Connecticut - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

whunter · #46 07-29-2006, 06:06 PM

Import Specialists LLC

97 Old Foxon Rd
East Haven, CT 06513
(203) 468-0737

JimSmith · #47 01-22-2007, 02:22 PM

I have to speak up for the guys at Carriage House in New London, and the chief mechanic there who does work at his house for selected customers. The parts guys at Carriage House are great, and, with a MBCA membership give great discounts, bringing prices near or at the best you can get on the internet. For a long time they were the absolute best for Delvac 1. As of late they are just competitive on that item. But a good group to deal with, especially on the older cars.

Jim

Dee8go · #48 01-22-2007, 03:34 PM

Jim, do they only work on Mercedes, or do they do other german cars, too?

skydog · #49 01-29-2007, 12:49 PM

Fairfield Cty Motor Sports in Flfd. [JIM RIELLY ] Warren Jennings + co. Flfd [Derek] Europeon Motor Works in Greenwich [Yakov] I`ve used them all for years and can highly reccomend them. Michael Keating [Skydog] p.s. The horror stories about M.B in Fairfield are true and the youg guy in parts is polite but is devoid of any M.B parts experience!

krasuskyp · #50 05-10-2007, 09:53 AM

I'd also heard good of them so I brought the ML there for a Sat. "free inspection" thingy through the local MB club.

They told me it needed new ball joints to the tune of like $700. But they'd be "kind" enough to "split it" with me since I was just out of warranty at like 52k.

So I brought it back to Nude Country Motors in Hartford where we got it and asked them - everything is PERFECT - even showed me.

WTF?

Nice way to try and "gain" a customer.

YMMV, hopefully. Pretty sad...

JimSmith · #51 05-10-2007, 05:57 PM

Well, I have no idea why Carriage House would pull a fast one on you. They once had my 240D in there for a front seal change and it turned out to be either a bolt in the power steering bracket or the air conditioner compressor support bracket that penetrated an oil gallery and fell out. They charged me to steam clean the engine and put the bolt back in for nothing. Basically, I would not have been able to tell the difference had they elected to charge me for the seal job. I have other, similar examples where they had an opportunity to put their hand in my pocket and they didn't. Sorry your experience was so different. Jim

bells_77 · #52 06-30-2007, 10:23 AM

MB of Fairfield dealer has to be the worst I have ever seen. I own 1992 400SE and it was coming up with check engine light every 2 weeks, regularly. So I take it to the dealer, they read the code, and say it's an oxygen sensor... Fine, please replace ($750). 2 weeks goes by the check engine light is back... so I go back to the dealer. This time they diagnosed it as some other control unit (EC comes to mind, but not positive at this point). Fine, please replace... Both bills at this point run me $1500...

Two weeks goes by; guess what, the check engine light is back. By this time I am blowing steam, back to the dealer, so they tell me that it HAS to be engine wiring harness, cut open a thick line of wires and show me disintegrated into dust insulation... I throw a fit right there, threaten them with headquarter complaints, Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce -- they offer me 10% labor discount... I threaten them with small claims court -- they offer me free labor... Fine, I grudgingly dispense another $550 for the wiring harness...

2 weeks goes by, guess what happens... BINGO! The check engine light is back on. The safety valve in my brain lets go..

and I am back to the dealer again... They take the car in and... lo and behold... diagnose that it has a faulty computer unit... They sold it to me for "dealer invoice" of $1,050, and didn't charge me labor (all 30 seconds it takes to open the case under the hood, pull out one and plug another in). For 4 months my car was more in their shop than in my posession, and after $3,700, the $1000 problem got fixed...

So recently I get a squealing noise from belts, smell the plastic burnt, and my battery dies, I take it to the dealer again, and they tell me that it's the Alternator. Fine, please replace... $1,470+tax..

... My friend could have replaced it in 2 hours...

When I pick up the car from the repair shop it squeals like a wounded piglet... I bring it back, they look, and the belt tensioner is suddenly "bad." AND they offer me to replace the tensioner for $500!

(part + 2 hours of labor). Naturally I am very upset they did not replace it when they put in the new alternator, because it would avoid an extra charge for the labor... I don;t know what they have on their books for labor there, but it sounded awful high for me for the piece of spring, so I bought it on the web for $150 (brand new made in Germany), and with very little mechanic experience, and one socket wrench I mastered to replace it in whole 30 minutes....

At the same time they told me that one of my auxiliary radiator cooling fans froze, so they tell me that one fan alone can not be replaced, that the whole assembly must be taken out and replaced, estimate - $900. I flip them a finger and check the web, order a brand new Bosch fan for $140, and with a phillips screw driver, 10 and 12 mm socket , and 2 hours of my amature time replace the fan myself. Turned out they blatantly lied to me that a single fan can not be replaced.

Lesson learned, never EVER go to their mechanic shop. Their prices for the used cars are reasonable, but the service division in HORRIBLE. You can buy a car from them, but never EVER service it there if you have to pay for it.

Brian Carlton · #53 06-30-2007, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bells_77

For 4 months my car was more in their shop than in my posession, and after $3,700, the $1000 problem got fixed...

I always had a question about that. They basically ripped off $2700. repairing things that were not the culprit.

Why are they not responsible for that?

What would be the outcome of a small claims action? Would they claim the component was defective anyway and needed to be replaced? Would they prevail because they are the "professional" and you are not?

I'd sure like to see someone test such a case in court. They deserve it.

Hatterasguy · #54 06-30-2007, 05:14 PM

They should know better. On a MB of that vintage if the CE light comes on you check the wiring harness first. Regardless of what code you are getting, if the harness is trash replace it and go from there.

They are total morons, havn't been there in years never will go back.

Go to MB of North Haven, they are leaps and bounds better.

Jim's500E · #55 07-02-2007, 09:31 AM

LOL

.... but YOU should have known better, or at least stayed away after the first few screw ups by them. Dealers are in business for one reason...to make as much money off you as possible.

Duly noted though and in complete agreement...MB of Fairfield is no good.

The best CT dealer is Carriage House IMO...especially for 'old' cars from the 80s and 90s.

bells_77 · #56 07-05-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

I always had a question about that. They basically ripped off $2700. repairing things that were not the culprit.

Why are they not responsible for that?

What would be the outcome of a small claims action? Would they claim the component was defective anyway and needed to be replaced? Would they prevail because they are the "professional" and you are not?

I'd sure like to see someone test such a case in court. They deserve it.

I studied business law in the US, not as a law student, but as a business student. Anyways, when you bring the car to your mechanic, you don't ask them to replace the certain part, you ask them to fix the problem. So if you pay the money but that does not get the problem fixed you're entitled to get your money back. You are also always entitled to be given the broken part that they replaced back to you (unless there is a core charge, and you want to trade the old part in for the pitiful amount they pay for the core). This is always a good way to make sure that the mechanic did not just take out your old part, soldered some diodes from RadioShack or something, and put it right back in at astronomical expense to you.

The tricky part comes when they (mechanics) call and ask you to authorize the repair at whatever quoted cost. You authorize them and there you have an expressed contract... So the judge can say that you authorized it and therefore the shop is not liable.

At the same time you can parry that and tell the judge that you had to rely on the professional judgement and expertise of a mechanic, and knowing nothing about cars that was the mechanic opinion that drove your decision-making process.

To make the long story short, this will come down to the judge's opinion and the small print on the form you sign when you pay the bill (although there were cases when the small print was ruled out because there was too much garbage there, and no reasonable consumer could be expected to read all that). The judge will look at whether your claims were "reasonable, as for an average consumer" and whether the charges and the circumstances were reasonable for the mechanic.

Either way, if you don't get your way with the Small Claims Court, there is a way to make your bitterness felt through the local Better Bussiness Bureau, Consumer Protection Agency, and State and local Chamber of Commerce. They have no *real* legal authority, but when 10-15 complaints come in, they will take investigative action, and you never know, your complain can be that 15th complaint that triggered a chain reaction, and you will get a free complete vehicle overhaul

by the mechanic who got a bunch of BBB agents on their back.

Brian Carlton · #57 07-05-2007, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bells_77

I studied business law in the US, not as a law student, but as a business student. Anyways, when you bring the car to your mechanic, you don't ask them to replace the certain part, you ask them to fix the problem. So if you pay the money but that does not get the problem fixed you're entitled to get your money back. You are also always entitled to be given the broken part that they replaced back to you (unless there is a core charge, and you want to trade the old part in for the pitiful amount they pay for the core). This is always a good way to make sure that the mechanic did not just take out your old part, soldered some diodes from RadioShack or something, and put it right back in at astronomical expense to you.

The tricky part comes when they (mechanics) call and ask you to authorize the repair at whatever quoted cost. You authorize them and there you have an expressed contract... So the judge can say that you authorized it and therefore the shop is not liable.

At the same time you can parry that and tell the judge that you had to rely on the professional judgement and expertise of a mechanic, and knowing nothing about cars that was the mechanic opinion that drove your decision-making process.

To make the long story short, this will come down to the judge's opinion and the small print on the form you sign when you pay the bill (although there were cases when the small print was ruled out because there was too much garbage there, and no reasonable consumer could be expected to read all that). The judge will look at whether your claims were "reasonable, as for an average consumer" and whether the charges and the circumstances were reasonable for the mechanic.

Either way, if you don't get your way with the Small Claims Court, there is a way to make your bitterness felt through the local Better Bussiness Bureau, Consumer Protection Agency, and State and local Chamber of Commerce. They have no *real* legal authority, but when 10-15 complaints come in, they will take investigative action, and you never know, your complain can be that 15th complaint that triggered a chain reaction, and you will get a free complete vehicle overhaul

by the mechanic who got a bunch of BBB agents on their back.

Thanks for that insight. I have heard way too many stories of people being charged for several items in a row until the genius finally finds the problem. This can get quite costly for late model vehicles. I know of a specific case on a Buick where the mechanic spent $2400. to attempt to fix a stalling condition and never did fix it after that amount of money.

Most people won't make the effort to sue the mechanic in small claims court. Once thing that you failed to mention is the fact that the mechanic is free to claim that all the replaced parts were defective. He had to change five defective items to fix the problem. Untrue, of course, but the judge would probably side with "the professional". Naturally, if the problem is unresolved on the date of the hearing, the mechanic has a poor case.