x2. More like outrageous. BUT I know a couple of folks with newer Mercedes who insist on using the dealer. Their dealer bills are huge, even for routine items.

In the case of the OP, he was in the worst position possible: a lot of small jobs on an old car. That is THE absolute worst scenario for bringing an older car into a dealer, using a flat-rate guide at what, $125/hr probably?

Well yes and no. Someone pointed out some time back that there are 'new' and 'old' Mercedes dealers. The old ones, who have been around 20-30 years, often still have older mechanics on staff who at least have a passing familiarity with our cars.

The newer dealers, those in the system less than 15 yrs (and apparently in some parts of the U.S. there are lots) tend to have zero interest in seeing something like a w123.

Also, dealers are now tending to specialize their techs. There may only be one "transmission guy" and how often do you think he has to dust off the old literature to look at a w123? If he (or to be fair, she) is under 30, s/he may never have worked on one.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Agreed. When I was visiting the MB parts department regularly, mostly for dealer-only bits and bobs like firewall grommets, the parts guy was great. I had a problem with a new, re-designed part fitting, and he knew the mechanics sometimes kept stashes of miscellaneous O-rings, nuts, bolts etc. He took me into the garage, we talked to a mechanic who rummaged through his stash and found the correct size O-ring that matched, not the replacement one per the parts list that was close but still leaked. No charge, no offer to install it themselves at dealer rates.

Both the mechanic and the parts counter guy were older guys, knew the W123, and pointed out other stuff to look for.

I think that there are some great lessons in this whole ordeal

[1] Use the dealer as the absolute last resort... for both parts and labor (it's not called the "stealership" for nothing.)
[2] Research independent shops and mechanics and cultivate relationships for anything you can't or don't want to do yourself.
[3] Develop skills and collect tools to be able to do much of the tedious maintenance yourself, especially for 30 year old cars
[4] Use the forum as the incredible resource it is for 2nd and 3rd opinions on specific problems
[5] Avoid attorneys at all cost

Some of us came down pretty hard on the OP, myself included, and with the new information provided in subsequent posts this was really just a frustrating, expensive perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances.

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Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

agree with everything but your lesson 5.

Attorneys are very useful, and avoiding them at all costs only guarantees legal trouble for you in situations where 2 minutes of consultation beforehand would have avoided 6 months of legal battle.

Additionally, no real argument with a dealer is going anywhere unless you get representation and know where you stand legally. To avoid lawyers because you don't like them is as foolish as taking a 30 year old car to a dealer in the first place. No offense to the OP and you, mach, just my opinion.

lawyers are a useful tool, I use them all the time in business and for personal stuff, for writing contracts, going over legal documents, checking leases, ect. Its far better to have something properly done in the first place than something you THINK is properly done because you are not a lawyer, and then find out you will be in court over the fogginess of your own actions.

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Hey! I am going to own a Mercedes-Benz dealership! I have experience with my W123, and I will NEVER cheat anyone out of money!! I will focus on customer service 100%! Also, my whole dealership will be family-friendly. There's my 2¢.

Great. I'll consider your shop anytime I'm in Alaska - without tools and a place to work.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Their are good shops and bad shops ,dealerships are usually on the high end for maintinence cost because the dealer uses OEM parts much of the time .I can refer to a cost formula for other shops ,you have the part cost ,which they usually double for profit .Then you have the hrly rate which you should ask as one of your preliminary questions if youve never had service done at that location.So you ask if you bring your own parts will they install it, some of them do but you wont get the warrenty on the part if anything goes wrong.To get an hrly quote some refer to ALDATA for procedure and a hrly rate guesses
This chain is questioned alot,again ,some are good and some are down right crooks. Ask ,ask ,ask for the old part before they get started and if you can make a mark on it so you can then varify thats your part,its up to you to keep these guys and girls honest ,if not its on you ,and have a nice day.
Jiffy Lube Scam Caught on Tape! - YouTube

In 2008, I had the windshield replaced on my 300D at MB of Huntington on LI. They even gave me a choice on the tech who would do the job. As I expected, the job was perfect. I felt it was the best choice after reading all the horror stories on this forum.

However, I don't see the logic of having an MB dealer do some of the repairs and maintenance you should be able to do yourself when you own one of these cars.