In my opiniom the 108s were one of MBs shining accomplishments. The 116 that followed was a POS. The 126 was also a marvelous automobile. Then came the 140 which was a nightmare. The 202s were wanna be MBs. When they came out I never bought any tools or documentation to work on them. I didn't want them in my shop. I think the 123 was also a good example of how MB could produce an inexpensive work horse that still had pinache. The 124 was probably the best E class. Interestingly it was the only line that MB continued to evolve. It was continually upgraded until its demise in 96. As much as I loved the 108s, they were the reason I had to quit the dealership. I did hundreds of PDIs ( pre delivery inspections) and hundreds of 500 mile services which required valve adjusts. After several hours a day bending over like that, i got to where I couldn't stand up if I bent over to tie my shoe. The doc said change jobs or be crippled. I went to work for an independent, and eventually opened my own service facility which I ran for 20 years. I had many top German mechanics who tought me during my apprenticeship. They were incredible. When I went to my apprenticeship classes which were all book work and required by California law at the time, my classmates who worked for Ford, etc thought I was a God, because I worked for Mercedes Benz. It was too funny.

Now to answer your question which by the way, I thought everyone forgot, but you have a keen mind. Way back when, mechanics at MB were paid an hourly wage at most dealerships. I may step on some toes here, but I don't give a rats ***. In those days MBs were sold to those who had the income to afford them. Unfortunately today MB caters to Joe Lunchbucket. If an E service called for say 6.5 hours, that was my car to do everything on the MB list and do minor things like lube a noisy glove box hinge. There was ample time to be sure that car left the dealership up to MB specs. Some times it took less time, and the dealer made extra profit. Some times it took longer and, and the dealer lost. In the end it averaged out, and the car was done right every time. Along comes flat rate which I'm convinced started in Southern California. You do know that California is about the fifth largest economy in the world ahead of almost all countries. Now the mechanic is told that you'll be paid for 6.5 hours regardless how long it takes. How are you going to make money on that system? You increase your speed and cut corners. Back in the 70s many cars were towed into my facility, because they died on the freeway. The first question I asked was" are you from Southern California'. The answer is "how did you know". The fuel filter was clogged, because it takes a bit of time to change a fuel filter on a service. The mechanic puts the item on the parts bill and chucks it in the trash. Hey, it gets worse. The dealers of most makes get on the band wagon to go flat rate. This siunds good to the mechanic who thinks he can make more money by beating flat rate. It sounds too good to be true, because it is. The companies started cutting flat rate labor times, and Ford was the leader. Sure the dealers loose a few % points, but that is nothing compared to the poor line mechanic who has a family to feed. The mechanics are basically honest, and don't want to cheat, but in the end we are all animals with survival instincts. For these reasons you are not getting the best service. There is more, and some of it you probably don't want to hear.

 

Hello, is there an instruction on how to replace MAF on SL500? If pictorial instruction is available, that would be even better. Could someone point me to that direction/link? Thank you.