I went on mobil1.com to search for places in the Phoenix area that stock our oil. To my amazement, they also list a single service station within 20 miles of my house, even more amazing is that an oil change came to $80 with a free touchless carwash.

It sure beats making an appt. at a dealership, dropping your car off there 2 weeks later for an entire day (somehow they justify a full day - 15 minute oil change), and then dropping you pants at the cashier when you're ready to pay...

 

Can you share the find? Were you satisfied with the work? Thanks.

 

You didn't mention anything about the oil filter. I presume the oil change included a MB "fleece" oil filter and not some aftermarket paper filter like those sold by STP or Fram???

 

Very good "Ben", never saw it... hooah

 

Yeah, it was in east Mesa, about 1/4 block east of Power and Main. It was a little bit of a drive for me since I live in Tempe, however they were very nice, and I've always been skeptical of the employees at oil change places. Most are all about the up sell, since I'm sure most of them earn spiffs for the additional services.
I've heard alot of outrageous claims like "you need a new radiator cap, it'll be $25", or the every so popular "as you can see here, your transmission fluid is a dirty brown color, it should be red and clear..." when i had a transmission service less than 3000 miles earlier.
In this shop, there were quite a few customers and to my amazement, no one was told that they needed an additional service anytime during the next 30,000 miles.

 

What kind of oil filter did they use? Was it a MB quality "fleece" filter, or was it a cheap "paper" one like the ones sold by STP or Fram?

Just curious, why did you drive all the way out to East Mesa, there are several Jiffy Lube places in Tempe? According to the Mobil 1 web site, those Jiffy Lube places have Mobil 1 oil too.

 

I'm going to have to look on my receipt... I know that he said "the oil filter is $10 to $15 more expensive than the standard one." I'll get back to you guys about it.

Here's an interesting little bit of info I've come across:
The FSS on some MB cars was standard at about 10,000 miles per oil change and on some would go up to 20,000 miles before a recommended service on even non-syn oiled cars. According to one site, even for older cars, MB now uses the solely fleece oil filters on all of their cars. The paper to fleece switch, now recommended on all MB cars (which also involves a standard oil to syn oil switch), is probably MB's way of trying to dodge any additional payouts / engine rebuilds on those older cars. It just so happens that we're stuck under the same specification...

http://www.lubereport.com/e_article0...F3Slh,a101R1PT

IMHO: The FSS was a bad idea from the start. All they are doing is giving people a reason to change their oil less frequently.

 

I just checked my receipt, and no part number is listed for the additional cost associated with the oil filter, however the guy new as soon as I said "crossfire" that there would be an additional charge for the filter and that the engine takes more than 5 quarts, so... I'd give it a 50/50 chance of being a fleece filter. I guess the only way to know for sure would be to pull it out and take a look, but I have no idea what the fleece filter should look like, I assume it would look quite a bit like the older ones considering that it still has to fit in the same location.

 

They are the same size but are made very differently. The newest version of the fleece filter comes with the top cap already installed on it.

 

Is the part # the same on the old and the new filter?. If the part # is the same you would not know if the dealer put in the new or the old unless you were standing right there watching him. I had a free oil change done by the dealer and the part # on the invoice is 5183748-AA / filter -En 9057006.

 

I went by a Mobil 1 Express Lube and a Jiffy Lube shop that are listed on the Mobil 1 website and asked to see the oil filter they use on the Crossfire. It was a very cheap paper filter with "made in India" stamped on the top in large letters. Hardly MB quality or worth the extra $$$ they charged you for it. I would reconsider using them again, unless you bring your own OEM "fleece" filter.

As I said in another post, 5 Star dealers around town on average are charging $95.00 for an oil and filter change. Buy your own Mobile 1 0W/40 at $4.95 a quart at Walmart or AutoZone and go to the dealer. Have them do the oil change. Taking your own oil will bring the cost down to the $80.00 you paid at the Mobil 1 Express Lube... and if something goes wrong, you'll have an easier time of getting it fixed at the dealership.

Remember, MB stopped using the paper filters a few years ago to prevent engine problems. If it was my car, I would get a new filter and pop it in or get the oil changed again in a couple of thousand miles and use the OEM filter.

Oh, and check out the fleece/paper filters in my previous post above.

 

I am a new member, so bear with. Does anyone change there own oil and filter. Looks straight forward, any surprises. Thanks Gordon

 

search for a topsider, thats the method most of us use at home

 

Welcome to the forum. I change mine the old fashion way all the time. These cars are just as easy as any other. Just be careful with the tool you use on the filter top as it is plastic and damages easy.Filter comes out of the holder hard sometimes just give it a slow steady pull and it should come off.