My C320 is coming up a B Service. After looking over the actual work to be done on the vehicle during this scheduled service, it is in my opinion, a souped up oil change costing about $400 + at the local dealer. In addition to changing the oil, the tires are rotated, the air filter and cabin filter are replaced, as are the wiper inserts.

For those of you who have owned MB's longer than I, can you get away with simply changing the oil/filter and replacing the other items on your own?
Thanks for any feedback.

Alan

 

of course yes.

just reset the maintenance reminder after you're done.

 

I also find the service cost to be a little steep for what they actually do... But with my experiences, having full service records really helps when attempting to resell a used mercedes...

I had mine in for the B service a couple months ago... Everything went well other than when i looked at the car and noticed they had put the rear rims on the front!!! So I had 245's on the front and 225's on the back. I asked my advisor if anything looked funny to him, and he couldn't even notice! Needless to say they did put it back, but I still pay for the full B service even though my wheels aren't to be rotated ever.

 

As much as I would like to follow the predefined services, nowadays, I avoid such services because of the collateral damages. Putting the rear wheels of a fine car like a C43 to the front is a fine example.

Yet I have better examples.

Recently, a dear friend of mine who is a very smart computer programmer brought his Rover in for scheduled maintenance. He works for Symantec and has money. But he is naive when it comes to cars. The car was running perfectly and flawlessly before it went in.

As soon as he drove out of the dealer CHECK ENGINE light came on. Look at this from a bright side, the $10/hr hobos at the dealer must have forgotten to hook back some vaccum hose. Look at it from a worst case scenario...they could put wrong spark plugs, add brake fluid into the engine, fill the transmission with engine oil, and so on and so forth.

Technically speaking....even changing plugs, no dealership could perform the job without slightest amount of collateral damage to the car. Show me a dealership that would not cause small mishaps when changing plugs. I like plug change example because nowadays all our cars are so crowded in the engine room that you do not have room to put your hand to pull the plug wires out gently exactly on a path that is a continuation of the angle of the spark plugs. As you turn the wrench, there are many things waiting to be bumped, scratched, or broken.

Last time I went in for an oil change at the local Benz dealership (because of the nice coupon they sent me) the ***** left greasy hand prints on my "A" pillar.

My point is -- don't go to a shop unless something major is really broken...and you can afford to suffer the collateral damages.

 

how much did you pay?

 

I'm pretty sure it was around the $450 mark. Can't remember exactly off hand, but it was just under $500 for my B service