How often do you change your filters

[Funkyboy]

On the om651 engine how often do you guys change the air and fuel filters?
According to mercedes it every 4 years or 60k.
Should you stick to years if mileage is low I average 8k with plenty of long runs
Thanks

 

[E55BOF]

Air filters - when they are dirty (not oily or filthy, just dirty; there are plenty of pictures on eBay to show you what a new, clean one looks like).

Fuel filter? I'd do it on mileage, not time.

 

[MercedesDriver]

Fuel filter as per MB renewal plan but air filter depends on circumstances really. If you are driving on dusty roads than annual change or earlier would make a sense or as said if it’s visibly dirty, at least that one is easy to check.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Both items are quite pricey for the om651. Maybe stick to 30k or 2 years.

 

[Gazwould]

Dirty air filters strangely function very well and actually filter better !

 

[merc estate]

Buying MB filters can be expensive, i bought my filters and oil from MB Newcastle of ebay and there was a very good saving with there service packages. Check it out, i prefer to put in MB then you know its right, others will say they are made by others so buy others. The game is you pay your money and take your choice, but if i buy MB i can sleep at night knowing they are right for the job. i think the service kit worked out about £60 or £70 cheaper. As Scotty kilmer says oil and filters are cheap, engines are dear. (just saying)

 

[Petrol Pete]

OP , if you are in the UK with air filters ? just stick to whatever the service schedule for you car states, they don't have much to contend with on British roads.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Buying MB filters can be expensive, i bought my filters and oil from MB Newcastle of ebay and there was a very good saving with there service packages. Check it out, i prefer to put in MB then you know its right, others will say they are made by others so buy others. The game is you pay your money and take your choice, but if i buy MB i can sleep at night knowing they are right for the job. i think the service kit worked out about £60 or £70 cheaper. As Scotty kilmer says oil and filters are cheap, engines are dear. (just saying)

I used bosch filters on my c250 and saved over £100. Iirc mb were asking something like £98 for air filter and £ 160 fuel filter.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Dirty air filters strangely function very well and actually filter better !

When I had nowt ,I'd wash the old air filters out in hot water and fairy. Leave them overnight to dry on a radiator. Put them back in. Never had issues.

 

[Skd884]

Follow what Merc say, simple.

 

[geoffus]

On the om651 engine how often do you guys change the air and fuel filters?
According to mercedes it every 4 years or 60k.
Should you stick to years if mileage is low I average 8k with plenty of long runs
Thanks

I would do it on mileage, mines done nothing this last 6 months or so, I can't see how a filter will need replacing when it's not filtering.
There will always be some who say you should service your car on a yearly basis even if it's not being used, think that's extreme. I once bought a Ford Focus off an very elderly gentleman who had retired from driving, he had it serviced by main dealer every 12 months, the car was 15 years old done 48,000 miles and one year did less than 1,000 miles. That's around 15 services, maybe a little overkill ?

 

[zipdip]

Well the fuel filter is the one that is ignored or shall we say forgotten by garages,about 40 grand is the right time to change,also cabin filters need changing,my car has two,if you use Euro Car Parts do not put two in the box when ordering because you get four.

 

[markjay]

...Iirc mb were asking something like £98 for air filter and £ 160 fuel filter.

Just for the part? Or including labour?

 

[merc estate]

I was told by an indy that my c class air filter was about £70+ and fuel around £120 so bough from MB Newcastle, air, oil, fuel, dust, pollen plus oil for i think £190 delivered, the cars quite new to me, i fitted all the filters in about 1 hour, saving me a nice few quid and now i know they are all new no matter what the services say. Just stick with what it says in the book, if you can do it yourself the money you save you can buy more polish.

 

[Skd884]

Newcastle are expensive, try MB Edinburgh -

Security measure

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Just for the part? Or including labour?

Part.

 

[Athey]

To me as a rule of thumb, if the car is used for lots of small journeys, then oil service twice a year. I change air filters once a year and cabin filter at the start of summer and again at the start of winter. Fuel filter as per service recommendation.

 

[geoffus]

To me as a rule of thumb, if the car is used for lots of small journeys, then oil service twice a year. I change air filters once a year and cabin filter at the start of summer and again at the start of winter. Fuel filter as per service recommendation.

How may miles a year does your car do to warrant an air filter change, are your cabin filters still clean after 6 months ?

 

[markjay]

Part.

Ouch.

 

[markjay]

When I had the W203, it was serviced by Olly then by Terry, and I did the filters myself - I changed the air filter and cabin filter every two years (the cabin filter is included in the B Service anyway, but the air filter was due every 4 years).

Can't say if it was 'needed'.... after 2 years, the air filter was visually black, but this does not mean it was actually restricting air flow to the engine. Since I don't have an airflow meter device, I can't really test it, and I obviously can't tell the condition of the active charcoal in the cabin filter.

As for fuel filters, my experience is that they don't get blocked as such (not routinely, anyway), instead the internal paper element collapses and they become ineffective. On some cars (my Renault, and the W204) the fuel filter is inside the tank and requires removal of the fuel pump, with a 15 years service schedule - presumably the filter element is made of fleece or plastic mesh (not paper) etc.

That said... I used to buy Mann/Knecht/Mahle/Bosch/Hengst filters, which are very reasonably priced (the original factory-fitted filters on the W203 were mostly Mann). I say 'used to' because my current W204 has been on Service Care Plan from day one, so it gets genuine parts (and I don't get to see who actually makes them).