ksing44

Wow, the bill from the dealership was $879 to fix my air conditioning by replacing my expansion valve and my receiver dryer. Oh yes, I also had the oil changed. The valve was $47, the dryer was $136 and the R134 was $48, but there were a number of seals $22, the new charcoal filter $43, "switch seat" $39, "switch liqui" ? $42, and now they charge $90/hour for labor. Wow$$$, but I did get cold while driving home. Can you imagine how much it will cost if my evaporator goes bad?

My car looked so awesome when I went to pick up my car. The dealer has a brand new facility with 3 story ceilings and an automatic door that opens as you drive in to drop off your car or return the loaner vehicle. It is a spectacular new building with soaring ceilings, stone walls, tile floors, Starbucks coffee, and of course they have many millions of dollars worth of new cars lined up inside the building’s new show room. My car was just sitting there all shiny and clean and it was so perfect. My car truly is a match for those new machines and it may actually be a representative of cars that were made at the pinnacle of what Mercedes cars are known for. I was so happy to get my car back after driving that 2003 ML for 5 days. My car is magnificent!

No matter what breaks on my car, I will fix it because it will be worth it to be able to drive this amazing machine.

johndoyle

I've had some AC problems recently and they may help you. First, when the air is cool on the right side and warm on the left, it is a sign of insufficient charge (not enough refrigerant in the system). Your tech should be putting dye in the system to identify the source of the leak. I was told mine is leaking from the compressor and the evaporator and that it will be $4K US to fix it. Needless to say, I just had it recharged and am letting it leak until I decide what to do. I already had the receiver dryer replaced, which I think was a faulty diagnosis -- the problem was leaks all along. It seems to hold for a year, so if all I have to do is put in a little refrigerant each year, it's better than the repair. I also think I need second and maybe third opinions. The technicians, whether dealer or independent, will look you in the eye and lie -- I don't know if it's intentional or if they really just don't know what they are talking about, but the net result to you is the same. Your money is gone and your car is not fixed. Good luck.
John

cap'n jasper

Glad it's A1 again now

Diesel

Hey K,

I too had my A/C retrofitted, and conderser changed at the dealer a few years ago. About $800 Cdn. Then, my A/C went again at the beginning of the year. I took the car to a dealer, who said that my compressor was leaking, and needed to be changed. Another $800-1000. I went on line and saw that there is a company in Texas that rebuilds these things, and I thought that these things must be fixable. So, I went to an A/C shop in my city and had them take a look. All that needed to be FIXED was a leaking o ring, $45 (made by that company in Texas). After the labor, taxes, and recharge, I was just below $500. The dealer does not fix things, just replace them. And on top of that, I found out that getting a new compressor is really a Mercedes rebuild. So, if I had fixed my compressor there, they would have took my old one, and sold it to some guy for $800. We have dealer maintained our car since new, but I am beginning to wonder if that is wise anymore....

Framebb

Thats the reason I went with an extended warranty for my E320 4matic wagon. The EC light came on at Thankgiving last year headed to dinner. Heat still worked so I was in no hurry to get it fixed. Called dealer to make appt for service and was told that it would be ok for winter but come summer the a/c wouldnt work. Long story short, about 8 and change to get the thing rebuilt, all told I think I might have paid 80 bucks for some part that wasnt covered. Intial out put for extended warranty was expensive but in the long run had almost paid for itself! And yes I still love my car!

zahkunst

I recently had to fix my AC on my '91.... expansion valve as well as something wrong with the relay...I chose to bypass the relay to make things simple. Works fine now bling $793 bucks US.

and yeah I sometimes take it to the dealer (not for air thO) so i can drive the new c230's or somehting similar for a few days...heh the last time i was there due to many circumstances I had the c230 for 9 days and drove it about 600 miles. It was a complex problem, had to ordr and reorder parts, atop vacation times etc.