asingh4@hotmail

I am posting this to see if I was charged fairly or was overcharged by the dealer. I know that dealers charge more than independent shops but I want to know if they charged too much.
I have a 2001 C320 with about 80,000 miles on it. Last week while driving on a freeway my car’s serpentine belt broke. This happened while I was on a trip away from home. Since I was not in my home area and it happened after hours I got my car towed to the nearest MB dealership. Next morning the service rep called me and gave me an estimate of $2000. According to him the belt broke because of the loose water pump. Also according to him my pulley was also damaged. Unrelated to belt problem service rep also recommended that I fix the leaking axle. According to rep it was unsafe to drive with leaking axle. Since we drive around with a 6-month-old baby and I didn’t want to take the risk I gave a go-ahead to the repair work. Later same rep called and said that they didn’t have the pulley in stock and we don’t have to replace the pulley because it was just a recommendation by the tech. That reduced my repair cost to $1700.

Musikmann

First of all, do you have the recommened A and B services done at an Indy or a dealer? If so, a badly worn serpentine belt would probably have been noticed before it actually broke; not to mention the loose water pump, and possibly the axle leak. I call this preventative maintenance and I am willing to pay for it.

I was out of town once and the check engine light came on after hours on a Friday, but at least I could drive the car. I took it to the nearest dealer the following Monday and they diagnosed it, giving me an estimate. I was 250 miles from home, so I bit the bullet and let them fix it. Fortunately, it was less than $500!

If you feel the service rep was being honest with you, (you don't have to be happy about the money), at least you can now feel safe with your baby and wife riding in the car. Just for kicks, show your invoice to some Indy garage you trust and ask them for what they would have charged. And while you're there, have them check that "damaged" pulley.

asingh4@hotmail

I usually get service done at the independent shop. The tech did not mention anything about the serpentine belt. I think weather and the driving conditions could have contributed to the problem. The temperature outside was over 105F and we were driving uphill. AC was on full throttle and car was loaded with 4 passengers along with their luggage.

benzeboy

You were overcharged. Curious as to how he fixed the axle leak, maybe retorque a few bolts. I hope it was your water pump pulley loose and not your water pump. Did you happen to see the posted shop labor rate? He had you by the ***** and he knew it enough said.

asingh4@hotmail

It was a weekend trip and we were supposed to be at work on Monday and they knew it. I don’t know much about axles so won’t be able to figure out what they did. Whatever they did it cost me $700.00. Well I hope people read this and change their serpentine belts or at least inspect them.

steve1173

At Mercedes Benz of Sarasota they will charge you for repairs & service that were not done or completed. They will talk a good game though.

whoover

The B service includes checking the serpentine belt. The stricter AMG schedule has it changed at 40,000. Most dealers will recommend a change by 60,000 miles. If yours had never been changed, trouble was inevitable. A good dealer makes a difference, if you take their advice. A lousy dealer can rip you off but an indy who's main attraction is cheap maintenance does it by deferring things that will catch up with you.

mleskovar

Made me look at mine closer...122K miles and it still shows minimal wear, no cracks. What does the service order say they did for $700$??? Please post. I hope you didn't pay $700 to just replace a serpentine belt!!

asingh4@hotmail

Total cost for SERP belt and related charges were ~$1100.00. SERP belt broke because water pump pulley was loose (bad bearing). According to the invoice Water pump was replaced . Looks like engine coolant pump was also replaced along with cooling lines + new coolant added