Originally Posted by strupgolf
Like I said on another thread, the odd things about this car has me concerned even being a new owner. But not oil changes. I bought all my stuff at Autozone for $60, good for 8,000 miles. My wife changes her oil every 3,000 miles at $35 each. X-2=70. More than my xfire. The jury is still out on this car, and until we have more info, it will continue to be a mystery. Lets hope we all have great times with a great car.
I don't understand why anyone would be surprised that the dealer would try to screw you on parts or labor. It is what they do. Unless you are rich and don't care, the Dealer should only be used for warrenty work. While the jury may be out on the Crossfire because the oldest ones are still fairly new, I can tell you that the engine has been in use since '98. I traded a 2001 Mercedes ML320 for my Crossfire and was active on Benzoworld.org What I can tell you is the engines are very durable and the only common problem was sensor failures. the most common failure was the crank position sensor and I have already started to see this failure reported on this forum. One thing everyone should do is find a source for parts other than the dealer. My local Dealer wanted $350 to fix my bad sensor. I bought the sensor from a NAPA store for about $50 bucks and changed it my self in about 10 minutes after reading how to do it on the forum.
If you can't work on your car find an honest independent shop that is familiar with Mercedes. Be sure to ask the independent if they have the Starmark or autologic (with Mercedes) diagnostic computer.
As an FYI, any Autozone will scan your computer for free if your check engine light comes on. They will tell you what is wrong so you can buy the right part and fix the car yourself. Investing in your own scan tool is a smart investment also. If you are smart you will find that these cars cost much less to maintain than other cars as they are much more reliable and durable. Just don't get hosed on the routine stuff.