R231 Service question

[Areofoil]

Hi Guys

I have a R231 SL 350

Its a 2013 model and its covered 22,000miles.

I bought it a year ago from an independent garage and the service me light has come on so I contacted MB who told me the service would be £1300!

This includes £300 for spark plugs (that should have been done on the previous service at 4 years)

Gearbox oil and filter

Brake fluid

Usual oil and air filter stuff

So the question i have is the car is not under warranty or anything and its a keeper so im thinking that at 22,000miles i shouldn't bother with plugs or the gearbox oil, what do you guys think?

Ian

 

[markjay]

Hi Guys

I have a R231 SL 350

Its a 2013 model and its covered 22,000miles.

I bought it a year ago from an independent garage and the service me light has come on so I contacted MB who told me the service would be £1300!

This includes £300 for spark plugs (that should have been done on the previous service at 4 years)

Gearbox oil and filter

Brake fluid

Usual oil and air filter stuff

So the question i have is the car is not under warranty or anything and its a keeper so im thinking that at 22,000miles i shouldn't bother with plugs or the gearbox oil, what do you guys think?

Ian

You can either take out a Mercedes Benz Service Care Plan for one, two, or three years, which means you pay a flat fee regardless of what needs to be done to the car and the dealer then carries-out the service, or you could go to a good specialist who will do the job for much less.

Unless having dealer service is particularly important to you, I would recommend the latter.

 

[st13phil]

You should definitely change the plugs. They are changed at 4-year intervals because they have a nasty habit of seizing in the cylinder heads if left much longer, which is a very expensive problem to deal with. BTW, the V6 is a twin spark engine, so there are 12 plugs to replace...

 

[Deleted member 126251]

You can either take out a Mercedes Benz Service Care Plan for one, two, or three years, which means you pay a flat fee regardless of what needs to be done to the car and the dealer then carries-out the service, or you could go to a good specialist who will do the job for much less.

Unless having dealer service is particularly important to you, I would recommend the latter.

I had a local Indy do my wife's car last week. He sources all his parts from MB and was 2/3 of the price of the dealership (all in the cost of labour). I've just taken a service plan on my SL and had I known this guys was around my car would have been going to him and not MB.

 

[Areofoil]

Thanks for the information especially on the plugs Phil

 

[Bayleaf]

You should definitely change the plugs. They are changed at 4-year intervals because they have a nasty habit of seizing in the cylinder heads if left much longer, which is a very expensive problem to deal with. BTW, the V6 is a twin spark engine, so there are 12 plugs to replace...

One plug per cylinder on that engine Phil.

 

[Steeve]

You can either take out a Mercedes Benz Service Care Plan for one, two, or three years, which means you pay a flat fee regardless of what needs to be done to the car and the dealer then carries-out the service, or you could go to a good specialist who will do the job for much less.

Unless having dealer service is particularly important to you, I would recommend the latter.

Given the plugs should have been changed in the last service and weren't the service plan won't cover it. Service plan only covers what is due, assuming that all past services have also done what was due, no catch ups.

 

[Bayleaf]

I'm confused here now. Why would the plugs need changing after 20k when they have a lifespan of 40 to 50k I know from my own experience that on low annual mileage cars cars the plugs should be removed and replaced periodically to stop them seizing in the heads but not actually changed for new ones.

 

[W1ghty]

I'm confused here now. Why would the plugs need changing after 20k when they have a lifespan of 40 to 50k I know from my own experience that on low annual mileage cars cars the plugs should be removed and replaced periodically to stop them seizing in the heads but not actually changed for new ones.

Normally they are time and/or mileage , 50k and/or 4-5 years , that sort of thing

 

[Bayleaf]

The model I have is one that in the main is a low annual mileage veh eg fair weather use etc I myself do about 4k per year. Some I have read about do about 2k a year. So the plugs in them wouldn't need changing for years, just as I say removed cleaned and replaced so they don't seize in the head. Plugs don't deteriorate through lack of use.

 

[V6GBJ]

Hi Guys

I have a R231 SL 350

Its a 2013 model and its covered 22,000miles.

I bought it a year ago from an independent garage and the service me light has come on so I contacted MB who told me the service would be £1300!

This includes £300 for spark plugs (that should have been done on the previous service at 4 years)

Gearbox oil and filter

Brake fluid

Usual oil and air filter stuff

So the question i have is the car is not under warranty or anything and its a keeper so im thinking that at 22,000miles i shouldn't bother with plugs or the gearbox oil, what do you guys think?

Ian

Ian, I had my 2016 R231 serviced last October at 28K miles for £550 by a local indie. This included plugs, oil and filters and brake fluid change. It did not include gearbox oil change - this would normally be done at 35-40K miles and an indie would normally charge £200. £1300 is outrageous. My plugs cost £59.70.

 

[markjay]

The model I have is one that in the main is a low annual mileage veh eg fair weather use etc I myself do about 4k per year. Some I have read about do about 2k a year. So the plugs in them wouldn't need changing for years, just as I say removed cleaned and replaced so they don't seize in the head. Plugs don't deteriorate through lack of use.

You're not wrong, but there's more to it than meets the eye.

Firstly, most people will get the spark plugs changed at the garage, and will have to pay the labour charges anyway, at which point avoiding the cost of the parts, which isn't high and only incurred once every 4 years, can be seen as false economy.

Then, some spark plugs have a crush washer that is crushed once, on first tightening. If refitting an existing plug, new washers are needed, or higher torque settings should be applied, which is tricky, and in any event if doing this too many times there's a risk that the plug will start leaking. All manageable, of course, but for the cost of 4 new Bosch of NGK plugs once in 4 years.....? (Assuming a 4-Cyl engine).

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

If the car's an eight year old keeper, why are you using an independent MB specialist garage to do your servicing?

What's wrong with a Mercedes specialist at £500?

£1300 is a lot to pay for free coffee, wifi, and a service receptionist who couldn't give a stuff.

.

 

[Greenboyslacker]

Another vote for good independent - just had mine done at a non franchise dealer for the first time and needed an A service and to catch up on gearbox and differential fluid changes which had not been done at the right time at Mercedes - all in £560 compared to A service only quote of £430 at the local stealership. Huge cost saving and you know it will be done properly by someone who knows what they are doing and will take care to get it right.