I think this is true with any European car whether it's Mercedes, Audi, BMW or Jaguar. The older the car, the more expensive the maintenance is going to be because there are lots more that must be done to replace and repair. You should be able to get it service for much less by going to an independent service center vs going to the dealer service center. My 4 wheel alignment cost about $80US less than when I had it done at Mercedes service center.