New ignition lock cylinder - how much is too much for install?
 

1982 240D

Here's the situation. There are 2 keys for the car: one for the doors and trunk, and one for the ignition. I'm thinking a previous owner had it rekeyed at one point my an independent mechanic.

Recently, there have been a couple times when the ignition key will not turn...so I acted fast and called up a dealer and got the lock cylinder ordered. $143 and change. Tomorrow I'm bringing the car in.

Now, being that this is my first time going to a dealer, I'm kinda hesitant on how much I'll end up paying to get them swapped.

Can you guys give me a limit to how much is reasonable? I couldn't get an estimate over the phone, but I'll definitely have one tomorrow. They said they'd need the car for the entire day (:eek: ?) and mentioned something about a loaner vehicle. What have I gotten myself into? :rolleyes:

An experienced mechanic can change the lock cylinder in 15 minutes.

That probably translates into a bill of $225.00 in Mercedesspeak.............:eek:



:mad::mad:

Wells lets see, $85 an hour(guess), .8 hours per lock cylinder(guess, can easily go way over that), x4 cylinders so $272.

Let us know so I can see how close I was.

you can do it yourself in 5 minutes if the key still turns.
VERY EASY!

Ask what book time is, I'd estimate .2hours for the swap, plus any additional time if they have to R&R trim over the ignition switch.

I've done it on 201, 124, and 126, ... with the correct key and tool it's almost as fast as starting the car.

BTW, I have an ignition tumbler in my car from a 126 (original one is in the glovebox), I like having separate keys for the door and ignition for quick stops at the gas station et al.

you will need a pair of needle nose pliers, and a small allen wrench or a large paper clip.
that's it.
put the key in, turn it to the second click, put the paper clip in the hole above the key and press until you feel the button release, then unscrew the collar with the needle nose pliers, then pop out the tumbler, and put the new one back in, put the collar back on and remove the paper clip.
that's it in a nutshell.
I asked the dealer how much to do it when I picked up my tumbler, and they quoted me 300.00

I did it myself.

um, you know you can carry a spare key with you... you don't have to have separate keys...

True, but I like separate keys, takes the place of the original valet key plus I can hand out the door/trunk key without worry of the car being driven.

I agree, it shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes to swap the cylinder, they will probably charge you some minimum labor charge (like $50).

Something is wrong there. As several have said already in this thread, this is a very easy job. They should be able to do it in the parking lot with you watching. Sounds to me like they are trying to make this into much more than it really is. You need to ask some pointed questions.

.............like $105.........:eek:

Is this just the lock cylinder you need replacing (what it sounds like) or the whole steering wheel lock? The no-turn condition can be caused by both, but is usually just the cylinder. The cylinder is a 5 min job, the steering lock is more like a 3 hr job. The price of the part seems a bit high for the cylinder, but low for the steering lock.

If the key/lock still works, even I can replace the entire lock in 45 minutes or an hour. If the key will not unlock the steering wheel, then it's a big deal.

Unfortunately, you're probably right.

Read up about it in the archives and change it yourself. I stood in line a few years ago and watched a lady ahead of me pay around five hundred dollars to change something like a headlight switch out.
They wanted 185.00 plus tax to set my toe in. That was the counter quote I wonder what the bill might have become once the car was in there. Anyways I walked out of that dealer.