Should I go to the delearship or an independent shop?
03-28-2007, 08:21 PM
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Should I go to the delearship or an independent shop?
Im out of warranty so I might to have to spend a lot of money to fix several problems with my 2000 S500. I live in L.A. would you guys recommend for me to go to the dealer or take my car somewhere where I might have to pay less? Would the service be the same?
If anybody is wondering, my problems are with the compressor vibrating on and off, one side of the car's suspension leaking air, and a knocking noise in the rear passenger side.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
If anybody is wondering, my problems are with the compressor vibrating on and off, one side of the car's suspension leaking air, and a knocking noise in the rear passenger side.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
03-28-2007, 09:19 PM
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LX470
Im out of warranty so I might to have to spend a lot of money to fix several problems with my 2000 S500. I live in L.A. would you guys recommend for me to go to the dealer or take my car somewhere where I might have to pay less? Would the service be the same?
If anybody is wondering, my problems are with the compressor vibrating on and off, one side of the car's suspension leaking air, and a knocking noise in the rear passenger side.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
If anybody is wondering, my problems are with the compressor vibrating on and off, one side of the car's suspension leaking air, and a knocking noise in the rear passenger side.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
03-28-2007, 09:35 PM
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CLS 63 S AMG , s500,clk550
if u go to the dealer ur playing it safe and it will most likely be fixed correctly and without and mistakes. it sounds like u have an airmatic problem and a control arm and or ball joints need replacement. only take it to the dealership but always check here on the forum to make sure your not getting screwed by the dealer. people here know everything about the car probably even more then the dealership knows about the car.
p.s. taking the s class to an independed shop is very very risky. because these german cars are very very high tech compared to other cars on the road.
p.s. taking the s class to an independed shop is very very risky. because these german cars are very very high tech compared to other cars on the road.
03-28-2007, 10:21 PM
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04 S430 (sold),05 X5 4.4i, 02 325i, 87 560SL, 85 Alfa Romeo
if u go to the dealer ur playing it safe and it will most likely be fixed correctly and without and mistakes. it sounds like u have an airmatic problem and a control arm and or ball joints need replacement. only take it to the dealership but always check here on the forum to make sure your not getting screwed by the dealer. people here know everything about the car probably even more then the dealership knows about the car.
p.s. taking the s class to an independed shop is very very risky. because these german cars are very very high tech compared to other cars on the road.
p.s. taking the s class to an independed shop is very very risky. because these german cars are very very high tech compared to other cars on the road.
While I agree with most of this in one way or another,and respect what you are trying to say, you must have a LOT of faith in your local dealers or the network of "dealer service people" in general to use statements like "playing it safe"and most likely to be fixed without mistakes" That to me is like meeting a guy with the word "expert" on his business card.
Dealer shops are far from perfect, And they Do make mistakes. The only thing you can bet your money on with the dealer is that it is going to be a lot more expensive than most Indy shops..
Taking any car to some ******* on the corner to work on it is risky.
Taking your car to a reputable independent shop that knows benz's is no riskier than taking it to the dealer.
Yes this car is high tech, AND german, but if a shop isn't able to handle technology from 7 to 8 years ago, Well,, let's just say I would put them under the same column as the ******* shops..
I've be in the technical field for many many years and have made a lot of money fixing things, if fact that's a huge part of my business today so these cars don't scare me but I'm not arrogant about it either. I know when it's time to jack her up, and when it's time to make a trip to the shop.
Not wanting sound hypocritical to the above, but my first choice is the dealer over indy because I can get a good diagnosis and can determine if the fix is a home job or not. So for me, It's a toss. I haven't had ( knock on wood) a repair that costs me tons in labor so I'll pay for an hour or two of troubleshooting if it' something that stumps me. ( no expert on my business card)..
There are a lot of shops in the LA area. A lot of S class cars, therefore a lot of service business,,I'd look around since you pretty much know what your issues are, and what it's going to take to fix them. IT seems like you just need to get parts installed.
Speaking of parts, my only word about ANY indy shop is DO NOT LET THEM GET YOUR PARTS FOR YOU. They will mark them up, and if you're not careful you could end up paying as much for AM parts as you would OEM, OR end up paying more for OEM stuff that you could have easily went to pick up yourself.
By the way,, Isn't LA the area of the country where so many cars are service at Fletcher Jones? Now there is a good example of why you should take your car to the dealer.. NOT!
