Josh.A.Hussey

Hey all!

I recently brought my 2010 W204 C350 4Matic into the dealer...

They told me I had a torn CV boot and that the boot is $94 CAD+~3hours labour...
They then proceeded to tell me they weren't sure if their tech's had the capability to replace the boot and that if they didn't they would have to replace the entire CV shaft and it would cost $1700 CAD+~3hours labour +the initial labour for them trying to replace just the boot...

It seems ridiculous that my dealer can go from $94 to $1700 based on the fact that their techs "don't know how"...?

Does anyone know if I should be calling MB Canada about this?

I am on an island and have no other option of dealership...

MB Marko

I would 110% call MB Canada about this, it seem like they should be looking for new technicians......

Any indy places on this island you live on.

Josh.A.Hussey

I noticed you're a fellow Canadian!
I'm in Newfoundland and there is not much around when it comes to anybody willing to work on imports besides the dealership and it's competition...
I'm thinking about bringing it to BMW to see if they can do it.

And I don't think I've ever seen a tech there would wasn't just out of his first block of school with NO experience.. It's fine to hire these people, they do need jobs, but you HAVE to have some sort of experience on staff!

It's the same throughout the entire dealership, every time I call, I speak to someone new... I shouldn't have to give my name/number/vin/address/etc every time I call... The other day someone asked me if I had ever had any work done there before... This is the 5th year I use the dealership and they can't even pull up my file.

I am beyond frustrated... That is just the beginning of the conversation I had with them on the phone... There was more than just that CV boot.

MB Marko

Hey yup theres lots of Canadians on here. fixing a mercedes at BMW hahaha that was funny! but hey its always good to shop around. I'd still call corporate, and look around for someone with experience with doing fixes of that nature. You might be able to just buy the $94 part and have some one else with experience give it a shot.

It's much better spending the $94 first than the $1700.

With your location it's probably tough to find a good shop, unless you can get off the island and take your car else where.

I did a quick google search maybe check out Volvo, or if you know a shop that has imports sitting outside it might be worth a shot.

My old Volvo mechanic worked at Volvo for 30 years,then moved to BMW for 10 years, he can fix Mercedes with no issues. It really depends on the person/there interests and usually a good indy person is hard to find.

He's getting at the age where I need to find a new guy for the bigger jobs I can't DIY. due to his travelling and living the retired life he seems uninterested in working much anymore, unless its an easy job hahahah.

If I was you I'd dig though the forums and try and find other members from Newfoundland, maybe they know a good hidden place.

Josh.A.Hussey

I will definitely check Volvo! I have only seen my uncle on here from newfoundland... He brought his C300 back a month after he bought it because of a transmission software issue that was at that point unresolvable and bought a BMW...

Yeah the indy guys that do more than MOPAR are hard to find around here...

If your guy travels a lot and is stopping in NL tell him to give me a call!! Hahahaha xD.

I have a very good feeling I can do it myself...
I'm just not sure I want the car off the road long enough for me to do it because I have to work and have other obligations and repacking the CV joint doesn't seem like something I should be rushing... haha!



They also told me that my passenger mirror needs to be replaced... That would regularly be fine except I've been telling them for 2 years (back when it had warrentee) that it was broken and needed to be fixed and they kept telling me no it was just in need of an adjustment (100$+tax) so now I've spent $300 on mirror adjustments for a broken mirror and now JUST after warrentee they tell me it needs to be replaced... WHICH IVE BEEN TELLING THEM FOR 2 YEARS.

I only ever got my car serviced there as a convenience.. I am more than capable of doing the jobs myself minus the programming (simply because I don't have the appropriate program/tool) and I have all the appropriate tools and equipment. I know they don't view it that way but honestly it is almost just a favour that I get things done there... When I first started going to the dealer they had a SOLID service desk employee who would work with you not against you but now, it's like talking to a wall. This is why they lost a $40k sale from my uncle as well... They kept telling him there was nothing wrong until he eventually had to get lawyers involved... A month later the service guy told me they had just released a patch for the selector on the transmission that solved "well known shifting issues due to siemens selector plates at high torque, low speed scenarios" i.e. the slight hill in front of his house caused the transmission to go BANG and they denied that it happened, even after he had the service manager in the car WHILE IT HAPPENED and then came out afterwards and basically said "yeah, we lied... but its okay now!"

GoSuckMyTites

Oh man. I just figured my steering wheel is pulling right, I wonder maybe I should check with my CV boot as well.

I found some videos online about replacing it and maybe you can check them out and see if you can try it out yourself? I wouldn't speed almost 2000 to the dealership for this...

I live in Nova Scotia and yeah, I mean, ever our dealership in Halifax is too far away.

Adi-Benz

Wow, living on an island. Really interests me. Sorry I'm no help.

Josh.A.Hussey

It's quite a big island... About 3/4's the size land area wise than New York State.

Adi-Benz

I street viewed the dealership and some houses lol I looked it up xD

Josh.A.Hussey

I gave them my car last wednesday...
So far I think they have changed a tail light bulb...

If I'm LUCKY they filled up the windshield washer fluid too!.. wishful thinking...

CGSColin

Small world! I'm also in Newfoundland and I've frequently dealt with the dealer here and for whatever it's worth I've generally had positive experiences with them in the past.

That said, the price they quoted for the drive axle sadly sounds about right. MB parts through the dealer have a huge markup. I recently had one of my bi-xenon headlights fail and the part through the dealer was nearly $2000. I ended up ordering the part from FCP Euro for about $600 USD and installed it myself and had the dealer aim it and program the control unit.

As for what the service guys are saying about not being able to repair the boot, what I suspect they mean is there's a possibility that the CV joint is damaged (due to the boot being broken) and they may not be able to properly repair it with the kit.

That said in talking with service in the past they've said they'll do work even if you provide your own parts so if you do need to replace the axle one option for you could be to try and source a less expensive part elsewhere and having the dealer install it still.

MB Marko

thats a good good idea but i'd get that " in talking with service in the past they've said they'll do work even if you provide your own parts" in writing/an email lol. they must be a nice dealer, the dealers in Ontario won't even dare do that.

CGSColin

Yeah I should have phrased that a bit differently. Basically: Ask if they'll install the part if you provide it. It certainly can't hurt to ask.

teja1936

Just brosin'

Yeah me too, I live on an island, it's called Australia

Josh.A.Hussey

I understand what you're saying. I guess I am a bit biased as I've not always had the most positive experiences with them. I'm not sure if you've been dealing with them very long or not, but if you have you'd surely remember Connie, who worked the service desk there for a long time. Long story short, everything went flawlessly with my vehicle while she was there, and when since she left I have yet to have a good experience.

It's not just the CV boot that frustrates me. I bought a new battery about 6 months or so ago, now they tell me the issue was never the battery it was the alternator, there's a few hundred down the drain for a non-issue. I have told them numerous times that my passenger side mirror is not functioning properly, they charge me for adjustments and then when I tell them it still doesn't work they just neglect my requests to have it checked. Now it is broken completely and they want me to buy a new one because my warrantee just ran out. I have never complained to them about the price of a part, in fact, I often buy parts when they are nowhere near required and would be much cheaper going aftermarket but I would rather get the genuine part. But when I have a legitimate issue and they insist on telling me it's fine when I know it's not, and then only admitting it when it's no longer under warrantee, then I start to wonder why I pay for diagnostics at all.

There have been countless times when I have asked time and time again for a price on a part and have given up because they refuse to call me back with the price and I just can't handle calling a tenth time to get nowhere.

I had my first issue when they told me to pull my car around back into the garage and they would put the stainless steel amg door lock pins in place of the stock plastic ones, at which point 3 different employees tried to press on threaded pins... (The rear are press on the front are threaded) I then had to show them that they were threaded. Then they couldn't get the rear pins to stay on and said "we got no idea how to do this man, sorry" so I went back to the service desk and they told me to bring my car back again in the morning. Then they tried to charge me 3 hours to put the pins on. Later one fell off and they tried to tell me somebody hauled it off when the doors were locked trying to get out because they "wouldn't have fallen off alone". At this point I knew it was ridiculous because they rear doors have FLUSH pins.. I.E. you CAN'T pull on them when they are locked... They wanted me to pay for the pin and the install again myself. Needless to say this was my first encounter with Mercedes Canada.

To this day, I ask them to level out the front door pins so it doesn't look odd because they are screwed in at different heights... To this day they are different heights. I have asked that many times that I stopped asking. They used thread locker and Im not about to twist the linkage myself taking it off and have to pay for that too.

All of that over 4 door pins...


I have no issue with any individual that works there... Frankly I don't know any individual that works there anymore besides Matt because they seem to have revolving doors. Matt seems to be a reasonable guy.

I really wish I could say, like you, that I have had positive experiences. The last thing I want is to be complaining about my dealership. I have much better things to do, but at this point, I'm not sure what to do besides reach out to the MB community to get their feedback.

P.S. I doubt my C.V. joint is damaged as there has been NO symptoms usually associated with that type of issue... We will see I guess.

Either way, I am glad you've had good experiences and hope in the future I can say the same!

On a lighter note, do you know if we have much of an MB community here on the island?? You're the first person I've met!

cvx5832

OP that's smells like a bait & switch to me.

That or the service advisor is an idiot. The axle boots on the W204 have something applied to them at the factory that resembles paint, so the rubber doesn't degrade as it sits in inventory. Eventually this layer cracks and peels off but in no way, shape or form degrades the function of the boot. Admittedly at first glance it looks like a failed axle boot.

Get eyeballs on it. The W204 butt sits high enough to get your head under there with a nice bright flashlight. If the boots are dry they're lying to you.

Josh.A.Hussey

I will give it a check myself... It has been there a week now and I have no idea when I'm getting the car back. I will be going in tomorrow to take a look at it...
I've got a lift in my garage anyways so I can take it home and have a look!

cvx5832

Great!

The "cracking" of the axle boot surface will be obvious. But if you peel it you'll see it readily comes off. And more importantly it should be dry!

For what it's worth we have 112k on ours and I just checked it when I did brakes. Not a hint of cracking other than the surface finish. For that matter any rear-drive, low-to-the-ground car will have axle boots that rarely see failures because with the full weight of the car on the suspension, the axle is actually straight and the boot barely articulates during the course of operation, as opposed to an SUV or a FWD car.

Good luck!

Josh.A.Hussey

+1

My car is 4matic but I'm not sure which CV they are referring too.

bop11

CV boots do have a lifetime and 6 years may be it for yours. That a dealer would tell you that his mechanic may not be able to replace it is ridiculous. He even gave you a quote from the shop book. And that is probably for both sides. You need another dealer!. The only reason to replace the joint is if the boot has been broken for any length of time and dirt has scarred up the ***** and raceways.
If it is torn get it fixed or you will need to replace the joint. Most independents can do this job.

CGSColin

To be fair I have a fairly low bar for "reasonable" behaviour from dealers given past dealings with other places around town and I'm not the least bit surprised you've had some bad experiences at MB. That said, hopefully this time it works out for you.

As for the local "scene" I'm pretty sure it's non-existent. The VW/Audi crowd seem to have a bit of something on the go (the Dub Show every year, forums, etc.) and I think maybe there's a BMW forum but I haven't seen or heard anything on the MB side.

Josh.A.Hussey

I guess it's me and you buddy!

And yeah, I've decided to give them the "benefit of the doubt" AKA I will play nice... Still not going to pay unnecessary monies... I will deal with it in more of a "they don't know any better" outlook.


The update! For those interested:

- Never got any news on the CV joint, still unsure whether they don't know if it's hurt or they don't know if they can fix it... Although I was 100% clear on what I was asking, I got a 0% clear answer...

- Mirror, they have decided to buy me a new mirror, but installation won't be paid for... I am very pleased with this, although they don't know I'll be doing the installation myself... It still saves me $900... Happy times.

- Spring. It's broke, I know it, they know it, they want $500+labour for a replacement.. Question is... Do I get a single spring for $500 and hope on my 7 year old vehicle none of the others ever break again or the dampers... Or do I spent 3 times as much and get aftermarket springs and dampers and not have to worry for a while?
Your thoughts?

- Alternator. No refund for my never-was-dead battery, and they want 1200$+labour for a new alternator.... I can get one that supposedly is an OEM replacement, brand new, Bosch, 150A, for $390, does this sound good to anybody? Sounds like a great deal to me! Once again install myself!!



Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

CGSColin

Good news about the mirror at least!

The bearings in my alternator went earlier in the year and I ended up replacing them myself for < $50 which was pretty satisfying and I can confirm that the alternator is fairly easy to get in and out of the car. For sure that Bosch alternator is a good deal though you might want to check and see if it's just the voltage regulator because that could be an even cheaper fix.

As for the spring if you were looking at going with non-OE springs and dampers anyway it sounds like a good way to justify the expense but if not I'd personally just get the spring done.

Josh.A.Hussey

An update!

- Dealer admittedly doesn't know wether they can replace the CV boot... I am going to do it myself but also found a remanufactured one off a friend who runs one of the local parts stores in town for $80 CAD!

-Mirror, I informed the dealer that I wanted to put the mirror on myself... They said NO..? I didn't know this was an option for them! They said "If we are paying for the mirror you are paying to have it put on!"
I was/am shocked about it... I'm going to phone MB Canada... I have quite a paper trail of issues with this mirror from WHEN I HAD WARRANTEE. Not pleased.

- Spring.... I BOUGHT FLATOUT SUSPENSION 5710'S!!! Super excited... Putting them on myself!

- Alternator, took your advice CGSColin and took out the alternator the myself and brought it into Al at DC Starters and Alternators, I had him do the fix because I have been having a very busy week, plus I had a lot of work to do on my jeep. All new besides the outer case, new armature, regulator, bearings, pulley, the whole works! Cost me $150. Much better than the quote $1200+labour+tax.