A really green DIY should not be doing the things listed below. Even an experienced mechanic should have the Factory Shop manual with him when doing these things.. as MB does a lot of things different from the usual... and not knowing that can cause accidents.
Have you shopped around any with regards to shops ? Usually there is some place which can do a good job at less than the dealership....


idler arm repair *
steering shock *
lower ball joints & upper *
left / right tie rods - turns both front wheels *
center link *
break strut bushing *
both flex disc *
parking brake adjusted* (loose)
fuel lines - does this mean metal lines or rubber ?
alignment
engine mounts (2x) *
engine vibration damper (2x) *
two brake calibers *

Take it to a shop that knows these cars and have them do it.

The number 1 rule of owning any old car is never bring it to the dealer. If you are going to pay someone $100 an hour to fix them, it would be cheaper to just buy a new/er one.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Thanks for your response. I only took it to the dealership to get a run down of everything they thought it could possibly need. I had no intention of getting the work done there. I initially wanted a diagnostic, but instead decided to have a tune-up because I'd have to pay them to tell me what's wrong and drive out with no fixes. Although the tune-up was more than I'd like to have spent, it did uncover all of these additional issues that I can tackle at my leisure. The car is not a necessity here in NYC.

really?

1985 300SD Sady,
Ever sat down with a paper copy of the MB factory shop manual ? These cars are way overengineered... so the potential for doing it wrong is much higher than some older american car... I have 35 years of doing all my own mechanicing... and I was really surprised at these MB Diesels...
How important is Steering and Braking to one's lifespan ?
That is mostly what is in that list..
However, what Jim said about the flex discs being a very high priority is true... they can actually hurt you with you inside the car.. pictures of the damage they can do is in the archives... that was another eyeopener for me... usually a driveshaft is under the car and not too much problem if it gives way...
Although I did see an early 1950's Ford on its roof in the middle of Burnet Road in Austin about 1963 when riding the school bus home from Jr.High... later I was in an automotive mechanics class with the guy that was driving it.. it had lost the front ujoint and the shaft had flipped the car straight over onto its top. It was still lined up inside the middle left turn lane as we passed it.

There was a 16 yr old boy killed near here recently when the exact same thing happened.

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Jim

I checked the NY section here and faxed a list of the above repairs to Ultimate Car in Queens, NY. They said they'd get back to me with a quote. I'm still looking for this guy Vito in Staten Island who is suppose to be really good too. My brother spoke with some mechanics in Virginia... waiting for quotes to come back. Thanks