Diagnosing a Vibration
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 37
From: North Carolina
2003 S500 - Toyota Corolla (in the rain)
Too many to list all of them. Once I was told that my air filters needed replacing because they were dirty. I had just put in new K&N filters the day before the service.
Had and S500 in the shop for the B service and spent $1300 for items they claimed needed to be replaced which I had the work done because the car was under warranty. The following week the car caught on fire and was a total loss. It was caused by one of the brake cables overheating. However, MB claimed no responsibility. A week later I get a recall letter saying that the said cable could cause a fire. My insurance company paid for that one.
Had a situation where my transmission fluid had wicked into the TCU. They wanted $6000 to repair the job claiming the entire wiring harness needed replacing. Took it to my Indy, he dropped the conductor plate cleaned all the fluid and wires the total cost of $700 including labor.
The infamous "stuck in park" problem. Dealer told me it had rarely happened. After some research I realized it was a common problem. Another "rarely happened" problem was the instrument cluster failure. I was rebated for that one after the recall.
The prices they wanted to charge me for the ABC accumulators were totally off the charts. They wanted $275 for the two that are identical, $250 for 1, and $300 for the pulsation damper. Got all four for less than $800 from autohausaz. They also wanted $1800 for labor.
I could go on and on. Therefore, I will only go to a dealer if the car is under warranty or if I have no other choice. Luckily for me if I can't do it myself, my INDY can fix anything on the car.
Had and S500 in the shop for the B service and spent $1300 for items they claimed needed to be replaced which I had the work done because the car was under warranty. The following week the car caught on fire and was a total loss. It was caused by one of the brake cables overheating. However, MB claimed no responsibility. A week later I get a recall letter saying that the said cable could cause a fire. My insurance company paid for that one.
Had a situation where my transmission fluid had wicked into the TCU. They wanted $6000 to repair the job claiming the entire wiring harness needed replacing. Took it to my Indy, he dropped the conductor plate cleaned all the fluid and wires the total cost of $700 including labor.
The infamous "stuck in park" problem. Dealer told me it had rarely happened. After some research I realized it was a common problem. Another "rarely happened" problem was the instrument cluster failure. I was rebated for that one after the recall.
The prices they wanted to charge me for the ABC accumulators were totally off the charts. They wanted $275 for the two that are identical, $250 for 1, and $300 for the pulsation damper. Got all four for less than $800 from autohausaz. They also wanted $1800 for labor.
I could go on and on. Therefore, I will only go to a dealer if the car is under warranty or if I have no other choice. Luckily for me if I can't do it myself, my INDY can fix anything on the car.
Last edited by ibeforreal; Sep 19, 2015 at 02:33 AM.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 980
Likes: 224
2005 S500 Designo
Too many to list all of them. Once I was told that my air filters needed replacing because they were dirty. I had just put in new K&N filters the day before the service.
Had and S500 in the shop for the B service and spent $1300 for items they claimed needed to be replaced which I had the work done because the car was under warranty. The following week the car caught on fire and was a total loss. It was caused by one of the brake cables overheating. However, MB claimed no responsibility. A week later I get a recall letter saying that the said cable could cause a fire. My insurance company paid for that one.
Had a situation where my transmission fluid had wicked into the TCU. They wanted $6000 to repair the job claiming the entire wiring harness needed replacing. Took it to my Indy, he dropped the conductor plate cleaned all the fluid and wires the total cost of $700 including labor.
The infamous "stuck in park" problem. Dealer told me it had rarely happened. After some research I realized it was a common problem. Another "rarely happened" problem was the instrument cluster failure. I was rebated for that one after the recall.
The prices they wanted to charge me for the ABC accumulators were totally off the charts. They wanted $275 for the two that are identical, $250 for 1, and $300 for the pulsation damper. Got all four for less than $800 from autohausaz. They also wanted $1800 for labor.
I could go on and on. Therefore, I will only go to a dealer if the car is under warranty or if I have no other choice. Luckily for me if I can't do it myself, my INDY can fix anything on the car.
Had and S500 in the shop for the B service and spent $1300 for items they claimed needed to be replaced which I had the work done because the car was under warranty. The following week the car caught on fire and was a total loss. It was caused by one of the brake cables overheating. However, MB claimed no responsibility. A week later I get a recall letter saying that the said cable could cause a fire. My insurance company paid for that one.
Had a situation where my transmission fluid had wicked into the TCU. They wanted $6000 to repair the job claiming the entire wiring harness needed replacing. Took it to my Indy, he dropped the conductor plate cleaned all the fluid and wires the total cost of $700 including labor.
The infamous "stuck in park" problem. Dealer told me it had rarely happened. After some research I realized it was a common problem. Another "rarely happened" problem was the instrument cluster failure. I was rebated for that one after the recall.
The prices they wanted to charge me for the ABC accumulators were totally off the charts. They wanted $275 for the two that are identical, $250 for 1, and $300 for the pulsation damper. Got all four for less than $800 from autohausaz. They also wanted $1800 for labor.
I could go on and on. Therefore, I will only go to a dealer if the car is under warranty or if I have no other choice. Luckily for me if I can't do it myself, my INDY can fix anything on the car.
It sounds like you got the extraordinary prices, but neither the best quality, nor the best diagnosis.
I'm glad you have a reliable indy to do the work for you.
