[TREK96]

Hello all,
I just purchased my first R129 last week, and I have already spent hours on this forum learning all about my new obsession. Being a BMW faithful (on my third one, an '08 X5 4.8i) the last thing I thought would be in my garage would be a MB. My friend wanted me to go with him to a dealership to take a look at a used c-class he was interested in. As soon as we got there the SL caught my eye and I fell in love. It is a '98 SL500 (smoke silver/mushroom) with 33,000 original miles. Everything is original, and to my untrained eye flawless. As a precaution I took her to a local MB dealership to do a presale inspection. Everything checked out with the exception of the a/c which they stated has a leak. The a/c works great, for now. They said the compressor manifold would need to be replaced to the tune of $2500.00. That did not deter me, and the car is now in my garage(kicked the BMW to the diveway) Is there a known problem with the a/c on these cars? I plan to have the problem fixed asap, but wanted a few opinions on dealership vs small mercedes shops. I want to keep the car in excellent condition,is saving some money by going to a shop instead of the dealership a smart move? Thanks in advance!

 

[kingjnod]

Welcome to the club. There are a few tricky things with the climate system that you will find with a further review on the forums. Make sure that your center vents are working as that seems to be a typical (but not high frequency) problem. The control panel can sometimes go screwy-louie, so make sure that still works after your manifold repair.

 

[RKH]

Good Indy shops are always better than Dealership as you car is likely to be worked on by owner/experts as compare to new young techs at the Dealership. And they should be cheaper too, while good shops are hard to find, but in LA you should have more choices.

To answer your own question : who service your BMWs ? Dealers or Indy ?

 

[bearone2]

get a 2nd opinion on the a/c, welcome.

 

[davewmi01]

Welcome
find a good INDY....lots of SL drivers from Southern Cal on here. Pay attention and have fun!

 

[DrJfrmLA]

Welcome. Enjoy your new ride!

 

[TREK96]

Thanks guys,
RKH to answer your question, all my BMW's have been new, so the dealer has taken care of all service and repairs. This is my first used car (that I care about LOL). I would appreciate any LA indy shop recommendations that anyone wants to throw my way.

 

[aam]

Welcome to the forum.
Don't trust the stealer, if the A/C works leave it alone.
You have plenty of time till summer to see how it is doing.
Yeah, it only takes one drive to steal your heart away.

Regards.
aam.

 

[SL BRABUS]

^^^^ take aam advice....

 

[RKH]

Make friend with aam, laugh at his jokes and may be he'll work on your car. He is in LA.

But I know he will offer good free advice, that's for sure.

 

[aam]

That is only if you can read between the lines.
Most of the times, I talk about women/cars.

Hmmmmm.
What is the difference?
To me, there is no deference.
You'll need a can opener/key, to get in. Haha.

Regards.
aam.

 

[msbarsi]

Hi TREK96 and welcome to our big friendly and international family.
As aam said the R129 will steal your heart away and it will never give it back to you even after you sell it. I sold mine 2 years ago (stupid me) and I'm still around the R129 forum every given day. Why? Because I love the R129 with all my heart and soul. Why did I sell mine? Because I was stupid first thing and because I wanted more power. And since I couldn't find a young 500 or 600 I bought a 2003 CL 500...

As for your a/c problem, stick with aam, he knows a lot and here you will find the 99% of the help you need especially if you are a DIYer.

Cuddle your new baby .

Cheers.

 

[chriswufgator]

A/C sounds like $tealer made up some BS to get $$$ from you. WTF is a "compressor manifold" anyway? There's the compressor, pulley/clutch, refrigerant line coming in, and refrigerant line going out. That's it.

If it's the compressor they're talking about, Denso now sells the complete unit (compressor+pulley/clutch) directly for $300, so you can skip the insane MB markup and get the same compressor right from them. Denso originally made the compressor in your car, so it'll be the same one. If it's the in/out refrigerant lines it's not an expensive fix.

I don't know what they're pulling with this "compressor manifold" thing, but it sure sounds like BS to me. Get a second opinion on that one at an independent shop. $tealer may have done you a favor, though, since I'm sure you used the PPI inspection report as a bargaining chip when negotiating price. If $2500 was the number you were talking about, and the selling dealership reduced the price by any significant portion of that, then you may have actually made money on this one.

 

[TREK96]

Right on guys,
I am going to take my time and find a local indy shop. According to this forum, Mr MB in Tarzana is a safe bet. I just want to start a relationship with one place that I can trust and take my car there with any issue. I am right around the corner from Boulevard Auto in Van Nuys; any info on them would be appreciated: for you SoCal members.
Chriswufgator: Thanks for making me feel like I am not an idiot. I am not a professional mechanic, but I know a thing or two, and I have never heard of a compressor manifold (other than the line connections on the compressor). I did use the PPI inspection to my advantage!
Msbarsi: I plan to stick with aam, listen to his advice and jokes Your spot on about the car. I have not driven it since I bought it (its been raining here is socal), but everyday I go in the garage just to tinker and check it out, read the owners manual over and over again, ect.

 

[500SL4Me]

To me, there is no deference.

The more you give them, the more they want

 

[aam]

So lets see you are asking what is a compressor manifold?
Do I know what it is?
Of course I do.
Yes there is one.

Actually Chris gave it away.
It is made by Denso for many manufacturers.
So what MB did is they changed the manifold.

(The two pipes with a FLANGE and of course a SPECIAL gasket.)
All that so they can pass the two hoses between the fender and the engine.

I did mentioned that on my other car I did replace the compressor
for a rebuild unit I think it cost me like $99 MB wanted a few hundred more.

I said F that, the only thing I had to do was replace the mounting bolts from metric to
inches. Lol.

So if and when just replace the gasket and you are ready to go.
But to be honest, I don't think that you really have to do that for now.

Regards.
aam.

 

[TREK96]

Thanks aam. I am gonna leave it alone for now. The dealer told me there is the green a/c oil on the side of the compressor, I popped the hood and saw that there is a green film on the side of the compressor. If all the oil/refridgerant escapes will that affect any other aspects of the a/c system (running dry)?

 

[RKH]

If it is really dry, then can cause damage, but if it is still somewhat cold, then it is not dry.
Turn off the A/C for now (the EC button) until you have somebody look at it.

 

[jmerc6]

I had a hole in a line caused by vibration on the block. The dealership wanted $1500 for repair. I repaired it for $50 bucks. Listen to aam.

 

[aam]

Clean it to see.
You may also have to tighten the bolts to it.
No need to worry if the gas pressure drops down it will stop working
all together.

Then you can charge the system up, if it is not leaking too bad.
Or go to an indy to replace the seal.
But one more time do nothing for now.

Time of leakage is the key here.
What I mean is that if it stops working in a month then have it repaired.
But again I don't trust them, maybe they are the ones that loosen the connection.

See if a $5 seal is the problem, why replace the compressor?
Or if the hoses are bad they are about $200 plus labor.
Are we on the same frequency now?

Pass an other year or more.

The system is design to leak a little any ways.
I haven't seen one that is not leaking from the compressor shaft yet.

I better shut up, or I am going to get in real trouble here. Haha.
I don't mind honest repairs, but this one stings.

It is not a hermetically sealed system like your refrigerator.

Regards.
aam.