Is W211 E63 Money Pit?
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Super Member
Joined: Nov 2016
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From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
Is W211 E63 Money Pit?
Is W211 E63 AMG a money pit? In this video I am sharing my 2.5 years cost of ownership. I deep dive into every issue, repair, and preventative maintenance I've done on this car along with the money spent.
What is your experience with your AMG?
What is your experience with your AMG?
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From: Socal, Chino
E55 2006 / CLS55 / S450 / Jag XKR2011
I don't know much about E63 but my E55 so far I total spent in 10 years about $7K.
Transmission rebuild, engine mounts, Coilover conversion, belts, spark plugs, water pump, IC pump, batteries, starter. Average about $700 per year. My biggest cost was transmission rebuild and Coilver conversion. ($4500)
My car started to sitting on the ground after 5 days of no driving so decided to convert it for better reliability. Other than this, regular oil change, tires, brakes like every other car.
Transmission rebuild, engine mounts, Coilover conversion, belts, spark plugs, water pump, IC pump, batteries, starter. Average about $700 per year. My biggest cost was transmission rebuild and Coilver conversion. ($4500)
My car started to sitting on the ground after 5 days of no driving so decided to convert it for better reliability. Other than this, regular oil change, tires, brakes like every other car.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 672
Likes: 99
From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
I don't know much about E63 but my E55 so far I total spent in 10 years about $7K.
Transmission rebuild, engine mounts, Coilover conversion, belts, spark plugs, water pump, IC pump, batteries, starter. Average about $700 per year. My biggest cost was transmission rebuild and Coilver conversion. ($4500)
My car started to sitting on the ground after 5 days of no driving so decided to convert it for better reliability. Other than this, regular oil change, tires, brakes like every other car.
Transmission rebuild, engine mounts, Coilover conversion, belts, spark plugs, water pump, IC pump, batteries, starter. Average about $700 per year. My biggest cost was transmission rebuild and Coilver conversion. ($4500)
My car started to sitting on the ground after 5 days of no driving so decided to convert it for better reliability. Other than this, regular oil change, tires, brakes like every other car.
You are a little inaccurate when you say "regular oil change, tires, brakes like every other car." E55s eat tires for breakfast with all that torque, don't they?
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 672
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From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2008
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From: Socal, Chino
E55 2006 / CLS55 / S450 / Jag XKR2011
Thanks for sharing. E55 engines are more reliable, but the rest of the maintenance applies to E63s. Although we don't have to worry about the sensotronic failures with E63. Although I've spent more than you in 2.5 years with the biggest expenses being transmission valve body replacement and engine head bolt replacement. Head bolts didn't fail and wouldn't as I show in my videos in my channel. Like many other E63 owners I was frightened by the Internet exaggerating this issue. I love Airmatic and would never convert it.
You are a little inaccurate when you say "regular oil change, tires, brakes like every other car." E55s eat tires for breakfast with all that torque, don't they?
You are a little inaccurate when you say "regular oil change, tires, brakes like every other car." E55s eat tires for breakfast with all that torque, don't they?
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Joined: Oct 2015
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From: SC
2005 E55 AMG
All of this thread could have been added here.
https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...s-shine-3.html
Oh wait the video is already there? Not sure why it needs to be in yet another thread.
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Thread Starter
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From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
I was talking about the Sensotronic unit - SBC I think it is called. But MB have extended their warranty for that and one should get them replaced under warranty.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2008
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From: Socal, Chino
E55 2006 / CLS55 / S450 / Jag XKR2011
I did my SBC on my SL550 last week.... Took to dealer and they fixed for free.
Now for E55 I only had to pay $800 front and rear rotor and pad compare to E63 will be a bit more expensive since is 2 pierce rotors.
Now for E55 I only had to pay $800 front and rear rotor and pad compare to E63 will be a bit more expensive since is 2 pierce rotors.
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Joined: Nov 2016
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From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
Yes, two piece rotors are expensive. If you buy from MB they are very expensive. If you buy Brembo they are twice as cheep. But many will put single piece C63 rotors and not notice any difference for a daily driver.
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From: Virginia
N/A
First I think the guy took it to a place that was expensive. Secondly, a lot of the maintenance could have been done by anyone with a bit of mechanical aptitude. Three, what was the shape of the car when he purchased it?
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From: LA
1987 Porsche 911. 2008 G55
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 672
Likes: 99
From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
I remember either reading in their blog posts or asking them directly where they said that they stress tested both rotors on track on E63 and both showed the same results. The same OK results for OEM. None impressed them particularly, LOL. If one is gonna do full day track event they should choose something else, apparently.
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 763
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From: LA
1987 Porsche 911. 2008 G55
I remember either reading in their blog posts or asking them directly where they said that they stress tested both rotors on track on E63 and both showed the same results. The same OK results for OEM. None impressed them particularly, LOL. If one is gonna do full day track event they should choose something else, apparently.
Well on the 10 from LA to Palm Springs... they work amazing!
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 258
Likes: 20
From: Andover, MA
2007 e63 estate, 1998 ITB golf, ITE scirocco (sold to a collector in Japan)
you paid how much for a re manufactured electrical conductor plate and new valve body?? i live in the same state and had the same problem. with parts and labor, i paid $1362.80. (1000$ less!!!!) this includes recoding of the conductor plate and all parts. (they did give .6X hourly rate.) even so, you got ripped off by your mechanic.
as far as tranny mount, you've also been ripped off. get under that car, (if you're doing your oil, it's not different) and change it. new one is 32$ if you want it to say AMG on it, 72$. like you said, half hour. (and think about how much time it takes to take it to dealer, wait, get it back...)
please stop making these cars sound like they are crazy expensive. (you've found someone you trust because they are your friend or something??)
as far as alignment, you got a bargain if you did front and back. if you only did front, well, then, you got ripped again.
yes, motor mounts are a pain in the butt. i've done mine twice. easy on a lift, massively painful with a jack. you absolutely need to buy the offset wrench. you're right, you can do it by dropping the steering rack.
my biggest expense (1200$) was to replace the headbolts. i had someone do this. you need some sort of rig to hold the chain and keep it tensioned while doing this. the 1200$ included the cost of this device.
overall, you've been wholly ripped off by your trusted mechanic.
thanks for the crank position sensor bit. i'll buy one!
another thing that's going wrong with my car is the front anti-roll bar bushings are failing and there's a clunk when i hit a speed bump.
coilovers? not only cannot i do it (there's no kit for estates (wagons)) but i think the airmatic suspension works pretty well (it certainly rides better than a linear spring rate). yes, i replaced my front air suspension just because i thought i would rather not have it fail. it didn't need it. the car had 95k miles on it at the time. i also changed the compressor. (very easy to do).
like everyone knows, rotors are hugely expensive if you retain the floating rotors. good pads (like porterfield or performance friction) are also expensive. but, if your really need to stop fast, you should get some good tires as the first thing.
all that being written, honk at me when you see me in the boston area. best of luck.
as far as tranny mount, you've also been ripped off. get under that car, (if you're doing your oil, it's not different) and change it. new one is 32$ if you want it to say AMG on it, 72$. like you said, half hour. (and think about how much time it takes to take it to dealer, wait, get it back...)
please stop making these cars sound like they are crazy expensive. (you've found someone you trust because they are your friend or something??)
as far as alignment, you got a bargain if you did front and back. if you only did front, well, then, you got ripped again.
yes, motor mounts are a pain in the butt. i've done mine twice. easy on a lift, massively painful with a jack. you absolutely need to buy the offset wrench. you're right, you can do it by dropping the steering rack.
my biggest expense (1200$) was to replace the headbolts. i had someone do this. you need some sort of rig to hold the chain and keep it tensioned while doing this. the 1200$ included the cost of this device.
overall, you've been wholly ripped off by your trusted mechanic.
thanks for the crank position sensor bit. i'll buy one!
another thing that's going wrong with my car is the front anti-roll bar bushings are failing and there's a clunk when i hit a speed bump.
coilovers? not only cannot i do it (there's no kit for estates (wagons)) but i think the airmatic suspension works pretty well (it certainly rides better than a linear spring rate). yes, i replaced my front air suspension just because i thought i would rather not have it fail. it didn't need it. the car had 95k miles on it at the time. i also changed the compressor. (very easy to do).
like everyone knows, rotors are hugely expensive if you retain the floating rotors. good pads (like porterfield or performance friction) are also expensive. but, if your really need to stop fast, you should get some good tires as the first thing.
all that being written, honk at me when you see me in the boston area. best of luck.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 672
Likes: 99
From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
you paid how much for a re manufactured electrical conductor plate and new valve body?? i live in the same state and had the same problem. with parts and labor, i paid $1362.80. (1000$ less!!!!) this includes recoding of the conductor plate and all parts. (they did give .6X hourly rate.) even so, you got ripped off by your mechanic.
as far as tranny mount, you've also been ripped off. get under that car, (if you're doing your oil, it's not different) and change it. new one is 32$ if you want it to say AMG on it, 72$. like you said, half hour. (and think about how much time it takes to take it to dealer, wait, get it back...)
please stop making these cars sound like they are crazy expensive. (you've found someone you trust because they are your friend or something??)
as far as alignment, you got a bargain if you did front and back. if you only did front, well, then, you got ripped again.
yes, motor mounts are a pain in the butt. i've done mine twice. easy on a lift, massively painful with a jack. you absolutely need to buy the offset wrench. you're right, you can do it by dropping the steering rack.
my biggest expense (1200$) was to replace the headbolts. i had someone do this. you need some sort of rig to hold the chain and keep it tensioned while doing this. the 1200$ included the cost of this device.
overall, you've been wholly ripped off by your trusted mechanic.
thanks for the crank position sensor bit. i'll buy one!
another thing that's going wrong with my car is the front anti-roll bar bushings are failing and there's a clunk when i hit a speed bump.
coilovers? not only cannot i do it (there's no kit for estates (wagons)) but i think the airmatic suspension works pretty well (it certainly rides better than a linear spring rate). yes, i replaced my front air suspension just because i thought i would rather not have it fail. it didn't need it. the car had 95k miles on it at the time. i also changed the compressor. (very easy to do).
like everyone knows, rotors are hugely expensive if you retain the floating rotors. good pads (like porterfield or performance friction) are also expensive. but, if your really need to stop fast, you should get some good tires as the first thing.
all that being written, honk at me when you see me in the boston area. best of luck.
as far as tranny mount, you've also been ripped off. get under that car, (if you're doing your oil, it's not different) and change it. new one is 32$ if you want it to say AMG on it, 72$. like you said, half hour. (and think about how much time it takes to take it to dealer, wait, get it back...)
please stop making these cars sound like they are crazy expensive. (you've found someone you trust because they are your friend or something??)
as far as alignment, you got a bargain if you did front and back. if you only did front, well, then, you got ripped again.
yes, motor mounts are a pain in the butt. i've done mine twice. easy on a lift, massively painful with a jack. you absolutely need to buy the offset wrench. you're right, you can do it by dropping the steering rack.
my biggest expense (1200$) was to replace the headbolts. i had someone do this. you need some sort of rig to hold the chain and keep it tensioned while doing this. the 1200$ included the cost of this device.
overall, you've been wholly ripped off by your trusted mechanic.
thanks for the crank position sensor bit. i'll buy one!
another thing that's going wrong with my car is the front anti-roll bar bushings are failing and there's a clunk when i hit a speed bump.
coilovers? not only cannot i do it (there's no kit for estates (wagons)) but i think the airmatic suspension works pretty well (it certainly rides better than a linear spring rate). yes, i replaced my front air suspension just because i thought i would rather not have it fail. it didn't need it. the car had 95k miles on it at the time. i also changed the compressor. (very easy to do).
like everyone knows, rotors are hugely expensive if you retain the floating rotors. good pads (like porterfield or performance friction) are also expensive. but, if your really need to stop fast, you should get some good tires as the first thing.
all that being written, honk at me when you see me in the boston area. best of luck.
I am not regretting about the money I've spent since I love this car. I am also not calling it a money pit or anything. I am keeping my opinion to myself and just sharing how much I paid. Whether it is expensive or not is different for all. For some, even $1000 in unexpected repairs might be too much.
Re:conductor plate and valve body. You got a great deal. I called so many places around and couldn't get a definitive answer (including the dealership) whether conductor plate could be replaced separate from the valve body or had to be replaced as a whole unit. Did you replace both??? The quote I got was the least expensive I could find. You should mention where you did your repairs in the video comment section so that others watching it know where to save. That is my goal in making this video anyway — sharing experience. Had I have a way to contact you in the past I'd definitely take my car to where you get yours fixed
I absolutely agree that I was ripped off for the tranny mount and got a crappy work done. I just didn't want to say what place this was (as every business is struggling in our days due to the pandemic) but I am not going there anymore. The engine mounts.... I just cannot do a work under the car while being on my back. I get a little claustrophobic. Otherwise I would have done myself. I did the head bolts myself which is much harder job, but doesn't require being under the car.
I cannot give up Airmatic. I love it. You have an estate? Those are more rare. PM me if you'd be down for meet up at some point and shooting some videos together.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 258
Likes: 20
From: Andover, MA
2007 e63 estate, 1998 ITB golf, ITE scirocco (sold to a collector in Japan)
Hi there and thank you so much for sharing your experience. I want to be super clear that I am not promoting any business or anything like that. In fact, none of these businesses I mentioned in the video know that I make videos and mention them. All the repairs were done in different places as I was trying to find a place that's honest, reasonably priced and competent.
I am not regretting about the money I've spent since I love this car. ** i love mine too! i looked all over for an e63 wagon**I am also not calling it a money pit or anything. I am keeping my opinion to myself and just sharing how much I paid. Whether it is expensive or not is different for all. For some, even $1000 in unexpected repairs might be too much. **i suppose. i've had plenty of cars before modern mercs (i had a 240D and 300TD from my parents when i was younger). **
Re:conductor plate and valve body. You got a great deal. I called so many places around and couldn't get a definitive answer (including the dealership) whether conductor plate could be replaced separate from the valve body or had to be replaced as a whole unit. Did you replace both??? **yes. i got it done at the Benz Den in Belmont...he's sold that space and has moved all operations to Village European.** The quote I got was the least expensive I could find. You should mention where you did your repairs in the video comment section so that others watching it know where to save. That is my goal in making this video anyway — sharing experience. Had I have a way to contact you in the past I'd definitely take my car to where you get yours fixed
I absolutely agree that I was ripped off for the tranny mount and got a crappy work done. I just didn't want to say what place this was (as every business is struggling in our days due to the pandemic) but I am not going there anymore. **GOOD!** The engine mounts.... I just cannot do a work under the car while being on my back. I get a little claustrophobic. **OH! that sucks; sorry. on your back, it really sucks. i wouldn't do it again on my back.** Otherwise I would have done myself. I did the head bolts myself which is much harder job, but doesn't require being under the car. **wow! that's a job that scares me. these engines are precious. i've done them on lots of 4cyl engines (porsche 912, every water cooled VW probably and subaru stis) but these engines, with all sorts of variable valve timing and other stuff...yeah, i'll not save the 600$ and let someone who knows do it.**
I cannot give up Airmatic. I love it. You have an estate? Those are more rare. PM me if you'd be down for meet up at some point and shooting some videos together.
I am not regretting about the money I've spent since I love this car. ** i love mine too! i looked all over for an e63 wagon**I am also not calling it a money pit or anything. I am keeping my opinion to myself and just sharing how much I paid. Whether it is expensive or not is different for all. For some, even $1000 in unexpected repairs might be too much. **i suppose. i've had plenty of cars before modern mercs (i had a 240D and 300TD from my parents when i was younger). **
Re:conductor plate and valve body. You got a great deal. I called so many places around and couldn't get a definitive answer (including the dealership) whether conductor plate could be replaced separate from the valve body or had to be replaced as a whole unit. Did you replace both??? **yes. i got it done at the Benz Den in Belmont...he's sold that space and has moved all operations to Village European.** The quote I got was the least expensive I could find. You should mention where you did your repairs in the video comment section so that others watching it know where to save. That is my goal in making this video anyway — sharing experience. Had I have a way to contact you in the past I'd definitely take my car to where you get yours fixed
I absolutely agree that I was ripped off for the tranny mount and got a crappy work done. I just didn't want to say what place this was (as every business is struggling in our days due to the pandemic) but I am not going there anymore. **GOOD!** The engine mounts.... I just cannot do a work under the car while being on my back. I get a little claustrophobic. **OH! that sucks; sorry. on your back, it really sucks. i wouldn't do it again on my back.** Otherwise I would have done myself. I did the head bolts myself which is much harder job, but doesn't require being under the car. **wow! that's a job that scares me. these engines are precious. i've done them on lots of 4cyl engines (porsche 912, every water cooled VW probably and subaru stis) but these engines, with all sorts of variable valve timing and other stuff...yeah, i'll not save the 600$ and let someone who knows do it.**
I cannot give up Airmatic. I love it. You have an estate? Those are more rare. PM me if you'd be down for meet up at some point and shooting some videos together.
all of my replies are preceded by double asterisks.
Last edited by sciroccor; May 3, 2020 at 11:23 PM. Reason: added times
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 1,549
From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
You don't seem to have much luck with indy mechanics in the area. Some of your prices are pretty high. I think you can get the conductor plate rebuilt for around $300 and then it doesn't need to be reprogrammed. Requires a bit more legwork to find a shop to remove it and send it in for repair while the car sits on the lift. The transmission mount was also way too much. You could also get ramps if you don't feel safe with jack stands.
https://circuitboardmedics.com/merce...te-tcm-repair/
For alignments, I just go to Goodyear, they offer a 3 year alignment warranty for about $169, but places like NTB and Firestone also offer different length terms for alignments. Second time pays for itself and I usually get them done on my car once or twice a year. Sometimes you know after hitting a pothole that the alignment is off.
You guys should probably have a copy of the WIS which you can get on eBay for around $10 and a code scanner that does MB specific codes. Only way to keep the prices down. I always try to avoid the dealer, everything I get done is typically 1/4-1/3 the price of the dealer, but you can't avoid certain parts that you can only get at a dealer. For MB parts, I end up getting them at https://parts.mercedesbenzofwappingersfalls.com/ their prices are slightly more than a couple other MB dealers, but their shipping prices are much lower like $15 on one order instead of $35-$50 from other online dealers. They're in NY so I got the parts relatively quickly. Otherwise FCPeuro is great, because they're in CT, even with their free basic shipping, I still end up getting parts in 2-3 days. Rockauto can still blow other people out of the water though, got some Bilstein struts from them for $125 when everyone else wanted $160+.
For tires, Costco typically has the best deal. The best part is probably the 5 year road hazard warranty and the free balancing. That's how I usually find out I have a bent/cracked rim. Those RWD cars just eat through tires because you can't rotate them. I used to do Town Fair tire which gives you a free alignment when you buy tires from them but charge a little extra for a 4 wheel alignment and will price match, but certain tires didn't come with a road hazard and they didn't include free balancing. With Costco, there's nothing to price match as they're already the lowest and you can make appointments and they've been pretty good about keeping them the times I've been there.
https://circuitboardmedics.com/merce...te-tcm-repair/
For alignments, I just go to Goodyear, they offer a 3 year alignment warranty for about $169, but places like NTB and Firestone also offer different length terms for alignments. Second time pays for itself and I usually get them done on my car once or twice a year. Sometimes you know after hitting a pothole that the alignment is off.
You guys should probably have a copy of the WIS which you can get on eBay for around $10 and a code scanner that does MB specific codes. Only way to keep the prices down. I always try to avoid the dealer, everything I get done is typically 1/4-1/3 the price of the dealer, but you can't avoid certain parts that you can only get at a dealer. For MB parts, I end up getting them at https://parts.mercedesbenzofwappingersfalls.com/ their prices are slightly more than a couple other MB dealers, but their shipping prices are much lower like $15 on one order instead of $35-$50 from other online dealers. They're in NY so I got the parts relatively quickly. Otherwise FCPeuro is great, because they're in CT, even with their free basic shipping, I still end up getting parts in 2-3 days. Rockauto can still blow other people out of the water though, got some Bilstein struts from them for $125 when everyone else wanted $160+.
For tires, Costco typically has the best deal. The best part is probably the 5 year road hazard warranty and the free balancing. That's how I usually find out I have a bent/cracked rim. Those RWD cars just eat through tires because you can't rotate them. I used to do Town Fair tire which gives you a free alignment when you buy tires from them but charge a little extra for a 4 wheel alignment and will price match, but certain tires didn't come with a road hazard and they didn't include free balancing. With Costco, there's nothing to price match as they're already the lowest and you can make appointments and they've been pretty good about keeping them the times I've been there.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 672
Likes: 99
From: Massachusetts
2007 E63 Amg
You don't seem to have much luck with indy mechanics in the area. Some of your prices are pretty high. I think you can get the conductor plate rebuilt for around $300 and then it doesn't need to be reprogrammed. Requires a bit more legwork to find a shop to remove it and send it in for repair while the car sits on the lift. The transmission mount was also way too much. You could also get ramps if you don't feel safe with jack stands.
https://circuitboardmedics.com/merce...te-tcm-repair/
For alignments, I just go to Goodyear, they offer a 3 year alignment warranty for about $169, but places like NTB and Firestone also offer different length terms for alignments. Second time pays for itself and I usually get them done on my car once or twice a year. Sometimes you know after hitting a pothole that the alignment is off.
You guys should probably have a copy of the WIS which you can get on eBay for around $10 and a code scanner that does MB specific codes. Only way to keep the prices down. I always try to avoid the dealer, everything I get done is typically 1/4-1/3 the price of the dealer, but you can't avoid certain parts that you can only get at a dealer. For MB parts, I end up getting them at https://parts.mercedesbenzofwappingersfalls.com/ their prices are slightly more than a couple other MB dealers, but their shipping prices are much lower like $15 on one order instead of $35-$50 from other online dealers. They're in NY so I got the parts relatively quickly. Otherwise FCPeuro is great, because they're in CT, even with their free basic shipping, I still end up getting parts in 2-3 days. Rockauto can still blow other people out of the water though, got some Bilstein struts from them for $125 when everyone else wanted $160+.
For tires, Costco typically has the best deal. The best part is probably the 5 year road hazard warranty and the free balancing. That's how I usually find out I have a bent/cracked rim. Those RWD cars just eat through tires because you can't rotate them. I used to do Town Fair tire which gives you a free alignment when you buy tires from them but charge a little extra for a 4 wheel alignment and will price match, but certain tires didn't come with a road hazard and they didn't include free balancing. With Costco, there's nothing to price match as they're already the lowest and you can make appointments and they've been pretty good about keeping them the times I've been there.
https://circuitboardmedics.com/merce...te-tcm-repair/
For alignments, I just go to Goodyear, they offer a 3 year alignment warranty for about $169, but places like NTB and Firestone also offer different length terms for alignments. Second time pays for itself and I usually get them done on my car once or twice a year. Sometimes you know after hitting a pothole that the alignment is off.
You guys should probably have a copy of the WIS which you can get on eBay for around $10 and a code scanner that does MB specific codes. Only way to keep the prices down. I always try to avoid the dealer, everything I get done is typically 1/4-1/3 the price of the dealer, but you can't avoid certain parts that you can only get at a dealer. For MB parts, I end up getting them at https://parts.mercedesbenzofwappingersfalls.com/ their prices are slightly more than a couple other MB dealers, but their shipping prices are much lower like $15 on one order instead of $35-$50 from other online dealers. They're in NY so I got the parts relatively quickly. Otherwise FCPeuro is great, because they're in CT, even with their free basic shipping, I still end up getting parts in 2-3 days. Rockauto can still blow other people out of the water though, got some Bilstein struts from them for $125 when everyone else wanted $160+.
For tires, Costco typically has the best deal. The best part is probably the 5 year road hazard warranty and the free balancing. That's how I usually find out I have a bent/cracked rim. Those RWD cars just eat through tires because you can't rotate them. I used to do Town Fair tire which gives you a free alignment when you buy tires from them but charge a little extra for a 4 wheel alignment and will price match, but certain tires didn't come with a road hazard and they didn't include free balancing. With Costco, there's nothing to price match as they're already the lowest and you can make appointments and they've been pretty good about keeping them the times I've been there.
I am not sure about Goodyear, but have had negative experience at Firestone for alignment. The quality depends on the location and the person working on your car.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 258
Likes: 20
From: Andover, MA
2007 e63 estate, 1998 ITB golf, ITE scirocco (sold to a collector in Japan)
you get stuff done at .25-.33 the dealer cost??? you have WIS, which i also have, and so, you know how much time an operation will take. private places take about the same amount of time to do an operation. so, if we say the dealer's getting $150/hour, your mechanic (who most certainly does not have as much experience with mercs as the dealer) is only charging you, at most $50/hour??? sorry, i just do not believe you.
yes, i have bought stuff from wappingerfalls (in fact, my car was serviced there by the previous owner). i really like FCP Euro. they are quick and have a great return policy. sometimes rockauto has stuff at better prices but you can get burned (once, they had, on sale oil filters from Mann at the outrageous price of $4.5 i got five. well, they didn't fit. i wrote to them and they said "sorry, our mistake, ship 'em back." $20 to ship them back?? i reamed out one of them and threw away the rest.) if you want wipers, they always have some crazy deal.
i don't know how you don't need a reprogram with the conductor plate. read, again, your WIS. like Rovel, i got the MB re-manufactured piece.
as far as alignment, if you hit something with the front wheels, the back's likely to follow. enough said.
finally, town fair meets or beats anyone's price on tires that they stock. i don't see how costco has the market. could you explain this?
please tell me us your mechanics that do .25-.33 of dealer's cost. i would love to meet them! my time is worth more than $37.5 to 50/hour unless i am bored (like now! this virus is making me fix stuff on my car that doesn't need it!)
be well.
yes, i have bought stuff from wappingerfalls (in fact, my car was serviced there by the previous owner). i really like FCP Euro. they are quick and have a great return policy. sometimes rockauto has stuff at better prices but you can get burned (once, they had, on sale oil filters from Mann at the outrageous price of $4.5 i got five. well, they didn't fit. i wrote to them and they said "sorry, our mistake, ship 'em back." $20 to ship them back?? i reamed out one of them and threw away the rest.) if you want wipers, they always have some crazy deal.
i don't know how you don't need a reprogram with the conductor plate. read, again, your WIS. like Rovel, i got the MB re-manufactured piece.
as far as alignment, if you hit something with the front wheels, the back's likely to follow. enough said.
finally, town fair meets or beats anyone's price on tires that they stock. i don't see how costco has the market. could you explain this?
please tell me us your mechanics that do .25-.33 of dealer's cost. i would love to meet them! my time is worth more than $37.5 to 50/hour unless i am bored (like now! this virus is making me fix stuff on my car that doesn't need it!)
be well.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 1,549
From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Yeah, my mechanic is fast. Used to be an ex Ford mechanic and worked at a dealership. Doesn't have a lift though so just uses jack stands. He is in the $20-$50 range sometimes in the $20 when he guesses wrong on a job and it takes longer than he thinks but he mostly quotes a flat rate for the job. Found him on craigslist. There's still a few ASE mechanics that say they do things for $40-$75/hour. With the WIS and youtube, I just give him the instructions if needed. But stuff like ball joints, brakes, tie rods, struts, control arms, thermostats, tensioners/pulleys, gaskets, etc., they're pretty basic, you just take them apart and put it back together again. There's only a few things like updating firmware that you need the dealer for.
I believe the reason you don't have to reprogram the conductor plate is because they just rebuild your old one so when you put it back in, the car doesn't see anything different so all you need to do is clear the error code. It does mean you need to take the old one out, send it to them and the wait to get it back and that could tie up a lift/storage spot at the mechanic.
Yeah, the Goodyear alignment is all 4 wheels. Town fair used to charge $59-$69 for all 4 which was still a decent price, but you have to buy a tire. I have also heard bad things about Firestone but I've used Goodyear for years and the store has been fine. They even do flat repairs for free, Town Fair does them for free too, but charges you $4 for balancing but Goodyear, it's $0 out the door. Flat repair/road hazard included with Costco so don't need that anymore.
Costco sells more than Town Fair. Town Fair will beat the Costco price but they won't include road hazard or do lifetime balancing, only rotation. And Costco typically has a discount on installation so you don't really pay much for the road hazard warranty as it's part of the installation. Costco is national, Town Fair is regional. They typically do $70 off Michelin and $40 off installation which they're running right now so it's the price of the tire plus $10 to install it. Most places like to charge $20-$30 to mount and balance a tire.
I believe the reason you don't have to reprogram the conductor plate is because they just rebuild your old one so when you put it back in, the car doesn't see anything different so all you need to do is clear the error code. It does mean you need to take the old one out, send it to them and the wait to get it back and that could tie up a lift/storage spot at the mechanic.
Yeah, the Goodyear alignment is all 4 wheels. Town fair used to charge $59-$69 for all 4 which was still a decent price, but you have to buy a tire. I have also heard bad things about Firestone but I've used Goodyear for years and the store has been fine. They even do flat repairs for free, Town Fair does them for free too, but charges you $4 for balancing but Goodyear, it's $0 out the door. Flat repair/road hazard included with Costco so don't need that anymore.
Costco sells more than Town Fair. Town Fair will beat the Costco price but they won't include road hazard or do lifetime balancing, only rotation. And Costco typically has a discount on installation so you don't really pay much for the road hazard warranty as it's part of the installation. Costco is national, Town Fair is regional. They typically do $70 off Michelin and $40 off installation which they're running right now so it's the price of the tire plus $10 to install it. Most places like to charge $20-$30 to mount and balance a tire.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 1,549
From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Also for transmission fluid, you can get the Shell ATF 134 from a Shell distributor. I got a case for a little over $60 a few years ago with 12 quarts. It's usually over $20 at the dealer. There's a Dennison Lubricants in Worcester where you can just walk in and pick up a case and just pay cash. I remember calling them up and asking if they had it and they looked it up and said we have so many hundreds of cases and then I just said I needed one.
https://www.shell.us/business-custom...r-locator.html
Also in terms of labor costs, I think some of it is highly inflated. I had an axle seal replaced not too long ago. I think it's typically in the $600-$800 range at the dealer. A local indy garage wanted around $500 for it. I think I got the seal for around $10-$20 and the fluid was another $20. Took less than 2 hours to do it, just have to pop the axle out and tap in the new seal. There were good write ups on the forum so maybe that's why I got it done quick. No idea why the indy garage wanted $500, they couldn't have been marking up parts that much but maybe they exaggerated the hours because I think they were in the $110 range per hour. Paid my indy $100 to do it.
And oh yeah, I've done my transmission mount too. Slightly different as it's a 5 speed with 4matic, but it was a 20 minute job for my indy. I think the E63 mount is about $30 online, the OEM one I suppose is bit more. With the EPC you can find the exact part number, it's part of the WIS you can off eBay. Also when ordering parts from the MB dealer, you include your vin and they make sure they send you the right part. That's what I would have done with the transmission mount and just gotten a quote for the labor to install.
https://www.shell.us/business-custom...r-locator.html
Also in terms of labor costs, I think some of it is highly inflated. I had an axle seal replaced not too long ago. I think it's typically in the $600-$800 range at the dealer. A local indy garage wanted around $500 for it. I think I got the seal for around $10-$20 and the fluid was another $20. Took less than 2 hours to do it, just have to pop the axle out and tap in the new seal. There were good write ups on the forum so maybe that's why I got it done quick. No idea why the indy garage wanted $500, they couldn't have been marking up parts that much but maybe they exaggerated the hours because I think they were in the $110 range per hour. Paid my indy $100 to do it.
And oh yeah, I've done my transmission mount too. Slightly different as it's a 5 speed with 4matic, but it was a 20 minute job for my indy. I think the E63 mount is about $30 online, the OEM one I suppose is bit more. With the EPC you can find the exact part number, it's part of the WIS you can off eBay. Also when ordering parts from the MB dealer, you include your vin and they make sure they send you the right part. That's what I would have done with the transmission mount and just gotten a quote for the labor to install.
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