Top Gear Owners Survey

[jimmy]

Originally posted by John Peerce
Another example in addition to the comment above about the gearbox oil change, is the interval of engine oil change.

Newer cars are supposed to have this ASSYST system that means you can drive a car up to 18,000 miles before having to change the engine oil !! they are having a laugh arent they ? On my car the previous and first owner had followed this system and only changed the oil every 15k-16k miles..this sort of thing can shorten the life of the engine considerably, which is why you will not see many of todays mercs lasting as much as mercs of early 1990s and 1980s.

No car should have the same engine oil more that 8k-10k miles, and for those who do alot of short distance, city type driving oil should be change every 3k miles.

I know what you are saying, I used to have a Discovery TDi, the oil changes were every 6000miles or your warranty was null and void. I then changed to a MB Vito CDi, the oil changes were every 15000 miles. I now have a C250TD and the ASSYST seems to be running at an oil change at about 20000 miles. Mind you I have changed the oil without resetting the ASSYST, so perhaps it does have sensors that measure the quality of the oil and that is why I am being shown a higher mileage to my next service.

Basically my point is that oil service intervals on all makes of car are increasing. This is due to better, cleaner engine technology and much better oil technology. Also the modern fuels are claimed to be cleaner than a decade ago. The main reason is the advances in modern oils keeping the engine cleaner and well lubricated. Personally I will still change my oil more frequently, mainly because I have access to cheaper parts and lubricants, I have the means and ability to do the job myself.

 

[StuartB]

A good friend of mine is the sales manager of an official Mercedes dealership.

He is of the opinion that the cars are not as well built and have loads of electrical problems. The newer the car, the more problems. He thought the www.ihatemymercedes.co.uk(?) site
was accurate.

Dealers are treated like s*** by Mercedes and this is reflected in the service that is given. The bottom line is all that matters. You can't sack everyone and expect everything to be ok.

I run two Aston Martins on a day to day basis for my hire firm and compared to the two Mercedes I ran (C43 and S-Class), they are brilliant. If you said that a few years ago the men in white coats would have taken you away.

MERCEDES, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE, YOUR NEWER PRODUCTS ARE C**P! REMEMBER LANCIA AND THEIR PROBLEMS. THEY NEVER RECOVERED. SORT YOURSELVES OUT!

 

[RichardM]

I disagree many of us are very happy with the service from our dealers, and with our cars.

I got so cheesed off with my Lexus dealer not sorting out problems with the car I called Lexus GB to complain, many Lexus owners think now the brand has grown the service has suffered.

 

[mayoga]

I second that Richard. My dealer called my the other day to check everything was still ok with the car

Gav.