Non-Mechanic needs Advice on 300D Turbo
12-15-2010 | 06:39 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1
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From: Birmingham, AL
1985 300D Turbo
Non-Mechanic needs Advice on 300D Turbo
This is a one family car that my mother bought new in 1985 right after my father passed of cancer. After my divorce she gave it to me and I let it get hot and cracked the original motor. As a result, I have put two used motors in over the last ten years. Which is like putting on a band-aide and was not ever a proper fix. The 300D has never been wrecked, no rust and has a very nice high quality paint job, it's original greenish/blue. Then right after the paint job that second engine went bad and then the financial crisis. My goal was to get it back in good shape and use it for my everyday driver to work. The car is sitting in my garage with no engine at all. That is a whole other story...
What "I" know it needs:
1. Engine
2. Drivers seat springs rebuilt
3. And of course the interior water leak fixed which may mean new seals? I don't know where it is coming from.
4. The wood piece around the a/c controls
5. Also the headliner is starting to sag a bit
6. Maybe a few other things...
Can anyone give me a ballpark estimate of what it might cost me to get this car back in great shape?
If you had this situation, what would you do as far as refurbishing it? ( btw: I am not a mechanic.)
Also can anyone suggest someone really good and honest in the Southeastern part of the US that would be interested in working on a project such as this?
Any advice is very much appreciated.
What "I" know it needs:
1. Engine
2. Drivers seat springs rebuilt
3. And of course the interior water leak fixed which may mean new seals? I don't know where it is coming from.
4. The wood piece around the a/c controls
5. Also the headliner is starting to sag a bit
6. Maybe a few other things...
Can anyone give me a ballpark estimate of what it might cost me to get this car back in great shape?
If you had this situation, what would you do as far as refurbishing it? ( btw: I am not a mechanic.)
Also can anyone suggest someone really good and honest in the Southeastern part of the US that would be interested in working on a project such as this?
Any advice is very much appreciated.
12-17-2010 | 07:33 PM
#2
Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
83, 300D Federal
If you cannot do the work on the Car yourself it would be cheaper to just buy a whole other Car.
A entirely rebuilt exchange Engine is in the $5,000-$7,000 range; and that does not include shipping and the cost to install it.
The other issue is 3 Engines have gone bad on you. I am not trying to criticize but my first thought with out knowing the details of what happen to the Engines is you are having a problem taking care of the Engine/s on your Car.
If I was in this situation I wanted to keep the Mercedes. I would buy an inexpensive used Gas Car and use that as my daily driver.
In the mean time I would go to the local Community College or Trade School and take some classes so that I could learn the ability to do the work myself.
Also during this time you could be looking for a Car with a good used Engine and a rusted out or damaged body so you could salvage the Engine. (But, you want the Car to be in good enough condition that you can test drive it.)
A entirely rebuilt exchange Engine is in the $5,000-$7,000 range; and that does not include shipping and the cost to install it.
The other issue is 3 Engines have gone bad on you. I am not trying to criticize but my first thought with out knowing the details of what happen to the Engines is you are having a problem taking care of the Engine/s on your Car.
If I was in this situation I wanted to keep the Mercedes. I would buy an inexpensive used Gas Car and use that as my daily driver.
In the mean time I would go to the local Community College or Trade School and take some classes so that I could learn the ability to do the work myself.
Also during this time you could be looking for a Car with a good used Engine and a rusted out or damaged body so you could salvage the Engine. (But, you want the Car to be in good enough condition that you can test drive it.)
12-17-2010 | 07:49 PM
#3
Banned
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,542
Likes: 72
From: Palatine, IL
Speedriven
If you cannot do the work on the Car yourself it would be cheaper to just buy a whole other Car.
A entirely rebuilt exchange Engine is in the $5,000-$7,000 range; and that does not include shipping and the cost to install it.
The other issue is 3 Engines have gone bad on you. I am not trying to criticize but my first thought with out knowing the details of what happen to the Engines is you are having a problem taking care of the Engine/s on your Car.
If I was in this situation I wanted to keep the Mercedes. I would buy an inexpensive used Gas Car and use that as my daily driver.
In the mean time I would go to the local Community College or Trade School and take some classes so that I could learn the ability to do the work myself.
Also during this time you could be looking for a Car with a good used Engine and a rusted out or damaged body so you could salvage the Engine. (But, you want the Car to be in good enough condition that you can test drive it.)
A entirely rebuilt exchange Engine is in the $5,000-$7,000 range; and that does not include shipping and the cost to install it.
The other issue is 3 Engines have gone bad on you. I am not trying to criticize but my first thought with out knowing the details of what happen to the Engines is you are having a problem taking care of the Engine/s on your Car.
If I was in this situation I wanted to keep the Mercedes. I would buy an inexpensive used Gas Car and use that as my daily driver.
In the mean time I would go to the local Community College or Trade School and take some classes so that I could learn the ability to do the work myself.
Also during this time you could be looking for a Car with a good used Engine and a rusted out or damaged body so you could salvage the Engine. (But, you want the Car to be in good enough condition that you can test drive it.)
12-18-2010 | 10:37 AM
#4
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
240D
Well, my thought is that after three engines, there is something else really wrong. I wouldn't even start looking for a parts car until you know why it's going through engines. Even a kinda crummy engine from another 1980s-era car should not need to be replaced that frequently. You would have to be overheating the engine every single day for a month to cause the actual engine to wear completely out to the point where it needs replaced.
Getting hot suggests the cooling system (which is not so fabulously engineered even brand-new in the 300D) has issues. It's a LOT easier to fix the cooling system than to keep replacing engines--you can get OEM thermostat, radiator, radiator cap, viscous fan, etc. for maybe $500 online. So I would suggest getting the cooling system tested, before dealing with the engine issue. Those engines really should be able to take a lot of abuse, something is very wrong if you went through that many already.
It may also be cheaper to buy parts online and buy a parts car with a good engine, then ask a mechanic if they can just install the parts you got so you're only paying for labor. I know there are about three non-dealership Mercedes mechanics in my area and they all charge huge markups on parts and insist on using only Mercedes-supplied parts. But if all you want is a daily driver, then OEM parts are perfectly fine; if it wears out in ten years instead of 20, do you really care, considering that the OEM stuff costs a tiny fraction (we're talking 1/5th to 1/10th) of what the dealership would charge for the Mercedes version?
Also, another vote for learning how to take care of at least basic repairs yourself. It really helps in the long run, especially since you learn more about how cars work--and makes it easier for you to spot a shady mechanic.
Good luck
Getting hot suggests the cooling system (which is not so fabulously engineered even brand-new in the 300D) has issues. It's a LOT easier to fix the cooling system than to keep replacing engines--you can get OEM thermostat, radiator, radiator cap, viscous fan, etc. for maybe $500 online. So I would suggest getting the cooling system tested, before dealing with the engine issue. Those engines really should be able to take a lot of abuse, something is very wrong if you went through that many already.
It may also be cheaper to buy parts online and buy a parts car with a good engine, then ask a mechanic if they can just install the parts you got so you're only paying for labor. I know there are about three non-dealership Mercedes mechanics in my area and they all charge huge markups on parts and insist on using only Mercedes-supplied parts. But if all you want is a daily driver, then OEM parts are perfectly fine; if it wears out in ten years instead of 20, do you really care, considering that the OEM stuff costs a tiny fraction (we're talking 1/5th to 1/10th) of what the dealership would charge for the Mercedes version?
Also, another vote for learning how to take care of at least basic repairs yourself. It really helps in the long run, especially since you learn more about how cars work--and makes it easier for you to spot a shady mechanic.
Good luck
