It sounds like he was trouble shooting on your dime.

Hmmm, could be. But I KNOW the pump was bad so I give him that, so it comes down to the ignition switch and the fuel pumps.

I don't know you could be right not sure.

you really need to sell that car and get a 300e or a 190e.

that is...unless you have a big trust fund.

I know I will catch some heat for saying this. But this is the first mercedes... always been into muscle cars. Don't get on me to bad but I only like the w140 body style ( only the big body s class also) from like 92-97 and since I like muscle cars I got to have the v8 or bigger. So it pretty much narrows mercedes down w140 and either a 420, 500 or 600.


so if I sold this car I wouldn't get back into a mercedes since I'm very picky on mercedes that I like.

No one is "getting on you." You asked for advice and you are getting it from a group of people who by and large know these cars inside and out.

Just because the response is not what you want to hear does not mean that anyone is giving you heat.

It is simply a fact that you're driving a car that was sold when new as a cost-no-object car. The maintenance and repair items are in line with such a car. You need to understand that your car is:

1. Without question the single most complicated car that Mercedes ever sold.

2. Also without question one of the most enjoyable cars to drive that Mercedes has ever sold.

You gotta pay to play, nowhere is this more true than in a V12-powered W140.

I remember the many threads when will70724 was inquiring about this car, before he bought it. IIRC, most folks here warned him to steer clear of the car, but he would not be convinced.

As for the price of the repair, let me put things in perspective. I spent just under $1,000 for ALL maintenance and repairs on my 300E, in 35,000 miles and 2 years of driving. That included a valve body rebuild, tranny service, cap/rotor/plugs, a set of tires, washer pumps, motor mounts, oil changes, valve cover gasket, R12, etc. Of course the labor was free, something you need to factor into the equation if you want to own a high-maintenance vehicle. The 600 is reserved for those with deep pockets unless you know how and are willing to work on it yourself.

Hey, keep the car, drive it, enjoy it. But, don't whine about the cost of operation. Things you need to do...

1. Learn about the car and become familiar with the various systems and potential problems and solutions. Even if you don't DIY, this will help you in speaking to your tech.
2. Find a good tech that works on the V-12 cars on a regular basis.
3. Expect that you'll be facing bills that are north of $1K all the time.

My own tech sees pretty much all the V-12's in the city. I was picking my car up a couple years ago and had the single largest bill I've ever had, $1700. Most of it was preventative and some age related and some repairs, but it was a looong list of stuff. Practically a novel. The poor guy beside me at the counter had a little two pager for his S600 and it was $3500. But, he was used to it. Get used to it. $1400 is not much to drop on a W140. Wait until you need an evaporator and a few thing at the same time.

That is excellent perspective. It's all relative - a $1,400 repair on a $100K car would seem proportional. The many calls to avoid a 600 probably come from the fact that we are on a DIY forum and most folks here are trying to save money rather than part with more of it.

Don't you ever get tired of being right? :D
I have to do my own repairs/maintenance, to compensate for my wive's spending habits. ;)

Do you live in Utah?

No. Present and past. :D

Oh no, I understood the price of the car and repairing it. I'm not even complaining about it. My only question was does it sound reasonable or is this the going rate for the things done on my car? Theres a difference from knowing its expensive to just completely gouging me on prices. Thats all I was wondering.

I really like the car and want to keep it, so I hope you guys didnt think I was coming across as sayiing oh no I cant believe its this much or whatever. I just wanted to know if i was being gouged or if this was considered cheap or whatever.

The price doesnt' seem unfair, I just question the manner in which the parts were replaced as part of the troubleshooting process. Most good technicians try to find out the cause of the problem first, and then replace only the defective part. In your case it seems like he did things the other way around. Unfortunately, this is what you can expect to encounter when specialized expertise on a certain vehicle is limited.

Agreed. The price seems reasonable but for the life of me I don't understand how a mechanic could think that the lock pump could cause no-start. That makes no sense to me, but I could be wrong.

Mr hills I wondered the same thing also. But from what i understand he told me some models wouldnt start when it was out. Dont know but thats what I was told. And I did need that pump replaced so I understand that thats fine.

So basically he trouble shooted when it came to the ignition switch and the fuel pump. I should be getting my car back tomorrow before work.

I bet my car will get better gas mileage and even run better since he said it was only runing on one fuel pump huh?