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Sedans Mercedes-Benz C-Class Mercedes-Benz C-300 2008
266 messages, Last post on Aug 18, 2009 at 8:25 AM
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Our 2008 C300 Lux is 13 months old and has 5300 miles. I see a message about service ....and I believe ..it is time to put a new batch of synthetic oil and new filter. The fact is that the car has been running flawlesly all this time ... yes on regular gas since we bought it ...and I see no need to take time, spend money.. because I think is not necessary at this point. Synthetic oil in my car should last 10,000 miles according to the manual.... and I know people who change oil at 15,000 becouse that is how much they drive in 10 months. I am sure there 2 schools (1) change oil often (3k) as it is a good for the engine; (2) go by the milleage. Who came up with that magic number of changing every 12 months ..no matter how much you drive?
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Replying to: be325 (Jan 09, 2009 9:39 am) -If you want to keep the warranty in effect, you need to get the oil changed now....period. -In the "olden days", e.g. through about the 2005 model year, MB used the FSS computer [Flexible Service System] in the US market [ and still does in many other areas of the world ]. Under the FSS, you could go 24 mos or about 10-16k miles, depending on usage - number of cold starts, avg speed, coolant temps, etc. These factors were calculated by the onboard computer, and decided when to get the oil changed. Many car makers use a similar system. Our 2002 C-class generally went 18-24 mos. and 12-14k miles under the FSS. MBUSA opted to discontinue the FSS and go back to fixed service intervals, claiming customers were "confused" by the FSS. Magically, at the same time, they also stopped paying for all service during the warranty period [BMW still does, VW has a 3-year program, Volvo stopped and will apparently now start their prgm again. Audi dropped their paid svc pgm.]. Translation: dealers complained they weren't getting to see the customer enough in the service dept....so now you show up for an oil change once a year, whether you need it or not. This is about dealer revenue, not about the health of the engine. In our case, 1 year for our '08 C300 Lux coincided with about 8500 miles - doesn't matter - get the oil and filter changed and the service book updated, or you run the risk of having the warranty voided.
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OK - Question for everybody - my 08 does not have child safety locks on the rear doors. There is a hole for the lever to engage locks, but the lever is not there. The 09 models have the same hole and there is a lever to engage the child safety lock. So - is this missing from my car, or did MB not include it on the 08 models? Thanks everybody! |
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Far as I know, it was not a feature on the '08s. Doesn't matter to me, but others have commented on the child-lock issue, so I'm pretty sure all of the '08s were as you describe. I'd have to check my owner's manual - did you?
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Replying to: jrct9454 (Jan 12, 2009 6:14 am)
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Replying to: jrct9454 (Jan 10, 2009 6:55 am) I realize that if the engine broke down due to lack of proper lubrication, it would be my neglect. You wonder how in the past could MB let the car out of sight for 18-24 months and still honor the warranty?
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Replying to: sawyerc (Jan 12, 2009 1:44 pm) Not a big deal, I will ask if I can have it installed, and yes I have a 3 year old with very busy fingers! 
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Replying to: be325 (Jan 13, 2009 9:02 am) Here in Portland OR, the Service A cost $170 [I told them not to rotate the tires, since I do that myself at much shorter intervals than the book calls for]. I think you have to regard that as the cost of ownership, and just get on with it. Of course, the potential risk to your warranty might not ever manifest itself - it really depends on how confident you are in your ability to fight with MBUSA in the unlikely event the engine has an internal problem in the first 4 years of ownership. You can be sure though, that IF something happened, they would use the oil change interval as a reason to deny a claim; it's up to you as to how important that risk is against the extra $300-400 you might spend in the next 4 years on oil changes that are probably not necessary.
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Replying to: jrct9454 (Jan 14, 2009 6:45 am) As for the oil change, its Mobil 1 a "synthetic" oil, when does Mobil recommend you change oil? My Benz is 14 months old and I have yet to break 5,000 miles. Do miles come before the 1 year time frame? Synthetic oils do not break down as fast as standard motor oils. Plus I have 2 brothers that are ASE certified mechanics, that can do work on my car...for FREE. Why go to a dealership? As long as I keep a record and receipts, I believe at MBUSA has to honor its warranty. best to all Billi 
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1. Normally when we brake, the car slows down and eventually stops. However, when we lift our foot off the brake slightly, the car accelerates faster instead of slowing down after driving for 20-30 min. This has happened on a few occasions and is unacceptable. My husband and I get anxiety when we drive because of this issue. It's unsafe and if we are ever behind a car when this happens, there could be an accident. 2. We STILL hear squeaking sounds when we brake. We started to hear it maybe a few weeks after purchasing the car. The car is only a little over a year old. 3. Another issue we are having is the parking brake light appearing when the parking brake is not in use. Even while we are driving, the parking brake light comes on. This occured 5-6 times while my husband and I drove the car. One time, the parking brake light came on when we were parked. The strange thing is, we never touched the parking brake once since we bought the car in Sept. 2008. 4. Soon after we bought our car a year ago, we tried to park the car and the engine suddenly stopped running before we stopped and parked. This happened once. We have gone to the dealership in person and have called them on multiple occasions and the answer is always the same: they can't find any problems. If there are any problems, it would show up on the computer, or there would be a warning light. Did we get a lemon? Any advice on what to do next?
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