My experience has been that dealerships are the most expensive option, in terms of both labor and parts costs. Rest assured, they do not want to see our old cars come in the front door for service. Their techs (most of whom were not working or even born when these cars were sold) trained on late-model cars and their systems, which are more computer-based than mechanical.

Your best bet is to find an indy suited to your needs - they're out there.

Here's a 12pg Toronto mechanic discussion from a different site:

ON, Toronto - Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum