Hello all,

Having spark plugs, wires and fuel filter installed Monday in the clk.

3 quotes

$350
$310

The $250 is from a place that only works on Mercedes, plenty of them in the shop. Is $250 fair?

I'll do cosmetic things but don't want to mess around with this on my own especially when its 25 degrees here.

Thanks for your help.

 

Fair is in the eyes/wallet of the beholder. Check with the MB dealer and compare the two prices. Your answer will be shown to you grasshopper.

 

I get that.
MB will not install my parts and since I already have them I need a few ideas on if the quoted price seems way to low or to high or about right.

Got nothing to comapare excep for the quotes. Ill keep search here as well.

Thanks.

 

Just remember, get the quote from your dealer as far as labor and then add in your own parts and compare. Also, when it's done by the dealer it usually comes with a guarantee or warranty. And I have never heard of any dealer refusing to install anything a customer brings to their door. Since I have worked in dealers for close to 11yrs total (mostly Ford) it seams odd that they would refuse. Good luck and keep us posted. On your progress. Also IMHO 250 to 310 for labor seams fair enough, need to know what the labor rate is for the place you are going to though.

 

You are right. I didnt think to get the labor quote. I called them and......

Plugs & wires 3.8 hrs $486
Fuel filter 1.5 hrs $ 192

Total $678 so $250 is sounding pretty good to me.

 

Just remember,you will get what you pay for. Cheaper isn't always better. Just make sure they do a good job. Plugs and wires are easy enough,as well as the fuel filter. You can save tons of money in labor costs by dusting off your toolbox and getting your hands dirty. IMHO I usually prefer to do it myself unless its something I can't do such as diagnostics or heavy line work(IE motor or trans/electronics) as I don't have much patience for that stuff when I am not too familiar with the vehicle. All said though don't be intimidated,everything should be accessible and easy to get to just search the posts here for the how to's. And best of luck with your ride. Oh BTW any mods? And what plugs and wires did you go with?

 

I hear ya. I will do cosmetic stuff on my own but I have never done wrench work and I'm not willing to experiment on my Mercedes even though I would like too. Without someone around to help if I get stuck I'm not gonna risk it. Cant afford to screw it up and have to send a frantic post talking about help cant get car back together hoping someone replies. One day I will do some work but not today buddy.

I had the work done first thing this morning, appointment was at 8, showed up at 7:50, the guy dove right in on it. Let me tell you that I have not seen worse looking plugs on a lawn mower than what he pulled out. I could see him through the glass as he worked and he just made the worse face each time he pulled out a plug. A very disgusted look on his face. Funny thing is the car drove fine, no hesitation, idle issue. Didnt check gas mileage but I averaged 300 miles a tank. Maybe I will get more mow? So glad I did them now, fells more peppy when I get on it but the idle, etc is the same to me. I am checking off things on my matenance list so my baby will last.

Gotta get a new radiotor, he said it has a small crack in it, makes total since why I have to add fluid once every few months. Never did that before a few months ago.

The only mods I have are cosmetic.
Went with bosh plugs, cant remember the number but I got the info from this forum. Same with the wires. Sorry, long day at work today and I'm beat and my mind is going.

Thanks for the reply. The day I post I did somewrench work you better be the first to give me a "atta boy"

Lol

 

Way to go,can't be too intimidated by the small stuff,but definitely do not attempt anything that you don't feel comfortable with.

 

Next up in the list to check and or service as preventative service.

Serpintine belt
Radiator (small crack in it)
Timing chain
Valve cover gaskets
Trans - drain and fill
Brake flush
Lowering springs
Motor & trans mounts checked and or replaced

Feel free to add something I missed.
129k on the clk and it drives like its brand new.

 

OK my response to your list as follows with difficulty based on a 1-10 scale.

1-Belt=moderately easy/3. Be sure to check for any cracks and if your doing this as preventative and belt is still usable,keep the old one as a spare
2-Radiator=4/5. This one can kill several birds in one blast(belt,radiator,upper and lower hoses,coolant change).
3-Timing chain=8(recommend shop). This one I might try,but would most likely send out to be done. This can also knock out several in one operation(belt,hoses,timing chain,radiator).
4-valve cover gaskets=3-4. This one looks worse than it is. Its all on top. Just take your time and be patient.
5-Trans drain and fill=2-3. Not too bad here either. Drive on ramps or jack stands and a funnel here.
6-Brake flush=2-3. Easy as well. Jack stands,open resevior,open bleeders and let her drain via gravity bleed and fill as needed.
7-Lowering springs=4-5. Could do this one as well,recommend you have a wingman/helper on this one. Looks harder than it really is.
8-Motor and trans mounts=5-7. You will most likely need help here as well. My patients would get the best of me here,as doing this in the driveway is a pain in the a$$. This i would send out.
A few more I would add would be as follows.

9-Ball joints,front end bushings and alignment(shop only)
10-Any other upgrades=at your discretion.
My rule of thumb in all of this is replace those parts with OEM or better,upgrade if possible and never stop tweeking or playing with your ride. The more you can do on your own,the more money you can save and the more pride and self confidence you will have because YOU did it your self. At meets if the past (with the notch) when someone asks where did you get that done and you reply with the busted knokle garage(your house) it is always a one up for you. good luck and ask if you have any more questions.

 

Thanks for the info. A few questions.
Is the timing chain needed (mileage) or do the last pretty much? I get the belt thing but the chain should last longer than the belt and be be pretty soild right? I had it on my list to check.

Ball joints and front end bushings- Replace those with the lowering springs as a good idea or only if shop says so?

One last thing- how do you feel about fuel injection cleaners? I read it helps with build up, etc. I dont mean a liquid you pour in the tank, im talking about what ever a shop would do? Sorry about any typos, just woke up and dont have my glasss on.

Thank you again.

 

No worries on the typos,my jimmy deans mess up my words every now and then. As far as the injector cleaner I know that some parts stores have a do it yourself kit. The procedure is fairly simple. Remove the top cover on the engine and locate the fuel rails. Ther should be a small inlet valve similar to a tire valve stem(although I have not looked on these cars yet) but most other cars ar all the same fuel system wise. The kit has a pressurized can of cleaner and a hose with the fitting on the end. Find the fuel system shut if switch or pull the fuse for the fuel pump. Start the car and let the system run dry(not sure if this will cause any issues with these cars or not) or you can just connect the hose to the fuel rail after you disable the fuel pump. Open the valve on the can of cleaner and start the car. Just let it idle until the car starts to sputter and die. Then reverse the process and reset the fuel pump/replace the fuse for the pump. Disconnect the battery for about 10 minutes and turn on the lioghts while disconnected to discharge any current from the system. Reconnect the battery and astart the car. This should reset the entire system but you may need to re-enter the security code for you audio unti if its still facory. Done deal. I have done hundreds of these on many domestics as well as foriegn cars and truck so this procedure should be just fine. Also I usually add some injector cleaner Every 5th tank just t keep the system as clean as possible. Deposites can really hurt your performance and milage if not kept in check. If you have any questions just ask or PM me, And thanks for the ipod/mp3 hookup info too.

 

The timing chain itself should be fine for several hundred thousand miles, the chains on the m112/113 engines were made with a very durable dual gang construction not very prone to stretching, if any issues were to develop it would probably be the chain tensioners going bad before the chain itself.

 

Thanks. I thought they were pretty solid.

 

On my 2002 CLK55, she only has 45k miles on her. But, the plugs and wires were original from 11 years ago. Didn't have the time nor energy nor patience right now to deal with the plugs closest to the firewall, so I purchased Bosch Platinum plugs online (16 of them) for $81 total shipped (no tax). Opted to leave the original wires on for now since there were no issues. (Engine ran perfectly fine with old plugs, just didnt want the plugs to seize up within the threads hence the replacement.) Local shop in Richmond, VA called RVA Auto Service used my parts with no issues. Total bill for labor was $200 even. Old plugs looked fine, right color, no issues and most likely could have easily gone to 100k. With my average of about 2500 miles per year my next plug replacement will be in another ten years in 2023.