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New 97 S600 Coupe issues - comprehensive list, need line by line suspects

5K views 57 replies 10 participants last post by  will_c140 
#1 ·
Countless hours searching, found some good stuff but not necessarily 100% relevant to my specific situations. Been on the boards for near 15 years, lost username and email. Not my first Benz, more like my 8th.

Long post, bear with me. Replies quoting my areas of issue and then providing the 1, 2 or 3 likeliest culprits will be ideal and preferred (yes, I've printed out all pages of Uberalles and I have KJ6RFs page as I remember it from a decade ago, and I have an MB tech who works on the side so I get parts at cost and labor at $60/hour, but his side-time is limited,and I'd rather spend money on parts and repair labor vs diagnostics and letting the car sit un-roadworthy for weeks on end. I'm ready to get this damn thing on the road for its intended purpose.

CA car with 176k miles. 2nd owner 15 years, everything done at the dealer from 99 (and presumably 97-99) to 2014, all the way to 4 sets of dealer-bought Michelins. Tells me the owner was not trying to save $50 per service so I had confidence in the car.

Owner 3 seems to have never washed the car, put 6k on it in 2 years, lied about the condition, lied about putting all the service records in the car (or books and manuals, for that matter). Has a high-end (but hideous for this car) flip-up Bluetooth GPS hands-free head unit FWIW.

Pictures showed a car with 3 bar oil pressure and no dash lights. I specifically quizzed him about certain components and he said oh yes they work, yeah ok. Ton of issues. Ironically, for all his 2 years worth of complete neglect, AC is ice cold and fans work properly, correct Michelins have great tread and wear, and the brakes appear good. So here is what I ended up with (stuff that's been largely addressed, or in the process of, is listed first. The stuff I really need help with is lower down)

1) Check engine light on at arrival. Autozone diagnosed it as a P0304, so we ordered a coil and plugs and re-did the plugs (they looked pretty hideous) and coil #4. Unfortunately, coil 12 also has a suspect looking coil, and 2 coil boots had part of the metal spark plug contact broken off, so 2 boots and 1 more coil are on order. Hopefully P0304 becomes a moo point this weekend, and the V12 will come to life will full smoothness and can be driven without causing mechanical nightmares.

2) 3 plugs have oil on them, so it looks like a valve cover gasket is on order. How much problem/what kind of problems would it cause to drive the car like this for 1000 miles or so before changing it out? Will I toast 3 new plugs? Worse?

3) On oil, it clearly was never changed in 2 years, the cabin filter was filthy, so we're going to do all that, 2 air filters, a fuel filter, trans and torque converter drain and fill, probably it for now as far as overdue routine maintenance.

4) Driver door glass was down 1/2 inch to its apparent "door open" position and the driver had a damn tshirt rolled up in the window. Great. What I figured out was that if you shut the driver door with anything more than pinky-finger effort, the door shuts beyond the close-assist and the windows stay down. Blow on it to close it and everything pulls shut and rolls up. Bad physical latch mechanism? Sensor is technically working. Trunk pulls closed as designed!

5) Passenger door will not open from the outside. Handle feels stripped out like a stretched parking brake cable. Again, bad latch?

6) Driver seat will not move and one of the buttons on the side of the seat is missing (where oh where to find interior buttons from a 140 with every option?) Is it not moving because the motor is dead, or is there a fuse that is likelier, or a connector?

7) Rear headrests and roller shade are stuck in "up" and will not move down. They just make horrible clicking noises that make me want to cover my ears. I hope trying to operate them hasn't destroyed something

8) Seatbelt presenter for driver seat worked once and then changed its mind. I can pull the seatbelt, but it was stuck at first. Looks like someone else had the same problem, and their solution (let me guess, owner #3?) was to just pull on it with the force of a mechanical winch. The belt is frayed to hell and really needs to be replaced)

9) Passenger seatbelt presenter was observed "working" while I drove the car, the definition or "working" being it kept moving back and forth like a horror movie, possessed by demons.

10) Headlight wiper stuck in up position on the right. Tech says unscrew and move it down. I say it was MBs' flagship car in 97 and I want it to work 100%

11) ADS feels way too firm! At first I thought it was air suspension and was fully deflated. That's the sensation. I know these cars ride low, but this one looks too flaccid to me. The ride is most certainly not flaccid. The light comes on when I move the ADS button to firm, but I am not sure I can tell a difference in ride. Honestly, my seat of the pants feeling is that it's not "stuck" on firm, but that it's riding the ground and hence hugging and bobbing like a GL suv with a bad strut or 4. Hydraulic fluid looks full with engine off, power steering fluid full....?? This is on line 11 but I really should have put this on like 2, as it's GOT to be fixed before I take it on the road for more than testing.

12) Fuel light was on, so with the check engine light on and evidence that this car has only been driven 300 miles in the past 12 months, I put in 10 gallons of Vpower, a bottle of Techron, and a bottle of Heet. My goal is to get the motor running and then run out the 10 gallons of "fuel stew" (which won't be hard at 11mpg), and then load it up with a full tank of Vpower and change the fuel filter

13) Driver door mirror loose

14) rearview mirror loose (think we have this covered from Uberalles)

15) Driver seat leather TRASHED, needs bottom, back and side bolster replacement (maybe a full kit). Color is a dark gray outer, light gray inner. Back seats came back to life with a Lexol bath (they were a year or 2 away from being crispy), all headrests look good, passenger seat dye is cracking away, but leather feels soft and is not fully split - can this simply be re-dyed to match? What is this color called? World Upholstery sent me a sample based on their best guess research of the car, but the dark sample is too light, and the light sample has WAY too much beige in it. What to do?

16) Sunroof works but the "baffle" between it and the headliner (looks like an accordion) is crispy. Seatbelt presenter covers are faded and cracked. What's the best place/way to get interior pieces like this new? MB only god forbid?

I'm sure there is and will be more, but let's start here. Thanks guys
 
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#2 · (Edited)
And you bought this car because?? Anyway, I have the same car but only with 62K. (#1) Replace ALL of the coils and plugs and take a hard look at the connectors also. The Bosch coils are available at Amazon.com for about $55 vs $130 at Mercedes. (#2) Plugs are in the 2-3 dollar range. Change them out and see if they stay dry. (#3) Order out a bottle of Auto-RX from Florida and follow the instructions. It will clean the engine although you might need two efforts. (#4) There is a procedure for resynching the window drop. I'll try to find it or look in "search". (#5) Hope it isn't a bad latch on either side. I think they are in the $700 bracket. There is a microswitch in the latch that controls the window drop procedure. (#8) There is a firm in the Boston are that rebuilds seat belt assemblies. I've had good luck while another member hasn't.
(#11) Sounds like spheres to me. They are in the $90 price range and if this car has the originals, they are LONG overdue. Take a hard look at the rear struts ($6-700 ea) If they show signs of leaking, open your wallet. (13) Fold the mirror back flat. There should be 3 screws that attach it to the car. they may be loose. If not,could be the cover. (14) Don't know that uberalles says but the mirror needs rebuilding becasue MB used small, cheap plastic bits to hold the glass to the frame. Daidnik on this forum rebuilt mine for me. (#15) You don't say where you live but in my town we have a wonderful shop that specializes in interiors. They replaced a side and back panel in my Cl600 for $175.
When I was looking at the 120 coupes, I passed on 3-4 in the same condition as yours. I hope you know how much it will cost to bring yours back to life. I paid $9200 for mine (46K) and have put another $8-9K into it. But then I have the greatest (and last) car I have ever owned. Maybe you had better step back and reassess your position.
Anziani
 
#3 ·
Thank you for the info!

I am in NC. The car came from CA; spent its whole life there. Why did I buy it? Because it was $2500 and had 15 years of continuous dealer service history. I knew I'd spend a few grand on it; didn't expect a creampuff ready to drive from day 1.

I don't think there is any issue with oil sludge, it just went 6k miles without an oil change. The history before that is regular. Spheres/accumulators...that was my hope. If it's struts, it's struts, but this will be diagnosed soon enough.

I can't believe the latches are $700 apiece. Might be time to find one in the junkyard with fewer miles and grab some of these.

As far as the seatbelt presenters, man. I really hate to pull stuff off and ship it. Was hoping to have the car roadworthy within 2-4 weeks. Sucks, but is what it is.

OEM (non-MB PN, supplier PN) parts at my tech's cost, I think I'll be ok on new parts. Not terribly worried about it.

I passed on 2 or 3 in the $12k-$15k range with miles like yours for the very reason you stated, no matter what mileage or condition, you're gonna spend $5k on year on one of these. I bought the straightest, most original, dealer-serviced CA car I could find for the lowest price knowing it's gonna be $5-$8k to get it where I want it to be. If I drive it 3k a year, I don't think my maint costs will be over $2k a year.

Another thing is, to me, a V12 with that many miles means that is HAS to have had some basic level of regular maintenance, otherwise it would have been dead in the driveway 100k ago
 
#4 ·
The sunshade will probably go down if you have someone work the switch while you apply gentle pressure to both sides-don't put it up again. If you MUST fix it, the back seat comes out, then the c pillar trim, then the rear shelf, then you can access it. I'm told its easy the second time, the first time is a beyoch. Headrest gears are documented in another thread here. You can likely get them down the same way as the sunshade. I'd just leave them up.

Spheres will likely fix the suspension issue-the passenger side one is a pain to get to, easier if you have car on lift and drop exhaust. The front shocks are not height adjusting, only the rears are , the fronts use a variable damping valve but don't set height.

I wouldn't sweat the buttons on the side of the seat, would be surprised if the multicontour works, almost all have issues with bladders/switch at this age. Mine times out due to a leak I've not yet diagnosed, appears to be in the switch area. The switch is available-get the part # from epc and google it, they're around $135.

Disconnect the headlight wipers. Plug behind the headlight housing. They're needless unless you drive in salt spray, that's why they're there, to clean the lights, not wipe them. They all fail. The motor is a pain to get at. I understand the need to have everything working, but its one feature I've abandoned.



You will hurt nothing with a leaky valve cover gasket unless it's gushing. Oil is an insulator, the plugs have the working part threaded below, what will you hurt?

You can get the oem code for the leather by running a vin check on one of the online sites. Then someone can actually match it.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Spheres will likely fix the suspension issue-the passenger side one is a pain to get to, easier if you have car on lift and drop exhaust. The front shocks are not height adjusting, only the rears are , the fronts use a variable damping valve but don't set height.
A small correction, if I may.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w14...ing-untold-stories-garage-4.html#post15558561

Dropping the exhaust will not help in ANY way with the passenger-side sphere. It only helps for the drivers side (LHD car of course)

On the pass. side, the only real help could come from small fingers and special tools.

Good luck,
Steve

PS If you browse through my pictures, you'll see than fixing the rear requires a bit more work than just accumulators. With your mileage, I'd expect the shock mounts and the bushings to be gone.
Flushing the hydraulic system, rebuilding the tandem pump will probably be also needed.
 
#7 ·
Thanks guys. Yeah, front control arms upper and lower were done in 2013. Nothing to the rear so far as I can see. I bought the car assuming I'd be replacing seat leather and doing the rear suspension.

Oh yeah, the parktronic technically works but "works" means it screams incessantly until you turn it off. Thoughts?

I'll probably skip headrests and rear roller for now.
 
#8 ·
If everything anziani mentioned about your ADS suspension checks out okay, then your suspension could end up being a mystery, but I have a few things. Is the ADS warning light working? Is the ADS computer module clear of any codes? Is your battery not dropping below 10.5 volts when you start the car?

If you're good on all these, then you're going to have to look at the sensor values and determine which sensor is malfunctioning.
 
#9 ·
Thanks. We checked all systems EXCEPT this one this week. Definitely will be scanning that module to see this weekend when the last coil and connectors are done. Car has a new battery as of last month per seller. Light isn't on but true, could be a dead light.
 
#16 ·
1) Poor market value = max depreciation reached aka "buy low sell high"

2) Complex vehicle = yes, you have to remove 3 or 4 baffles to get to the oil filter, it has 2 MAF sensors, softer leather, a sueded headliner, Xenon bulbs instead of halogen, 3 more quarts of oil in the sump, etc. Other than that, ADS just like the V8s, same trans, same door closers, same seat presenters, same window glass...??

3) High miles = the ones with 50k typically have such low miles because either they were garage queens (dry rotted) or they were 92-95s whose original owners fried the harnesses and thus they spent a year in the shop.

I could spent $15k on a cream puff and it's still gonna need $5k in work in the next year, guaranteed.

Where else can you get a 97 ME-1, non cap-and-rotor V12 for $2500 that runs? What's the car going to be worth, as-is in fair or worse condition in another 20 years? They don't grow on trees.

I'm not a rice kid buying his first Benz at 19 with his walmart paycheck thinking all the chicks are gonna hop in his lap with his "Dope noo Binzz and some rimzzz," :rolleyes: rather I've had and sold several of this vintage over the last couple decades and why NOT buy the car I lusted after 20 years ago, the top of the line, the universally-recognized best chassis MB ever built with every last option, of which 348 were sold in the US in 1997?

I bought it cheap so I'd have room for repairs and then see where its collectibility is in 20 years.

5 years ago you could get a "money pit that's gonna cost you 20 grand to get perfect" 500E for $8k, now that car is $22k.

107SLs.........Pagoda SLs.........cars they made a ton of have gone from low money to WTF money in 3-5 years.

What's this rare best gonna do?
 
#11 ·
(#1) Replace ALL of the coils and plugs and take a hard look at the connectors also. The Bosch coils are available at Amazon.com for about $55 vs $130 at Mercedes. (#2) Plugs are in the 2-3 dollar range.

Replaced 2 offending coils, 12 plugs, and 2 boots. Check engine light went away, idled smooth and drove great for a couple miles, then rough and a check engine light again. Took it by Autozone and I get 2 P0300, 2 P0304, and a P0309. Mutiple misfires for the 00 and 04 cylinders. My first thought is clearly this car has a year-old tank of gas save for the 10 gallons of "fuel stew" I mixed in the other day.

I stopped by for a FULL tank of Vpower and it seemed to run smoother after about 1/2 mile, but it's still lit up and lumpy.

Can I drive it like this and expect the brand new plugs to clean themselves off or WHAT should I do other than draining the tank (and if I did that, there's still something on the plugs)
 
#12 ·
Possibly, but what ever you do get the recommended Mercedes(I do not know what they are) plugs as all the "Whiz-Bang" plugs at the auto parts places will give you those errors too. The plug for these engines is very special and a simple plug... Check the the dealer. I think they are cheap there too...

Maybe someone can chime-in with the correct plug for the M119 +96 engine...

Martin
 
#13 ·
will_c140, As I said before, a bad coil will give you a rough running engine. If you have the original coils in there they are WAY past replacing. But it seems to me like you need to put this car on a computer, and not Autozone. Didn't you say you had a Benz mechanic or something like that? You can't keep throwing parts at it, unless you are loaded. Find out what a Star system or equivalent has to say first.
Anziani
 
#20 ·
ok!

So, I decided to take it to my "shop of last resort" as I have a 15 year on-and-off history with them, know one of the guys well, and they really took care of me. It appears there was a "misplaced" coil (I have no idea what that means, I thought all the coils were identical, but with all the other stuff to address I didn't dive deep into it), accumulators were the #1 suspension suspect, and while I could have saved $400 doing it the back-channel way, it would have taken another couple weeks to get done and it would have taken twice as long to get the garage set up to do them. Roll of the dice........worth it IMO. Car is strong, bounce is gone, still some squeaking and thudding over bumps back there, so I think struts will be done at some point this summer just to "optimize" the ride and quiet. That is definitely a "back channel" project; who has the cheapest replacement hydraulic struts for this car?

A couple minor odds and ends were done as cheaply as we could have done them buying parts....steering damper, coolant reservoir. Other than that, everything is working it appears, with the biggest remaining mystery being why the door closer does not work on driver side but works on passenger side, why if you shut the doors with more than a pinky finger the windows do not roll back up, and why the seatbelt presenters work like they are possessed, then retreat before you can grab the belt.

Is there a common component that could be causing all the dis-interoperability between windows, belts, and doors?
 
#21 · (Edited)
AFAIK, the S600 coupes in the US all have ADS.
There is only one type of rear ADS shock assembly that I know of, and it is about $500/ea.

The control arm bushings (inner and outer) are probably a contributing factor to the thuds and squeaks from the rear suspension.

Both topics were discussed not too long ago.

Steve

PS My understanding is that ALL 12 coils are the same, "misplaced coil" is puzzling and if I were you, I would ask the shop more questions
 
#22 ·
AFAIK, the S600 coupes in the US all have ADS.
There is only one type of rear ADS shock assembly that I know of, and it is about $500/ea.

The control arm bushings (inner and outer) are probably a contributing factor to the thuds and squeaks from the rear suspension.

Both topics were discussed not too long ago.

Steve

PS My understanding is that ALL 12 coils are the same, "misplaced coil" is puzzling and if I were you, I would ask the shop more questions
Ok good, maybe it's not the struts. There are certainly no leaks anywhere, and it feels nicely-damped now. I have no record or rear control arms ever being done, so it sounds like I have a new suspect #1.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I think you misunderstood me.

The shocks may not leak, but the top and especially the bottom mounts should be your #1a suspects





Number 1b suspect is the LCA bushing:



I am extrapolating from my car, which is always dangerous, but there are so many other reports in the archives, that it is almost impossible to believe that yours are not in a similar state.

I have some more info here:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w14...ing-untold-stories-garage-4.html#post15558569


Good luck,
Steve
 
#24 ·
Thanks Steve, and yes I did. When I was in the shop, I posited that the mounts were the likely culprit to the noises, and if we should replace them. I was told it all comes as part of the strut, and if you're doing mounts it makes no sense not to do the struts since they are out at that point. So, I guess my post lost in translation the difference between actual failing struts, and other parts.

It's at 176xxx, so I will probably tackle these projects between now and 180k, along with a "major" service for trans, coolant, brake fluid, all that good stuff.
 
#25 ·
will_c140, There is a mount on top of the spheres as I remember correctly. Change that also. And yes you can have non-leaking rear struts but bad upper/lower bushings. We replaced the bushings in my CL500. Was cheaper than buying a new strut.
And I still question you not changing out ALL of the coils at your mileage.
Anziani
 
#26 · (Edited)
strut vs shock absorber

Someone from your trusted mechanics, I am afraid, is unfamiliar with these cars.

1. strut vs shock absorber
Basics of Shocks and Struts | MotorWeek

The w140 uses shock absorbers

2. the rear shock absorbers have "special" top mounts, which are serviceable:



3. the rear shock absorbers have "special" bottom mounts, which are NOT serviceable per WIS, but there is hack.



4. Neil (aka anziani) mentioned a mount on top of the spheres. This is incorrect. There are no mounts:




Steve

PS Here are two threads that may be of help:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/2770825-two-years-wrenching-untold-stories-garage.html

and

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/2588409-accumulators-change-not-change.html
 
#27 ·
Thanks for the "hack" Steve; I will dig into those links. These are Mercedes-trained techs and an exclusive Mercedes shop. It is possible my posts do not pay the most attention to detail possible; I think what I was trying to say or should have said is basically echoing things you've said, which is that at my age and mileage, it is virtually impossible that anything in the rear suspension is worth a damn at this point, since it appears to be all original. Obviously, if one is going to go to the time and expense of ripping the struts out to replace mounts, you might as well replace the struts too at this point.

As for coils, the goal was to get it running without a check engine light. It runs great now. I will still probably take your advice and do the remaining coils between now and 180k to "optimize."

The car has done from a D as a driveable car to a B-. I'm thrilled for now
 
#28 · (Edited)
If it isn't too much of an imposition I would be curious to hear more about what happened to the car that made the grade jump from D to B-? We already heard about the coil and the spheres, what else?

$-wise? You pay someone to do it and I am assuming that the grand total has risen considerably since your 1st post.

Keep up the good work,
Steve
 
#29 ·
Running on 10-11 cylinders and bouncing up in the air over dips like a cartoon car vs now running like a champ and the suspension being damped takes it from a D to a B- all day. In other words, it's actually driveable now.

Yes, the car has ADS. I think all the V12s do. I saw ~$500 per strut as well, just can't remember where that was. Also, I ASSume that's a new strut vs a reman, however I recall when I had to do top cylinders on my 129 SL, the reman versions were far superior to the ME OEM.
 
#31 ·
Updates

So it spent a few days with one of my trusty mechanics' shops. Both seatbelts need replacement; retail a grand each for parts :eek and estimated 5 hours to tear each door apart. No dice there. Gonna need to speak to one of my other side guys and buy my own parts (hopefully with one of their parts accounts!). I did find belts online for around $400/ea.

It also needs a lock actuator on the pass door, to resolve the "won't open from outside" issue. The driver's seatbelt is frayed and binds, so the workaround to be able to use it is to wrap it around the headrest so it doesn't retract enough to get stuck again in the automatic mechnanism. Classy :grin

The mechanism seems to work, I think the reason it was going back and forth was because the belt was catching in it. The doors are very sensitive and have to be whisper-closed for the windows and belt mechanisms to work at all, so I'm sure the sensors are worn/dirty. I have been told the latch and sensor is one piece; embedded. Is this true?

My plan is to get expensive parts I know I will need, and buy ALL the typical-failure parts (both actuators, etc) since they are cheap and while we're in there....... Is there anything that SHOULD be done to save time and money when you have the doors apart in these things? Like lube windows, replace cheap vacuum parts, what else? Can the sensor be cleaned and how? Any must-dos while the panels are off would be great to know.

The front end dives pretty bad under hard braking. Front shocks? Steering is a bit wobbly on dead-center. I would think that's the steering gearbox which I understand can be adjusted (? mine was replaced under Starmark on my old C). Rear gets a bit "jostly" under load when going uphill, and especially doing that over rough road. I am sure the rear bushings in the control arms are shot. The question is if I just do rear mounts, and control arms, and skip the expensive rear shocks - unless those are the main issue!

Did I mention despite all this, it's an amazingly majestic auto? Still very smooth, fast, flat-handling and quirt despite all this.
 
#32 ·
So it spent a few days with one of my trusty mechanics' shops. Both seatbelts need replacement; retail a grand each for parts :eek and estimated 5 hours to tear each door apart. No dice there. Gonna need to speak to one of my other side guys and buy my own parts (hopefully with one of their parts accounts!). I did find belts online for around $400/ea.

It also needs a lock actuator on the pass door, to resolve the "won't open from outside" issue. The driver's seatbelt is frayed and binds, so the workaround to be able to use it is to wrap it around the headrest so it doesn't retract enough to get stuck again in the automatic mechnanism. Classy :grin

The mechanism seems to work, I think the reason it was going back and forth was because the belt was catching in it. The doors are very sensitive and have to be whisper-closed for the windows and belt mechanisms to work at all, so I'm sure the sensors are worn/dirty. I have been told the latch and sensor is one piece; embedded. Is this true?

My plan is to get expensive parts I know I will need, and buy ALL the typical-failure parts (both actuators, etc) since they are cheap and while we're in there....... Is there anything that SHOULD be done to save time and money when you have the doors apart in these things? Like lube windows, replace cheap vacuum parts, what else? Can the sensor be cleaned and how? Any must-dos while the panels are off would be great to know.

The front end dives pretty bad under hard braking. Front shocks? Steering is a bit wobbly on dead-center. I would think that's the steering gearbox which I understand can be adjusted (? mine was replaced under Starmark on my old C). Rear gets a bit "jostly" under load when going uphill, and especially doing that over rough road. I am sure the rear bushings in the control arms are shot. The question is if I just do rear mounts, and control arms, and skip the expensive rear shocks - unless those are the main issue!

Did I mention despite all this, it's an amazingly majestic auto? Still very smooth, fast, flat-handling and quirt despite all this.
Here you Good Will Hunting....

parts, parts, parts - DIRT CHEAP... for the 140 only :grin

I got a very good used seat belt for something like $70

W140.co.uk - Home of the largest used parts specialist for the Mercedes Benz W140 series S-Class Saloon and CL-Class Coupe
 
#34 ·
"Good Will Hunting", there is a place in the Boston area that rebuilds seat belts for around $75. I've sent two different sets there with good results. However, mine were not frayed or worn out. I'll look up the webpage and add it to this post.
Anziani
Unfortunately Neil, the driver's side is frayed. Each side loses its "lock" after a while of driving, and I have found that if you release the seat belt and then re-lock, they are tight! What is the culprit there?

Either way, probably going to buy 2 new seatbelts. I found them new for $340. Still hideous, but not like the $1000 from the dealer
 
#35 ·
Here is a snippet of what I found post-150k, since maybe 08/09 to 2014 (pardon my scratch notes, this is based off cryptic VMI)

Reman water pump and seals – 2011 (coolant changed in 09)
Trans service with magnet – 2013
Steering knuckle 2013
Thermostat, 2 hoses, coolant, water pump seal, PS hose 2011
Ball joints and lower control arm bushings 2013
Brakes 2011
Climate control heating and ac repairs – 2014
Brakes again 2013
 
#36 ·
Seat belts - check a different dealer. They are not $1,000 - I was offered them by my dealer for about $350 each (before wholesale, if memory serves...)

You might be surprised by what you will find if you phone a few different dealers.

Also tell them you are a collector and low volume MB purchaser and seller and ask for a wholesale account.

I went into my dealer and said look, I own several MB's and I am prepared to give you all my business for parts and also labour when I need serious work done but I want wholesale prices on parts and 30% off labour and free rental cars. They said yes. It has been a good relationship. I buy every thing from them and only last week when I called in and spoke to someone else and learned later my parts guy was fighting over me saying to a colleague at another MB branch "heh, back off - he's my customer!"

If you have S class and money to restore they want your business. Just tell them I can buy it from you or from the indie. "I'm prepared to give you all my business but this is what I would like in return. If you go about it in the right way - chances are they will say yes.

Then seat belts and everything else can be way cheaper.

Good luck !
 
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