How much should tuning a Mercedes E320 (year 2003, Miles 100K) cost? Dealer is asking $800.00. Does it sound reasonable?
There is no such thing as a standard tune up today. You need to look at the owner’s manual and it should List the maintenance that should be done and how often it should be done.
That said, dealers are no better or worse than independent mechanics. They do tend to charge more for the same quality of service. I would suggest finding a local independent mechanic (not a chain) for service. I would also suggest becoming more involved in that owner’s manual and make sure everything is done by that book.
If anyone suggest this or that flush or other work not listed in the owner’s manual be suspect of their motives.
I would ask on a MB board. Get a 2nd quote from a MB specific independent, they usually exist if a dealer is in your area or many people own your vehicle around.
IF you read the maintenance schedule that should have come with the car, I don’t think you’ll find the word “tune” anywhere. The computer tunes the car as you drive, constantly adapting to changing conditions. All they do in service departments these days is replace worn out or malfunctioning parts.
What does the MB dealer propose to do for $800? I’m sure there some fluid changes involved, and perhaps new spark plugs and filters, but that should be about it.
As has already been stated or implied, the term “tune-up” is essentially meaningless, and if you asked 10 mechanics what constituted a “tune-up”, you would likely get at least 8 different answers.
More likely is that the dealership quoted the price of the 100k service. If, as I suspect, this is one of the major service intervals for a Mercedes, then $800. is probably on target for a dealership, since that service likely includes changing every fluid, every filter, and replacing the spark plugs.
If you want to know exactly what you should be doing at that mileage interval, all you have to do is open your glove compartment, find the booklet containing the Mercedes factory maintenance schedule, and make a copy of the maintenance list for 100k.
Take that list to a few reputable mechanics in your town and get price quotes. Then take the same list to the dealership, and get their price quote. It is very likely that the original dealership price quote included procedures not specified by the manufacturer, and by telling the service department that you want only the procedures listed in the maintenance schedule, they just might come up with a lower price quote.
Servicing a car should not be such a mystery. All that one has to do is to read and follow the specific advice provided by the manufacturer. And, as has been stated, it is very unlikely that the manufacturer uses a non-specific term such as “tune-up”. In fact, when a customer uses such a meaningless term, it is frequently a signal for service personnel to take advantage of the customer with a laundry list of unnecessary procedures. All it takes to educate yourself on this topic is to open the glove compartment, and to spend a few minutes reading the maintenance booklet that is sitting there.
Getting a tune and a tune up are two totally different things. A tune usually entails putting a car on a chassis dyno and using a laptop or handheld tuner to adjust the ECU parameters to take advantage of aftermarket modifications. I had my Mustang dyno-tuned when the supercharger was installed. For reliability and drivability it’s a good idea. A tune up is just routine maintence, these days it basically consists of new spark plugs, possible new wires, and maybe a new fuel filter. No dealerships that I know of have a chassis dyno, so I’ll assume you need a tune up, $800 is pretty high even for a dealership, try an independent shop
I’m not sure what they’ll be doing for this “Tune-up”. But I have to say I can’t see any PM that’ll cost this amount…UNLESS it includes replacing a timing belt (which I don’t think this vehicle has).
Mike–Remember–this is a Mercedes, and the cost of everything for those cars tends to be much higher–especially at a dealership. I am going to guess (and at this point, we are all guessing!) that this dealer quote is for spark plug replacement, motor oil & filter change, air filter, fuel filter, brake fluid change, coolant change, transmission fluid & filter change, and perhaps new spark plug wires.
In view of the make of car and the probable list of procedures, I don’t think that the price quote is surprising. Note that I did not say that the quote was reasonable–only that it is not surprising, given the make of car and the source of the price quote.
Now, if the OP would find out what that “tune-up” consists of, we can all give more informed opinions!
Something like a Inspection 2 on a BMW,but the interval is not yearly it is by miles,the newer car interval’s are longer but car’s from the 90’s had 30,000 mile Inspection 2 intervals (we called it “the big one”) pretty much everything some models had differences in diff.fluid change intervals and fuel filter chance intervals,but a long list included a code scan and clearing (or additional repairs) and this was the car I was introduced to changing wiper inserts on at every inspection (1 or 2).I mention BMW because the service mentality is similar with Mercedes. And $800.00 for a 2000 7 series Inspection 2 was possible. Oil change with cabin filters could be $160.00.