you change them yourself and strip the threads, you are on your own.[/align][/align]Regards,[/align][/align]Will[/align]

 

thank you both!

i asked for a quote before saying yes, and here is what i got:

"The services that are recommended at the 5 year mark are the spark plugs ($440), transmission service ($400), power steering service ($130) and fuel system service ($170)."

but the dealership has a coupon for $150 off if you spend over $1000. wow, thats great (kidding).

you are correct and nothing is covered under my warranty, but thats ok.

i would not attempt to change spark plugs myself, but i will do a search to see how difficult changing the fuel filter is. could be an interesting project for the boyfriend and i.

I have a few friends who use an independent mechanic shop (that only works on Mercedes) for all their services and have always had great experiences there, so i will most likely be taking my car here for the above services.

its just so nice to get that loaner car! i hate being without.

again, thank you for your input, very helpful!