Assyst - Flexible Or Fixed Interval?

[steve.link]

Whats the latest situation regarding the fixed vs flexible serving intervals? I have just noticed my car has been set to fixed intervals after its first service.

Queried it with the dealer and they claim they can no longer adjust this??

Car is 2005 W211 E320CDI

 

[Rory]

How do you know it's fixed?

 

[Dryce]

Whats the latest situation regarding the fixed vs flexible serving intervals? I have just noticed my car has been set to fixed intervals after its first service.

Queried it with the dealer and they claim they can no longer adjust this??

Car is 2005 W211 E320CDI

My guess is that they 'upgraded' it to be much more conservative. Mine starts at just over 9300 and tries to count down mile for mile when I'm not looking.

 

[jaymanek]

well i know all new cars are now going to be fixed again as theyve decided flexible is too much for the bods at leasing companies to type into their computers....

 

[Dieselman]

Wasn't it more to do with no one knowing what needed doing until the car hit the workshop, then the owner might recieve a big bill.

Perfoming service on fixed intervals gives a level of consistency.

 

[DieselE]

My guess is that they 'upgraded' it to be much more conservative. Mine starts at just over 9300 and tries to count down mile for mile when I'm not looking.

Mine did the same (it's an Imperial conversion from 15,000 km). It does ease out slightly as the mileage to next service and mileage from last totals about 10,500.

I seem to recall an earlier discussion on the forum linking this to the use by dealers of low ash oil. Technically this is only required on diesels to EU4 emission standard but they seem to use it regardless.

 

[steve.link]

How do you know it's fixed?

Rory,

I have carefully monitored it for the last 3000 miles - whatever the journey type or driving style the assyst counts down mile for mile. Prior to the service I would regularly see the assyst reduce buy less miles than I drove, for example, on a long motorway trip of 300 miles the distance to next service wouild reduce by 250. The first service actually extended to 15700 miles. This was the first service/distance from new

After the first service it was set to 12427 miles (20000km) as I am using low ash 229.51 oil but it lost the variable calculation.

I appreciate MB have returnred to fixed servicing but does that mean its retrospective to older cars? As far as I am aware there is complicated equipmet monitoring oil temperature/viscosity. engine rpm/tempertaure etc,etc that is used to calculate the service intervals and we have all paid for this kit as part of the vehicle.

The other most anoying thing is that the dealer "apparantly" knows nothing and constantly trys to "fob off" us customers.

 

[Rory]

Rory,

I have carefully monitored it for the last 3000 miles - whatever the journey type or driving style the assyst counts down mile for mile. Prior to the service I would regularly see the assyst reduce buy less miles than I drove, for example, on a long motorway trip of 300 miles the distance to next service wouild reduce by 250. The first service actually extended to 15700 miles. This was the first service/distance from new

After the first service it was set to 12427 miles (20000km) as I am using low ash 229.51 oil but it lost the variable calculation.

I appreciate MB have returnred to fixed servicing but does that mean its retrospective to older cars? As far as I am aware there is complicated equipmet monitoring oil temperature/viscosity. engine rpm/tempertaure etc,etc that is used to calculate the service intervals and we have all paid for this kit as part of the vehicle.

The other most anoying thing is that the dealer "apparantly" knows nothing and constantly trys to "fob off" us customers.

This (that subsequent services come up much quicker) is a common complaint on E Class - it's been suggested that it might be that the oil type is set wrongly when ASSYST is reset after the service, but others have insisted that the oil type is set correctly, but it still counts down mile for mile.

My C Class went to 18500 for its first service, and the second will be at about 36000 miles, so that's worked fine. It is slightly scary that it's 3 yrs old and has only ever been serviced once.

You can switch to fixed interval servicing is it suits you better - standard fixed interval is 15,500 miles or 12 months, which ever is first. My dealer wrote to me and suggested I do that on my car - in view of my lack of yearly mileage I declined their kind offer!

 

[Dryce]

Mine did the same (it's an Imperial conversion from 15,000 km). It does ease out slightly as the mileage to next service and mileage from last totals about 10,500.

I managed 10800 which fits (a fair amount of my mileage is open road and dual carriageway). Mine is petrol. I had a hunt on the service menu for the oil type setting but it doesn't appear to be there.

My main gripe is that MB have not been very transparent about this. Prior to buying I spreadsheeted my expected costs on the car and I had 12K down as the expected service interval - and I assumed that was conservative. The original docs with the car showed that it had had a first service at just under 13K with 1800 left on the Assyst countdown.

 

[BTB 500]

As far as I am aware there is complicated equipmet monitoring oil temperature/viscosity. engine rpm/tempertaure etc,etc that is used to calculate the service intervals and we have all paid for this kit as part of the vehicle.

I thought it just monitored the colour/opacity of the oil ...

 

[jaymanek]

Wasn't it more to do with no one knowing what needed doing until the car hit the workshop, then the owner might recieve a big bill.

Perfoming service on fixed intervals gives a level of consistency.

yeh thats what i said isnt it

 

[racall]

I thought it just monitored the colour/opacity of the oil ...

I changed my oil the other day and the assyst went up 1300 miles is this right??

 

[splang]

yes, because the quality of the oil (contaminants etc) is monitored by Assyst I believe so if you put fresh oil in then yes the interval increases...