Mercedes Service Book

This article is for you who own a Mercedes or are considering buying one. The service itself is rarely what annoys. It's the documentation: who registered what, where it is and whether you can find it on the day the warranty or the sale price depends on it.

How often does a Mercedes need to be serviced?

A Mercedes follows the manufacturer's own instructions. Typically, the car is recalled after driven kilometers, somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 km, depending on the model, engine and year. If you drive a few kilometers a year, it is instead an annual interval, usually every year or two.

Mercedes works with an A and B service system. The first inspection is an A service after the first year, and then the inspections alternate between A and B, each with its own scope of work. Newer vehicles calculate what is next and remind you of it on the screen and through Mercedes me Service.

You are free to choose from a workshop, so you decide where your Mercedes is serviced. Pay attention to which spare parts and oil are used: with some manufacturers, the warranty is void if original or OE-approved parts have not been used.

How service is registered today

Previously, the registration was a stamp in the paper service book. Mercedes has moved away from this, and for good reason: a service book that was at home or lost left gaps in the history that could not be closed afterwards. You still get an invoice after each inspection, but few people keep them for twenty years, and a pile of invoices rarely provides an overview.

Today, the workshops register online, and this applies to both Mercedes' own workshops and the independent workshops.

Mercedes' own digital service book

Mercedes started using its own digital service booklet, the Digital Service Booklet, in 2008, where it came with the then new E- and CLS-Classes. The paper booklet was replaced by a registration that is centrally located with the manufacturer.

Mercedes' own system is more open than with several other brands: both the authorized and the independent workshops can look up the history when they work on the car. On the other hand, it is not easy to get to as an owner. If you want to see what is written about your car yourself, you must apply for access from Mercedes. The history exists, but it lives in a place you do not have the key to.

Is it a requirement to use Mercedes' own service book?

No. Many garages and car owners have got this impression, but it is not Mercedes' own system that is the requirement.

The requirement is the documentation. If you end up in a warranty case, you must be able to show that the service intervals have been complied with and that the work has been carried out according to the regulations with approved parts and oil. Where that documentation is located is not the decisive factor. That you can find it is.

Why your Mercedes service history matters

A warranty case is the obvious occasion, but not the only one. If the car is to be sold, a coherent history is what moves the price, because it gives the buyer the assurance that the car is maintained. The odometer reading is stored with each registration, so a history with dates and mileage is also the best protection against tampering with the odometer.

History also has a practical value in the workshop. If you know what has been changed and when, troubleshooting becomes shorter and the right parts can be found the first time. When the inspections switch between A and B, it also makes it easier to see what has actually been done and what is missing.

If the history is scattered or has gaps

This is common, especially on older cars and on cars that have changed owners or workshops several times. Part of the history may be in Mercedes' own system, some at an independent workshop, and some may be lost along with a paper booklet from before 2008.

In the Digital Service Book, your Mercedes can be searched for on the number plate. The lookup covers registrations from the manufacturers' own service books, Mercedes included, and from the workshops that are connected. If there is service that is not included, previous inspections from a paper service book or old invoices can be entered so that the history is collected on the car instead of being stored in three systems and one folder.

When your Mercedes changes hands

Add the car to your own account while you have it. Your own car's history is free for you as the owner, and the service that is carried out in the future accumulates on the car. Then you will have the documentation on the day the car is to be moved on. If you are considering a used Mercedes that you do not own yet, you can buy a service certificate on the number plate before the purchase.