W205 C63s Service History Acceptable ?

[TW666]

Official MB Dealer C63s from 2018 I’m looking at has had engine oil/filter done every year and brake fluid & dust filter every 2 years.
However the 3 year items such as auto transmission oil/filter, rear axle oil and spark plugs have not been changed at all at 5 1/2 years old.
The car has only done around 16000 miles.
How much of a problem is this for long term reliability and am I correct that these items are time based not mileage based ?
Having looked at a few official dealer cars now it seems common for owners to skip these type of items if annual mileage is low and yet they still come with 2 year AMG warranty.
Any help appreciated.

 

[RJ C63]

Common issue. If you're keen on buying the care make sure the overdue items such transmission oil and spark plugs are done as part of the deal as these are costly items to pay for yourself at a main dealer.

 

[TW666]

Common issue. If you're keen on buying the care make sure the overdue items such transmission oil and spark plugs are done as part of the deal as these are costly items to pay for yourself at a main dealer.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[ALFAitalia]

The low mileage will mean no harm will have been done at all.

 

[Teego]

But get them done.

 

[BlackC55]

Its a common thing to have service items missed out with low mileage cars. It probably has done no harm.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , well that's why a car with a Mercedes Service plan is paramount.

 

[sgregory124]

Hi , well that's why a car with a Mercedes Service plan is paramount.

The service plan is void in the event that key items are missed, Mercedes will not honour them retrospectively. Ask me how I know…

 

[sgregory124]

Official MB Dealer C63s from 2018 I’m looking at has had engine oil/filter done every year and brake fluid & dust filter every 2 years.
However the 3 year items such as auto transmission oil/filter, rear axle oil and spark plugs have not been changed at all at 5 1/2 years old.
The car has only done around 16000 miles.
How much of a problem is this for long term reliability and am I correct that these items are time based not mileage based ?
Having looked at a few official dealer cars now it seems common for owners to skip these type of items if annual mileage is low and yet they still come with 2 year AMG warranty.
Any help appreciated.

Personally I would be wary of a car like that and a previous owner who never bothered to get transmission fluid,, diff oil and plugs changed.

They are time or mileage dependant, whichever comes first. I bought my C63S thinking a full dealer history would mean the above bits had been done (in my case transmission and diff oil), but like you the previous owner hadn’t bothered to do them.

If you’re going to buy the car I’d get them done ASAP, just not worth the risk.

 

[TW666]

Thanks for your comments. If I buy car I will insist all these extra (3 yearly/late) items be done as condition of sale. I also need to check that 2 year AMG warranty remains valid and that I can purchase a meaningful multi year service plan that covers all relevant items.
What is your personal experience of the 2 year AMG warranty terms and conditions, is it worth having for peace of mind eg let’s say you have a transmission fault and car was sold to you with a missing/late transmission oil/filter change. Will warranty cover having transmission fixed ?
Thanks for your time.

 

[sgregory124]

Thanks for your comments. If I buy car I will insist all these extra (3 yearly/late) items be done as condition of sale. I also need to check that 2 year AMG warranty remains valid and that I can purchase a meaningful multi year service plan that covers all relevant items.
What is your personal experience of the 2 year AMG warranty terms and conditions, is it worth having for peace of mind eg let’s say you have a transmission fault and car was sold to you with a missing/late transmission oil/filter change. Will warranty cover having transmission fixed ?
Thanks for your time.

Personally I bought my car from an independent garage (2017 car with 15500 miles on, so very similar to the car you're looking at), so I have no experience of the Mercedes warranty. But that worked for me as I was happy to put money aside every month for the 'slush fund' in case something went wrong. Thankfully nothing major has in 3.5 years of ownership.

I would suggest getting the warranty may be tricky, because those items were missed and have been outstanding for so long, Mercedes hold all the cards. If you do get it (the warranty) its unlikely they'd honour the transmission being fixed as they'll simply blame the missing service(s) - it'll be their easy out.

I'm actually in a very similar position to you at the moment, i'm about to move up to an E63S (viewing/driving them tomorrow) and looking at the histories for both (full MB), its extremely difficult to tell if the transmission and diff services have been done. But getting a quote from my preferred indy, I know I need to budget approx. £600 to have them done once i've bought the car.

Good luck - if you have any other questions, let us know

 

[TW666]

Personally I bought my car from an independent garage (2017 car with 15500 miles on, so very similar to the car you're looking at), so I have no experience of the Mercedes warranty. But that worked for me as I was happy to put money aside every month for the 'slush fund' in case something went wrong. Thankfully nothing major has in 3.5 years of ownership.

I would suggest getting the warranty may be tricky, because those items were missed and have been outstanding for so long, Mercedes hold all the cards. If you do get it (the warranty) its unlikely they'd honour the transmission being fixed as they'll simply blame the missing service(s) - it'll be their easy out.

I'm actually in a very similar position to you at the moment, i'm about to move up to an E63S (viewing/driving them tomorrow) and looking at the histories for both (full MB), its extremely difficult to tell if the transmission and diff services have been done. But getting a quote from my preferred indy, I know I need to budget approx. £600 to have them done once i've bought the car.

Good luck - if you have any other questions, let us know

Very helpful information, thanks very much.

 

[BlackC55]

Hi , well that's why a car with a Mercedes Service plan is paramount.

They miss stuff out too. All the time.

 

[C60Free]

Hi , well that's why a car with a Mercedes Service plan is paramount.

They miss stuff out too. All the time.

Agree they miss stuff. I took our a service plan and had to highlight to the dealership that spark plugs and rear axle were due.

They were pretty good after that and didn't quibble, but as someone else said, it's not actually that easy to see exactly what has been done when. Luckily I had a full copy of the MB service printout so worked through that with the service manager and we agreed what would be done.

It did make the service plan pretty good value at the price of £56/mo. Not sure if the dealers have any incentive to not do certain works (i.e do they get a flat fee from MB?) - in any case I didn't have to fight to get it all sorted.

 

[ALFAitalia]

If you’re going to buy the car I’d get them done ASAP, just not worth the risk.

What possible risk would there be? All those components and fluids are designer to last way longer than 16,000 miles. The age of plugs does not enter into it...just miles. And the tranny fluid wont age in that time either. If the oil had not been changed in five years (yet it was still below the change limit) Id be far more concerned as lots of short journeys degrade engine oil much faster....but not plug or dif/trans fluid. Its just to get you back in the workshop and spending more money. I only ever change plugs on miles...not time (on my own cars).....and 99% of the time they are still in fine order. Just had a google.....from the plug makers I looked at none quote a life shorter than 18,000 miles, some at 35,000 miles, and others at 100,000 miles.

 

[Skd884]

They miss stuff out too

Only if the owner is brain dead and is not aware of what exactly is required.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Which will be most......most drivers are not car forum members/petrolheads and don't have the first clue about cars.....so rely on what the dealer does or tells them.

 

[sgregory124]

What possible risk would there be? All those components and fluids are designer to last way longer than 16,000 miles. The age of plugs does not enter into it...just miles. And the tranny fluid wont age in that time either. If the oil had not been changed in five years (yet it was still below the change limit) Id be far more concerned as lots of short journeys degrade engine oil much faster....but not plug or dif/trans fluid. Its just to get you back in the workshop and spending more money. I only ever change plugs on miles...not time (on my own cars).....and 99% of the time they are still in fine order. Just had a google.....from the plug makers I looked at none quote a life shorter than 18,000 miles, some at 35,000 miles, and others at 100,000 miles.

So let me get this right, you'd buy a performance car, with a very specific set of maintenance requirements from the manufacturer and simply ignore them?

Did you ever think that those 16000 miles on the car that the OP is looking at, could well have been driven like the previous owner stole it? I'd rather pay £600 extra for piece of mind than whatever a new e-diff costs - as I said, not worth the risk.

In terms of the plugs, the C63S is a very different car to a shagged out diesel Alfa - not really any comparison to be had is there.

 

[ALFAitalia]

What nonsense......dealers must love the gullible...I've had several high and high ish performance cars and out of over 30 cars this is my first and last derv (I was doing more miles than the Enterprise when I bought it for practical reasons)....and even at 172,000 miles it drives like new.....because I look after my cars properly.....oh and I'm an ex car mechanic!
Why would it matter not changing 16000 mile old plugs on a car with a 30,000m (I believe) plug change interval?...age does not come into it with plugs. So you are saying that driving fast wears plugs out twice as fast?...lol. And of course if plugs are knackered at even 30k miles Mercedes would not let you go even that far in them.....they need a good safety margin.

 

[sgregory124]

What nonsense......regards must line the gullible...I've had several high Ana high ish performance cars and out of offer 30 card this is my first and last derv (I was doing more miles than the Enterprise when I bought it for practical reasons)....and even at 172,000 miles it drives like new.....because I like street my cars properly.....oh and I'm an ex car mechanic!
Why would it matter not changing 16000 mile old plugs on a car with a 30,000m (I believe) change interval?...age does not come into it with plugs. Do you are saying that driving fast wears plugs out faster?...lol.

You call me gullible for following manufacturers guidelines, but thats what i've done all my driving life and i've only ever had one car let me down in more than 25 years (a Ford Sierra). Whereas i've seen countless friends and work colleagues treat maintenance schedules with a 'Laissez-faire' attitude, unsurprisingly with predictable results - break downs galore and in two cases, catastrophic engine failure (a Volvo 850 T-5 and a Passatt).

I get that you're a mechanic, but when was the last time you worked on a recent AMG? When was the last time you owned one? Technology has moved on...