SLK55 service - not happy

[C43AMG]

I would take Olly's advise .

 

[crockers]

i would take olly's advise .

+1

 

[markjay]

There is a reason why you should change the plugs. They should be done at 50k or 4 years. If you don't change them at the required time they can be very difficult to get out. Aluminium head vs steel spark plug. For the sake of what it costs. Get them done.

As Olly said...

There is no simple answer though. Some manufactures say that spark plugs can be left forever and only changed if they reach a certain mileage. I have in Europe a 1997 Toyota owned from new that is still on the original plugs - they are Iridium so according to Toyota only need changing at 100,000 Km regardless of time - and the Toyota dealer refuses to change them because as the Mileage has not been reached there is no need to change... My 2005 Renault in the UK is the same, plugs only needs changing based on mileage interval, or never if the mileage has not been reached (and in my case, will never be reached while I have the car, due to under 1k annual mileage...)

On the other hand, my 1997 Vauxhall Omega needed the plugs changed at 40k miles / 4 years, and my 2001 Vauxhall Omega at 80k miles / 8 years.

So your point is not unreasonable, and does change from one manufacture to another in spite of the fact that they all use the same plugs (Bosch / NGK / Nippon-Densu etc).

MB seem to have taken the view that they need changing at 4 years, and Olly confirm that based on his experience this is actually very sensible.

The spark plug won't corrode on the first day of the fifth year... in the same way that oil does not go off at exactly 10,001 miles (if on 10k intervals).

But ultimately it is the same as with any service item. All air filters are made from the same paper element (I used to do work for a filter manufacturer..), yet each manufacturer has different ideas about when it should be changed.

You will just need to go by what the manufacturer says, of take ownership of the servicing and take your car out of the dealer network.

(or, as some said, find an MB dealer that is happy to stamp the book even if only the basic service has been carried out...)

 

[Rory]

I guess the issue is: if you don't have the plugs changed and do succeed in getting the book stamped, would you consider it MB's responsibility to pay for recitification work to the cylinder head if a plug sheared off in the head at some point in the future?

MB wouldn't pay for that if it happened even if they had been changed on time.

 

[scumbag]

If you leave the plug in forever you risk them being harder get out down the line.

Surely, if you leave them in forever, you won't have any issue in the future?

 

[prprandall51]

MB wouldn't pay for that if it happened even if they had been changed on time.

I thought they would under an extended service contract, which the OP mentioned. Maybe I have just been spoiled by Service Plus, under which the MB dealer seemed to do everything at MB's cost.

 

[C43AMG]

Yes i was very spoilt by service + on my W220. It must have cost MB a fortune.

 

[vealige]

I would change them to be honest better safe then sorry

 

[Shilts]

I'd put the 300 towards warranty if I was that bothered. Definitely wouldn't change after 14 k miles!

 

[Rory]

I thought they would under an extended service contract, which the OP mentioned. Maybe I have just been spoiled by Service Plus, under which the MB dealer seemed to do everything at MB's cost.

I didn't see him mention a service contract?

Anyway, ServicePlus ran to a max of 6years, so by the time a problem was discovered. it would probably be too late.

 

[bpsorrel]

What next, take the oil out, put it through a sieve and put it back in again?

Is that possible?

 

[bpsorrel]

What does make me wonder about all these service intervals etc is that over here in Russia, MB dealers are thin on the ground in the provincial towns and yet, quite a lot of people run MBs, (211s especially) and I know for a fact that they're not serviced according to MB spec and schedules and yet they're all running perfectly ok! Same goes with all the multitude of BMWs, Audis etc. Not many people where we live travel all the way to Moscow for a main dealer service!!

So, just how necessary are these service requirements?

 

[prprandall51]

I didn't see him mention a service contract?

Anyway, ServicePlus ran to a max of 6years, so by the time a problem was discovered. it would probably be too late.

Sorry, I meant warranty, not service contract. The OP intends to renew the warranty and I was speculating that MB would not entertain a jammed plug under a warranty policy if the service interval for this had not been followed.

 

[NISFAN]

If the plugs had just been taken out for a gap inspection and were all found to be gleamingly clean and gapped correctly I would have some sympathy, but with 5 year old un-checked plugs, I am struggling to see what the problem is....sorry! It is after all a high performance vehicle, and plugs have an affect on performance, and economy.


Miles (i.e. number of sparks) do erode plugs, but a low mileage car is likely to coke up the plugs and render them useless. Sure you can clean coked up plugs, but that would cost more in MB Tech labour than a shiny new set.


Perhaps buy the plugs off a cheap ebay seller and supply them to the MB dealership? Might save a few pounds.

 

[gaz_l]

a low mileage car is likely to coke up the plugs and render them useless

Quite possibly if the low mileage is caused by doing lots of short journeys with the engine never getting warm. My low mileage is the opposite kind, caused by lots of standing still between long runs.

Well I have booked it in for service now, & you can bet I'll be asking for my old plugs back. If, as I suspect, there is nothing wrong with them I shall be posting them to MBUK for an explanation..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[gtvlusso]

Does say 80,000 km / 4 years in my book for SLK55.

Why do service books list a replacement interval for spark plugs but not glow plugs?

Glow plugs are not required to make the engine run - they are an additional feature. Warm the cyclinder before firing - to aid starting. You can still start and run a diesel without them though - just takes longer to crank. So, only replace them when they break.

A little story;

I have a friend who saved up all his money to buy an Audi RS6. He found a beautiful low mileage example and made the purchase. He has been happy with the car for a number of years now. Anyway, he has maintained, at considerable cost, the Audi service history and has bemoaned every single bill from Audi - he has not had a service bill below about £600 in total. His car has never missed a beat and is quite literally perfect - although my friend is always skint!

Well, it came to crunch day and the car needed the cam belt changing. Audi wanted just under £4000 for the job - apparently, it is an engine out job and allot of bearings and stuff are changed. He bemoaned this, claiming that there was no way all this work needed completing for a belt change - the dealer said, "we do it all or we don't do it" - they would not risk the engine by only doing half the job.

After a night of moaning in the pub, he found an independant that would do the belt for £2000 - without changing all the brearings and stuff. He has moaned and moaned about the cost of servicing a high powered luxury car - In all reality, he should have thought about how much it was going to cost him to service and run before he bought the car, it is a bit late to moan about it now.

Sinple truth is: you buy a high powered luxury car, expect the bills that go with it if you want to keep the dealer service history, warranty and so on.

let's be honest - if you did not get the plugs changed. Then at a later service they required changing for a problem - the dealer finds that the plugs have seized into the head and they will have to replace the head - how would you feel about that bill?

Sorry - I would like I am your dad or something! Anyway - I understand it from both points really. It is unexpected for you, but the dealer is doing what MB has stated is correct procedure and best practice - maybe to mitigate future issues.

 

[gaz_l]

As I said in the first post, I knew when I bought the car it wouldn't be cheap to run and TBH £300 isn't going to put me in the poor house. On the other hand, I do object to giving money away - I work bloody hard to earn it - and I simply don't agree that changing the plugs at this mileage is necessary. As a manufacturer of equipment that lives outside in all kind of conditions, I know a fair amount about galvanic incompatibility and corrosion of dissimilar metals (believe me, it's bitten me on the backside before now) and if those plugs are seized in then I'll eat my shoes. I've got a 20 year old motorbike in the garage, still on its original spark plug, and that came out just fine when I last checked it a couple of years ago.

Anyway, I will be demanding the old plugs back after the service, so we shall see what we shall see..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[trando]

Hi there Gaz
My C63 is having a B service next week and I too am having my plugs replaced as part of it. I don't have an issue with that - my C63 has done 45k. The cost I was quoted was £ 300 but after a bit of negotiation got them down to £ 222.
I use Southampton MB and have always had good service from them.
It's a bit of a trek but if you don't fancy the journey down this way, it might be worth using as a bit of leverage to get your price down.
Cheers
Tim

 

[gaz_l]

Hi Tim,

Didn't think of Southampton - got quotes from Purslows (who used to look after the C43) and MB Salisbury (who wanted £100 more!). Is the Southampton franchise the one next to Eastleigh airport? Easy drive from here..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[dulayj]

Yes it is next to the airport turning on the roundabout