Sirthony

I went to take my car for a check up because it wasn't feeling right and the A/C wasn't working (Hot air only was coming out).


The first thing that happens when they lift the car and remove the bottom cover of the car, a piece of the air compressor fell out (i think it was what the mechanic said), then he starts showing me how this parts are messed up under the car and how i was late on my A & B maintenance then he goes on telling me how its important and have to be changed immediately, so i tell him fine to do it.

I have the list of parts but there in spanish, but i had all the filters changed, the oil of the motor and transmission changed (made sure they flushed the old one out, because i read on another thread how they skip that part some times).

It was so expensive but i had no other choice i drive my car everyday and I didn't want it to get any worse.


I got to pick it up today hope everything is good happy though my car going to be 100% Ok.

LILBENZ230

Those are the control arms with ball joints. Also a piece of the A/C compressor.. fell out? This has nothing to do with A/B maintenance. Were you neglecting the car? Or did you just get hosed by a mechanic?

Sirthony

Im sorry if my grammar was off, i write better in spanish.

But the A/C on its own was damaged, had to get a new compressor.
The A/B Maintenance was just the filters and oil change...
Neglecting? maybe a little is that some of the streets here aren't so good ( that was supposedly the cause of the damage to the "control arms with ball joints") and i had the motor oil changed before but not the transmission one. The car hadn't ask for it so i thought it didnt need it yet .

ncmudbug

Look at the top of the forum and get the pdf of the maintenance manual and follow it. You should change your oil every 10 - 13,000 miles (16 - 20,000 km). The tranny fluid should be changed every 38,000 miles (60,000 km). Brake fluid every 5 years or 50,000 miles (80,000 km). Always use MB approved fluids. Air filter should be changed every 4 years of 50,000 miles (80,000 km). There is obviously more that is spelled out in the maintenance manual.

How many miles are on your care? When you say your car wasn't feeling right, are you talking about the way it drives? Was it not driving straight or smooth? Was it wandering on the road or making noise from the suspension? If that's what the situation was, the shop may be dealing with you fairly. Otherwise, unless those guys were strongly recommended by a friend (and maybe even if they were), I would consider looking for another shop. It SOUNDS like they were taking you. Obviously, I can't know for sure and I wouldn't want to falsely accuse somebody of ripping you off. After all, your car could have been ragged for some time, but I get to wondering when you bring in a car for one issue and they come out and say it has a half dozen other fairly expensive issues.

Good luck and try to tell us more about what was happening and what they did.

Is it common to leave guns unattended in cars in the Dominican Republic???

Sirthony

Im going to try to answer it by order.

First thanks for the pdf file i will download it, i have the car for 4 years it has a little over 100,000 miles on it (i use to live in miami and travel to other far places a lot), the oil i saw they were using was Mobile 1 and the parts he said were bad, he first showed me why they needed to be changed before actually doing anything.

Yes, when i said "the car wasn't feeling right" it was that it was shaking when i was going 50+ and when i hit the breaks the car would also shake and if i were to hit the breaks like sort of hard a sound could be heard from the front of the car a hard sound.

and i totally understand what you saying about probably getting ripped off, they're is only 1 mercedes certified place here and to take it there is WAY to expensive, the second one to that is the one i went to, it said to be one of the best at what they do (witch is work on mercedes).

what they did exactly was:
(im going to translate it my best to english)
Motor

1. Oil Change
2. Filter Change

Transmission

1. Oil Change
2. Filter Change
3. Transmission Conector (dont know what it is i think a sensor)

A/C

1. A/C Compressor
2. A/C Filter
3. Gas for the air(dont know if that correct but it to make it cold)

Other

1. the belt on the motor(pretty sure that has a name) but they said that it had to be changed because it was warn out, how often does this have to be changed?
2. The control arms with ball joints(the things in the pictures)

Plus they charge something extra to actually install all this.

Just curious in US dollars how much would it go for a service like this in the US or anywhere els?

because i know working with a mercedes isn't cheap when it comes to parts, but i want to see if they ripping me off or is it normal pricing.

thanks again for the advice.

Edit: Oyeah and about the gun. No, the owner was still there, when he left his car there to fix he took it with him.

ncmudbug

Thanks for the update. I've had an A/C compressor replaced by the dealer and it was around $1800. This included a "sprag" bearing on the alternator which caused the compressor to go out in the first place. You might ask your shop about it. A tranny flush cost me $330 at an indy. An oil change would probably go for around $100 (Mobil 1 0w40 is what most recommend but other grades of Mobil 1 are appropriate). I don't know about the control arms. It doesn't sound so bad when you explain what they did. It sounds that they did the appropriate work (but you didn't say what they charged you). If the car drives well now and the A/C is cool, then that's good! You really should have them check that bearing on the alternator. If that is an issue, you'll keep trashing compressors. The symptom is that you'll get a loud screech that sounds like a slipping belt or that your tires are rubbing on a rubber floor.

Good luck.

Sirthony

Omg thanks that you just answered this because the car is driving and the A/C is good but there a screeching sound when i put the car on reverse or drive and hold the brake, i thought it was the belt they change but on monday ill take it back and tell them this, thanks again so much for this information because i wouldn't want to go back and buy another compressor. thanks so much!

Forgot: the price was almost 2,000USD ... and if possible can i get a more detail explanation on the part you said makes the compressor go bad?

Thanks again.

ncmudbug

Do a search for "sprag" on the forum. I've found a post that explains it better than I could (look at post #5 here): https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...need-help.html
I wouldn't fool with this. I'd get it taken care of right away. Since the compressor was just installed, they might have some warranty on it - or if they find it was the sprag bearing, they may decide that it was the problem and you'll need to buy a new compressor (similar to what happened to me with my dealer). I might not drive the car except to the shop.

Sirthony

Hey thanks for your help, you really help me out got everything fixed no sound of any kinda, the car is running great.

I know i took a while to answer back again is that after that got really busy, got something really cool to show you guys !! ill post a link here when i create the new thread of the new surprise

ncmudbug

I'm glad everything turned out ok and your baby is driving like it should! May you have many trouble free miles now!

hahaitzmickey

Yea those control arms need to be replaced. That black bushing on it is always rotting and breaking apart. Its a common problem with any car. They are actually pretty easy DIY and the part is very cheap. Good luck on your car

Sirthony

"I'm glad everything turned out ok and your baby is driving like it should! May you have many trouble free miles now!"
Hahahaa thanks! I think i made a good choice with this car, it been 4 years and the car has around 100,000 miles and it driving like the first day!


"Yea those control arms need to be replaced. That black bushing on it is always rotting and breaking apart. Its a common problem with any car. They are actually pretty easy DIY and the part is very cheap. Good luck on your car"

Yeah i was in miami this last week and went to a mercedes dealer and ask to see how much it really cost and it was a littler cheaper than what it cost, next time (hope not soon) ill just order them my self! And thanks for the good luck!