[netsfan549]

I went to mechanic today, and he gave me estimate. 1,500.

radiator hose
upper 13.00
lower 26.00

cylinder head gasket 105.00
cylinder head gasket replease and labor 885.00
serpentine belt 47.50
replace serpentine belt 75.00

coolant 18.00
silicone 21.00

shoot me now. so much for getting my car fix this summer

 

[xvvvz]

If you order from autohaus, you would pay:

Radiator Hose; Lower $13.28
Radiator Hose; Upper $8.32
Serpentine Belt/Ribbed Drive Belt $23.15
Cylinder Head Gasket Set $63.76

He is charging list price and making a profit. A lot of shops charge above what they pay as a second profit center, so I am not saying they are doing something underhanded.

It will take him 5 minutes to change the belt (if he isn't already taking the belt off for the gasket change anyway?), so that is a nice profit! If I were you, I would use the money toward a socket wrench set plus some female torx sockets and do it yourself. You will pay less and also have a set of tools for other repairs.

 

[netsfan549]

If you order from autohaus, you would pay:

Radiator Hose; Lower $13.28
Radiator Hose; Upper $8.32
Serpentine Belt/Ribbed Drive Belt $23.15
Cylinder Head Gasket Set $63.76

He is charging list price and making a profit. A lot of shops charge above what they pay as a second profit center, so I am not saying they are doing something underhanded.

It will take him 5 minutes to change the belt (if he isn't already taking the belt off for the gasket change anyway?), so that is a nice profit! If I were you, I would use the money toward a socket wrench set plus some female torx sockets and do it yourself. You will pay less and also have a set of tools for other repairs.

do I need to buy something else with cylinder head gasket set? thanks

 

[liquidusculade]

i dont even think you need a female torx set, i didnt need one for mine. i jut used a deepwell socket (i think) to turn the tensioner counter clockwise. the belt replacement is simple. even simpler if you dont want the old belt and you just cut it off. make sure the tension is released before you cut it lol. also make sure you make a diagram or have some way of knowing how the new belt goes on. as for the hoses, do they need to be replaced? are they leaking? if so, you can do this yourself too... just have to drain the coolant, replace hoses (simple) and then refill with antifreeze. you can also get mb coolant from autohaus as well!!!! its way better than buying it from the dealer in my opinion.

 

[netsfan549]

how would i drain the coolant? lol im slow..yeah. one of the hose is about to like come off =( lol

 

[liquidusculade]

there is a screw at the bottom of the radiator, that you use a flat screwdriver to turn and when it opens, the coolant comes out the bottom of the radiator. of course this is just a drain, not a flush, but it is sufficient. then 1 gal of coolant and 1 gal of distilled water and im sure you system will be back to where it needs to be. might not even need all the water.

G-AMG has a nice diy write up, search it in the forums.

 

[cjshade]

Here you go...

Liquid,

Remember netsfan said he was "slow". I'm about as sharp as a sack of wet mice, so I can relate.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w202-c-class/1395037-photo-diy-coolant-fluid-replacement.html

Good Luck!:thumbsup:

C as in 220