C300fan2

Where was the leak? Was it shown with the UV dye?

Mmr1

2 control arms FCP euro. 200$ delivered, 1-2 hours work. 1000 $ means they are con artists I got two put in in for 350.. so the other prices are bs as well. Did you see the leak? Did you ever get Test Dye that was recommended weeks ago? And you really trust the guy just like the one that said “torque your Cylinder heads “” you need to test stuff yourself . And find an honest mechanic

Mmr1

I’ll bet it is not the radiator!!!

Mmr1

I have a 13, I had a hose leak and now water pump gasket. I replaced hoses ( fcp Euro has lifetime warranty and I’ve used it !!!). FCP PAID ME BACk !!!! They back it !! .

im not fixing the pump leak now.

You need to figure this out yourself since people are not telling you the truth and lying for their benefit ! Hoses , and gaskets leak . I’d recommend going to your local auto parts store and buying a UV light and leak dye kit, and get a Combustion Analyzer. Do the tests and tell us what happened!

1000$ for control arms is Lobster and Filet Mignon aaa prices . You don’t want that. You want Taco prices !

If the car doesn’t shake or jump or bump I would not worry. I think they are just seeing how big a Tuma they caught !

I replaced my control arms but I beat my Glk up in Chicago crap city streets .

if your in Chicago I know someone real cheap and honest . I think mechanics see a mb and see $$$$$$ in their eyes🤩🤩

don’t be a sucker. Or statistic of bs.

if it’s the radiator, get phone bids . Buy parts and fluids yourself . Buy at FCP Euro , or you will get crap Chinese Junk

i had my 2 hoses replaced (100$) , antifreeze and labor about 275.00

your prices are nutz . People are greedy , and then are they actually fixing the issue or just fixing a hose leak and getting paid 1500.00 !!!

get test kits and do your own tests !!

maybe it’s a bad hose or gasket , both know but are setting you up . If Stop Leak has been put in , remove it. .drain system . You can plug up the system by adding crap . Then making a super mess

Odd Piggy

Maybe I need to clarify my Alumaseal comments. Yep. It’s a mess. The next guy in the cooling system will cuss you. It’s safe for aluminum engines and radiators but it can’t just be dumped into the overflow tank. It won’t react with MB coolant. It’s colloidal aluminum and unlikely to plug up anything that’s not a leak to the atmosphere. And, no, Mercedes doesn’t recommend it. A ”BeverlyHillbilly” fix is one that most people wouldn’t use if they thought about it.
Maybe I should also mention that I’m a maniac when by myself. But I’ve never been stranded, either.

mogulman

@Mmr1 Appreciate the info. Unfortunately not in Chicago. I'm in the mountains of Colorado. I also don't have a ton of options. Either get it fixed by a local place in the mountains who doesn't know MB that well or drive to Denver and use either a dealer or local shop. If I drive to Denver, then I have to pay for a hotel, since it's 3 hours away from my house. I don't have the photos available to upload but I did view the leakage in photos. They aren't scamming me this time. The first place didn't have any photos or proof and I felt like they were guessing.

The place in the Denver area is a place that specializes in MB. I've used them for about 8 years. They aren't as expensive as a dealer, but they aren't cheap either. They also tend to do things right the first time. They diagnosed the issue and replaced the parts within 2 business days, so I only needed 1 hotel night. I checked some of the pricing at FCP Euro. The control arms were about double ($200) rather than $100, but I guess I attribute that to getting them so quickly. The other parts seem to be pretty similar to FCP Euro.

I didn't notice problems with the steering but now that the control arm is replaced it does feel different (less loose). I drive on a lot of pothole dirt roads in the mountains and in heavy (feet) of snow. So maybe that contributed to it.

Anyway, control arms replaced. Feels better. Radiator replaced, so we'll see if there are any leaks over the next month or two.

mogulman

Actually, was able to get a hold of the images. After the fact anyway...

Odd Piggy

Looks like you’ve done what is appropriate for a 10+ year old car. Those labor rates are as high as some dealers, but if they do competent work, worth it. They also use all MB OE or OEM parts. Most of us are used to DIY and avoiding the labor. You do need to consider trading out of your GLK if those can timing adjusters ever need replacing. I almost never get a new Benz and usually buy CPOs — good warranties and avoid that steep first year depreciation on new ones.

andreigbs

Even a pin-sized hole will leak when under pressure, so those should be replaced. I would definitely shop around for quotes, maybe 2 or 3 places. Ask them if they allow you to bring your own parts as most shops frown on that.

Once replaced, ensure the system is leak-free and holds pressure, then refill with proper MB spec coolant.

Mmr1

That looks like the simple hose leak I just fixed . And you prices quoted are a rip off. You don’t need a special mb mechanic to change a simple radiator. The radiator and parts cost 4-500 , radiator , coolant , hoses. Labor 3-4 hours . Google the price of a Glk radiator job.

cees klumper

I think you did well. Also, in my opinion as a CPA/finance specialist, people really should not compare the cost of maintenance and repairs to the value of the car at any given moment. By maintaining it, you're not buying the car again, you are buying future miles driven, future use. Cars cost money, miles driven cost money. If you believe keeping a car that is worth $2,000 but needs $2,100 in repairs and maintenance that will get you down the road a couple more years is not the thing to do but, instead, you buy another can that costs $2,000 (that you think will not need something done to it that is expensive sooner or later), then you are not realistic. Me I buy older cars, my 2013 250 GLK I bought with 202K miles on it for $8K, it runs and drives and looks almost brand new. I've had to replace the front/intermediate driveshaft and fill up some Adblue fluid. The driveshaft cost me maybe $140 and I do all the work myself. I could not, however, fix a major coolant leak that happened last year, while far away from home. Plus the next day we were leaving for a long trip, so I had to have the work done. I first had it towed to a nearby AAA-recommended garage, who the next day called and said they had no idea what it was or could be, but it was going to cost at least $3,000 and then they would see what's what and call me back with more news. So I lost all confidence and had it hen towed to the nearest MB dealer who did fix it and it cost something like $3,000. They also recommended replacing control arms for another $2,500, which I politely declined. Had I been able to do the coolant leak fix myself (it was some type of pipe/hose) then it probably would have only cost me $200-300. I was getting low coolant warnings and topping it off, until the thing just burst. Moral of the story, don't ignore cooleant leaks, do your own maintenance and repairs if you can, if not be prepared to pay significantly more to whoeever does the work (maybe better to just buy a more recent low-mileage Toyota) and lastly, look at maintenance and repairs as in investment in future miles, and don't compare it to the value of the car at any moment, unless you are absolutely sure you can for the same money buy a car in much better condition (very hard to do).

Mmr1

Instead of looking for a MB mechanic, just think of a mechanic, that’s all you need and not 200$ an hour. Wake up !!!

Mmr1

Ok clumper , we need to clear up nonsense . Get me a real good car for 3000

MBKLUE

Somebody needs an intervention.