mb service advisor says that in all probability the wire harness shorted because of faulty insulation and took out a module and the throttle actuator with it. all said $4000. after really pushing the goodwill issue (i tried to keep my cool), the official word is: MB has no goodwill towards a seven year old car and it's second owner. I would imagine that i have no legal case. The really sad part is that i still love my benz.