Did I get ripped off on my radiator? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Scott98 · #1 02-25-2004, 09:14 AM

Earlier, I posted that the top of my radiator blew off where the upper radiator hose connects. I had the car towed to the mechanic and he installed a new radiator, thermostat and upper hose for a total cost of about $740.

He installed a Nissens radiator (not a Behr like the original) and charged me around $450 for the radiator. I know FastLane has them for about $230. I know that mechanics generally mark up their parts but this seemed pretty ridiculous to me. I think the total labor was around $160 which I wasn't upset about.

Did I get ripped off here on the parts mark-up or do mechanics have to do this to make a living? BTW, he also said "list price" for the radiator was around $560 and implied he was giving me a "deal" for $450.

Thanks,

Scott

jcd · #2 02-25-2004, 10:22 AM

DIY is way cheaper.

I bought a radiator from an internet dealer for around $160.00. The replacement job took me about 1 hour, and that is only because the oil cooler brackets didn't fit exactly right so it took a little doing to get it in.

I also had to refill coolant and top off ATF and oil.

The total cost you paid seems a little high, but , these guys have to make a living and it doesn't look like he did anything that wasn't necessary.

We can always argue about price. My concern with mechanics is if they do work that is not necessary. It looks like this guy did the right things and didn't rip you off with unnecessary work.

My 2 cents.

JCD

Stevo · #3 02-25-2004, 10:36 AM

You got ripped, find another machnic or better yet start doing your own work. I got a Behr for a 240D last year for under $130.00 and it took all of 10 minetes to install (no oil cooler to fool with tho) He gave you a "deal" alright.

Scott98 · #4 02-25-2004, 12:40 PM

I also wanted to add that he didn't even clean off the radiator fluid that sprayed all over my engine. He just put the new one in and that was that. I would think that for over $700, he would have also hosed the engine down. Maybe I'm asking too much of a mechanic. I don't know. I used to take my car to this old school German mechanic in a different town. He would wash every single part he took off your car before he put it back on. He also personnaly test drove every car before it left his shop. That guy was thorough.

Scott

kamil · #5 02-25-2004, 12:50 PM

Yeh, in my opinion I think you did get ripped off. I've seen these radiators going for 150 and I can't imagine it would be hard to install yourself. The only downside to installing it yourself is that there would be coolant all over the place. The important thing is that the car runs fine now and you don't have to worry about anything. We have all been ripped off at one time or another so do not dwell on the whole incident too much.

Enjoy the car

:

TN-W124 Diesel · #6 02-25-2004, 07:39 PM

I have used his web site many times and I want to thank him for all this hard work he has put in it..

DIY Pages. Overview of current pages with links. W123 basis.

Stevo · #7 02-25-2004, 07:57 PM

Just a quick comment about fixing these cars yourself. One reason I went for the manual 240D is that you really can work on these cars without the long background of the "life- long mechanic.", It would help tho

. .. Its hard if you dont have a place under cover to work but if you have a garage get some tools from Hbr Freight and start saving some $. Its fun too.

Not cleaning off you engine, Wow what a guy ...You, no doubt are looking for a replacement mechanic. Which you need to find even if you start doing your own work. There are some repairs I would not do,not yet anyway. And bring him a donut and a cup of coffee now and then when you find a good one.

GermanStar · #8 02-25-2004, 07:59 PM

Sure, you got clipped but good. Nissens radiators are less expensive than Behr, so this guy is blowing smoke up your @$$ by telling you what the list price is. Also, he can buy the radiator for a lot less than you. He can probably pay less than what Fastlane buys it for, let alone what they sell it for. Next time, look around a little before you drop your money on the table.

dc88168 · #9 02-25-2004, 08:30 PM

Yes, I think you got ripped off by your mechanic.
You can get Nissens radiator at Fastlane for $241.

David

_________________
1985 300D Turbo

#10 02-25-2004, 08:34 PM

I just can't understand how some people
stay in business.

Shops doing lousy work,charging for something
when it wasn't done,being rude and disrespectfull,
overcharging,refusing to do work if it is to small and
not profitable enough and much more.

But the strangest part is that eventhough some
people get ripped off,they will go back,and endure
it all over again.
Ignoring a cheaper and passionate shop owner,
who really cars about the car and his customers.
In their mind a cheaper price means inferiour service.

Case in point.
On a different forum(w123 club) a member had
started a local club and offered a reasonable
hourly rate for repairs(person is a wiz when it
comes to the w123).
He charged $50/hr instead of the $100/hr that
is usually charged.
He even organised an events rally.
But still people would go to shops that overcharged
them and most likely bill them for things that were
never done.
Strange?

I'm in no way implying that all shops are/work this
way.
But out of 100 shops only 1-2 are on the level
The rest.....,well we all now where this is going.

Just venting.

Louis.

Scott98 · #11 02-26-2004, 08:26 AM

One of the worst things about all of this is that though I've never installed a radiator, I'm confident I could have done it myself as I have performed many others repairs (adjust valves, new shocks, rack pin, new calipers, etc..). It's just that the radiator blew up over the weekend, I was stranded, needed to get it towed somewhere immediately, had never done this particular repair before and just didn't think I had the time to get it fixed right away. I also thought it wouldn't cost THAT much to get it fixed. Looking back on it now, it was a bad decision and if I think I can fix it, I'm never taking it to a mechanic again. Lesson learned. Thanks for all of your input.

Scott

Stevo · #12 02-26-2004, 01:11 PM

" I was stranded, needed to get it towed somewhere immediately"

Ya, thats somthing any of us could nailed on and you just gota do the best you can to get sombody to FIX IT. .. If I were to have missed WORK to work on cars , I would be writting this from the Poor house"

Its a tread off, my wife likes to do other things on the weekend. Huh, strange