040mercedes

I have a 1995 mercedes c280. I hit a curb.....Now my rear subframe/crossmember is bent. Nothing else appears to be bent or damaged. It is bent just to the left of the passenger lower control arm connects (in the arch). I know it's bent because I had a mercedes tech point it out to me. The effects that it has on the car are this: The steering wheel is turned to the right to about 2:00 o'clock for the car to go straight. The rear passenger wheel is bent in at the bottom of the wheel.(not the actual wheel itself, just the alignment). The rear end comes out to the right when driving. It has been bent now for a while (almost a year) and I have not gotten it fixed. Mainly because I have no money to fix it. My tires have not experienced any major mechanical wear however. Here are my options....

1. I could have Mercedes fix it....but they quoted me $2000 to fix, I don't have that kind of cash because I'm in college, so this wouldn't work for me.

2. Take it to a body shop to be put on a frame rack and pullled into spec. (would this really work? How much would this probably run me?)

3. Have a body shop fix it with a used subframe/crossmember. (I have found used ones at salvage yards for $125-$200 again could they do this and how much would this probably cost....ballpark figure)

4. Buy a used one and fix it myself.

So now I have another question, How hard would it be to fix this myself? Is there somewhere I could go to get a "how to" guide?

Are all w202 (94-2000) rear crossmembers the same?

Any suggestions would be much help. Thanks

sosh

My take is that this is a professional type repair that requires a great deal of accuracy and knowledge. This part takes lots of stress and is a major structual component. I would only consider letting MB do the job. Anyone else including yourself will lead to problems down the road and could worse case cause a major and dangerous failure, let alone diminished value of the vehicle. I, in fact would not drive the car the way it is. If you cannot afford to fix it correctly you are driving the wrong vehicle. Bet you are uninsured for this also.

040mercedes

Believe me, I feel the same way as you. That is why I figured I would ask before making a fool out of myself. The f'd up thing is... I do have insurance and they gave me money for it.....just not enough....and I mean not even close to cover the cost. I think it was a mix up when the adjuster came to look at the car....he wrote a cheap estimate to get the bumbers repainted because they were scuffed up.... this had nothing to do with the damage that the car had recieved. So after talking with the insurance company about this, they basically told me to get F%&*ed because they had already sent me a check. Needless to say I'm not with that company anymore. As for driving the wrong car because I can't afford it....I disagree, this could have happened to me in any car, not just a mercedes. I've seen parts for nissans and hondas cost extremely close to Benz's I know because I have owned both of those brands previously. So what should I do?

sosh

Sell it for what you can get and take a bus

040mercedes

wasn't really the answer I was hoping for, but I may have no choice. I think I'll pass on riding the bus though.

MB-Dude

Cross-Members are really critical to the cars handling and overall road performance. You really need to get the thing fixed as driving the car *may* cause more, subtle damage. A good body shop should be able to fix the car, but it probably will be somewhat expensive. Some shops (at least here in the California Bay Area) will utilize used parts. However, be very, VERY careful when selecting used parts - you get what you pay for! You may end up trading one problem for another when using a used part.

You really need to make a hard decision as to whether the car ('95 C-class) is worth the expense. I know - from personal experience with a '73 450SL - that the decision is painful. But remember, it's only a car and the last thing you REALLY want is for the car to lose control at highway+ speeds.

As for the financial aspect, you may not have any recourse. Virtually all insurance companies require claimants to sign a form indicating that receipt of the check deems the matter closed and no further discussion is allowed. You could try contacting your state's Office of Insurance Commissioner, or whatever he/she is called in your state. They *might* be able to help you get a little more out of the insurance company. As for insurance companies, I will ALWAYS pay a little more for a good one. The cut-rate companies are only out to make a buck.

040mercedes

MB dude, thank you so much for your advice. It really helps to hear somebody put it into perspective your way. Seriously, I thank you. This has been an on going headache for me and I just want to come to some sort of conclusion. I love my car so much because it has been so great, therefore I really don't want to sell it, but after all it is just a car and I'm still young with plently of time to own another mercedes down the road. I personally would much rather have mercedes fix the car. I feel much more comfortable with them doing the work, but my personal finances just don't allow it. So I'm forced to the other options. I do realize that you get what you pay for with automotive parts and services, so I just don't think any cheap alternative that I could afford would be worth any future damage the car may sustain. I have more important priorities in my life right now that I should focus on than pouring my money and emotions into an automobile. As for the insurance, I don't think that it will be worth it to pursue them for any more money, that situation took place about a year ago and may be too late. Besides, I absolutely despise that company and would rather cut my losses than pound my head against the wall any longer. I think, with much regret, I will just sell the car cheap to someone who can take care of it, rather than undertake anymore possible problems I may come across having a body shop do the work. Again, thank you.

mleskovar

So you spent the insurance money on something else and now are crying the blues about their poor service. Didn't you even get an estimate? Wheel pointing at 2:00 to go straight for a year? You shouldn't even own a car.

vinceC

I assume by "crossmember" you mean the rear suspension carrier (the black sheet metal stamping that the control arms attach to). For someone properly equipped, it should not be that hard to change out. It bolts to the unibody at four locations. All the suspension links (control arms), hubs w/brakes, axles & differential, etc. would have to be transferred over. After reassembly, the brakes would have to be bled and the car aligned. A used rear carrier assembly might include all of the parts mentioned above and reduce the parts transfer. By properly equipped, I mean you would need a good floor jack (or access to a lift), good jack stands, and a good assortment of hand tools. I would check with Potomac German Auto and some other reliable Mercedes dismantlers for a rear assembly. You might be able to get one at a reasonable cost and find a good independent shop to install it. Unless the unibody is damaged, this should not require a dealer. In fact, a dealer will probably just take the attitude that the car is old and you need to buy another. Sad, but true.

040mercedes

Vince, thanks for your advice...I have looked up underneath though and know what it would take to fix, and your right, I probably could do it. I'm not sure though, I was kind of hoping for a "how to" with instructions and so fourth. I'm still pondering till the car is gone.

Mlesko.....I'm asking for help. You're not helping. Let me break the story down for you. I did get an estimate, two of them actually. One was for just fixing the crossmember and the other was fixing the crossmember, front ball joints and control arm bushings. Just the crossmember was actually $2000 and some change, so closer to $2100. The crossmember with the other stuff listed was $3200. Can you remember those figures? OK, now those were actuall MERCEDES BENZ estimates that the adjuster looked at WHILE AT MERCEDES BENZ LOOKING OVER THE CAR. After seeing the estimateS, he then went to his car and came back with a piece of paper, NOT A CHECK, THAT SAID I WILL ONLY BE GRANTED $1600. Can you rember that figure. Ok now lets take a moment, how much was MB's estimate? $2100. How much did it say on the piece of paper? $1600. Now, your probably thinking, why didn't I ask him about the other $500? (2100-1600=500) I did, his answer was the insurance company may cover anything after the claim including alignments and anything else that may need fixed. I said "Okay." and moved on, still puzzled even after he looked at the car and the estimates. One week later I get a check in the mail. Do you know how much it was? $758. Lets review, the estimate MB gave me was $2100. Now, I'm sure you are smart enough to know that $758<$2100. I'm just assuming that. So where did $758 come from? Remember in my previous response, when I said the adjuster came out to look at my car the first time and wrote an estimate to have the bumbers painted? You can go back and look, it's there. That was the amount he gave me for that. So why did he write an estimate for the bumpers? I'm not sure because I clearly told the *****, "NO COSMETIC DAMAGE WHAT SO EVER" over the phone before he came out to look at it. He probably did it because he's a dumb F#$k-stick like you who doesn't pay attention to details. So back to the car. After seeing this check, I hopped in my screwed up vehicle and drove my a$$ right the insurance office. I asked them, "I received this check in the mail, it wasn't the same amount that the adjuster quoted me, can you fix this?" The lady behind the counter said. "I'm not sure why that happened, I'll look into it and possibly send you another check" I said "Okay." and left. Weeks later, no check. I go back to the insurance company. I ask the same thing to a different lady. She says "We already sent you a check." Basically I just got the run-around. Nobody could really find out what had happened somewhere in the mix of things. I was very frustrated. Is it all starting to sink in now? So months go by and I want to get the car fixed, so I take it to a body shop. You know how much they quoted me? $1800. Is $1800<or= to $758? No, of course not. Now, you remember some details about me right? I'm in college full time, very little to no money, working full time to pay rent and utilities and all that other bull*****.....you remember that right? So I only had about $400 in my account. Some basic math....758+400=1158. You can check with a calculator if you'd like................see, its correct. So, is 1158>or = to 1800. Of course not. So as months go by, what little money that the insurance company give me disappears, Oopps you were right about one thing, I did spend the money. I guess I'm going to hell for trying to use it to survive. But I'll put a star on your chart for pointing that out. That's five minutes extra on the playground for you. So do you see why the money disappeared? Seeing as it wasn't nearly enought to fix the car? But I kept it anyways because I knew that I didn't want to sell it because it was damaged, and as I mentioned I love the car. So now, here I sit, trying to ask for help. So please, if you're not going to help and just comment on how stupid and poor I am, and how I shouldn't be driving a Mercedes because I'm below your status, don't post replies.

sosh

Seems that at this point you cannot afford a car, any car, let alone an MB. Graduate find a job that you can take a bust to work, save your money then buy a car.

040mercedes

read the last sentence of my last post.

mleskovar

[QUOTE=So please, if you're not going to help and just comment on how stupid and poor I am, and how I shouldn't be driving a Mercedes because I'm below your status, don't post replies.[/QUOTE]

I specifically said "car". My comments are based on the fact that you are driving a car that is unsafe to drive and endangering other people. Your handling of the insurance claim has nothing to do with this, although I commented on it because you allowed them to take advantage of you and then blamed them. Sorry, that was not called for, though accurate. If you want someone to walk you through the decision process of whether or not you should do it....that's been done several times. And you're right, you asked for help and I poured salt on the wound. Start by jacking up the right rear of the car. Also, put a cap on the 'poor student'. I took a bus, rode a bicycle, and hitchiked to my college classes when I didn't have motorized transportation and still managed to graduate.

040mercedes

Look, I wasn't trying to start any trouble either, I apologize to you as well. Looking back at the situation I too wished I would have handled it differently, but I can't do anything about it now. I just need to concentrate on fixing the problem with the resources I have in front of me. This has been one huge mess for me that just seems to go in circles, so I'm incredibly frustrated with the whole thing. However, I need a car everyday because I'm a commuter, I live in an apartment off campus. I also have to be to work every day, so it's hard to just park my car for days at a time. Like I said, I appreciate everyones positive input including yours, it helps me to come to a decision. Including the fact that maybe a mercedes benz is the wrong car for a college student without rich parents. Again, I apologize and thank you.