Importance and Cost of changing FUEL filter

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by altlife

My manual states 20,000 miles. The service advisor said I should do it early because I live in Florida and the humidity and dampness causes excess water in the separator which in turn will corrode the fuel lines in the future. I am not mechanically inclined but that seems a little bogus. Not sure.

Bogus. Modern fuel tanks are not vented. They have an air gap at the top of the tank for expansion. The only way you get water in the fuel is if the water was already in the fuel when you put it in the tank. Or if you filled the tank in the rain.

[KSA63]

For those of you interested in doing (or already doing) your own oil and filter changes, have a look at idparts for your replacement oil and filters. I have used them when the C$ was closer to par and the import rules were a little less onerous. For anyone in the continental USA, idparts is about as good as it gets for diesel oils, filters and high volume parts.

http://www.idparts.com/

[Ron_CA]

Originally Posted by altlife

My manual states 20,000 miles. The service advisor said I should do it early because I live in Florida and the humidity and dampness causes excess water in the separator which in turn will corrode the fuel lines in the future. I am not mechanically inclined but that seems a little bogus. Not sure.

Ok, that's odd. My 2015 states 30k for fuel filter replacement and then your 2016 it went back down to 20k.

[cliffcharb]

Sorry I cannot comment on cost, but as a fleet owner regularly changing your fuel filter is cheap insurance against costly repairs. It takes just the smallest particle to clog up an injector. In my MB powered Freightliners we always change all filters during oil changes.

[RoadJager]

The requirement for frequent fuel filter changes stems from Bosch testing. They were having excessive fuel pressure bleed-off issues. It was isolated to the injector pintle having 'large' trenches eroded into them. The trenches/gouges were caused by contamination in the fuel. With the high pressures the system uses, the particles were being pushed through the nozzle damaging the pintle. I was told under a microscope the trenches/gouges were very dramatic which caused the pressures to bleed off. Water contamination also an issue regardless of the source of the water.
Fuel filter replacement is very inexpensive compared to the repairs required if it is not done routinely. I personally feel the manufacturers could locate serviceable items such as this fuel filter is a more acessable location to encourge its replacement at a more affordable cost.

Road Jager
P.S. Protag, Glad to see you actively posting again.

[altlife]

Thank you all for your feedback.

I just called a different Mercedes dealer, a little further away, and they told me I could do the fuel filter every other service. In addition if I chose to do it more often it would cast me half of what the other dealer quoted. Oil change plus @ $315 fuel filter around $375. Way more realistic than $1,250 for both.

A little inconvenience will be worth the drive. Plus I love to drive the interstate

I will also procure a fuel filter to have just in case based on other recommendations in the forum.

[RICKBETTY]

According to MB manual, its important to do the first fuel filter change at 1 year, future changes with B services. Your quote sounds high. i just had a fuel filter change and brake fluid flushed at a AAA service center for $458.00

[Al and Missy]

I asked my service rep and got an explanation of Mercedes services. A, B, C is just a price category. Service items are determined by the mileage. It wasn't always that way. An A service meant certain items to inspect and other items to change. Now everything goes by the mileage/time.

Al