At least you guys found good indys in your city. Try finding an good MB dealer is even harder. Local dealer here sucks!

 

Looking good!

My 2005 is only at 67,000 miles. I've got a long ways to go!

I hope my car proves to be as reliable as yours!

 

My Indy is $72/hour labor. And no BS. If it takes an hour, I pay $72. If it says it will take an hour but it only ends up taking 30 mins, I pay $36. They absolutely do not ride the clock. And I'd trust them with my life. They've made a mistake or two in the 10 years my family has used them but always own up and correct it immediately and toss in something for free.

 

Well, Matt I wasn't so lucky: Throttle Valve Actuator.

It has 139K, give or take, last time I actually looked at it. I think I would have noticed if it had rolled over on 140K. Oh well, it is cheaper than a car payment.

 

How much is that gonna cost you? Got my thermostat from UPS today. Mercedes of South Atlanta super fast shipping and great prices!

Meanwhile, my C230 has been spending a great deal of time parked this month. From Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 I did 6,355 miles so about 3200 miles a month. Today is the 19th and I've done about 790 miles this month. I was sick for a week, then it snowed and stuck around for a week, and then the thermostat went and I'm not driving it because it was obvious by the severe reduction in fuel economy that it was running rich and that's just not good for it.

I drove it last night for the first time since Saturday and I miss it. I'm going to the mountains tonight and for the first time it won't be going with me. Gonna take a friend's 02 Taurus instead. I really gotta make the appointment to get the thermostat fixed and the other maintenance done.

Marco and I took the Benz and joined a memorial ride this past Saturday for a local 19-year-old fellow car enthusiast who died the 9th of this month when he lost control of the car he absolutely adored - a 2004 Mini Cooper S - and hit a 07 Tahoe head on. There were 200 cars in the ride - a fitting tribute. I have a link to a video of the cars leaving after the ride. At 4:32 you see my C230K head out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIjn4hX7yOQ

 

It's going to be around 1K, parts and labor. It could be a bit worse, I suppose. No desire to do it myself. I also probably could reset the codes and keep going until the problem got worse, but then I would be waiting on it to act up again - and *still* have to get it fixed, which would just destroy any enjoyment driving.

I heard about that Cooper, that stinks. I will have to check the video clip once things settle down here.

 

$1,000? Just how much is the part?!

 

My car @ 101,000 just before going into the shop for a lot of maintenance. Marco's 202,000 mile BMW 330i behind it.



Based on a little testing this would be the result of a race between these two. Turns out the power isn't what it once was over 200k miles later.


My car is in the shop today. Spark plugs, fuel filter, transmission fluid/filter, thermostat, transmission mount, TCU plug all being done. I'll post the breakdown on prices once I have the invoice and pick it up this evening.

 

Matt, good to see you are getting a little bit of refreshing after 100K miles. Really looking forward to you posting the results. Are the steering rack bushings going in too?

 

The "new" rims are a huge improvement.

You'll get to 202,000 yourself soon enough.

 

Actually no.. after the thorough inspection and lubrication the front suspension and steering is totally silent. The indy told me that they would likely stay quiet for a long while. I'll eventually replace them but not at the moment.

Tommy - yep, I plan to see 202,000 in this car and hopefully beyond. I really love the thing.

 

How do you lubricate front suspension?

 

Sex-ay!
This angle really shows the dish of the rear wheel.
Hot lava!

 

Sensible doing the TCU plug while you are about it !

 

Okay I got my car back from the indy.. here is the breakdown direct from the invoice.

2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C230
Mileage In: 100,816
Mileage Out: 100,820

Job1:
Drain transmission fluid, replace filter and gasket, refill with new transmission fluid. Fuchs Titan ATF 4134 provided by customer. Replace TCU connector/Pilot Bushing. Part provided by customer.
Job1 Total: $75.00

Job2: Install customer's thermostat and gasket then top off with coolant provided by customer. Mercedes-Benz 326.1 coolant in a 50/50 mixture with distilled water. 1/2 gallon lost and replaced.
Job2 Total: $129.60

Job3: Install customer's transmission mount. Corteco part.
Job3 Total: $50.40

Job4: Install customer's fuel filter. Mahle filter.
Job4 Total: $79.20

Job5: Install customer's spark plugs. OEM Bosch plugs.
Job5 Total: 72.00

Labor Total: $406.20
Parts Total: $0.00
Shop Supplies: $24.57

Grand Total: $430.57
Discount: -$40 for allowing them to keep the dipstick for the 722.6, but with a promise to always check mine whenever I need to.
Total Paid: $390.57

All the parts were sourced from RMEuropean except for the thermostat which was purchased for $29 from Mercedes-Benz of South Atlanta.

The car runs/drives much better now.

 

+1 to both
MATT you owe me

 

I'm not sure because I didn't see it performed. But I do trust my indy and the noises I was having with the front end were gone afterwards. I also wasn't charged a dime for it.

 

Per our agreement as stated on your check to me.. deal.

 

Did the plug replacement get rid of your cold start issue?

 

Well it hasn't really sat overnight in the cold yet but the start-up is actually noticeably better now.. so I hope so.

 

what i wrote on matt's check to fix the scuffed up rim.

 

Hahaha I handed that to the bank teller. She chuckled. I didn't offer up any explanation, either.

 

Looks like you have a good honest Indy - Imagine what an MB stealer would charge for that lot & full retail for parts.

 

My car only runs at about 75 degrees C. What should it be at? I didn't realize it was low.

 

^ +1.

To do all those maintenance items, the dealer would've charged at least $1000 for the labor. If I ever move to GA, I know where to go for service.