W204 C63 Service A

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Why are you banging on about 4 pot engines? This is a thread about servicing a C63 not some boring humdrum. Of course a V8 is more expensive but it's besides the point. The C63 is relatively cheap on servicing for the performance.

Pricing with a service plan masks the costs as they're averaged out but unless you've found a very expensive indy then they should still be less, especially if you can source your own parts.
 
why do people always bang on about sourcing parts and fluids yourself - you still have to pay for them.....

Not allowing your indy to make a small margin on them, bearing in mind he probably gets them a small discount, means he has to increase his prices elsewhere...and at some point he might not be there...

With the exception of a basic oil change only A service, typically the first service, a service plan in invariably cheaper than an indy. My indy quoted over £1k for my next A & B - MB service plan was £912 pre-discount and £720 with their recent discount. My MB dealer is in town, meaning i can wander off (Covid permitting) not sit around in some industrial park...


We are all free to make our choices - but indy's are not always better value. If you are happy lying in the gutter draining oil, fine...i have neither the time nor inclination for home servicing and i suspect many others don't.
 
I don't bother home servicing either as the hassle isn't worth the saving. However, if I can spend 5mins on the internet ordering parts at a notable discount then I will do that. Mercedes engine oil for a service is £45 from Mercedes for genuine oil, or if you just take the service price you get charged in the region of £100...
 
Pricing with a service plan masks the costs as they're averaged out but unless you've found a very expensive indy then they should still be less, especially if you can source your own parts.
I think you've hit the nail on its head....

If you do what MB wants you to do - i.e. you just take-out a Service Care Plan with a new car and then keep renewing it - then you will have simply averaged-out the cost of dealer servicing, as you say. In this case, paying for the services individually at an independent specialist will have worked far cheaper overall.

But - if you go to Phil's excellent post: Servicing and ServiceCare FAQ | Parts, Maintenance & Servicing then scroll down to Is a ServiceCare Plan Right for Me, it explains well how you can time the MB Service Care Plan to get the most value out of it.

If you take for example a typical car that will need in year 4 a Service B, brake fluid, air filter, and park plugs, then in year 5 a Service A and ATF, then you will find a that purchasing an MB Service Care Plan to cover these two services will be cheaper than having the services carried-out by any reputable specialist, even if you source the oil and the parts yourself.

So whether the MB Service Care Plan is good value will obviously depend on the current age and mileage of your car, and the service intervals for the various service items on your particular model - there's no 'one size fits all' solution for servicing (i.e. dealer or specialist).

Then, we need to be careful not to compound the issue with additional variables:

a. Firstly, the above does not take into account convenience and the quality of workmanship. Some people will have local to them a very good indie, while the nearest MB dealer may be far away and have poor reputation, etc. In addition, some people are willing to pay more to see a dealer stamp (virtually speaking), while others prefer to have a walk around the car with the specialist who will actually be carrying-out the service. So the cost comparison is valid only on the premise that you have both a trusted indie and reputable dealer local to you, and that you are ambivalent regarding the choice between the two. Otherwise, your considerations will not be based on cost only.

b. Then, there's DIY. This is a different kettle of fish. To begin with, this is not an option for everyone. Age, health, time, and access to tools and physical space are all considerations - not everyone has a drive, and working on your vehicle in the street during the winter months just isn't everyone's cup of tea. Additionally, if you service your own car, you don't get the service record added to the Digital Service Book (DSB) - and for some this will be prohibitive argument against DIY servicing, while others will be perfectly happy to keep the invoices for the oil and filters as proof of servicing for potential future buyers. Which brings me to the last bit - in order to be able to update the service on the DBS, the dealer or indie will have to use genuine MB parts - and this includes spark plugs and filters - meaning that a cost comparison with after-market parts purchased for DIY servicing may prove misleading.
 
Yes, that's the full answer.

I have found it is possible to get the digital service book updated with non MB parts as I buy top quality other parts, typically the same brands that MB is white labelling.
 
Yes, that's the full answer.

I have found it is possible to get the digital service book updated with non MB parts as I buy top quality other parts, typically the same brands that MB is white labelling.
So your MB history is not MB history, dealer should not allow that as genuine parts have not been used.
 
They're just realistic. Some dealers use Shell oil rather than Mercedes because it still meets the 229.5 specification. Same goes for other parts.
 
To have the service recorded on the MB Digital Service Book, you don't need to use any MB-branded fluids, and this includes engine oil, gearbox oil, ATF, brake fluid, coolant, PAS hydraulic fluid - you just need to ensure that the fluids used meet the relevant MB Spec Sheet. But you do have to use MB-branded service parts, to include filters and spark plugs.

That said, while MB dealers will only use MB-branded service items, there's nothing stopping an independent specialist from recording a service in the DBS while in reality using pattern service items.

I only hope that this isn't a common practice, because if it is and word gets out, then it will undermine buyers' trust in indie service history, which may affect resell values and this obviously won't be great news for anyone using an indie.

Pattern service items are not necessarily any less good than MB-branded parts, but the obvious point is that the average car owner will have no way of knowing what the quality is like - and would rather trust the choice made by MB's engineers in Stuttgart, than the choice of non-MB parts made by a random unknown indie.
 
They're just realistic. Some dealers use Shell oil rather than Mercedes because it still meets the 229.5 specification. Same goes for other parts.

i didn't realise MB produce oil - i thought they provide a spec, which any brand can meet?
 
Steering back to service options, I use Indy's. One of the forum sponsor on here too.
Prestige Car Service in Horndean. Well recommended.

Olly and team maintain my Supercharged C63 and daily C180k for the past 9 years.
 
it's a 2012 C63 estate. Will check the link out, I did do a search before I posted but couldn't find any decent results, thanks for sharing.



That's a great price. Which garage did you use?

Sorry only just seen question

Simon Light in Ware Herts- very good IMO
 
Sorry wasn't alerted to all these responses, thanks all. Have a few different options to call around now 👍
 

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