Any proud owner of a Mercedes-Benz will want to ensure that the vehicle is kept in the best possible condition. Maintaining your A-Class could not only ensure a smooth drive, but it could help prevent breakdowns or even costly car insurance claims in case a mechanical failure leads to an accident.

That’s why finding the best garage to service your car and doing all you can to keep it in the best condition between services is so important.

Servicing and repairs

Having your Mercedes-Benz serviced at regular intervals is a must if you want to ensure peak performance. Mercedes-Benz itself offers two service plans: Mercedes-Benz Care and Mercedes-Benz Total Care.

With Mercedes-Benz Care you are covered for routine maintenance recommended in the service schedule for your vehicle. Typically, this includes labour, parts and lubricants. With Mercedes-Benz Total Care you are covered for repairs on friction parts meaning you can relax about replacing items such as brake pads, discs, wiper blades and manual clutch assemblies.

Mercedes-Benz also offers a number of official workshops where you can take the vehicle for a repair, and, with fixed prices on repairs you will know in advance what you are going to pay. For example, replacing the front brake pads and discs on an A-Class costs £260, while replacing brake rear pads costs £120 – this allows you to see how competitive the prices are before repair work begins.*

Should you choose to arrange a service independently, use the Motor Industry Codes website to find a garage that has signed up to the Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repairs – this is designed to promote and safeguard consumers’ interest. Shop around for costs too as there can be great variations, even between franchised dealers, and, if you do go to an independent garage, ensure it is VAT-registered and make sure the parts and fluid are genuine manufacturer products – receipts and serial numbers should prove this.

How to keep your Mercedes-Benz healthy

Follow a maintenance checklist to ensure you keep your A-Class in top shape. What Car? Magazine suggests the following maintenance timeframes:

Every week:

-    Check tyre condition: Including studying the tyre walls and checking the tread depth ensuring there is at least 1.6mm of rubber across the central three quarters of the tread all around the tyre.

-    Check tyre pressures: Do this when tyres are cold and the car is on a level surface.

Every two weeks:

-    Check oil levels: Leave the car to cool for at least 30 minutes before checking.

Every month:

-    Check the brake fluid: If it is below the minimum level, top-up as appropriate.

-    Check coolant levels: Only check when the car is cold. If regular top-ups are needed then there is probably a leak somewhere.

-    Check washer fluid levels and windscreen wipers: Wipers that smear a screen may need to be replaced.

-    Check lights: Do more than just switching them on – ensure none of the bulbs have blown and there are no cracks in the lenses.

*All prices correct as of October 06, 2009.