Fella's,
I've had all maintenance on my W210 done by a MB dealership up to now. But since MB-rates are not the cheapest and my car is not that young anymore either, I am wondering what part of the maintenance and service could be done by myself or by other local non-dealer (read: cheaper) garages, and for what jobs the MB dealership still remains the best address because of their expertise and specialized tools. For instance: changing fluid & filter of the auto box is not really a DIY job, nor something for a shop next door.

Would appreciate your feedback a lot.

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2011 Prius

I pretty much do all of the maintenance on mine and I am far, far from being what I consider a seasoned mechanic.

Len
'99 E300TD 84,000 miles

My general rule is, if the job requires a whole lot of " special " tools, I let the dealer do it.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

Thats a GOOD question.

My opinion is, follow the FACTORY SERVICE BOOKLET ( came with the car ) as much as you can for the intervals and work to be done. But also know how each service should be done by doing SEARCHES on THIS site.


!) Lots of people say only have a Mercedes dealership do aligments on the car. Alignments on these cars require a SPREADER BAR, something at least here in the USA, a non-mercedes mechanic may not be familiar with.

2) For radiator coolant changes only use MB brand coolant and distilled water. Other non-Mercedes specific shops may not know or carry the Mercedes required coolant.

Also Mercedes driveshafts with their flex disc and need to realign everything back as it was requires a mechanic familiar with Mercedes drivetrains.

Also Mercedes uses really nice coated wheel weights which protect the wheels finish. Cheap steel weights cause surface corrosion.

Oil change anyone can do as long as they follow Mercedes oil recommendations, OEM quaility filters and if drained fromt eh sump a new copper gasket. If you do oil changes yourself, do a search here for TOPSIDER or OIL EXTRACTOR.

Dealer is probably only one in your area capable of correct wheel alignment.

I use dealer for wheel balancing so I get genuine wheel weights.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

Do yourself a favor, find a good, clean inde shop for general maint. Many are owned & run by retired M.B. mechanics. I knew my mech. before I bought my car. He is a retired M.B. mech. & works @ home & his prices are reasonable. If I have the time I still do some things myself, like change wiring harness, radiator, change oil & lube, stereo etc. Then there are those things that I go to the dealer for Like wheel alignment, replacement of ECU. Of course you must choose your inde. carefully. Don't use a shop that looks like a junk yard.

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93 300E SportLine
01 Infiniti QX4
04 VW GTI

I'll go along with Shorebenz on finding a good Independent that knows the cars. Where do you think he was probably trained? DUH The dealership. The best part about working with a good independent is you get personal service without that dreaded phone call from a service advisor, who doesn't know anything about cars, trying to upsell you on additional work. THAT IS HIS JOB. You didn't think he was there to offer you personal service did you? If you want to have fun, apply for a servive advisor position at any dealership for any brand of car. Tell them that you have been a mechanic for x number of years. Chances are you will be turned down. They want a salesman and not someone who might have a sympathetic ear.

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