Palo Alto Speedometer - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Jeremy5848 · #1 09-11-2007, 11:49 PM

I just received back from Palo Alto Speedometer the 87's speedo unit, now cured of its "slipping odometer" disease. The following report is posted as a calibration point for those wondering whether to do the job themselves or send/take it to a shop.

Palo Alto, at the high end (financially) of Silicon Valley, is obviously an expensive place to run a business. How they can afford to stay there I do not know. Perhaps they bought their building in 1930. It helps to specialize in VDO and similar instruments from expensive cars; such things are often owned by folks with lots of money. (Then there's some of us.

)

I had decided that I'd rather not tear the odometer apart myself and try to knurl the brass shafts to keep the plastic gears from slipping. Here in Santa Rosa, in northern California, Palo Alto is only about 70 miles away. I checked their web site http://www.paspeedo.com/
and got their phone number (650-323-0243). I called them and asked, what do I do? They said, pack the speedometer carefully, include a letter explaining the problem, send it to us at 718 Emerson St., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

On Thursday the 6th, I made a package, printed my own label using the USPS web site, and took it over to the post office. I sent it Priority Mail, insured for $200. Palo Alto Speedometer received it Friday and called me Monday morning. They would repair it that day, they said, and UPS it to me Monday night (insured for $400, as it turned out

). Today, Tuesday the 11th, about 6pm (running late!) UPS delivered. I'm fortunate to be close to Palo Alto but even so, that's quick.

My total cost was $189.85----
USPS to Palo Alto $7.05 including $200 insurance
Labor $100.00
Parts $65.00
UPS $12.44 including $400 insurance
Tax $5.36

Many people (including me!) might be inclined to say, that's a lot of dough for something I can do myself by roughing up a brass shaft. You may be right. I just felt better having them put in new parts. Hopefully it will never have to be done again. The cluster is now back in the car, ready to drive tomorrow.

Wife has been warned: never push the tripmeter reset while moving!

Jeremy

Carson357 · #2 09-12-2007, 12:34 AM

they are good, but my experience was a bit different. i needed a newer cluster for a 203 chassis reset to zero miles so it could be version coded in another car, i called and asked what the fee for that was, i was told $85.00 which is very reasonable in my book. so i sent it from san diego to them via usps priority mail for $8.00 on a wednesday, i get a call the following tuesday telling me it was ready and all they needed was a credit card to complete the transaction, so i pay over the phone and he tells me return shipping will be $21.00 by ups ground, i told him how reasonable usps was, but he insisted this was the only shipping method, i agree he runs my card, i get the unit back the following friday and on the invoice the reset charge was $125.00!! i call and ask what happened and he tells me the $85.00 is the dealer price, as in mercedes authorized dealers, ( i doubt they send them there anyway) i told him i never identified myself as a dealer to the person who gave the quote. he said the best he could do was return $25.00. i don't want to seem petty, but if they said it was $125.00 from get go i still would have done it, it is just the principal of the thing. so be sure if you get a phone quote to get a name.

tangofox007 · #3 09-12-2007, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy5848

Palo Alto, at the high end (financially) of Silicon Valley, is obviously an expensive place to run a business. How they can afford to stay there I do not know. Perhaps they bought their building in 1930.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carson357

he tells me return shipping will be $21.00 by ups ground, i told him how reasonable usps was, but he insisted this was the only shipping method
i get the unit back the following friday and on the invoice the reset charge was $125.00!!

So that is how they pay the rent in a high-rent district!!!
They low-ball their repair quotes and mark up shipping by 200%.
(With a UPS account, shipping a 4 lb package from Palo Alto to San Diego would cost under $7.)

My local NAPA store uses a similar strategy. Almost without fail, the price of a part escalates between the initial phone call and arriving at the store to pick up the part.