Hi.

Could anyone recommend a good independent shop in the Lexington, Kentucky area? Any experiences with the dealer (good or bad) also appreciated. Any shops in the Louisville & Cincinnati area would be appreciated as well.

Thanks!

Clay
89 420SEL
02 Forester
97 Jetta TDi *For Sale*

I bought my car from Tafel Motor Company in Louisville, KY. They are very good with service, with their only downside being that they seem to charge a lot for their services. I used an independent mechanic when I lived there by the name of Joe Mosier, I do not know if he still works but if he does he does a very good job at a very reasonable price.

Does anyone recommed a service place in the Lexington, KY area? I am currently in the market for a 300D or 300SD and am just curious.
Thanks.

Hey guys,

A close friend of mine owns a Mercedes service shop in Winchester, Kentucky (12 miles east of Lexington). Name of the shop is Silver Star Motorwerks. Owner's name is Gary Ensor. He was sent overseas on military duty but has recently come back. Please e-mail me privately for his phone number, as he recently built a new shop and I don't know if there is a phone there yet. Also, if you're in the Cincinnati area, I would welcome you to swing by my shop which is in West Chester (20 miles NW of downtown Cinci).

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Regards,
Aaron

Hi 420!

I have been using a great little MB only shop called Autobahn Motors here in Louisville for about 6 months now, and they really seem to do a great job. It's a no frills shop, so there is no limo ride to get you to work when you drop off your car for service, but these guys seem really good with my 1993 500 SEL, they are fair, and all the work they have done for me has been top notch. $70.00 hr for labor, very reasonable parts prices. I don't believe they go by the standard service labor guide either. I don't know the number off the top of my head, but they are on Mellwood Ave, and the guy who runs the shop is named Dan.

Good luck!

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1993 500 SEL 121,000
2003 Toyota 4Runner 4X4 Limited (Sweet!)
1995 Ford Bronco 351 Windsor 135K miles (Hunting truck)

Past Vehicles
1999 Landrover Discovery II 46,000 (Sold)
1998 Lexus ES300 (Sold to get my Benz)
1973 Chevy Nova SS (drove it till the body fell apart in '87)
1971 Chevy Camaro (wrecked in high school)

There is an excellent Independent Mercedes (and other foreign auto) shop here in Ashland, KY. It is Irwin's Imports. It is run by a former Mercedes tech from the local dealership - her name is Marie. If you take anything there please tell her Holt told you to take your car there. I had timing chain, rails, valve stem seals, tensioner, etc. replaced there this past summer in my 420SEL and they did an excellent job - I trust my car with VERY FEW people. I have seen various makes being worked on there including a 1961 Rolls Royce.

The absolute best MB place in Kentucky is Eurowerkes, Kirk Gilcrest, he is awsome, in Winchester Ky
Specializes in MB's and BMW's only.

i have used several shops through the years. my current mechanic is gary grubb of european motors at 964 floyd dr in lex. his # 859-233--7222.
he is a excellant tech and fair priced who specializes in mb, bmw and saab.
9 months ago he performed a head gasket repair for me which should tell you
something. kirk gilchrist of eurowerks in winchester phone# 895-745-0125
is another excellant shop.

if you are in the louisville area autobahn motors (502-587-7827) should be the
first place you go to. my sister uses them and told me about them. i later learned after joining the mbca that they are honorary members of the club and give an annual maintenance and repair tips seminar. these guys are real
mb enthusiasts.

as far as dealerships go i would be very wary of going to james motors in lex.
no bad personal experience just what i've heard through the grapevine. tafel
motors in louisville is good as far as dealerships go.

Although James seems competent in parts, they are not very good on price and do not deal even when confronted with very significantly lower prices elsewhere. Let's face it, this is not a major market and you have to wait for everything anyway - they don't stock a lot of stuff, most of the time it is better to have the UPS guy deliver parts from people with better pricing.

There are some repairs that I'm just not comfortable doing and I'll check out Winchester next spring!

I saw this thread and thought immediately of Kirk, even though I've never had a car serviced there. He's been a great mail-order source of new and used BMW and MB parts, very competitively priced and pleasant to deal with.

Russ M

I had a bad experience with James myself. Subframe repaires on my 72 SL. James Motor told me that none of their techs new much about the
"old cars". I had to pay a professional welder to repair the botched job that James motor tried to pass off. MB USA absolutly no help on the matter.

Bill C

I would not recommend Sim Fryson Motor Co. in Ashland, KY to anyone. Their body and paint shop is awful - had to trade a car in their because they did such horrible paint work that every time I looked at the car it made me sick to my stomach! No one else would give me what the value of the car was because of their work. I then had to argue with them and tell them it was their work that decreased the value of the vehicle! I only buy parts there when necessary and even then I have to wait. I realize it is not feasible to keep many parts in stock but to have to order electrical connectors and touch up paint?!! Give me a break!! I will have to check out Kirk for parts.
I don't have any experience with other MB dealers but have heard that Smith Company in Charleston, WV is great to deal with. It is close to eastern Ky. My parents have dealt with James Motor in Lex. for years.
My experience with Sim Fryson and James (through my parents) is that they are arrogant and seem to think that if you own a Mercedes that they are the only game in town. Any one else have these experiences with either dealer? I am especially curious about Sim Fryson.

Star Imports In Clarksville,ind. Danny South Owns The Place Along With 2 Other Great Guys, He Is Honest, And The Best On Mb's That I Have Ever Seen. I Have A '81 300sd And A '90 560 Sec, He Is The Best.

For warranty work and parts, I like James Motors. They are very good, fast and provide a discount for MBCA members.

For Indie work, I cannot say enough good about STUTTGART Motors. They have been in biz for over 30 years with the same owner and specialize in Benz, Porsche and BMW. They keep my cars very happy and the quality of service keeps me happy too.

Any given day you will see anything from racers to classics. They prep cars for the Rolex 24 and SCCA Pro and Amateur racers.

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McBear
Kentucky

1992 500E -- 1993 500E -- 1993 500E -- 1988 560SEC AMG
1992 300E -- 1988 300SEL TT -- 1980 280SL -- 1968 280SE

I need a Twelve Step Program...or a Twelve Car Garage!

Autowerks in Lexington is good for older Mercedes-Benzes. Adam (the owner) is very reliable and the prices are very reasonable!

Autowerks
Commercial Drive
Lexington

(859) 254-2422

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Old age and treachery will allways overcome youth and skill!

1993 S500
1984 380SL