Mike, I think what they meant to say is that THEY would not fix your bumper but would ONLY sell you a new one. Very simply, go somewhere else where they will do a little honest craftsmanship rather than simply changing parts.

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'76 240D-Sold
'78 240D-Sold
'85 300 SD, 165K-Sold
'88 300 TE, 165K-Sold
'64 Porsche 356C Cabriolet- under restoration
'86 560SL 124K Miles-Sold
'94 320E Wagon, 74K Miles-128K Miles JUNKED
'06 E350 Wagon, 84K Miles
07 SL550, 14K Miles

They may not be lying but just not willing or able to do a little creative repair. I grew up in the fifties and sixties in farm country . And I learned how to fix things rather than expensive replacement. There is an epoxy called West System that is the only thing I ever found that will stick to nearly any material ,I fixed a cracked holding tank on a motor home when all else failed ,it's used in specialized boat building ,and bet it would be a perfect base to use in bumper repair. It can be found on any search engine....
William Rogers........

Find youself a good body shop. Most dealers, rather it is Mercedes or Ford, do bad work when it come to body work. The reason they opt to replace than to repair is to make more profit.

The bumper can be repair!

jack

Mike,

I don't think that you are being lied to...It is possible that the shop you went to thinks it is not worth the $$$ to be paid for the repair (it takes some time to repair a plastic bumper) because a new one could end up only $100-150 more expensive since your bumper has a rather big crack.
It is possible that they do not want to risk the chance to have a bumper repaired 2-3 times because the owner (the one who has to pay the work involved) is not satisfied with the price/result ratio.
If you have a set of technical hands (or if you can borrow a set of technical hands from one of your friends), you can consider to do the repair yourself (it will save you the hours of plastering and sanding) and offer the bumper for repaint only (taking full responsibility for the repair you made yourself).
I think the repair shop does not want to work on something that might haunt them for a long time.

greetingz,

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1990 300SL-24
1993 C250D with a minor 600+k kilometer
www.MBenzNL.com(the Netherlands)

I am no expert, but maybe they are one of those shops that just won't do something less than absolutely perfect. Even if it costs hundredes of dollars extra. I'd shop around a bit, especially if you're on a budget.

Reminds me of the time my wife managed to get a roofing nail into the edge of the sidewall of a brand new Bridgestone. I mean, they were just weeks old. A Firestone tire shop and a dealership flat out refused to repair the tire, saying it was a safety hazard, etc. I went to another tire shop and they put in a plug for $10. Lasted the life of the car. Go figure.

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

Tommy D. the bumper patcher I told you guys about ealier did an excellent job. The paint looks great. I'm not sure If it matches well with the other lower body side cladding farther back in the car or not. Brand new paint compared with a slightly dirty car. Whole job only cost me $150!!!

Guys thank you again for all your help!!!!!!!!

Mike McKinney

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1989 300CE - 269,000 km
1994 SL600 - 59,000 km