I have a 2004 SL500 and trying out a new Mercedes mechanic, non dealership, and wanted to find out if his pricing is in line. I have no idea what it cost to fix these things. He charged me $900 to replace a vario cyclinder, parts and labor, which didnt seem bad, but wanted to see if that sounds in line with others experiences. I am not capable of working on it myself and want to make sure this is the guy for a long term relationship. His work seems pretty solid or at least everything he has fixed to date seems work well.
thanks

 

Here is the advice I can give you and this is exactly what I did when I bought my 2004 Sl500. At 60K I replaced the thermostat,motor and trans mount,leaky valve cover gaskets, plugs, air filters , cabin filter, and all fluids engine cooling system, transmission and rear end, complete brake pads and rotors and flush, serpentine belt and idler pulley . The goal for me was to replace all known wear items that may not exceed the necessity at 60k but not to forget the age of 17 years. Do you have complete records? I did not. So to the best of my ability I wanted to start at mile zero. Many Mechanics can and will work on the car when the issues are normal as in most cars as I described above. For example you do not need a mercedes specialist to replace what I stated above, just a good mechanic. However when you get to ABC and Vario Top you for sure need the specialist. Maybe if the problem can be identified first by you.

While the car is very complicated it helps to know in advance what is wrong with it. Then you can use that information to decide the best course of action to fix the problem and even advise your "regular" mechanic who may be able to deal with it. In order to do this you need a diagnostic system. There are many code readers out there to help you. But if you want to use the best diagnostic tool it has to be the same as Mercedes uses. A Das/xentry tool is imperative to obtain. But then you have to know that system is complicated but changes to the car and diagnostics and even changes to the computer systems of the car can be addressed even on line by an expert who can tell you what is the problem in most cases. If you go to a dealer it is a 300dollar bill for the service. Yet it is possible to assemble a system and be part of a club for 600-900 dollars to assemble a system and have on line expertise and direct control of your car.

This is what I did. As a result my car was fully diagnosed and all modules were updated to 2020 specs and all done on line with me as an assistant here in the States. I even replaced the alarm horn myself as it showed up as a failure which any mechanic could have done. How about and think of this, including a new drive option for the transmission called Agility. if you are interested in this. A beautiful car indeed but an owner with knowledge is required so you don't go broke. Get in touch with Benzninga.com A regular here and he is your Man!. Congratulations and good luck. We are blessed to get to drive one of these!

 

It depends considerably on what cylinder was replaced. Some take less than 2 hours; some take more than 4.

 

Gene, is the Xentry diagnose tool a software on a laptop with a communication cable..?

 

Software is installed on a lap top and a multiplexer connects the laptop with a RJ plug. The multiplexer connects to the car port with various types of cables dependent on model.
Problem is getting a working multiplexer from China and correct up to date software. This is why I used Benznija. Peter knows the correct supplier for the multiplexer and he has licensed up to date software. Besides all of that he can take over the laptop over the internet and use and make adjustments to the car. And his service is a one time charge.