Research This Forum – Very Important!
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Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 77
Likes: 2
2007 S550 Designo Edition
Research This Forum – Very Important!
I’m an ’01 E320 70K miles (No warranty) owner. Had the rattling noise from underneath the car. Went to an independent auto shop which immediately determined the cause, the Catalytic Converter. They said since one is bad, it’s better to replace the other one as well, to which I agreed.
I was quoted $500 + Tax (Santa Monica, CA). Didn’t have a choice but to agree. While in my office, decided to check the costs, digging in the forums, AND WHAT DID I FIND……..?
These converters are covered by MB up to 8 years or 80K miles!!!!!!!
Should I have read the forum PRIOR to agreeing to pay, I would have saved $525 which is ~16% of the extended warranty or 50% from Steve’s charge for phone installation, or….
Learn my lesson! ALWAYS research the forum first! If you’re patient enough, ask the members the relevant questions; The information provided on the forums or by contributing members is more valuable than or at least as valuable as the car itself!
If we own that luxury, we must be able to afford the luxury of research!
It’s my loss but everybody else’s gain.
I was quoted $500 + Tax (Santa Monica, CA). Didn’t have a choice but to agree. While in my office, decided to check the costs, digging in the forums, AND WHAT DID I FIND……..?
These converters are covered by MB up to 8 years or 80K miles!!!!!!!
Should I have read the forum PRIOR to agreeing to pay, I would have saved $525 which is ~16% of the extended warranty or 50% from Steve’s charge for phone installation, or….
Learn my lesson! ALWAYS research the forum first! If you’re patient enough, ask the members the relevant questions; The information provided on the forums or by contributing members is more valuable than or at least as valuable as the car itself!
If we own that luxury, we must be able to afford the luxury of research!
It’s my loss but everybody else’s gain.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,330
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1967 Morris Cooper "S", 1983 911SC, 1997 Toyota Tacoma, 1999 HD FXSTB, 1998 C43
I have heard about this on the forum. But all I can say is save the bad catalyst, receipt, contact the dealer about reimburesment info and lastly contact mbusa about it. I'm sure that one of those will remedy the predicament you are in.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 9,815
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John Deere
Depending on the problem, it's sometimes difficult to make that decision while standing in the repair shop. Postponing a fix and then running home to research it before you decide to proceed isn't always viable. I got lucky recently when a trouble code revealed I needed a part that my mechanic didn't have in stock. Before he ordered it, I learned it was much cheaper to buy through a discounter and that a 5-yr old could install it. This saved me at least 2-300. On theother hand, if he said I needed x, y, and z, and could do the job on the spot, I may have said yes just to avoid any delays. Depends on the problem.
