Servicing Problems: Important.

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Alex M Grieve

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Well done Chas. That lays to rest all the spurious technical "justifications" (and confusion) which have followed the change. Interesting to note the comment that "ASSYST is just a guide". Many of us have been told that non compliance with ASSYST readings, no matter how silly they seemed, would invalidate warranty.
I have alway felt that the change was a commercial rather than an engineering decision - now we know.
 

Chas

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Thanks Alex and Rory for your input.;)

So if they changed to fixed service intervals from Oct 2006 for my S Class , why did my ASSYST read 10.000 after last weeks A service reset and reads 9,900 now ? :confused:

"However, from October 2006 Mercedes will revert back to fixed intervals on every model, apart from the A- and B-Class, and high-performance AMG variants.
Mike Belk, managing director of customer services, told What Car? that the intervals would be set to around 15,000 miles or every year."


10,000 is not around 15,000 by any stretch of the imagination :D or does the above apply only to 2006+ models, and not older ones?

I will ask MB customer sercice HQ ....... watch this space :rolleyes:
 
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Rory

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It's all a load of rubbish really - for instance the Vauxhall Agila has 20K service interval and the Suzuki Splash has 9K. They're the same car!!!
 

Mr Teddy Bear

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i thought that the appropiate microprocessor measured the capacitance value of the oil and worked out the next serice interval from that??
 

Rory

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i thought that the appropiate microprocessor measured the capacitance value of the oil and worked out the next serice interval from that??

It's capable of doing that, but who knows?

When you tip more oil in, it can extend the mileage - however this apparently only works if the car has flashed up a message asking for oil, it's no good if you keep topping it up. So it may well just detect that it had (say) 5.5L and now it's got 6.5L (on my W203 there's a trick to get it show the actual level in tenths of litres).

I've also seen it reported that ASSYST simply works on fuel consumption - after all, that's a good proxy for how the car is driven. Lot's of cold starts and hard acceleration would produce a low number and therefore shorten the service interval. Long steady motorway crusing would give a high number.

I've no idea what the truth of the matter is.
 
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hawk20

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Thanks Alex and Rory for your input.;)

So if they changed to fixed service intervals from Oct 2006 for my S Class , why did my ASSYST read 10.000 after last weeks A service reset and reads 9,900 now ? :confused:

"However, from October 2006 Mercedes will revert back to fixed intervals on every model, apart from the A- and B-Class, and high-performance AMG variants.
Mike Belk, managing director of customer services, told What Car? that the intervals would be set to around 15,000 miles or every year."


10,000 is not around 15,000 by any stretch of the imagination :D or does the above apply only to 2006+ models, and not older ones?

I will ask MB customer sercice HQ ....... watch this space :rolleyes:

I would guess it turns on build date? Maybe you are still on variable interval servicing.

BUT the fact that yours shows 10,000 miles after being serviced suggests they have forgotten to set it for synthetic oil. If on synthetic and variable service interval it would usually start off by showing about 13,000 to next service. As I understand it, IT WOULD ONLY SHOW 10,000 miles if they had failed to set it for synthetic oil.
 

whitenemesis

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A little info.
 
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hawk20

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Great posting Whitenemesis.

That confirms exactly my point (posting 87 and elsewhere) that cars with ASSYST get 10k if set for normal oil and get 1.3 times that (or about 13,000) if set for synthetic. (not the 15,500 in posting 73 which was a typo). That is immediately after the service. From then on, with the synthetic setting, the interval varies with type of driving etc etc.

But not, of course, on new models which have a fixed interval usually of 15,500 miles or 1 year whichever is sooner.
 
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Chas

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Thanks for the info above gentlemen.
The service sheet says it was replenished with Synthetic oil. MB 229.3 System derived.

I have asked MB HQ ....... extract below..

"The ASSYST showed 10,000 after reset, and now shows 9,900 after one week.
So does the above info indicate that the ASSYST on my car should have read 13,000 instead of 10,000 ? And if so was it because it was set via the instrument cluster to 10,000 or because non synthetic oil option was selected in STAR ?"


I will keep you informed :D
 
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whitenemesis

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If the "above info" refered to is in my post, could the difference be that they put 229.3 oil in you car and the info sheet specs 229.5?
 

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whitenemesis

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A little more info
 
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Rory

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Well, both documents confirm that the settings can be changed in Star Diagnose, so once again demonstrates that the dealers are simply telling lies when they say it can't be changed.
 

Chas

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Damn! I had hoped I was helping to clarify the situation :confused::rolleyes:

Here is the response from Customer Service Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center Maastricht N.V. which should nail this one on the head :D

Thank you for contacting the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center
Maastricht N.V., regarding the ASSYST system to your Mercedes-Benz
S-Class.

I would like to further clarify the operation of the ASSYST system to
your vehicle, as follows.

The mileage interval to the next service will be enhanced by having
synthetic engine oil put into the engine at the time of service. Your
vehicle has the ASSYST system (Rather than the ASSYST Plus) so this is done
automatically. The start reading for the interval is given as 10,000
miles but this is only a nominal figure, as the true figure will be
calculated and given once the vehicle has been driven.

The time and mileage to the next service is calculated continually, so
driving style is a big factor. The fact that your last Service time
interval was 21 months after covering 7,600 miles is testament to you
having an economical driving style. It can be that customers who do not
have an economical driving style, run down their ASSYST system far quicker
and are required to have their vehicle Serviced at a far shorter time
interval. In cases like this, the STAR System can be programmed to
affect a 1.3 factor. This can be done by the Service Department of your
local official Mercedes-Benz Dealership.

However, our advice is that you should not take this action. Your
driving style is of such an economic nature, that your ASSYST system is
calculating that the interval to the next Service could be similar to the
21 months achieved previously.

The reason why there is a sticker on the doorframe indicating the date
for the next service is in 12 months, is that after the initial
Warranty period on your vehicle elapses you need to have it serviced at a
Mercedes-Benz Dealership , in order to qualify for Mobilo Roadside
Assistance.

Although after 12 months motoring it may indicate on your ASSYST
computer that due to low mileage the next service is not yet due, the sticker
is there as a reminder for Mobilo.

I hope that this clears any doubts that you have with the ASSYST system
to your Mercedes-Benz S-Class but if you have any concerns regarding
the correct operation of the ASSYST system, please arrange to have it
diagnosed by your Servicing Dealership.


Yours sincerely

Peter Swaine
Customer Service
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center Maastricht N.V.
Gaetano Martinolaan 10
NL-6229 GS Maastricht, The Netherlands

Phone Nr: 00800 1 777 7777
mailto: CustomerService.UK@cac.mercedes-benz.com
 

whitenemesis

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Sorry Chas but to me that does nothing except to muddy the waters even more!!

Apart from the rather patronising assessment of your driving style (how the hell can he judge just from miles covered and a time? Personally I think doing so few miles over such a long time would involve many shaort, stop start journeys, possibly with the engine / exhaust system never reaching steady operating temps)
What is it with the door sticker? It's a reminder for Mobilo? A reminder for what? To get the car serviced by that date to qualify for Mobilo? And therefore ignoring what the wonderful ASSYST is telling you about your very economical driving style?!
If I read the Service docs correctly the only way ASSYST knows you have used synthetic oil is if you tell it via STAR (or on some cars via the cluster)
And then he says that if you don't have an economical driving style you could apply the x1.3 adjustemnt!!! Thereby extending the interval to the next service?

Sorry for sounding so negative but this sort of waffle annoys me!
 
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hawk20

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I absolutely agree whitenemesis.
 

Chas

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Do you think perhaps we are being conned into getting our cars serviced more frequently?:rolleyes:
I am not the trusting type when it comes to anything which makes money out of me , as many a builder sent home packing has found out!!:mad:
 
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