Need urgent help! I am unable to see service history of my car and think I am getting ripped by MB.

[Bayleaf]

My understanding is that the spark plugs are removed every 4 years in order to prevent them from seizing (in the olden days we used to clean and re-gap them every 3000 miles then replace them every 6000, but these days spark plugs are good for 40000 miles, and so they don't get removed regularly).

In theory, you could clean them and continue using them, but he plugs themselves are not extensive, and the logic is that if they are already out, you might as well just put new ones in.

Furthermore, modern cars will have all sorts of things that need to be disassembled for access to the spark plugs, and on V6 and V8 engines getting the inner plugs out is a bit of a nightmare, all these things mean labour cost, and in the UK parts may be cheap but labour is expensive - and so replacing the spark plugs while they are already out does make commercial sense, even if technically they could survive a few more years or miles.

I can see where you're coming from to a point, but my model is a V6 inline engine (so not difficult to access the plugs) and they are between £60.00/£70.00 a set for the genuine article from MB I know you can buy them via ebay/Amazon etc but a lot of them could be Chinese copy's I'd rather pay that price for piece of mind and know there good for 50k or so.

 

[Spider10]

Just use MB Newcastle or Edinburgh They have an ebay shop I think it was £50ish for my 8

 

[Smiley]

I can see where you're coming from to a point, but my model is a V6 inline engine (so not difficult to access the plugs) and they are between £60.00/£70.00 a set for the genuine article from MB I know you can buy them via ebay/Amazon etc but a lot of them could be Chinese copy's I'd rather pay that price for piece of mind and know there good for 50k or so.

It's either a V or it's in line - can't be both.

 

[bobafett]

I had two C207E400 : ones gone , the 14 plate was offered £9000.00 / removed the engine / gear box and all running rear but not the wheels.and achieved more than the offered price.The rest of what's left in the current market will fetch the same again.

Body shell is in a temperature controlled environment on a large pallet awaiting sale !

Are you sure they both belonged to you?

 

[oldguy57]

It's either a V or it's in line - can't be both.

Presumably as opposed to a transverse V6 where I imagine the rear plugs can be a beggar to remove.

 

[Smiley]

Presumably as opposed to a transverse V6 where I imagine the rear plugs can be a beggar to remove.

Good point - so there is an inline v6.....my apologies.

 

[ALFAitalia]

I'm surprised that they will take a service booking on the service plan taken out by someone else. At dealers I've worked at (not Merc) we would not have done that. The name of the driver needed to match the one on the service plan or it was a no go. They COULD take advantage of any remaining service plan left with the car......but there was fee (£30 perhaps but a few years back so probably rather more now) to switch the plan from one owner to another. Same as the extended or aftermarket warranty....names need to match.

 

[tonysmb]

Good point - so there is an inline v6.....my apologies.

I think people might be getting confused: the general view is that a Vee-engine is exactly that, two banks of cylinders in a Vee-shape (ie V6, V8), mounted transversely (across the car) or longitudinally (ie front-to-rear), or an inline engine where the cylinders are in a straight line, hence 'straight 6' for example. These can also be mounted transversely or longitudinally. A W-engine (ie Bentley W12) is effectively two Vee-engines, with 4 rows of cylinders.

You can't have an inline Vee-engine.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Except it's not really it's basically 2 Golf VR6 engines bolted together. The so called "V" between each bank of 6 pots is so narrow that the cylinders not only overlap each other but share the same cylinder head. It's really a V12 but with slightly offset pistons on each back of six. W12?....not really.

Now this is a proper W12!

 

[oldguy57]

I'm surprised that they will take a service booking on the service plan taken out by someone else. At dealers I've worked at (not Merc) we would not have done that. The name of the driver needed to match the one on the service plan or it was a no go. They COULD take advantage of any remaining service plan left with the car......but there was fee (£30 perhaps but a few years back so probably rather more now) to switch the plan from one owner to another. Same as the extended or aftermarket warranty....names need to match.

The last MB service plan I took out confirmed in the T&C's that the plan was transferable to a new owner, no mention of a fee though.

 

[Bayleaf]

It's either a V or it's in line - can't be both.

Point taken. what I ment was that the engine is at the front. I think the term is longitudinally and the drive wheels are at the rear making spark plug removal easy especially on the V6

 

[Hnerty]

Welcome to the club
The thing is that as everyone says MB doesn’t care and even if you will pay for the service you will find later after taking the car from the “ service team “the unbelievable fact that your service has not been done
Mine , bought from new and serviced every year paid tons of money to MB and finding later this month that my filters are “new” I mean has not been changed /serviced for years
Don’t bother to go there if you don’t have warranty for your car with them and also as I know first service must be at 15.5k miles not 20k
They should provide service history of course unless they know that the car doesn’t have any !

 

[markjay]

Welcome to the club
The thing is that as everyone says MB doesn’t care and even if you will pay for the service you will find later after taking the car from the “ service team “the unbelievable fact that your service has not been done
Mine , bought from new and serviced every year paid tons of money to MB and finding later this month that my filters are “new” I mean has not been changed /serviced for years
Don’t bother to go there if you don’t have warranty for your car with them and also as I know first service must be at 15.5k miles not 20k
They should provide service history of course unless they know that the car doesn’t have any !

Welcome.

How can you tell that the (air?) filters have never been replaced?

 

[geoffus]

Welcome.

How can you tell that the (air?) filters have never been replaced?

Or oil ?

 

[Spider10]

As I supply the items needed(bought from MB) I ask that they put the replaced part's back in the box in the boot ,obviously not the oil filter or oil

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Welcome to the club
The thing is that as everyone says MB doesn’t care and even if you will pay for the service you will find later after taking the car from the “ service team “the unbelievable fact that your service has not been done
Mine , bought from new and serviced every year paid tons of money to MB and finding later this month that my filters are “new” I mean has not been changed /serviced for years
Don’t bother to go there if you don’t have warranty for your car with them and also as I know first service must be at 15.5k miles not 20k
They should provide service history of course unless they know that the car doesn’t have any !

Welcome to MbClub.

Mistakes happen, technicians are human so forgetting to do something (eg replace an air filter) no doubt happens. But for the dealer to not replace anything - and over multiple years - sounds extreme.

As others have mentioned, how do you know they’re not doing these things? Oil looks dirty quickly - especially in a diesel engine - and air filters look tired when they’re replaced (not usually annual on MB).

 

[markjay]

Also, if the Hnerty's car is a 2019 W213 E220d, as mentioned in his other posts, then the air filter and the fuel filter would both be due their first-time replacement this year, in 2023. They would therefore be the original factory-fitted filters. The cabin filter would have been changed once, in 2021, and will be due again this year, in 2023. The oil filter would have been changed at each annual service.

 

[GeeJayW]

Good point - so there is an inline v6.....my apologies.

It’s a longitudinal V6, not a transverse V6. There is no inline V6.

 

[Hnerty]

Welcome to MbClub.

Mistakes happen, technicians are human so forgetting to do something (eg replace an air filter) no doubt happens. But for the dealer to not replace anything - and over multiple years - sounds extreme.

As others have mentioned, how do you know they’re not doing these things? Oil looks dirty quickly - especially in a diesel engine - and air filters look tired when they’re replaced (not usually annual on MB).

Well

Welcome to MbClub.

Mistakes happen, technicians are human so forgetting to do something (eg replace an air filter) no doubt happens. But for the dealer to not replace anything - and over multiple years - sounds extreme.

As others have mentioned, how do you know they’re not doing these things? Oil looks dirty quickly - especially in a diesel engine - and air filters look tired when they’re replaced (not usually annual on MB).

i don’t know if anyone as a technician who represents a dealer and they carry out work for servicing a car and that specific car life depends on the air filter or on the oil filter /other items that was supposed to be replaced .
I’m sure any owner will be angry or not happy when they find this
Mine ,the air filter was changed in the second month after I bought car ( entered in a extremely dusty area and precautions and bought a new one from MB and changed )
Shocked to find the same air filter
—-

 

[Hnerty]

Also, if the Hnerty's car is a 2019 W213 E220d, as mentioned in his other posts, then the air filter and the fuel filter would both be due their first-time replacement this year, in 2023. They would therefore be the original factory-fitted filters. The cabin filter would have been changed once, in 2021, and will be due again this year, in 2023. The oil filter would have been changed at each annual service.

You joking I think sorry for laughing
Did long journey with my car ( 90k at the moment )

My car was serviced for 5 times at MB service every time
Interesting