E220 CDi (211) D+ Service

[peter mallon]

Hi All

can anyone tell me what is involved in a D+ service (63kmiles) for my E220 CDi.
Can't fault the car, smooth, comfortable, quiet, and I regulary get
48-50mpg on Mway
Mercedes main dealer in Sunderland have been excellent and quite reasonable up until now but are there any Mercedes Specialists in the North East of England that can be recommended?

many thanks
Pete

 

[124coupe]

Hi the "D+" simply gives an estimate of the hours needed for the service - D is a lot!

The dealer will read Assyst and tell you what is needed.

 

[daveenty]

Interested in this as mines just come back from a B service.

Checked the display and it now says D service due in 9,980 miles.

Does this seem a bit excessive (on the servicing side I mean)

10,000 miles doesn't seem a lot between an expensive service and a very expensive service.

Or could it be that I declined some of their offers (like plugs & poly belts)?

Am I being punished?

 

[Blobcat]

D = Diagnostic Service, plug it in an empty out your wallet.
The more servicing threads I see on the W211's the more I'm happy with my W210 servicing A, B, A, B, A, B, etc... and 14 to 18K between services.

 

[daveenty]

The more servicing threads I see on the W211's the more I'm happy with my W210 servicing A, B, A, B, A, B, etc... and 14 to 18K between services.

Must admit I'm getting seriously brassed off with MB dealers and their money making schemes.

May just let them have it the next time, but if it's serious money then it can go to an indie instead.
Nearly bought an RS6 before I bought this, now seriously considering one again.

 

[Rory]

Must admit I'm getting seriously brassed off with MB dealers and their money making schemes.

May just let them have it the next time, but if it's serious money then it can go to an indie instead.
Nearly bought an RS6 before I bought this, now seriously considering one again.

So MB have listened and changed to fixed mileage (15500) service intervals on new cars, and you can switch over on older ones too.

The only downside for some people is that it's now mileage, or every year (whichever is sooner), where many private users were probably going 2 yrs between services on the old system.

 

[jberks]

The quotes on Ds were around £400 from the dealer and £300 from the indie. I think it actually cost me £500 fromthe indie in the end but that included brake pads.
I can only get 9,500 between services so the 15k fixed sounds good.

 

[daveenty]

So MB have listened and changed to fixed mileage (15500) service intervals on new cars, and you can switch over on older ones too.

Don't know where the 15500 comes from? Mine's just been given less than 10000

 

[Rory]

Don't know where the 15500 comes from? Mine's just been given less than 10000

My dealer sent me a service reminder postcard (as it's been 12 mths since last service) and it said:
---------------------------------
"Mercedes-Benz have recently changed the service interval for all new vehicles to be 12500/15500** or 12 months whichever occurs first. However, older vehicles can remain on the intervals identified by the 'Service Assyst' indicator system on the dashboard display or, you can now take the option of having your vehicle serviced annually if you wish if it has been over 12 months or 15500 miles since your last service".

** 12500 for A & B Class, V12 and AMG. 15500 for all others.
----------------------------------

Your car shows 10000 because the oil setting wasn't done correctly (or it was, but they didn't use fully synth oil).

 

[daveenty]

Your car shows 10000 because the oil setting wasn't done correctly (or it was, but they didn't use fully synth oil).

Cheers Rory,

Just checked the service book (not got the invoice or service sheet yet) and they've used Castrol Softec in it.
I know this to be a reasonable fully synthetic oil, though it wasn't widely available in the UK until recently.
Why they didn't use Mobil 1 I've no idea. Costs? Just gone through the service book and I note it has had Mobil in it from day one. Why should a main dealer change all of a sudden? There's a big sticker under the bonnet saying AMG and Mercedes recommend Mobil 1. Would I be within my rights to say I want it swapping out? Or am I being petty? The last thing I need is it dropping the bottom end out and leaving a lot of people arguing about whose fault it is.

Still not happy with less than 10k to a D service.

 

[Rory]

Cheers Rory,

Just checked the service book (not got the invoice or service sheet yet) and they've used Castrol Softec in it.
I know this to be a reasonable fully synthetic oil, though it wasn't widely available in the UK until recently.
Why they didn't use Mobil 1 I've no idea. Costs? Just gone through the service book and I note it has had Mobil in it from day one. Why should a main dealer change all of a sudden? There's a big sticker under the bonnet saying AMG and Mercedes recommend Mobil 1. Would I be within my rights to say I want it swapping out? Or am I being petty? The last thing I need is it dropping the bottom end out and leaving a lot of people arguing about whose fault it is.

Still not happy with less than 10k to a D service.

Softec looks like a 229.3 oil rather than Mobil 1's 229.5, but as you say, it's not that popular, and the specs are always changing (I can't immediately see a data sheet for it online). I don't think the brand is an issue - my dealer only uses Castrol oils - they used SLX Longtec for 229.5 in the past but I think the whole range has been rebranded now.

I missed that your car is an AMG, so perhaps its standard interval on Assyst is 10K, as it's shorter for AMG's on the new fixed interval servicing.

I got so irrationally wound up with oil types (every person in MB I asked gave me a different answer) that I supplied Motul MB specific 229.5 to my dealer. However they probably nicked it and filled the car up with any old rubbish!

 

[R W]

Hi All

Mercedes main dealer in Sunderland have been excellent and quite reasonable up until now but are there any Mercedes Specialists in the North East of England that can be recommended
Pete

Peter
There is a specialist in Dunston,quite close to the meto shopping centre, Staiths is the name of the garage.The owner is Phill & he apparently worked for the main dealer for many many years before starting for himself. Most of the Newcastle taxi drivers use him & recomend him. Sorry I am not in Uk at the moment to get the address for you but you can find it in the phone book.

 

[Blobcat]

My 210 has covered 16,400 since the last 'A' sevice and has now informed me that there are 1,200 miles to a 'B' service. I will get it booked in

 

[peter mallon]

Hi All

Well I bit the bullet and took the car back to Mercedes of Sunderland who produced a computerised work sheet from the service history record and they quoted me £330 for the service, when I arrived they arranged a free courtesy car for me to get back to Newcastle, and when I returned to pick up my car it was washed and valetted and they informed my my bill was only £244 it seems that Mercedes have reverted back to alternating major and minor services. My next sevice will be a B service, (the last B service cost me £350) Most importantly the service record is still 100% MB history.
Full Marks to Mercedes Benz of Sunderland
Thanks to all who replied to help.
Peter

 

[Phil D]

New method of determining service intervals ? - how recent is recent? When I bought my W203 it had just had an A service done by the dealers & the computer reckoned on 10000 til the B
I managed to stretch it to about 11000, then it came out again (november 06)showing 10000 till the next A
querying the bill one of the reasons/excuses give was the use of low ash oil "which helped extend service intervals"
is someone taking the whatsit here?????"

 

[Rory]

New method of determining service intervals ? - how recent is recent? When I bought my W203 it had just had an A service done by the dealers & the computer reckoned on 10000 til the B
I managed to stretch it to about 11000, then it came out again (november 06)showing 10000 till the next A
querying the bill one of the reasons/excuses give was the use of low ash oil "which helped extend service intervals"
is someone taking the whatsit here?????"

What year is your car?

On my late 2004 C270CDi W203 the oil type has to be set while the service indicator is being reset.
On my car the settings are standard, 229.3 or 229.5. I always though that standard gives 10000 miles intervals, and 229.5 give 13000 miles, however I just looked up the post I orignally made about this and I noted that my car reset to 13,000 miles whatever type of oil was selected, which I have to say confuses me now! In practice, I pretty well only use my car on motorways and get about 16000 between services.

My dealer recently wrote to me and suggested that I could change to fixed interval servicing, as MB have done on new cars. The interval is 15,500 miles or 1 year, whichever is first. Of course, my car has only done about 8000 miles in the last year, so they're just keen that I take it in again, rather than leave it until Assyst demands a service.