MichaelB1969

I need a new A/C compressor for my 1999 C280 Sport, as this shop is saying that there is a lot of "play" in the clutch assembly (for the compressor) and is warning me that if it comes apart it will cause a ton of damage. First of all, does this sound right?

Also, they quoted me around $800+ for a remanufactured compressor. I said ok, but then looked online and saw a number of places offering new ones for as low as $485 and remanufactured ones for under $300.

http://www.a-aironline.com/detail.aspx?ID=2873 (new)
http://www.a-aironline.com/detail.aspx?ID=270 (remanufactured)

I then started looking at my last bill from them and am starting to question the validity of some of their pricing, especially for the labor. Here is what they had for the last bill if someone doesn't mind taking a look:

Qty, Item, Ext. Price, Labor Hours, Labor$ (@ $125/hr), Item Total
1, Belt, $57, 0.20, $25, $82
1, Belt Tensioner, $240, 1.0, $125, $365
2, Brake Discs, $106, 1.6, $200, $306
2, Brake Pads, $104, 1.5, $187.50, $291.50
2, FLEX Disc Kit, $250, 3.0, $375, $625
2, Front Brake Rotors, $124, 2.2, $275, $399
2, Valve Cover Gasket, $34, 3.0, $375, $409
1, Vibration Dampener, $70, 1.8, $225, $295

TOTAL BILL: $2772.50

If someone in the know would take a quick look and let me know if this is legit or not, that would be great. To the untrained eye, it all looks very high. If I add up all the brake labor, there is over 5 hours of labor there. And 3 hours for a Flex Disc Kit? What is that?

Thanks,
Mike

xvvvz

If the clutch goes bad, won't it just not engage things? The clutch is on a shaft going into the compressor. I guess if the clutch somehow engaged and then locked up it would cause major problems because that belt runs quite few things. If there is too much play in the clutch though, doesn't that mean it just wouldn't engage?

Looking at those prices, they sure are a lot. It depends if that is the actual book rate. If the book rate hours are by the standard book, that is what pretty much any shop would charge you in terms of time. You know best if their per hour shop rate is competitive for your area. Seems high to me. Is that at a dealer? The parts prices sure are high. Compare them to www.autohausaz.com. It is pretty lame they charged you labor for the belt and tensioner replacement because they took off the belt to get the tensioner and vibration damper. I recently changed out the tensioner for a test and can say that any MB mechanic that is any good would be just loafing along if they took more than 30 minutes to change it.

FYI - I opted to have a shop replace my compressor because I didn't have the equipment to properly evacuate, vacuum and charge the system. I had estimates from $1400ish to $1800 at decent independent MB shops around here. The dealer was estimating $2200.

Good luck.

xvvvz

I just noticed these:

2, Brake Discs, $106, 1.6, $200, $306

AND

2, Front Brake Rotors, $124, 2.2, $275, $399

But only one entry for pads (usually sold as separate sets). Did they replace the rotors at both front and back and replace the pads? If they only replaced the front brakes, it sounds like they double charged you for rotors. Maybe I am just not understanding your bill.

faithful_lothario

my dealership in houston charges $80 per hour for labor.

mnypwrrspkt662

the car is not worth changing the transmission in the first place.. if theres little problems with the transimission your better off selling it.. cause the cost for replacement on the mercedes transmission,, your better off selling your car for parts with what your gonna invest into it.

99MBSport

in order to replace the rotors you need to take the caliper off. So 1.4 to just snap in a set of pads is somewhat high. I do my own work and save a ton of money. Been doing wrenches for 40 years and stuff still comes apart the same way.

Untertürkheim

You can get a real MB dealer to do that work for the same price.