ASSYST service intervals

[yellowbentines]

Hello all, just wondering if there's any Merc experts who know what the service intervals should be on my 06 plate C180K? It had an 'A' service last year which was the first service and came up after 14k miles, however after the system reset it only gave me 10k miles until the 'B' service yesterday, and when I check it's been reset and only gives me 10k miles until the next 'A' is due. According to the dealer service printout (and the little topup bottle they leave in the boot) the oil used for the service is Castrol Softec TXT fully synthetic 5w/40, so i thought i would've got a bit more miles between services - do you think the system hasn't been reset properly, I'm sure I've heard that it needs to be 'told' that synthetic oil is being used to extend the intervals, otherwise it uses default settings.

Cheers.

[yellowbentines]

Sorry for the bump but can anyone even give me an idea of what mileage their next service has been due at once the indicator has been reset post service - I'm thinking that 10,000 miles between 'A' and 'B' and then another 10,000 between that and another 'A' isn't very much, especially given the oil is fully synthetic, any thoughts welcome, cheers.

[5 wh]

All the recent mercs Ive come into contact with recently have had either 10000 miles or 1 year service intervals roughly on ASSYST.This is using fully synthetic as well.

This is no bad thing as 20000 mile 2 year service intervals is stretching things a bit,even with fully synthetic being used-Ive seen cars where the oil becomes very gunky when not changed for 20000.

[yellowbentines]

5 wh said:

All the recent mercs Ive come into contact with recently have had either 10000 miles or 1 year service intervals roughly on ASSYST.This is using fully synthetic as well.

This is no bad thing as 20000 mile 2 year service intervals is stretching things a bit,even with fully synthetic being used-Ive seen cars where the oil becomes very gunky when not changed for 20000.

Thanks

[Deva Link]

Service interval can be changed (by dealer) to fixed 12mth/15,500 miles.

If ASSYST is resetting to 10K then it's probably because the wrong oil is being selected - there's a choice of Standard, 229.3 or 229.5.

The oil used should be 229.5 and that should be selected in the cluster display when the indicator is reset. It should reset to 13,000 miles then, and will adjust up or down depending on the tyoe of use the car has.

[yellowbentines]

Deva Link said:

Service interval can be changed (by dealer) to fixed 12mth/15,500 miles.

If ASSYST is resetting to 10K then it's probably because the wrong oil is being selected - there's a choice of Standard, 229.3 or 229.5.

The oil used should be 229.5 and that should be selected in the cluster display when the indicator is reset. It should reset to 13,000 miles then, and will adjust up or down depending on the tyoe of use the car has.

OK, took car to dealer today as they were scratching their heads on this one too. Apparently some cars are ASSYST, some ASSYST PLUS, on ASSYST the only cars that allow oil selection are diesels (selected models), on ASSYST PLUS most cars can have the oil set on dash through the steering wheel controls.

So, I'll have to make do with 10k intervals...however, the dealer did let me know that when the car is nearly due for a service you can add some fresh oil (as long as there's room and you don't overfill), this alters the total viscosity, and can add another thousand miles or so before service is due - which I'mm happy to do as i don't feel stretching the intervals to 11/12k should be damaging given its fully synthetic oil used.

[Deva Link]

yellowbentines said:

OK, took car to dealer today as they were scratching their heads on this one too.

It's extremely annoying that the dealers don't understand the servicing requirements of these cars - many don't even seem to understand which spec oil to use.

You have to add a certain amount - can't remember if it's half or one litre - to affect the mileage. What you can do is simply change the oil - some owners use an oil extractor to make it really easy.

As far as I can see, there's no reason why your car couldn't be on fixed 1yr/15,500 mile intervals. MB UK made a big thing of this a couple of years ago as fleet users where unhappy about being unable to predict the service costs.

I don't use my MB much so it only needs servicing every couple of years, and my dealer wrote to me and offered to change my car to fixed annual servicing. Funny that, isn't it?

Edited by Deva Link on Thursday 27th March 18:00

[Jimmy 007]

I have a 55 plate E220 cdi. First service was 13500mls. I noticed they had reset the assyst to 9000mls.
I looked it up on an American forum and found it should be set to 12,000mls with Castrol Edge 0w 30.
After 3000mls went back.
The service manager agreed but reset the assyst completely, result...another 9,000mls until next service.
He aslo told me it monitors the cleanliness of the oil via I think a particle counter.
Adding oil does extend the interval but mine doesnt use enough to top up.
Anyway to cut a long story short, Castrol Edge or Mobil 1 the datum should be set to 12000mls.

[yellowbentines]

Update! I emailed Mercedes customer care, within 24hrs they'd acknowledged my query/complaint and within a further 24hrs someone from my local Merc dealership (who supplied and service my car) called me to ask me to take the car in for them to look at, Merc head office technical had emailed a list of instructions to my dealership on how to reset the indicator properly.

Bob's your uncle, they follow the instructions and 13,000 miles until next service comes up on the dash, as it should with the higher grade fully synthetic oil used. The dealership admitted they weren't aware of this method of resetting the indicator, and that grades of oil could be selected on my model of car (apparently none of the technicians were aware so how many people in central Scotland get their cars serviced 3,000 miles early each time, big £££s for a dealership). Anyway, to be fair to the chap he's offered me a discount on my next service as compensation, and they now know how to reset service indicators on one of their biggest selling models.

[Deva Link]

yellowbentines said:

The dealership admitted they weren't aware of this method of resetting the indicator, and that grades of oil could be selected on my model of car (apparently none of the technicians were aware...

I find that utterly astonishing. I'm really struggling to believe it could possibly be true.

[yellowbentines]

Do you think it would be cheeky of me to invoice the dealership for training consultancy fees?

[Deva Link]

yellowbentines said:

Do you think it would be cheeky of me to invoice the dealership for training consultancy fees?

Joking apart, I have found Mercedes dealers seem to be much more wasteful of my time than other dealers.

My first service I was told would take an hour so I said I might as well wait. Asked about wireless internet access an they looked at me as if I was from outer space. Actually took 2.5 hrs for the last 20mins my car was sat outside but I couldn't find anyone to hand it over.

Second service it took 40 mins to take the car off me - and then when I picked it up I got a list of "no fault found" or "that work wasn't necessary" (the car is on ServicePlus and I've never owned a vehicle that needed so little work - just shows how much of the work dealers say is necessary is bullst).
I had also arranged an E320CDi to try and they led me out to an A Class, then shrugged when I asked about the E and said perhaps I could come back another time.

[yellowbentines]

True, I called a main dealer last week for a price for front brake pads and fluid (would've done the work myself except you need the machine to reset the bloody dashboard indicator), the girl that answered the phone in the service dept. seemed baffled by my request for a price for such unusual and complicated work, it took her a full day to call me back and she left a message quoting £375 which apparently included a limited time only discount of 25%, for that price I'd want new wheels too!

In the meantime I'd called a local specialist who I only recently found out existed, he knew exactly what parts were needed, some C-Classes have sports pack with different pads which he knew to ask about, and he quoted me a fixed price of £90+VAT for pads, £40+VAT for fluid immediately, needless to say he got the business, fitted me in the next day, car ready 2hrs after dropping off, no hassles. I didnt get a courtesy car or a cup of Kenco Columbian Roast but I did get to speak to the guy who'd be working on my car and he gave me total confidence that he knew what he was doing.

[chiefski26]

excellent info re the servicing thanks

[yellowbentines]

chiefski26 said:

excellent info re the servicing thanks

Just to stress the dealer stated this doesn't work on all cars of the same model, apparently he tried the resetting method used on my car on the same model but 1yr older and it didn't work, and later build dates (mine is early 2006) from late 2006 onwards have a different system again - it seems Mercedes tried a system that didn't really live up to expectations and then switftly changed it again - if in doubt email mercedes customer care [e-mail] with your chassis/reg number, they were swift to sort things out for me.

[DRIFT KING]

Hi there

I have an 04 C180K coupe with ASSYST

For my car and I assume yours as well, ASSYST does not have fixed service intervals because the on-board computer works out what service it needs and when, based on driving style, short or long journeys, temperature, oil, etc.. E.g. my car had it's first service (service A) at about 7500 miles on the clock in the middle of 2006. It has not needed a service until now at 27500 miles and 2 years and a bit later! (and it's only an A service!) It has not yet required a B service...

[Deva Link]

DRIFT KING said:

Hi there

I have an 04 C180K coupe with ASSYST

For my car and I assume yours as well, ASSYST does not have fixed service intervals because the on-board computer works out what service it needs and when, based on driving style, short or long journeys, temperature, oil, etc.. E.g. my car had it's first service (service A) at about 7500 miles on the clock in the middle of 2006. It has not needed a service until now at 27500 miles and 2 years and a bit later! (and it's only an A service!) It has not yet required a B service...

There's something seriously wrong there.

No way it would a petrol Merc run to that many miles and even for the diesels that's still too high. Anyway the absolute maximum time limit ASSYST allows between services is 2yrs. If the car is little used, then a month before the 2nd anniversary since the last service, the miles to service display changes to days.

Also it will call for a B service at that interval - A services are intermediate oil changes a brief checks only. The car should have a B service approx every 2 years and if it's doing very low mileage (such that it's hitting the 2 year limit) then it will always call for a B service.

In normal use the services alternate, so you had an A service in 2006 (whioch at 2yrs old should really have been a B) then the car should have come out of the dealership with the next service showing as a B.

I think ASSYST must have been reset on your car - that would have the effect of extending the mileage, and it would have also flipped the service required back to an A.

Edited by Deva Link on Thursday 28th August 23:24

[DRIFT KING]

Deva Link said:

DRIFT KING said:

Hi there

I have an 04 C180K coupe with ASSYST

For my car and I assume yours as well, ASSYST does not have fixed service intervals because the on-board computer works out what service it needs and when, based on driving style, short or long journeys, temperature, oil, etc.. E.g. my car had it's first service (service A) at about 7500 miles on the clock in the middle of 2006. It has not needed a service until now at 27500 miles and 2 years and a bit later! (and it's only an A service!) It has not yet required a B service...

There's something seriously wrong there.

No way it would a petrol Merc run to that many miles and even for the diesels that's still too high. Anyway the absolute maximum time limit ASSYST allows between services is 2yrs. If the car is little used, then a month before the 2nd anniversary since the last service, the miles to service display changes to days.

Also it will call for a B service at that interval - A services are intermediate oil changes a brief checks only. The car should have a B service approx every 2 years and if it's doing very low mileage (such that it's hitting the 2 year limit) then it will always call for a B service.

In normal use the services alternate, so you had an A service in 2006 (whioch at 2yrs old should really have been a B) then the car should have come out of the dealership with the next service showing as a B.

I think ASSYST must have been reset on your car - that would have the effect of extending the mileage, and it would have also flipped the service required back to an A.

Edited by Deva Link on Thursday 28th August 23:24

Hmm now you mention it, it does seem a bit strange. My other Merc has had services A, B, A and B and previous Mercedes I have owned have alternating A and B services, even though this is not mentioned in the manual (or I can't find it in there).

The last service was done at a Mercedes Main Dealer. Must have been, like you say, an improper reset. It was really strange because when the car first recently notified that it needed the A service, it did not do a countdown of days but miles and this occured past the 2 year interval (more like nearly 2 and a half years because the first service, which was the A service was done in April 06 at 7500 miles).

Will let the garage sort it out.

Thanks for the advice.

[Deva Link]

DRIFT KING said:

Thanks for the advice.

As the car is out of warranty (unless you've extended it) then it doesn't really matter anyway.

The A/B thing is only a guide to the basic service required and pretty well the only difference is the checks on the B service are a little more in depth.

When you take the car to an MB dealer, they put the car's details - VIN, mileage and age - into an Electronic Service Sheet (ESS) system and this tells them what work needs to be done to the car, and it also lists recall and service advisory work.

[DRIFT KING]

No warranty but I don't think it needs it etc.

Car runs fine etc.

Cheers