Service do I or don't I?

[Auto Addict]

My car, C Class Blue Efficiency is just over 5 years old.

It is due for a service, but I have only done about 5K since the last service.

Do I change the oil and filter myself, or pay a fortune for a service that at the end of the day will probably only be an oil and filter change?

I know if I DIY it, it won't be recorded on Star, but in the scheme of things, will that really matter?

Undecided.

 

[vtaylor78]

I’m in a similar situation, and do very few miles.
I would go option one the DIY route, as you say that’s probably all the dealer would do anyway, the rest of the stuff would just be checks , which again is easy to do.

 

[sl500amgsport]

My car, C Class Blue Efficiency is just over 5 years old.

It is due for a service, but I have only done about 5K since the last service.

Do I change the oil and filter myself, or pay a fortune for a service that at the end of the day will probably only be an oil and filter change?

I know if I DIY it, it won't be recorded on Star, but in the scheme of things, will that really matter?

Undecided.

I would say it all boils down to how important is resale value to you, fmbsh is vital on newer cars if you are looking to PX at a dealership, if you are planning on keeping the car another 3+ years then less so....

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[EmilysDad]

You're getting too old for crawling under cars .....

 

[daibevan]

I would say it all boils down to how important is resale value to you, fmbsh is vital on newer cars if you are looking to PX at a dealership, if you are planning on keeping the car another 3+ years then less so....

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+1

Also I would never let a car go too long without an oil change. Whatever you do change the oil now and every 12 months thereafter.

 

[Auto Addict]

+1

Also I would never let a car go too long without an oil change. Whatever you do change the oil now and every 12 months thereafter.

I change the oil twice a year, i.e. every 2500 miles or so.

Overkill? No, I like to keep the engine clean.

 

[daibevan]

Excellent. I do it twice a year as well.

 

[Yugguy]

I get oil changed every 6 months/4.5k.

I do one myself and one at the annual service/mot.

I think for a car as young as yours I'd want to see some kind of stamp/electronic record. What about finding a good indy that can do the servive cheaper and update the digital book?

 

[John Laidlaw]

As said above, yours is a relatively new car and any prospective buyer in the future would wonder what else had been ignored if there’s not a service history - I certainly would.
and + 1 find an independant Mercedes service guy who will do it for much less and update your online service history. Worth it for the sake of a couple of hundred quid IMO

 

[Frontstep]

Changing the oil too often does not improve anything particularly synthetic, it has been researched endlessly and covered on here at length.

FMBSH still makes a difference in selling and can be the difference between selling and not, even though it is as we all know not proof of the quality of work carried out.

 

[LostKiwi]

If you have it done by the dealer it also preserves your Mobilo.

 

[Wighty]

Excellent. I do it twice a year as well.

Damn , I'm going to have to up mine to 3 now

 

[Jimbo1959]

You're getting too old for crawling under cars .....

Know the feeling!

I really pick and choose the jobs I do these days.

Just wish my boys were as interested in working on the cars as I am, at times.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I’m basically not doing any crawling around under cars anymore unless it’s really necessary. Happy to let others graze knuckles, split nails, etc etc...

 

[Auto Addict]

I’m basically not doing any crawling around under cars anymore unless it’s really necessary. Happy to let others graze knuckles, split nails, etc etc...

Don't have to crawl under the car to change the oil, I've got an oil extractor.

 

[A.J.]

My car, C Class Blue Efficiency is just over 5 years old.

It is due for a service, but I have only done about 5K since the last service.

Do I change the oil and filter myself, or pay a fortune for a service that at the end of the day will probably only be an oil and filter change?

I know if I DIY it, it won't be recorded on Star, but in the scheme of things, will that really matter?

Undecided.

I am in exactly the same position, 4,500 miles since the last service. Shop around, I got mine serviced using genuine MB parts for £239.00 all in. I think at 6 years old, which mine now is an MB service history is less important and I don't intend selling it in the near future either. It has only done 25,300 miles in its life so there is no need to.

 

[Wighty]

Yes , I think it all comes down to how long you intend to keep it , bearing in mind at 8-10 years it's probably worth chump change if you trade it in .
Both mine are now 9 years old and worth a few grand each , so I'm comfortable doing my own servicing , and I'll use an Indy if I get stuck . I started servicing myself about 3 years ago , with the knowledge that I intended to keep them for a few years more .
I would be interested to know what the trade in price difference would be for a full service 10 year old car vs the same car with patchy service history .
I keep all the receipts anyway ,and the car gets more regular filter and oil changes than MB would do , so chances are someone I know would buy my cars knowing their history ?

 

[grahamcol]

I keep my cars donkeys years usually. My W202 C280 v6 has been with me for 10 years and came with full history. I took the view back then that by the time I come to sell it wouldn't matter too much about documented FSH. I therefore do the jobs I want to and those that I don't (or can't) are done by my Indy. Anyone who examines my car will see it is well cared for and I feel I have saved rather a lot of money over 10 years - enough to cover the difference in selling costs I think. I've noticed 202 values are now rising for good ones but I still feel I've made the right decision for me. I did think after 10 years it would be worth just a few hundred but just take a look at some of the classic sites.
The op will have to make the right decision for him/ herself based on his / her thoughts after considering what's said in this thread.

 

[A.J.]

When I swapped in my 2009 W204 for my current one they didn't even ask me about service history, and the service history whilst I had the car was just receipts !!

 

[davemercedes]

I would say it all boils down to how important is resale value to you, fmbsh is vital on newer cars if you are looking to PX at a dealership, if you are planning on keeping the car another 3+ years then less so....

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^ +1

I think at 5 years old you've already passed a point where stamps in the book are not as important as the overall condition and MB stealers are not particularly generous on PX anyway. A cousin in law recently bought an E350 which he found by chance and it's absolutley immaculate - the owner said "I've been thinking I should sell it really..." He did his own oil changes while he covered about 3000 miles in 5 years! Who cares about rubber stamps.... it even still had cellophane over the headrests - if I'd seen it first I would most definitely have bought it - in fact I'd have snatched his hand off!

In the meantime, just enjoy your car, Auto Addict !