Why are MB Oil Changes so expensive?
 

I have a 1994 E320 Cabrio and am due for my first oil change since I bought the car. My question is why does the dealership charge $70 for an oil change when it costs $20-$25 for most other cars? Am I missing something or is this just another example of MB overcharging?

Thanks!

My experience has always been to take it to the dealer unless you do it yourself. The reason oil changes cost more is because an MB typically holds more oil than other cars, also there are several other items that the dealer checks. When you service your car at your dealer, remember that any time you need a fluid topped off it is free, anytime you have a bulb burned out, it is free, if your wiper blade needs replaced, they will usually do it for free, but they make you pay for the blade. MB service is in a class all it's own. This is the biggest reason I drive an MB, I don't have to wait in dirty shops, I don't have to pay just to have someone change a light bulb. I do a lot of the work on my car myself, but when I take it to the dealer it is always a pleasant experience, and don't forget about that lifetime roadside assistance with all MB cars! It pays to have a relationship with your dealer! Happy Benzing!
Brian

Another reason for having it done at the Benz dealership is the history of service that you can lay claim to, which can increase the resale value of your car.

Also note that the recommended interval between oil changes for a Benz is longer than that of the average car.

It might be (partly) justified if they use Mobil1 that costs 5$ a quart compared to 80 cents for cheap oil. Filters are also more expensive. My last oil change cost me 45$ - and I did it myself.
Bruno

_
300TE 1992 137'000 miles

What sort of a job do you really think you'll get from the $20-25 workshop?

The oil alone will cost most of that $70. you're engine will take 6.5-7.0L depending on the exact model......most dealers use mobil 1 as well.

Also think of the indy mechanic looking over your car when they may not know anything about the systems fitted to your car. They may think there is a fault when it normal or not recognise a fault because they don't know enough about your car. Don't pay someone to learn on your car, pay someone to use their benz training and factory tools on your car.

:sun_smile Thanks! Everyone made some excellent points. I feel better now about the $75 oil change.

Have a great week!

...and servicing the missus costs more than the girlfriend too, but if you want long-term maintenance value, ya gotta make the investment, right?

Mercedes dealers don't lose money on oil changes. Most other makes have lowered their pricing thanks to the drive-through oil change places. Our Mazda dealer sells oil changes for $24.95, and there is no way they make money on it as that price includes parts and labour.

Don't complain about a $70 oil change. In my neck-o-the-woods, a Mobil 1 change at a Mercedes dealer runs close to $200. But, I have that money in my pocket thanks to DIY.

I have never and will never pay $70. for an oil change on my Benz.
Our local Benz dealer charges a flat $39.95 for a simple oil change, (oil and filter). no appointment, no waiting, simply walk-in.

Mercedes dealers charge a lot for oil changes, and for everything else, because they can. Mercedes owners tend not to be very price senstive (and sometimes not all that smart). You should not get your oil changed, or anything else done, at the dealership on an older car like that. Find a good, honest independent shop, or learn to do it yourself - it's incredible easy.

A high dealership charge for an oil change more likely reflects 1) What the market will bear: and 2) "Book Rate" service charge for labor. Keep in mind, the dealership does not pay "retail" for lubricants, whether dino or synth, or for filters and o-rings, but they can charge you full retail for them.

[QUOTE=Bruno_300TE]....compared to 80 cents for cheap oil.


And you will let us all know where we can find 80 cent oil these days....won't you?

I think its funny that the same people that insist on owning the most expensive car, will not pay an extra $20 for an oil service. I pay $55 at the dealer and think that is completey reasonable.

I changed my oil myself for a long time, but realized that i didn't save much money, and when I added up the time to go to the store, change the oil, dispose of the oil and clean up and take a shower, that I was better off just taking the car to the shop. I use the dealer here as it is within walking distance. I also live in an apartment these days and changing oil in the parking lot is not something I want to do. Get a 'free' car wash at the dealer, too!

Plus, they can put the car up on the lift and see potential problems that I cannot.

That said, I like DIY, and tackling the less daunting tasks is fun.

A case of Mobil 1 is less than $20 and a filter is $5, how can anyone justify paying $45 in labor for an oil change? My dealer charges $150 for a Service A, which is a gloryfied oil change. Now the dealer is not paying that much for the oil or the filter. I used to see what we paid for the oil and filter and fluids when my family owned a dealership and charged $19.95 for an oil change. We still made money on them. 4-6 quarts of oil and a filter only cost us a few bucks, the rest was profit. Job took 15-30 minutes time!

When my service agreement is up on the W203 it will be me doing the oil changes, no way am I paying $150 for them to suck the oil out. Of course they no longer put dispsticks in so I will have to buy one before I do my own on the W203!

First if you want a cheap car to drive and maintain buy a Honda. MB are great cars but you have to take care of them.

$70 breaks down like this:
Mobil 1 7x $5= $35
Filter $10-$15

So figure $45-$50 in parts throw in the mechanics time and your at $70, which is still a deal.

If you drive 10k a year you will need two a year, now is $140 that bad?

When it costs me less than $30 a year to do it myself or take it to a quickie lube if I want yes it is too much! An MB engine is not something special that a quickie lube guy can not do. The only thing I notice that is diferent is the fact that MB uses the under body noise encapsulation panels that most cars do not have. So they have to take 4-8 bolt fasteners off that takes a whopping minute to do when on a lift! Not worth the extra money to me. Just because the Stealership has a three pointed star on sign does not mean they change oil any diferently than anyone else on the planet. Still drain the oil and put new oil in! Funny how that works. And yes $30-$60 a year is all it will cost me to do it myself on the W203 with its 10,000 mile oil change schedule. Now if I take it to the Dealer for those two service's in a year it will be much more. $140 for Service A and around $300 for Service B. That is $400+ a year in oil changes!

I have to laugh because I just got a 300e 1988 111k....first thing my friend said to me was "how can you afford those 200 dollar oil changes?"

What a misconception. I hate changing oil and always bring my cars to the cheapy places. I get it changed like clockwork at 3k miles.

However, when I noticed that this car has a top mounted filter, I read the posts and bought myself an oil extractor.

Then went to Pep Boys and got some oil on sale after rebate for 59 cents a quart. Got another case for the summer at 89 cents after rebate.

Spent close to 5 dollars for a Bosch filter.

You do the math.

I may even start crawling under the Expedition and changing its oil.

One thing I like about MB of this era and engine size. It has to be one of the easiest DIY to work on. Especially with the help you get on this site.

Two years ago, I would have never considered changing the tranny fluid, filter and gasket. It was a snap..a bit messy, but a snap. Figure what that savings is>

Lee
Greenville, SC

It all depends on what you want, a quick lube place will use a cheap filter and cheap oil. Also they screw things up left and right. I wouldn't trust any car to them much less one with a $10k+ engine. I do my own oil changes and save money while still using Mobil 1 and of filters.

I would stay away from any oil service with "jiffy" or "quicky" or "kwiky" or the like, in their name. First, look at the employees that work there. Second, it's legendary how many of those places have stripped drain bolts by using their improperly torqued air guns to fasten the bolts. Also legendary is their uncanny ability to either use the wrong o-ring or not use an o-ring on the drain anyway.

oil change
 

I found just a couple of simple tools and an oil recovery pump $75.00 was all that is needed to change the oil in my 300-E Good by $70.00 and free Lottas.
Besides I like to look over the parts and see waht hoes and fluids need topping off. I do not trust dealerships.
Bob Geco

It's amazing how much money one can save if they are willing to crawl on their back for a few minutes.

Conversely, It's amazing how much money people will pay to not have to crawl on their backs for a few minutes. Sometimes it's the same people who pay good money to go to a gym!

Most car dealers in our area (all make of cars) have realized they were loosing a lot of business to independent shops due to their pricing policies.
I don't mind paying $85.00/hour when I really need a specialist to work on my car. If I need a job done where expertize, knowledge, experience, expensive diagnostic/repair testing equipment is required, I'll pay the price.
An oil change, tire change/balance and routine work where a fresh-out-of-school junior mechanic with basic tools does the work does not warrant $85.00/hr.
Most dealers in our area have understood this and have set-up labor prices according to the complexity of the job to be done....and are gaining business back.
Driving a Mercedes is not a good enough reason to be the subject of highway robbery by dealers.

A $70 oil change at a dealership would not generally get you synthetic oil.

Cartridge filter is a pain
 

First MB oil change told me why it costs so much. There is no spin-on filter. You have tro pull the cartridge, pull apart the spindle, replace the crush washers, reassemble it and thread it on. It is a lot more troublesome than the spin-on type. Plus, the car takes 8.5 Qts of oil.

The car in question in no more difficult than a spin on filter, and holds about 7 quarts.

0W-20:eek: Only Honda and Ford recommend that stuff so they can play games with the Feds on CAFE averages. Well, maybe NASCAR use it for qualifying.

Oil changes on my '93 190e 2.6 were never more than $35 at the dealership! I REALLY like Zimbrick European in Madison - they were very fair to me, and have competitve labor rates (at least I think so).

I'm wondering if services such as these are dictated largely by labor rates dependent upon where the service departments are located. For example, Zimbrick charges $85USD per hour in labor costs. I looked into service at Loeber Motors in Chicago and at Knauz in Lake Forest, and their rates were more like $130USD per hour. But then again, eveyrone in Lake Forest drives an MB and can surely afford it, so it's not a big deal! :)

-Michael.

I change my own and know it's done right that way. It takes me the same time to do my 97 Camry. I don't see anything more time consuming on any of the MBs I've owned (so far... :sun_smile) compared to other cars.

That is what is in my W203 from the factory!

And I will not take mine to any lube shop after the Maint Agreement ends! It will be done in my garage like my W201 is. I do not mind spending 30 minutes of my time twice a year to do an oil change. That and the wife bought me a creaper from X-Mas and dad in-law bought me a nice aluminum floor jack, only 37 lbs......

Get the oil changed for my 190E at...Walmart! $16 and they use Quaker State but if you
don't want that they'll substitute any brand they carry for an extra $2 (I usually
use Castrol).
If you bring in your own filter (which I do, need an OEM filter) they'll also give
you a discount.
If you want synthetic it'll run $31 and you can use any brand you want.
Since Mobil 1's going for around $5 a quart it works out to practically no labor
charge.

No to hijack this thread, but Q: does my 88 2.3L 190E need to have its air filter housing removed to get at the oil filter? I didn't see how I could get it off otherwise, so I removed it and the rest of the oil change was a breeze. Mobil 1 was $20 for 5 quarts, add a sixth at $4 (to get to the 5.3 you need for a full change with filter) and add $4 for a filter and you're at...$28. Not bad.

I agree that WalMart's synthetic oil change deal is a good one IF you have a car whose filter they carry and who I trust the high school knuckle-draggers to wrench on (like my 5.0 Mustang). I *don't* let them mess with the Mercedes.

Chris

It is hard to trust when you know better...
 

Regarding trusting quickie lube places my friend had his drain plug fall out on the highway and in a year needed a motor rebuild. He was happy with the 10 free oil changes he got after they paid for the tow back to their place. (He was lucky I helped him get his motor totally rebuilt under warranty.) Another tried to see me a new air filter when I had a K&N good for 1,000,000 miles. I told him to put it back and just change the oil, like I asked. 3000 miles later I found the air box was not put on right and the screen behind the filter was so clogged with leaves and dirt the check engine light came on. As an on-the-road salesman I had no time to do my own work and oil changes were every month. I had to sell the car.

I have had supposedly good Independent shops say they changed parts, charged me for them but when I took them out I could see they were never replaced.

I have a BMW and at the parts counter of the dealership I heard a mechanic ask for 2 gallons of anti-freeze. The parts guy said mark him down for 3. The other parts guy said that _____ (I didn't catch the name) said whatever they need, add one. They are charging the customers for supplies they are not using. BTW, BMW would not sell me a shop manual and said "BMW doesn't think their owners should work on their own cars". But they rip you off if you let them do it. I have to do my own service just to make sure it's done, never mind done right. I have the service records form the used BMW I bought and I am sure they didn't do all the work that was supposed to be done. What do you do now? Take the chance it's done or do it twice? I trust almost no one to work on my cars. Dishonest, lazy or incompetent, what is the difference?

But I’m not bitter…

My two cents
 

Interesting to learn the wide-ranging prices charged by dealers, I had always thought prices were a bit closer. Reading, PA Benz dealership charges just around $45 for an oil change and free car wash, plus chance to grab the attention of a trained mechanic if you have nagging question about noise, glitch or "is this normal" question. Not to mention a chance to oogle the merchandize.

I have frequently borught my vehicle to the dealership with my own Mobil 1 oil and filter (mann or hengst), & paid only about $22 for labor, as an "express oil change" where the car is not checked for anything else. Last week, I had to go on a long trip & fss was in the negative territory, so I took the car to an indie shop 15 minutes away, which only does mercedes, and I let him provide oil & filter since price increases significantly if you provide your own. I was charged as follows: labor: $25; 8 qts Mobil 1: $60; and filter:$23.10, for a total of $108 before tax. Materials cost much more than I would have paid for my own oil & filter. However, I appreciated the convenience, since my wife waited while they did the work. I just wondered if the filter was made from titanium or some other exotic metal, since Phil sells them for about $10 or less!

I find it odd that many people counsel that if the dealer is'nt going to do, it's better to do it yourself.....(?). I do mine (because the filter and oil is cheap to buy, and it's pretty easy) but I doubt I'm second choice behind dealer trained techs!

A word of caution to DIY oil changers:

If your car is still under warranty and you have a warranty claim, the claim may be disallowed because there is no proof that the maintenance (oil change) was performed as required under the warranty.

A receipt stating date & mileage that Bob from Joe's garage changed the oil is proof; a receipt for oil and a filter that you change yourself does not. The argument is that you may have purchased the oil on a certain date, but there is no evidence of when or if you changed it.

If the warranty claim is for an item disconnected from the parts affected by the oil change (e.g. radio); this of course would not apply.

They can not deny a warranty claim if you do your own oil changes. That is against the law in most places in the USA. There is nothing in the owners manual or signed paperwork that states you can not do your own oil changes. My family owned a dealership for 75 years, over 35 of them as a franchised dealer. I used to do warranty work orders as well and oil changes. We never could deny a claim due to the fact that the car owner did his own oil changes or had them done at a quickie place. As a matter of fact it never came up from Daimler-Chrysler or Chrysler to deny any claim due to when and where oil changes were done. Now a dealer may state that to scare you, but unless there is significant evidence that the oil has not been changed at all then they will not deny.

Different jurisdictions (Countries, States, etc.) have different levels of consumer protection laws. (e.g. California for example has a Lemon law, too bad it is the exception rater than the rule).

Thank you for the detailed account. I agree that most manufactures and dealers would deal with the situation in a proper manner. Unfortunately there are exceptions.

I feel it would be prudent for people to research the laws in their area and double check the squinty print in their warranty to make sure that they aren't on the wrong side of what could be a nasty fight.

Yeah, great. You gotta be a lawer to change your oil.
 

What is wrong with this picture? Of course the manufacturers want to tie you up and rip you off. Unfortunately, so does everyone else. Mercedes is very good for the older vehicles but I don't know if they will supply parts and manuals for the new ones.

[QUOTE=Yeah, great. You gotta be a lawer to change your oil.[/QUOTE]

Seems so. Some people (successfully) sue because their hot coffee was too hot. Others sue because eating 6 Big Macs every day made them fat.

Still others sue because Mr. Lube forgot to screw the filter on tight and all their oil leaked out and the engine blew.

The nightly news typically has a "Channel 100 fights back" helping some poor fellow deal with an unreasonable business. (One that comes to mind from the other night is an insurance company that didn't want to pay a claim, but decided that they wanted to when on camera).

The times we live in... Remeber the good old days?

Very Interesting.
I have 2 MB (V8's)and a BMW(V8)
The MB's take 9 quarts each and the BMW takes 8(a V12 of either car takes ...gulp 12 quarts. 1 per cyl.)
I buy the Mobil1 15W50 when on sale by the 5 qt Jug at Walmart for ~$18.
So to change the oil on all 3 at once, I need 26 quarts so I buy 5 jugs, that $80 with tax(I always have a little oil left over from when I change the oil on a single car so the one car needed is accounted for). I need 3 filters at ~$10 ea that's $30. So to change all three cars that's $110.
Now whose paying $70-$100 for 1 car and not complaining??
Ain't no way in Hell, I would let the dealer change my oil for those prices unless....no, there just ain't no way in hell! :afro:

[QUOTE=bryanm]The McDonolds hot coffee lawsuit must be the most misunderstood, misquoted case in the history of jurisprudence. McDonalds kept their coffee at some ridiculously hot temperature because it extended the shelf life, i.e. it lasted longer and they had to throw out less of it, in other words it was profitable to keep it very hot. Literally hundreds of people were injured by it, some very seriously, including the woman in the case cited. The woman did not get rich as a result of the case. The case did result in McDonalds lowering the termperature of their coffee by something like 40 degrees, and people are no longer getting injured by it. I think the case is a great example of the legal system working - not malfunctioning. People who cite it as a failure the legal system invariable don't understand the facts of the case.

The "fast food made me fat" case was thrown out. But nevertheless virtually all fast food chains are making healthier food today - trying to stay ahead of the curve, and consumers will benefit from that.

This wasn't really Tech Help was it?

This thread has taken on quite a few tangents and we should probably lay this one to rest.

To summaries everyone’s posts:

• Synthetic costs more than Dino.
• There are some definite advantages and perks for using the dealer. (Or stealer, your mileage may vary).
• Oil changes are not rocket science.
• Some dealers, where local competition or market conditions permit, charge way more than they need to for an oil change because they can.
• Most quickie places are really bad, but some of them are ok.
• Most independent places are ok, but some of them are bad.
• Bringing your own oil & filter to an oil change place is a lot like bringing your own wine to a restraint, most of them will tolerate it, but be pissed all the same and spit in your food. Others are quite happy to accommodate you.
• Doing it yourself, besides being fun and messy is a great way to save a few bucks.
• The rules are different depending where in the world/country you are. Re-read your warranty and check out the consumer protection laws etc. in your region to see if doing it yourself can cause unwanted hassles if you need to make a warranty claim.
• Make sure the coffee isn’t too hot, and don’t eat too many burgers or you’ll get fat.

I would rather change my own oil, bare naked, in a snowstorm,between sunset & sunrise, than drink McDonalds coffee. ;)