Andy0331

Not that they were "anti-mod" before, but it seems that I've got the shop foreman (and several HP junkies) digging my K2 & willing to do other work on my car. We're on the same page for warranty work; big boy rules apply, so if I blow my engine or kill my trans, it's on me & I'm ok with that. Other stuff isn't an issue though, electronics, brakes, etc., so hopefully they will follow through if something goes in the future.

Anyway, they just called me back with labor quotes for installing a new 80mm TB & a Quaife diff, both parts provided by me.

80mm TB: $590

Quaife: $805

They mentioned it's an estimate & that it could be higher based on extra seals, etc., but they said they were using book rates on it. It sounds pretty damn cheap to me, a bargain actually.

What are your thoughts? The TB seems pretty much like a no brainer swap (assuming I switch the wires correctly). How about the Quaife?

CWW

I think if you're highly modded, you should find a good indy to do your work. Then, if something goes awry, you can put it back to stock and call up the dealer for a warranty claim...

AZIPOD

Dealers, generally are not mod-friendly. In most dealerships, certain techs are assigned to certain Service Advisors. If you happen to have a service advisor who happens to have techs assigned to him that are also mod-friendly, you may be able to get away with certain things. If there is a "break in the chain" in that one of those two parties are not mod-friendly, then you may be in trouble. With all that, still , you gotta worry about the Service manager AND the Shop Foreman, who will drop in on random work orders to see what's going on.

There's many layers that you have to pass through to be able to get a dealership to warranty a modded vehicle , especially if it involves a rather larger or unusual repair. If something like your transmission goes, you'd be sure that key parties at the dealership is involved including possibly the Regional Service Manager too, who is by the way, an actual corporate employee of MB, as oppose to the service manager, who only reports to the owner of that particular dealership.

Each dealership receives "authority levels" from the regional service manager. For example, a dealership may be able to replace any transmission provided that the car is under warranty, and it is less than 1 year old. The agreement may restrict them from providing warranty work on a tarnsmission on vehciles that are older than 1 year old, regardless if it's under warranty or not, without approval from the regional service manager.

That's just one of many examples. No one really knows the actual arrangement unless you know the service manager at that particular dealership.

Karlson

I think I saw somewhere that by putting 80mm TB is made my Mers, so you can't void a warranty on it.

prodigymb

sure you can void the warranty. it doesnt belong on your car, and is therefore a part that was substituted in place of part that does belong on your car. will the tech notice you have an 80mm - he may , he may not, he may and not care or he may and say FU. it really depends on your relationship with the tech, service adviser.

my car is modded and i have it serviced at the dealer

AZIPOD

Not true. A 80mm, regardless whether it is made by Mercedes or not may be considered modification by the dealer, because 80mm is not the factory size.

Do I agree with the Dealer? No, but when the beast is on their lot, it's their turf, and we have to play by their rules.

If you have a legit case, then you pull them out of their turf and take them to a public forum: court. It's sad but it's true. These days, many businesses, especially the larger corporations, will hide behind their viel. Unfortunately, it takes litigation sometimes to make them do "the right thing."

Karlson

ok, sorry for misinformation, I just saw it on a web-site, after two your posts I had to start digging and I found it

http://www.eurocharged.com/shop/prod...5&category=all

AMG 80mm Throttle Body
Item #:E55-80mm-TB
AMG 80mm Throttle Body for the E55.

Gains up to 20hp. Direct plug and play factory part so no fear of voiding factory warranty.

AZIPOD

It's funny how Eurocharger can speak for Mercedes-Benz. Show your service advisor a copy of that page, they'll get a good laugh.

Maybe you should ask Eurocharger if they will honor your warranty if Mercedes will not. It would be nice to see what kind of response they might have.

Karlson

hhahaha. Good one!

Andy0331

The question isn't really about warranty issues. I've already got a Kleemann K2 (headers & removal of primary cats is pretty obvious) that they know about. If I blow my engine, it's on me, I know it & figure almost anyone here with a modded car is pretty much in the same boat; big boy rules apply.

My question is more about reasonable cost & capability of the MB techs. I've been quoted substantially more money for the installs by other shops; like $2k more. I figure replacing a TB, with a direct fit AMG part should be a no brainer for them, the Quaife, I'm not so sure.

AZIPOD

This is a very valid question. Dealers have techs of ALL levels. It really depends on whose doing the job. Also, the tech expereince from one dealership to another may vary. One good thing about a Dealership is that there is a assumption that they have the resources/tools to do whatever needs to get done, even if the actual tech is unfamilar with the part.

That said, I would not say that a Dealership is more experienced that a reputable INDY shop. I don't think there's one answer to your question. The bottom line is that you should shop for a tech, not a shop, if you want to make sure that they do it properly.

What's a dealership without an experienced tech? Nothing
What's an experienced tech without a dealership? An experienced tech.