So, I took my newer to me 2006 S65 to the dealer today to get an oil and filter change. Apparently, there is a lot of things to fix. The dealer gave me a whole list of things to fix along with estimates. The things that he wants to fix are quoted at over $12000. Holy cow, I knew this vehicle would be expensive to maintain, but I guess I didn't plan on quite this much. Here are the proposed repair items along with prices. Wanted to see if you guys thought these could be done as diy and if so, if you knew of any cheaper sources for parts involved. Radiator replacement - $2480, driver buckle ETR squib resistance is too high and replacing driver seat belt buckle - $729.65, replace ABC pressure supply valve unit - $1572, brake discs and pads front - $2800.62, brake discs and pads rear - $1041 bushings lower control arm $863, filter - ventilation dust - $117, filter activated charcoal $249.50, brake fluid replace $147.50, tensioner and vbelt replace $512.60, fuel filter $414.27, replace electrical set on valve body $1367.81.

Any body have a independent repair shops within a days drive that are decent and affordable from Morton, IL.

 

This is what I mean when I say that the dealerships are taking the enjoyment out of Mercedes ownership and it is the reason why most people won't own one without a warranty. I have never received my car back from the dealer with less than a $7-8K "to-do" list. Look at all the overhead at the dealership! I usually only go to the dealer now for tires. So if you took your car to the dealer for an oil change you probably don't have the ability to do some basic work for one reason or another or maybe you just don't want to work on it yourself. I like to take their list and research it and either ignore items, do some work myself or talk with my independent about stuff I don't want to tackle.

Dealership once had a $6,500 item for my GL that my independent fixed by replacing the little auxiliary backup battery. It was an easy diagnosis for him so the dealership is either stupid or crooked. This was the event that really opened my eyes about the dealership.

Make sure batteries including the backup battery are all good. Low voltage will create a lot of problems and the dealership will want to start replacing a lot of parts. Dealerships do not really try to figure out the problem or whats causing the problem, they just replace parts. They will not tell you if there is a better alternative either.

Can't help you up in Morton but you need to find a good Mercedes independent with the right equipment that you like and trust and build a relationship with him.

Radiator - Is it leaking? Is the car running hotter than normal? Is the coolant level in the reservoir dropping over time - do you top it up occasionally? If so the radiator may be leaking and need replacement. If not I would question why they think its bad? This is something you can do or an independent for much less.

Brakes - are the pad warning lights on? Are rotors really worn or is there a big lip around the outer edge? Dealer ALWAYS tells me I need new pads. I don't do my brakes until they need to be done. They are easy to do yourself or an independent will do them for much less than the dealer.

ABC - Would be nice to get a second opinion and do some research before they start performing surgery. Do you notice any issues with the suspension? What's the mileage? To date my ABC has been very reliable but the forums are full of threads of people with issues. Smell the fluid in the reservoir. Burnt smell is getting old.

Belt Buckle - No idea here. Must have been something that popped up in the computer.

Front suspension - You will hear ball joints when they are going bad. Parts will wear as these cars are heavy. I have my independent look around when he has it and if he thinks something is bad I let him fix it.

Belt - Not sure what a tensioner costs but I think they're fairly stout. Take a look at the belt. Does it look like it needs replacing? Changing a belt is simple. How many miles on the belt. Is there oil on the belt - leaking oil on the belt will degrade the belt quickly. I just looked through my 2008 service history and I can't see that I ever replaced the belt and I'm over 124K miles. I know I've never had to replace an idler pulley. When an idler starts to go bad I'll probably do the idlers and the belt at that time.

Valve body - Is it shifting or acting strangely? My tranny has been fine although my GL with 210K miles started "chugging" off the line and I had to do a valve body or solenoid fix of some sort.

Filters you should be able to do yourself but not a huge expense if you let them do it. Again, you could tell your independent to do them and save money on both parts and labor.

Brake fluid rule of thumb was replace every two years although you can test to see if there is any moisture in the fluid. If no moisture some will say not to change it.

Good luck! I know what you're going through as does anybody else going to the dealer. You just need to figure out if each item is really necessary and if so, can you find a good shop to do it for a normal amount of money or do it yourself.

 

Try to search for Mike's Garage, I have read online that they have affordable service. I agree with you, maintenance is really expensive. Thus, I suggest you will canvass for the less expensive. Online search will help you.

 

That's typical for a dealer. They look at everything that needs to be changed based on condition or time. I usually just use their list as a reference and do the work myself or have an independent tackle the more challenging stuff.

 

Sourcing the parts yourself and finding a good independent for installation will net you some serious savings. For example brake parts for all 4 corners should come in somewhere between $1500-1600. Drive belt replacement with all tensioners and pulleys should run ~$175 in parts.

--Kyle

 

Thanks for the advice, after doing some research, I believe that I may be able to tackle some or all of these jobs myself. After seeing how relatively easy some of these repairs are, I think the savings will be substantial to say the least.

 

You are welcome. One of the projects on my plate this week is to add some more reasonable priced options for common replacement items for the S65. I added an S65/CL65 front brake kit to the website yesterday located here:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mer...-brembo-517595

 

Kyle, do you guys carry floating rotors for the rears as well? OE is solid; RB sells floating rears and are the only ones I know of that do.

 

The S65 is such a unicorn when it comes to the rear brakes. RacingBrake is a supporting vendor on here and has discs for your application, I do not currently offer them. I run GiroDisc 2 piece rears on my 211 AMG, I checked their offerings and I see nothing for your 220 AMG, doesn't help that they aren't open on Friday. I'm also fairly certain Tarox would offer a two piece for your application at a reasonable price.

--Kyle

 

LOL.. Unicorn.. I like that. Very true. Not easy finding aftermarket parts that'll work with this beast; rotors especially. Surprised that RB makes stuff for it.

I'll check out the manufacturers you mentioned. Good price though on the front brake kit from Brembo. I'm surprised to see that they're both drilled and slotted. Weren't factory rotors only drilled?

I'm close to 60k miles on my discs right now. They look decent in terms of wear (mic'd them and they're still within spec) except for heat spots and veins (i don't like the ridges... uneven pads?). Not warped from what I can tell. Still, they'll probably need to be replaced before next summer.

 

The 2006 S65 had drilled rotors on the front. At 70k miles mine were 1mm above minimum thickness so the dealer installed the 3rd set of pads without a rotor replacement. I sold the car at 80k miles but the current owner will need to replace the front rotors with the next pad change.

 

Out of all of the two piece drilled rotor cars, the 220 S65 rotors are the least expensive. Never understood why.

--Kyle

 

Well, after much research and after some help from a more mechanically inclined buddy, it is almost all done and for less than half of what the original estimate from the dealer was. I am using my savings to add a tune, also replaced all the accumalators, just in case while I had it apart. I also got a intercooler expansion tank from speedriven. I will be looking at head pipe possibilities next. Hopefully have her all wrapped up in the next week.