One of the most important things about owning a Mercedes Benz is keeping on top of the maintenance. A Mercedes is, often, an investment; and the better you take care of your investment, the more you’ll get out of it when it’s time to sell it off. In addition, getting regular services also maintains your warranty and keeps your Mercedes Benz running like it should. Fortunately for Mercedes owners, Mercedes has created the Mercedes Flexible Service System.

The Mercedes-Benz Flexible Service System provides the owner of a Mercedes Benz vehicle with a flexible service schedule based on the customer’s driving style. The system, also known as “Active Service System” or “ASSYST” determines the number of days or the amount of miles before the next suggested maintenance on the Mercedes vehicle. It then displays that figure on the multifunction display. Once the service milestone is past, the display adds a wrench symbol, as well as the words, “Exceeded by” and the number of miles or days.

Each Mercedes vehicle has a separate service sheet that details the specific sorts of services required for that specific limit of time or miles. Each of the service sheets has two groups of service. There is a smaller “Service A” and there is a more extensive “Service B.” In general, a Mercedes vehicle will have between 10 and 14 thousand miles in between Service A and Service B. In addition, any work that’s not dependant on miles is listed as “Additional Work.”

There are several configurations of the ASSYST system. There is the basic ASSYST without a service scope display, the basic ASSYST with a service scope display, and then the ASSYST PLUS. The system works by looking at how much actual wear there has been on the vehicle and then schedules service intervals accordingly.

Authorized Mercedes service centers are familiar with the ASSYST system. If you schedule a service appointment to get “Service B,” the will know exactly what you’re talking about. In addition, they can help with any problems with the system, such as a display problem or an incorrect date setting.