Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Regional Forums > California / SouthWest - US (AZ/NV)

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-29-2006, 08:48 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SF bay area
Posts: 49
Mechanic in San Francisco, CA

as you may know MB does not service vehicule over 20 years old... (at least in san fran).

so for a 79 450sl, w 20,000 miles where are the experts.... need ignition switch/tumbler replaced, and make the A/C works. Even North or South of the city will do.

I do the work on the Jeeps.... but this ignition is a real PITA.... just came back from the junkyards to take a peek at the setup....

thank you

Michel
79 450sl

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-30-2006, 03:23 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: California
Posts: 37
Question SF Mechanic no (Walnut Creek)yes

Sorry cannot help you with one is SF. However I have a 86 300SDL and my independent mechanic is top draw located in Walnut Creek. Not cheap, but very good and knows his stuff. It is a bit of a drive for you, but the service is good.
Ron
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-31-2006, 02:13 AM
whunter's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 17,416
Moved to the correct forum for better answers.

Moved to the correct forum for better answers.

You should find what you need here.
ShopForum > General Discussion > Good MB Shops > California >




Have a great day.
__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 04-01-2006, 05:02 AM
cmac2012's Avatar
Renaissances Dude
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 33,916
Quote:
Originally Posted by letank
as you may know MB does not service vehicule over 20 years old... (at least in san fran).

so for a 79 450sl, w 20,000 miles where are the experts.... need ignition switch/tumbler replaced, and make the A/C works. Even North or South of the city will do.

I do the work on the Jeeps.... but this ignition is a real PITA.... just came back from the junkyards to take a peek at the setup....

thank you

Michel
79 450sl
There's a Vietnamese cat in Oakland, not far from the Bay Bridge, who's pretty good -- MB specialist -- and reasonble.

Dave @ 510 - 813 - 2456
__________________
1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 04-02-2006, 01:28 AM
Veloce300DT's Avatar
TEAM MULHOLLAND
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Sacramento-Bay Area Corridor
Posts: 1,110
Sals ******** is a great indie in San Francisco. This shop is located on San Jose Ave.. its just off of the SFSU exit on 280 south. Look for it on the right hand side as soon as you exit.

I used Sals ******** when I live in this city, his prices are relative to the area HOWEVER he is a very experienced tech and knows the older models like the back of his hand. In addition, his shop is small and very friendly. Service is prompt and he explains everything thoroughly.

I dont know his number off hand, but look him up and give him a try.
__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 04-02-2006, 11:07 PM
Boardmonger's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cupertino, CA
Posts: 707
I use and reccomend Silver Star auto but it is in San Jose, so it is a bit of a drive. He is a lot cheaper then all the other local indies in the south bay and he does a great job. He works on all mercedes, old to new with some old sl's and pontons in his lot. He was a tech at Smythe (the san jose mercedes dealership) for some time and opened his shop in the early 90s, so he has lots of experience. Anyways good luck finding your guy.
__________________
-Zack K.

http://www.maj.com/gallery/Boardmong...-Drive/si2.jpg


1983 300d Turbo (Daily Drive) -- 243,000 miles
1979 280ce AMG (Beginning extreme restoration) -- 141,410 miles
1979 Yamaha Chappy LB50 (Awating new points) -- 1411.6 miles

1981 300d Euro 4 speed -- 188,421 km -- SOLD
1979 300d Euro 4 speed (Sold to Brother) -- 257,000 miles

A Collection of w123 AMG Cars and Parts
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 04-28-2006, 04:26 AM
Veloce300DT's Avatar
TEAM MULHOLLAND
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Sacramento-Bay Area Corridor
Posts: 1,110
I was very happy with Sals ********- he performed some work on my 300DT while I was living on Potrero Hill in SF. I tried him after reading good words about him on this forum, which I then added to

His rates are reasonable for San Francisco- most MB repair shops tend to get pretty pricey in the city.At the time he had the best rate I could find after shopping around in the area- For example, Petes Inc. was WAY high, and while his shop is much more attractive, word on the street about his service reputation isnt so hot.
__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04-28-2006, 04:31 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1
Vel.3DT - Thanks for the recommendation!
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-01-2006, 05:07 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 133
San Francisco shop

You should also try Octane, Mercedes Benz Specialist, located on 10th Street, near Costco. The number is: 415.863.5555.

Randy Kuwatani, a long time MBZ man, runs this shop. As I've posted before, Randy is experienced, honest and a true gentleman. He has well-trained techs working with him.

Regards,
Bob
P.S. For full disclosure purposes, I am the secretary to Octane, Inc., and also a satisfied customer!
__________________
'94 E500 Anthracite
'92 300E 4Matic (donated to charity)
'90 300TE 4Matic
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-02-2006, 07:32 PM
Jim B.'s Avatar
Who's flying this thing ?
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: N. California./ N. Nevada
Posts: 3,611
Wink

I'll have to chime in here too.

8 years living in San Francisco, I felt like Diogenes with his lamp trying to find a good tech for the Benz (Ironically, found a great one for the Volvo immediately, and never left him)

Pete's Independent MB does a good job, and will give you a ride to work when you drop off your car there, and they can do the really big rebuild jobs,
but they are almost a white glove shop, and are just across from Pacific Heights, so they charge HIGH prices, you will get sharp stabbing pains in the wallet for sure when you get out. This is the DOWNTOWN convenient shop off Van Ness Avenue.

Only been to Sal's just once. Real PITA to get to or from from most parts of San Francisco, and don't go looking for a waiting lounge with biscotti and fine Italian roast.....or a Barnes & Noble or a Thai Restaurant around the corner,
in this neighborhood, hey, its San Jose Avenue, and....WTF neighborhood IS that anyway?

But who cares, their service is fine, if you can get there without too much trouble, you should be there. I would certainly trust a 300D to them.
Some customers LOVE them.

That help?
__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 12-29-2008, 02:37 AM
MB Luv'va
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: California
Posts: 2
Sal's ******** is the Only place I trust with my two MB's, and my wallet. Sal is an honest down to earth guy. He has always come through for me and has always taken great care of my cars. His prices are very fair, and if Sal say's you need it...you need it! He will not replace it just for the sake of replacing it. Sal's experience with MB is Phenomenal. Say Mark (the Englishman) sent you!

Sal's ******** 2942 San jose Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112. Phone: 415 334-6221
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 02-03-2009, 01:35 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: On Lake Ontario in NY
Posts: 61
I need a PPI done on a '73 450 SE, so I plan to call Sal based on this great feedback on him.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 07-30-2009, 04:14 PM
stevenstevensteven's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: NE Florida
Posts: 200
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob C. View Post
You should also try Octane, Mercedes Benz Specialist, located on 10th Street, near Costco. The number is: 415.863.5555.

Randy Kuwatani, a long time MBZ man, runs this shop. As I've posted before, Randy is experienced, honest and a true gentleman. He has well-trained techs working with him.

Regards,
Bob
P.S. For full disclosure purposes, I am the secretary to Octane, Inc., and also a satisfied customer!
I've used Randy at Octane a few times and received good service and honest accurate work.

I've also used Pete's Mercedes a few times and found Mario to be honest and they do good work as well.

In general, I would recommend either shop, but Octane seems a little more flexible in what they will do for you, as Pete's will want to go through their own fault isolation procedures. So, you won't be able to go to Pete's and tell them you want x, y, z done on your car, they will want some customer input and then they take it from there.
__________________
Steven
1989 260E (276K miles)
1995 E320 (50K miles)

Last edited by stevenstevensteven; 07-30-2009 at 04:29 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 07-20-2010, 08:47 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1
Figured I'd add to this thread as well. I'm also looking for service in or near SF for my '85 190D. I ran across this:

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Mercedes+Diesel&find_loc=San+Francisco%2C+CA

Sal's is definitely high on the list but I was wondering how he compared to Datona and Hans Art. Perhaps Sal is more MB is more likely to be familiar with the old models?

I'd love to hear thoughts. I'm really trying to avoid driving to the east/south Bay!

Thanks.

Edit: Just called Sal's and the guy I spoke with was nice and helpful on the phone. I'll most likely be taking my car there Friday but would still love to hear about the other shops.

Last edited by 3030vision; 07-20-2010 at 08:58 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 07-21-2010, 02:37 AM
48hp's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 130
I can highly recommend MB Garage.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mb-garage-san-mateo#query:Mercedes%20Diesel

Their head tech, Marty has been servicing MB for close to 45 years. When it comes to diesels, there isn't a more experienced skilled tech out there still working today! Janet is wonderful.

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:44 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page