Anyone else have problems with '01 E 320?
 

I own a 2001 E 320 wagon with 68k miles. I was just informed by my local dealer that over $4k in repairs are need on the car for:
battery $249
oil leak in valve cover gaskets $493
front brake pads touching sensor, rotors $725
ball joints x 2 $525
axle fuel leak, actually dripping $926
add freon and dye to check for slow leak $299.95

spark plugs needed soon $645
drive belt needs to be replaced soon, cracking $210

This car has been well-maintained, carefully driven (my wife and I pamper our vehicles), regularly serviced and always garaged.

This car is my fourth MB wagon. I have had great success with these wagons until now.

My principal concern is with the leaky head gaskets and transaxle. The car also appears to burn oil as I have had to add oil between regular services.

Did I just get a lemon or are there others out ther too who have had similar problems with this make and year MB?

I'd like to talk to MB's regional representative about these issues and, in preparation for that discussion, would appreciate any input anyone has to offer. Thanks.

St. Louis Joe.

My first impression is that more than anything you need a different dealer and/or an independent mechanic. Some of these items you should know if they are needed, for others I question whether the price is in line. To wit:

1. Why do you need a battery? Is the car not starting? Is the engine noticably slower when cranking over to start. The price is extremely high, the dealer battery price is ~$120 and it requires about 10 minutes to install.

2. Oil Leak. I've not heard of the M112 engine having this problem, but I'm just an owner that hangs out around Mercedesshop. Can you see oil on the engine? Smell it burning off the exhaust manifolds? You may have the tiniest of leaks that just doesn't merit fixing.

3. Brake pads. Is the instrument cluster warning telling you the brakes need replacing? If not, it is unlikely you need brakes. The price seems quite high. The DIY price for the parts is maybe $150, and at most 2 hours of labor. Even at dealer rates I would expect this job to be in the $400-$500 range. I suppose its possible you need rotors at 68K, but 100K is a more typical number.

4. Ball joints. Does the front suspension make noise and/or the car wander on the road? This is a safety related item, so I would have it checked out. But before popping for replacement I'd get a second opinion. Ball joints normally last 10+ years and 150K or more miles.

5. Axle fuel leak. Not sure exactly what you mean here. Is the differential weeping lubricant? That's not completely unheard of on a benz. Depending on how much it leaks, I would consider just having it topped up and checking again at the next service. Can't comment on the price, but that's a lot of labor.

6. Is the a/c not working properly? Why are they looking for a leak? The price is astronomical to top up the a/c and spend 30 minutes checking it out with a sniffer.

How much oil have you had to add between services? A quart or two between 10K-12K services is normal and nothing to worry about.

If there's any lemonade being made here, I very much suspect it's with the dealer more than the car.

- JimY

those prices are ridiculous. do all of us a favor, stop bending over for your dealer and take your car to a indy shop, or better yet learn to do some work yourself.

Is it the M112 that had the TSB about lowering the oil capacity by 1/2 a quart?

The price on that battery is not only high, it is insultingly high. I am going to assume they use Varta batteries...an Interstate battery will fit nicely and last just as long if not longer. If you pay $249 for a battery, you should be gently thwapped with a pair of gloves.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jim - find someplace else to take your money.

Joe, why don't you click on the buy parts link above, and price out some of the parts that the dealer claims you need. Just for reference.

Call the police.
The prices given to you by the MB stealership is nothing but highway robbery.

Sounds like a tatic to get you to buy a new car from them.

<<Is it the M112 that had the TSB about lowering the oil capacity by 1/2 a quart?>>

104 engine

Judging by the prices quoted, it sounds to me like you are ( or should be ) on your dealer's list for a jar of Vaseline at Christmas/Birthday time. :eek:

This is the V6 engine M112

battery $249 Should be $120 or lower

oil leak in valve cover gaskets $493 - The gaskets are $15 each

front brake pads touching sensor, rotors $725 - Front Pad Set $70, if Rotors worn to min
then Rotors are $60 each x 2 = 120 bucks

ball joints x 2 $525 - Doubtful at 68K

axle fuel leak, actually dripping $926 Who knows what that means.

add freon and dye to check for slow leak $299.95 Just silly.

spark plugs needed soon $645 Plugs are $ 7.00 each x 12 = $84

drive belt needs to be replaced soon, cracking $210. Amazing Belt is $30 and time to
install is what 10 minutes?


I'd like to talk to MB's regional representative about these issues. Why bother, just make yourself an informed consumer and find an honest indepent shop or learn to do some of this yourself.

St. Louis Joe.

I think he should talk to the regional MB rep - mostly to complain. Either his dealers labor rate is somewhere in the range of $150-$200 per hour, or they are charging him book time x 2 for these jobs.

Time to find somewhere else for your business.

- JimY

for dealer prices these aren't really out of line. keep in mind that any part with the three pointed star on the box is going to be more than the same part in a box without. i just looked up the flat rate times for the above jobs; pretty much accurate.

some of the jobs are a bit high even for the dealer but overall, that's the price one pays for owning one of these. flat rate time for changing plugs, (there's 12 of them at $18 a piece,) is three hours. the shop where i work, (an indy) would charge 3 hours x $135.

if one cannot afford to pay someone to fix their car, one either has to learn how to fix things themselves, or buy a Lexus.

owning a mercedes is not cheap and price shopping for a mechanic is asking for trouble. a good indy shop is going to be pricey because they pay their techs well and employ good techs. you can go to econo-lube-n-tune and pay less but then you're just asking for trouble.

my 2 cents

Agreed. These are pricey cars to maintain, especially at dealership prices. Once the warranty runs out, expect to pay a king's ransom for maintenance.

That said, even if the quotes are within reason, the amount of work needed seems a bit overboard. Were you in for an "A service"?

I inclined to believe the used car department needed some fine examples to add to their inventory, and the scare tactic used might persuade you to get rid of the car post-haste.

Still, it's a good time to either learn to do some of the simpler tasks yourself, or start looking for a good indy. Or both!

Just curious about, "some of the jobs are a bit high even for the dealer but overall, that's the price one pays for owning one of these. flat rate time for changing plugs, (there's 12 of them at $18 a piece,) is three hours. the shop where i work, (an indy) would charge 3 hours x $135.
".

About how long does it actually take to change the 12 plugs on that engine? I understand they may be hard to get at, but 3 hours is a very long time? I would say I can change the 6 plugs on my M104 in 30 minutes easily.

One of my indy's with 25 years experience on MB charges $40 per hour, another charges $70. Obviously geographically dependent.

Steve

I've changed the plugs on an M112 twice and I can tell you its a non-trivial job. That said 3 hours is a bit much, but if you ever managed to cross thread a plug on this baby you would be screwed - it would be almost impossible to get a heli-coil in place without removing the head.

As I recall it took me over an hour to RR the plugs.

labor times can be inflated and/or unrealistic. 3 hours to change 12 plugs seems high until you try to do them. if things go well, a seasoned tech can do them in less time. if things don't do smoothly, they can take longer. conversely, there are some jobs and marques, (Audi being one of them,) where the labor times are grossly underrepresented.

to complicate matters, a shop that pays their techs "flat-rate," can be dicey because a flat-rate tech just wants to get the job done as quickly as possible. a flat-rate tech would get paid three hours for the above job no matter how long the job actually takes; if he does it in 1.5, he still gets paid for 3. if every plug is virtually frozen and it takes him 6, he still only gets paid for 3. i personally don't like the flat-rate method of paying techs for i think it emphasizes speed more than anything else.

labor rates are heavily dependent on demographics and geography. i live and work in the san francisco bay area, ( home of the highest gas prices in the nation,) and our shop labor rate is $135. dealers are even higher as are some other independents. it all boils down to what the market will bear. a side benefit to having high hourly labor rates is that you weed out the "price-shoppers," a tremendous benefit.