Holy crap!!! What is going on with our cars, OEM parts and Chrysler??? The topic on cabin air filters now
costing $88 got my attention and it really has me seeing RED !!!

I looked back at my old paperwork and this thread, post #28, which I posted in Feb '06. I paid $46 for
an OEM cabin air filter back then. I just called two dealerships near me. One wants $78.60 + tax and the
other one wants $95 + tax for the OEM filter. What a rip!!!

This car is really starting to be more than Chrysler's red headed step child, it's a red herring and it's going to
take a second mortgage to pay for the future routine maintenance and repairs once the Crossfire is out of
warranty.

I've enjoyed my car tremendously, but knowing what I know now, and see were things are going... I would
never consider buying one at the rock bottom prices they sell for today, much less the MSRP price of $35k I
paid in Dec '04.

Sorry for the rant, but this car is really starting to be a joke...

 

ben... give my good friend at my local 'benz' dealer a call... he will sell it for wholesale pricing... let him know you were referred by andrew smith.

joe wood (m/b parts manager) 614.376.0100

i paid $27.60 for the dust filter.

 

Any opinions (good or bad) on the K&N oil filters?

 

K&N oil filters???

I believe this thread is about the cost of "cabin air filters" and the rising cost of maintaining
a Crossfire, NOT if a brand of oil filter is any good....

 

Sorry, missed that (long day)...

 

I hear ya. Tires are ridiculous, oil changes suck. I can't imagine the cost of a mercedes part when one goes bad.

 

I can't say I agree with that. Think about it. The car holds 8.5 quarts. The FSS can easily go to 8-9K miles between changes. So, if you changed it every 3,000 like a conventional car, you would be spending the same amount over time anyway.

 

Like I said on another thread, the odd things about this car has me concerned even being a new owner. But not oil changes. I bought all my stuff at Autozone for $60, good for 8,000 miles. My wife changes her oil every 3,000 miles at $35 each. X-2=70. More than my xfire. The jury is still out on this car, and until we have more info, it will continue to be a mystery. Lets hope we all have great times with a great car.

 

Add to that BMW claims you can go 15K with Mobil 1. They offer their "free" maintenance with a 15K change. So, if it can go 15K then it is definitely cheaper.

 

ben47 I'm the one that started that thread upon finding the $88 cabin air filter and I agree with you, it is outrageous for Chrysler to charge that kind of money for an air filter even if it may be OEM. Even the employee in the first parts department I tried was shocked, in fact he even suggested I look elsewhere for a third party filter... You know it's bad when an employee suggests you go elsewhere...

 

Yes it is, bad, very bad. What's worse and very sad is how Chrysler has treated this car and it's owners...

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As for the comments about oil changes above... that's not the issue. What I am talking about is the increasing costs for OEM parts
and what can we expect in the future when we have to start paying for repairs after the warranty expires...

 

I have NEVER heard of a "cabin air filter" in any car I've owned. This HAS to be a plan by DC to get more money. WTF. I can't think of a filter that ever needed to be changed in the interior for circulation, and I don't plan to change mine anytime in my lifetime. This has got to be a joke, right? This car gets stranger by the minute.

 

~ bmw has been using them for years... as well as many other up scale manufactures/models.

you may want to change it every 25k or so... they get rather dirty.

 

Nope... it's not a joke. More and more cars are being built with this feature. Even my wife's Jeep Liberty 4x4 has one.

The original Mercedes-Benz box with part number for the Crossfire's cabin air filter...



The OEM cabin air filter...

 

~ pics of my filter at 25,000 miles.

(new - vs - old):

filter.jpg

 

That's strange. Can it be cleaned by a vacuum? I guess I've been out of the loop for awhile with new cars. Oh well, I plan to breath like always. Thanks for the update.

 

German cars are notorious for expensive parts for one thing, it's not just the Crossfire.

Change your own oil! Get a little dirty and save some money.

I don't really care about a cabin air filter. I'll change it when my air vents quit blowing air.

Luxury cars including sports cars are expensive, that's why they aren't economy cars. Yes, the prices have dropped, but it was originally a luxury vehicle. Get used to it, or get a Hyundai Accent.

The dealers do suck, but I've had crappy Infiniti dealers too.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself, if you want a cheap car buy a Honda or a Kia. If you want an upscale car get used to paying for its features!

 

I don't understand why anyone would be surprised that the dealer would try to screw you on parts or labor. It is what they do. Unless you are rich and don't care, the Dealer should only be used for warrenty work. While the jury may be out on the Crossfire because the oldest ones are still fairly new, I can tell you that the engine has been in use since '98. I traded a 2001 Mercedes ML320 for my Crossfire and was active on Benzoworld.org What I can tell you is the engines are very durable and the only common problem was sensor failures. the most common failure was the crank position sensor and I have already started to see this failure reported on this forum. One thing everyone should do is find a source for parts other than the dealer. My local Dealer wanted $350 to fix my bad sensor. I bought the sensor from a NAPA store for about $50 bucks and changed it my self in about 10 minutes after reading how to do it on the forum.

If you can't work on your car find an honest independent shop that is familiar with Mercedes. Be sure to ask the independent if they have the Starmark or autologic (with Mercedes) diagnostic computer.

As an FYI, any Autozone will scan your computer for free if your check engine light comes on. They will tell you what is wrong so you can buy the right part and fix the car yourself. Investing in your own scan tool is a smart investment also. If you are smart you will find that these cars cost much less to maintain than other cars as they are much more reliable and durable. Just don't get hosed on the routine stuff.

 

Even my chevy pickup has a cabin filter. I think almost all new cars and trucks have a cabin filter now days.