Mercedes Service & Maintenance Guide

Mercedes has always prided itself on being on the forefront of motor development. Tracing its history back through two centuries will lead you to the birth of the modern auto. It is little wonder then that their vehicles still represent the pinnacle of safety, luxury and engineering. Mercedes are no means exempt from standard service and maintenance, despite their bullet proof design (no pun intended). We have already covered their basic service schedule in depth, so in this article we are going to take a look at some more obscure facets specific to Mercedes service and maintenance that may save you time and money in the near future.

1. Spare Wheel

About the most common roadside problem modern drivers experience is a flat tire. That’s what spare tires are for, right? It is exactly what they were for. Many modern cars, including Mercedes, do not have a spare tire at all.

There are two main reasons for this. Tires have not been omitted from the relentless development and improvement we saw in the automotive era of last century. We now have more durable rubber compounds and some tires can even work perfectly fine without any air, albeit for a limited number of miles.

Second, as manufacturers have increasingly needed to maximize the amount of interior space, the large volume used by the spare was incorporated into the trunk area. This is all very well, but what does it mean to you?

Instead of a full spare Mercedes has one of three different solutions, depending on your model. Regardless of what solution Mercedes has supplied your auto with, one thing is critically important; check it.

Space-Saving Emergency Wheel 

This is usually stored deflated and needs to be pumped with the supplied mini compressor. If your auto was bought used, haul the wheel out, check that you can pump it up to pressure and that it doesn’t have a puncture.

Re-inflation Kit

This consists of a can of tire sealant and a compressor. Cans lose their pressure over time. There is no reliable way of telling whether the sealant is still good other than the expiration date on the can. If yours has expired, you can always pop into our shop and pick up a new one.

Additionally, it is worth checking that the compressor pump runs and works. The easiest way to do this is to just test it on a wheel.

Run-flat Tires

Some models have run-flat tires as factory standard. In these you may not have any inflation kit at all. You can still drive a good 150 miles with a flat run-flat tire, but only at a maximum speed of 50 mph. Bear this in mind when you change your tires or wheels though; you have to stick to fitting run-flats or else buy an inflation kit and keep it in the trunk.

Even if you have an excellent roadside assistance plan, it pays to be familiar with your auto’s spare solution, since you can easily become stranded in a remote location where they are unable to provide assistance.

2. Vehicle Battery Charge

Unlike tires, one thing that hasn’t changed much about the auto is the battery. Mr. Musk may be sending Teslas into orbit, but your Mercedes still has the same lead-acid battery that your grandfather’s Mercedes did.

Modern cars are basically computers on wheels with systems like radar control, key-less entry and 360-degree cameras. These are very demanding on the battery and if your auto is left parked for a prolonged period of time can easily drain it of charge. A proximity-key very quickly becomes a paper weight when your battery is flat. We will inspect the battery exterior and charge level during a service, but what we recommend if you are going on vacation or leaving your auto for a period longer than one week is to get a smart battery charger and leave it connected to your Mercedes battery while you are away.

Mercedes Service & Maintenance In Greater Fort Lauderdale

At Foreign Affairs Motorwerks we believe that proper maintenance is much more than regular oil changes. We put our 30 years of automotive experience to work, bringing you the best in service, repair and performance tuning. Proper maintenance depends on you and there is no such thing as a stupid question, so feel free to stop into our Pompano Beach shop for friendly advice.