Hey all.

2002 S430 w. 145,000 miles. AMG wheels from a 2004 CL55. Tranny replaced under extended warranty at 80k. Radiator replaced at 125k. Left front airmatic strut replaced at 125k. The interior is pretty good, with a couple of 1" leather tears from putting an old TV in the front seat, and the exterior is almost flawless.

OK, so I thought since it's been three years since the car has seen an authorized MB dealer, I'd do the B tuneup there and get the laundry list of what needs attention, and how to get the CEL to go away, which has been on for the past 18 months.

So, here's the list along with retail dealer pricing to repair:

-- Trunk latch $800 (opens with physical key but not w. fob or interior switch)
-- Rear Deck shade didn't ask price, but stopped working a year ago.
-- RR airmatic strut $1,700 (about one night in seven it drops down after 30 mins)
-- Motor Mounts $1,200 (dealer says they're leaking)
-- Transmission mount $694 (dealer says completely shot, collapsed)
-- 2nd air pump, hoses $1,482 (the pump doesn't work at all, and lots of hoses are cracking. Causes the CEL light to remain on)
-- Fr torque/control bushings $2,786 (says bushings are drying out and cracked)
-- oil separator $906 (dealer says is leaking)
-- all plugs + 1&5 wires $1,070 (cylinders 1&5 are cutting out intermittently)

$10,838

I figure the car is worth about $7k at trade in, so maybe now is the time to stop repairing and trade it in just before the mandatory smog check in July of this year.

Or, I could have the secondary air pump and hoses fixed, along with just two plugs and wires, and continue to keep the car another couple of years or until something expensive has to be fixed in order to drive safely… then trade it in.

If it were your car, what would you Repair/Defer/Ignore?

 

He is robbing you blind. Come to Houston. I'll do it all for half that!
plugs/leads/airpump/motor mounts/strut first if i were you.
Also, if you have ABC suspension you must flush the fluid.
See http://www.exclusiv-automobile.de/ww..._Fahrwerk.html and google translate it.

 

^ so are you saying if it were yours, you'd repair everything but at more reasonable prices?

 

I'm gonna say your trade in value is more like $5k, if that.

Do you DIY? These prices make outrageous look reasonable.

forget the trunk latch, shade, and airmatic strut right now.

Motor mounts and tranny mount parts are about $250 and can easily be done in about 3 hours. Their quote is eyepopping.

I would definitely do these.

I'd probably fix the SAI. You can find used parts on ebay and hoses are not too pricey. Getting rid of the check engine light will help you at trade in time also.

If you don't notice any weird noises or feel anything untoward from the suspension, leave that be for now.

Definitely do plugs and wires. Plugs are maybe $50 and bosch wires are approx $150 on amazon.

I'm not aware of this car having an oil air separator. It uses breather chambers and hoses whereby the oily vapor is sent back into the intake to be burned.

If its the breather chambers that are leaking, a bit of silicon sealant and 2 hours of work will fix that.

I'd say if you have some DIY skill, about $1,000, and a few hours, you could make the car run a lot better and make it worth keeping for another year or two.

 

Yes, i can fix all that easily. $5.5K, ship it, drive it back.

 

Just about any honest independent mb mechanic can do all those things for half the dealer quote

I'd say just do the plugs, wires and tranny mount . Under $500 total from a good Indy

 

I'd find another mechanic ASAP. Your not going to get over 5 grand for the car unless you part it out . Plugs wires etc you can do yourself. Airmatic shock from arnott is only 400 bucks with lifetime warranty. Seriously , anyone bringing a any mercedes to mercedes to fix is almost an act of lunacy unless you have a warranty . Again, find an independent mechanic ASAP. I'd do mounts and any engine work that needs to be done and be finished

 

I have to agree with everyone else. These prices are typical for a dealer. I bet they charge about $400 to change your oil when you can do it yourself for about $60.

 

diy it all!

 

agreed with everyone else

 

Update:

I haven't done any of the repairs recommended yet. However, last night I bought my wife a 2011 W221 S550 w. Premium II package, 38,500 miles on lease turn-in, CPO, and financed the $48,000 price plus 9% tax plus DMV registration, etc. for 6 years at $0 down and 1.9%, with monthly pay of $769. She was very particular about White w. tan/beige interior, so that's what I found her.

So now I have an extra 2002 S430 with 150,000 miles and everything wrong I listed in my first post. Do I keep it and get some of the things fixed, or do I stick with my 2001 W210 E320 with 180,000 miles? I must decide before early July when I have to get the smog check recertified, which I cannot do with a CEL light on.

Regarding the E320, aside from a few interior cosmetic issues (front passenger door handle and armrest have the beige colored paint wearing off to show a more orange color material underneath, driver side door handle vinyl covering is separating from the metal underneath, center console armrest doesn't look that good, etc.), I like driving it quite a bit with the modificaitons I have on it... Remus muffler, Eibach springs, Koni shocks, AMG 17" wheels, Akebono dustless brake pads.

If I decide to sell the W210 and keep the W220, I'll do the repairs you guys suggested. Oh, the right rear strut seems to have fixed itself. It hasn't squatted down for about six months now.

If, however, I decide to keep the W210 (which I'm leaning toward right now), and sell the W220, should I at least get the CEL turned off first? Or should I just take it over to Carmax and sell it "as is"?

My only concern regarding the W210 is that is has 180,000 miles on it and the original transmission, which was flushed at 100k miles. I'm just wondering how much longer an original transmission can go, b/c when it does, that's $4,000 minimu. The W220 transmission was replaced mostly under warrantly at 85k miles, and the remanufactured tranny has 65k on it now. I seem to worry about trannies more than any other part of a car.

Oh, one other thing I don't like about the E320 -- the front seats are not ventilated, so when I get in the car, even if it has been in the garage at work, in 85+ degree weather, the seatback makes my back sweat and ruin my shirt for the rest of the day. Is there any way to take a non-ventilated seat and replace it with a ventilated seat without costing too much?

Thanks for your opinions. And I just realized I should post this in the W210 section as well.

 

Regarding "stealership" prices. The LED light assembly quit working on my driver side mirror. I get an error message on the dash which won't go away, so it's something I need to fix. I was a couple blocks from Mercedes of Chandler (Arizona), so pulled in to see if they could replace the bulb. I didn't know at the time it was a whole LED assembly. Nope can't buy that from Mercedes, have to replace the whole mirror to the tune of $550. Found just the assembly on eBay for $25 including shipping. These guys belong in jail.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I got quoted over $20k by Autobahn in the Bay area for a similar list of work. A few of the things on my list had been done the weekend before they inspected the car, eg spark plugs, wipers, filters.
I took it to an independent specialist for a second opinion and they told me a third of the work didn't need doing at all, and I did the rest myself for around $800 in parts and 2 weekends work. When I pulled the old flex disks out, they were in such good condition that I couldn't tell which was the old one and which was new.

Email from Autobahn:
Recommendations/needed repairs on your vehicle include:

1.) Both trunk struts (why it keeps coming down) - $441.55
2.) Trunk lid switch at driver’s door (sticking/why it will not open from inside) - $728.81
3.) Trunk latch (why it will not stay shut/has to be slammed) - $1,230.86
4.) Driver’s side door latch (air leak) - $1,570.73
5.) Parking pawl seals (leaking transmission fluid badly) - $1,966.38
6.) Valve cover gaskets (leaking oil badly) - $1227.11
7.) Rear main seal (leaking oil badly/transmission has to be removed/reinstalled) - $2,716.46
8.) Engine mount motors (3) (collapsed) - $2,601.48
9.) Front and rear flex discs (cracked) - $1,280.52
10.) Lower control arm bushings (split/torn) - $1,056.86
11.) Wheel alignment (if bushings replaced) - $242.88
12.) Brake fluid exchange (every 2 years) - $298.69
13.) Engine air filter (dirty) - $132.62
14.) Spark plugs (recommended every 5 years) - $698.64
15.) Windshield wiper blades - $70

 

Well, actually for the last 1,500 miles or so it's getting to sound a little like a donkey winnying sometimes, or to describe it differently, rubber making rythmic squeeking noises. No metal sounds that I can tell, but it does make me think something made of rubber is protesting loudly.

 

I've had the squeaking rubber for 7 years.

As you have seen, these issues can be deferred indefinitely

 

Interested in selling it? I live in Northern California.

 

Well, I had an indy mechanic go over the car, and he confirmed just about everything the dealership service consultant detailed for me, but at different pricing. So, I am also having the same Indy mechanic look at my 2001 E320, which undoubtedly also has a fair amount of deferred maintenance, to decide which I will put money into, and which I will sell.

Incidentally, there are three problems with the front suspension... the lower control arm bushing, the lower (what he called Thruster arm) bushing, and the ball joint is whinnying like a donkey sometimes.

I figure I can change the spark plugs myself. I found a video on Youtube for the S430. I just have to pick up a very long, curved at the end wrench that pulls the wiring off the plug. I think I also have to pick up a certain torx size to pull off the coils.

 

Any auto parts store should have a manual grease gun and a sharp needle attachment at very low prices. You can inject grease thru the rubber boot of the ball joint in just a few minutes. Often helps - if not, no great loss.