Quote:
Originally Posted by TylerH860
I don't expect them to be perfect; I expect them to be honest with me. My domestic indy and euro indy I absolutely trust. I've found mistakes and fixed things that they didn't or felt the could not without tearing the car apart many times.
They know that I'm quite knowledgeable with cars and often bring the problem in diagnosed with replacement parts ready so jerking me around would be futile anyway.
As for your specific examples...
1: How is someone supposed to tell if an axle is going to fail if the boot isn't ruptured? Do you expect them in a PPI to pull the rearend apart and inspect?
2: Simple mistake that they would have corrected for free. Its not like they're working on old SLS systems on a daily basis.
3: They likely traced the vacuum leak down to the central locking system and recommended replacing them. Why should they start pulling door panels and testing them individually $$$ and replace only the failed ones with the left over older ones likely to give trouble down the road.
As for the linkage thing, I'm sure they would have fixed that for you for free as well.
4: Wagon variants and '85 models lead people to confusion. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded you correcting him.
5: There's the only shady incompetent thing I've seen so far with your stuff. Safe to say you can avoid that shop.
6: The first thing I'd do is look at those flex discs. You don't want those to catastrophically and are often the culprit of intermittent vibrations.
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This is a very good summation. One thing that I have always hated about working on old cars is that it is impossible to predict what it will be next. Hell, if I could do that, I'd have been able to retire when I was 30! Lets face it, $h!t breaks if its dry rotted, brittle, and old. In fact, I have dreaded it every time one is drug into the shop because I know that somewhere along the way there will be a liability to be had. Seldom can a tech make much money without some aggravation. I have even
lost money on some. And for someone to expect near perfection - that of even the best tech, is unfair - at least on a 10+ year old car.
However, credibility and honesty is lost when parts are broken and then covered up, and for that I would never go back again. Most sensible people know what they have and are willing to pay a little extra to have things done correctly, if need be. And, if a shop specializes in these old MB's then they should recognize weak points and their correct fix.
So, I stand with everyone else. The only way to really appreciate what it takes to really keep one of these old things going is to stand in the trenches, roll up your sleeves, and do battle, get greasy, and become an expert on your own car.
--just my 2 denarii