150,000 Mile Warranty? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 10-05-2002, 01:50 PM

I received a letter yesterday saying that due to the Class Action Suit regarding the Conventional Oil and FSS situation my warranty on my C240 has been extended to 150,000 miles.

Has anyone else gotten this letter?

Have a great day,

mark cummins · #2 10-05-2002, 02:45 PM

Yes, I Have Received The letter From Mercedes on My Wagon and The Coupe...Looks Like Oil Consumption Only..Rings/Guides/V/s Seals...Or Worse Case a New Motor if Sludge packs it up!
But The Lawyers are Working on the LIFE TIME Auto trans Fluid..
We Might have a Extended Trans Warranty

JCE · #3 10-05-2002, 04:02 PM

Given the luck I have been having with the trans in my C230, that would be fantastic news!

#4 10-05-2002, 11:49 PM

I too received this letter a couple of days ago and am not quite sure exactly what it covers. I couldn't really find, in the letter, information on exactly what it covers and what it doesn't.

Does anyone have the specifics or perhaps better comprehension than I do as to the contents of it?

Thanks,

Dale

#5 10-06-2002, 02:41 PM

There is a thread on www.benzsport.com about the lawsuit and details about the warranty. It basically covers damage to the engine which might result from the FSS oil change cycle and the use of non-synthetic oils by dealers prior to 2001. I just took my 99 C280 in for the 45k "B" service and they used Mobil 1 (standard operating procedure). You should also be getting a certificate in the mail good for $35 off your next FSS service. I suspect the this is the figure they came up with as the differential between regular and synthetic oil. Word to the wise:If you do your own maintanance, either change it every 3 k miles or use synthetic oil, or both.

#6 10-06-2002, 06:48 PM

I don't understand why they would send such a certificate. All service is free until 4 years or 50,000 miles. They use Mobil 1 when they change the oil, and take care of everything except wearables such as; tires and brake pads.

I change the oil between their FSS changes and use Mobil 1 then as well.

Have a great day,

blackmercedes · #7 10-06-2002, 06:57 PM

Larry,

Given your maintenance regiment, I seriously doubt you'll be making a claim on that warranty...

#8 10-06-2002, 06:59 PM

Sorry, I failed to notice the year of your car. The certificate only applies to pre 2000 cars where scheduled maintenance was not included.

#9 10-06-2002, 10:21 PM

Larry,

I thought you were a Chevron Delo fan, not Mobil 1. Or do I have you confused with someone else on this board?

Either way, I'm glad I've never been one to take the Dealers advice when it comes to maint. schedules. I'm sure I've spent more than others during the life span of the car, but at least it made me feel good to change fluids on a lot more frequent basis!!

I wonder how this whole scenario will play out with resale values? I know I would shy away from a car that the owner went strictly by the FSS for oil changes using mineral oil.

Dale

#10 10-07-2002, 11:33 AM

Another question to ask about on a used car would be the tranny service. Mercedes specifies a 100k mile service cycle, using their $12/qt. "lifetime" fluid, however, I have seen picss of a car with only 50k miles and the tranny fluid was brown, and the pan covered in a sludgy mess. It probably would be a good idea to do a tranny service on these transmissions every 50k miles. a new tranny is several thousand dollars.

Lebenz · #11 10-07-2002, 12:07 PM

I received this letter too. It appears that the warranty is for rings and oil sludge related issues.

I think it a strong statement on the part of MBUSA to back their product 3x the standard warranty. On the one hand I feel kind of slighted as I have an extended warranty, for which I paid, plus like many above I wouldn’t dream of going 12K miles between oil changes (I use synth and go 4K miles between changes). Anyway this settlement somewhat takes the place of the extended warranty. On the other hand, the settlement offers some degree of protection due to oil based failures for 50K miles beyond even the extended warranty. It kind of makes me want to stop the frequent oil changes.......NOT!

Speaking of changes, has anyone with a FSS MB done a transmission fluid/filter change? If so what was the cost? Stu Ritter says to do it every 30K miles

#12 10-07-2002, 12:33 PM

JetForeman,

Yes I am indeed a Delo fan and use it in everything from my diesels to my lawnmower. The C was the first car in which I began using Mobil One. If it's good enough for Benz, it's good enough for me.

I stretch my oil changes with this car, but not much further than my other cars with Delo. I let the dealer change it according to the FSS, and change between their intervalse with Mobil One and a fresh filter.

Have a great day,

blackmercedes · #13 10-07-2002, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lebenz
...Speaking of changes, has anyone with a FSS MB done a transmission fluid/filter change? If so what was the cost? Stu Ritter says to do it every 30K miles

All the vehicles equipped with FSS have the "fill for life" 722.6 five speed autobox. I pressed my MB Zone Rep on this, and he said:

"Were it my car, I would change the transmission fluid/filter every 90-100,000 kilometers, which would be considered a severe service interval." (That's 55-60K-miles for those metric imparied among us)

I had it done on the C230 at 95,000 kilometers. The dealer charged me $160 for the fluid (8*$20.00) and one hour's labour, plus the filter and taxes. It was just shy of $300.

Knowing the foreman, he walked me through them doing it. It's pretty similar to a "regular" tranny service, except for the level setting, which involves the fluid temp set to 80C, and the level set exactly. The fluid that came out looked brand new, which surprised me. I'm sure I could have gone much further before requiring a fluid change, but better safe than sorry.

BTW, I thought the one hour charge was more than fair.

#14 10-07-2002, 03:45 PM

My dealer quoted me $275 for a tranny service, including a new gasket, tranny fluid filter and new fluid (btw, the MB "lifetime" tranny fluid is very expensive-$11-$15/quart and it needs 8 quarts.), when I had my 99 C280 in for her 45k mile "B" service. the only reason I didn't do it was I needed rear brakes at the same time and I was a tad short on the gold. believe me, I will have the car in asap for the tranny service, in spite of what Mercedes says about it only being necessary every 100k miles.

#15 10-07-2002, 05:57 PM

I replaced the tranny fluid in my wifes 00 C230 at 1500 miles than again a 30k miles. I really don't buy into any of the "lifetime fill" propoganda assoc. with the transmission.

It's a very simple process, although I didn't receive much support from techs here on this site for doing it myself. Reason is the fluid level is supposed to be checked at 80'C. I really didn't see a need to pay a dealer huge amounts of money when I felt comfortable doing it myself.

No, I don't know for sure if the level is "perfect" at exactly 80'C, but I do know it's very close, and with 43k miles on it so far I have no reason to believe that I did any damage to it by not having it at the "perfect" level.

I purchased the dip stick from Mercedes along with the fluid and filter. I think it cost around $50.00 for the fluid and filter.

One other note is that in 2000, the convertors don't have a drain plug. So the most you'll get out with a filter change is approx. 4 quarts.

Dale