My friend started his mission by saying "you need a new one. A new Mercedes!". He's tried to talk me into one of his deals two years ago - actually not bad at the time (500 S class latest series $48 K with about 69k miles - two or three years old), but he doesn't get it - I am a preservationist.

He also did my R134a conversion (the system failed after a year, I did the expansion valve replacement myself, $35 part, another hose he did not realize was part of the diagnosis, $250, in one afternoon, including replacement of the dehydrator, after he told me it would take $1,600 to get the thing going again).

I don't blame him - labor is expensive for good reasons (hard work needs to be paid for), but I don't like the "throw it away and get another one from me" attidue.

I also have a radiator leak. I know it, he knows it. The radiator is so bad it needs to be replaced! Right away! I have to top up the cooling every six to eight months when the little light turns on, and it takes a whole friggin' three cups in the reservoir to get the light to turn off! (I do smell the leak though in the winter with the heat on.)

Radiator leaks, transmission leaks, everything works, time for a new car! Right??? :rolleyes:

(Maybe my friend is not really my friend, but just a good place to get an oil change when you don't have the time to do it yourself?)

This is the most likely culprit. Driving 2K miles a year is pretty bad for a car, since it mostly sits. Front/rear main seals probably aren't too far behind. Your exhaust will also start corroding from the inside out due to never really boiling the moisture out. Rotors probably have surface rust each time you use them.

Not to sound negative, but cars that sit more than they move usually need a higher level of upkeep compared to those driven daily.

Depends. The car is driven almost daily, but I am in a city (Washington, D.C), so the distances are short. However, it always reaches full temperature.

I don't think that's the issue, frankly. It's not a "hangar queen", as we say in aviation....

Try some Trans X, I was surprised but it help's a lot of the leaks.

You trust it? How do others feel? I could start with this. But could it hurt?

Thanks for all the suggestions!

It helped with my leaks. How can it hurt? Its an old transission it could blow at anytime, so what if it does? Its all about buying time...