Raleigh - The Foreign Service

www.theforeignservice.com

Not the cheaperst, but a 2 yr/unlimited mileage warranty on everything they do, parts and labor. Plus, they have free 190E loaner cars. Probably the best around.

I second that.lived in black mountain 5 years.One of the best shops in the ga,sc,nc area!

I'm in Beaufort North Carolina for a few days before I got to Raliegh and Nashville.

My 560SEL is running rough after changing out the fuel distributor. Any good shops or MB certified mechanics around the Crysal Coast? Morehead City is close by, as is Newport, also New Bern.

-gil

__________________
GG NJ USA
1983 300SD (Sold at 198K)
1989 560SEL (205k) - slowly restoring
2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid (6k) - daily driver
1995 Colt Vista AWD (145k) - fun car! spare
1991 Buick Riviera 3.8l (85k) - fur die Kinder
RIP: 1965 LeMans/GTO Convertable -my first
RIP: 1968 GTO 400 HO w/ 400HP - ballsy!
(blew the motor racing a '69 GTX - bummer)

Cant help you where you are, but there is Smitty's in wilmington, and if you can make it to Raleigh there is the Foreign service off Glenwood, West German auto in Cary/west Raleigh, and Peak Automotive in Apex.
Good luck!

Thanks Marc -

Where is Wilmington?

-g

There is West German auto on Hillsborough st (right at Cary/Raleigh line) and Peak Automotive on 64 in Apex. There is a place on Trawick rd. right across from Tower shopping center, but never heard anything about them good or bad. Ive heard good things about D&E also off Capitol but not sure where.

South down the coast. I think you'd need to go through the Marine base to get there. I think its 17 or 117 all the way there, through Jacksonville etc.
Wilmington is a nice town right on the river with easy access to the beach, prolly lots of tourists there this time of year. I think its about 2 hours from MC, might as well go ahead and drive to Raleigh (3 hours?) if you're headed this way anyway.

Didn't forum member JoeP ('it leaks- its German') have a shop in Raleigh?

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Yes, I believe that was Behind the Star which is now Peak Automotive in Apex.

fahrgewehr2, I noticed you're in Wilmington. Have you dealt with Tony's Foreign Car on Market before?

M Skeen-

Nope, never been there. I used the dealer once to have the oil changed and a flex disk installed. Otherwise I do my work when I visit my parents who live in MD- they have a nice garage.

If you search for 'wilmington' there is a thread that discusses some of the ne hanover county shops.

Mike

PS- Just drove past New Bern today on the way back from the outer banks. Looks like a nice town.

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Thanks for the search tip. I guess I should have tried that on my own. Tony's down in Wilmington has a nice 84 300SD I'm interested in but they just got it and can't give me a price yet. According to the post I found they tend to be high with their prices.

New Bern is nice but I had to get used to the size when I first moved here. Not a whole lot going on and no Merz shops that I know of.

There is a Mercedes shop in Morehead City, not far from New Bern. It is called CamCo. When I tried to get an appointment last week they told me that they were the only game in the area and they couldnt possibly see me until Thursday (a week later!)

I found a great shop up in Wilson, just past Greenville an hour East of Raliegh. It is called Bunn's Auto Repair.

When I got there it looked like a scene out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre - there is a yard full of decaying MBs, BMWs, Porsches, VWs and more. Sad, really - some of the Benz's are classics but they've been exposed for so long that the dashes are all split annd the wood panels cracked, plus the exterior finishes are getting pitted and sun-bleached.

Anyway, toward the back there's racks of trannnys, motors, radiators and other spare parts. Then there is a little shop tucked in the corner, and a bunch of bays along the back of a long narrow garage.

Inside the shop, there is a older husband/wife team, Lennie Bunn and the Mrs (I didn't catch her name), and they are lovely and pleasant and a hoot to talk with. The son James Bunn is the head MB guy as far as I can tell, and he knows his stuff. He was polite, very helpful, and got right to the issues I had with no nonsense.

He moved another customers' car off the lift, put mine up and fixed it while I waited (I needed hangers for my tail pipe and some new wiper blades, and a engine check as previously mentioned).

His rates are reasonable and higly recomend him. Once you get past the initial impresion of the yard (he is also a used car and parts dealer), he's got it where it counts.

For any of you looking for MB parts, he's got 123s, 124s, 116s, 126s gas and diesel.

(252) 237-4449

-gil

__________________
GG NJ USA
1983 300SD (Sold at 198K)
1989 560SEL (205k) - slowly restoring
2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid (6k) - daily driver
1995 Colt Vista AWD (145k) - fun car! spare
1991 Buick Riviera 3.8l (85k) - fur die Kinder
RIP: 1965 LeMans/GTO Convertable -my first
RIP: 1968 GTO 400 HO w/ 400HP - ballsy!
(blew the motor racing a '69 GTX - bummer)

for anyone searching who lands on this post:

CamCo in Morehead City - very busy, you will nneed to make an appointment at least a week ahead of time.

Bunn's Auto Repair in Wilson - nice family-run business, very helpful. (252) 237-4449. Ask for James Bunn.

I have a 90 350SDL and manuals as I do my own work. Cruise control quit. Traced problem to intermitent voltage from mod to actuator (should be steady 12V. Took to Becks and told them it was probably the control mod. Had panel pulled off bottom of dash. They let me sit for four hours then charged me over $350 to remove two screws and a contector plug, replace mod and test drive. I figure about $750 an hour for time. Ask why so much and got fed a line of crap. Guys in the parts department are nice and helpful but STAY AWAY FROM SERVICE DEPARTMENT.