can your husband diy?

if answer is yes, say he can do regular maintenance like spark plugs, oil, brake pads and fluid changes, you won't feel expensive, although parts could be around 30-50% higher.

if it's a no, well, under normal circustances, i.e. no major repairs, the cost of mercedes maintenance is about double than that of jap's cars - parts cost more and technician hourly rate is about 30% higher, and, the time to get job done is longer as it's more complicated requiring special tools in some cases.  compounding all the factors, roughly about double is a reasonable estimate.

One thing to remember - you don't have to go to dealer for services; some mercedes specializing shops or so called "euro auto shops" do just as good as dealers.  enjoy it.