I recently took my 87 300SDL in to my local MB dealer for a problem with the climate control. It seemed to take for EVER for the unit to switch from cool air to heat. Sometimes there was no heat at all. At the same time, I had them check for a loss of coolant. It wasn't leaking, nor was there any strange smells or smoke. It lost about 1/2 pint every couple of weeks.

The climate control problem was solved by rebuilding a secondary water pump. Not a big deal. The coolant loss was a very different story, however.

To give some background, I am the second owner of the car. The pervious owner had a top end rebuild at 165k miles (now has around 230k) due to having oil pooling at the top of the coolant. The head, gasket, and (for whatever reason) only two valves were replaced. On the service order, the charge for the head was $750. It didn't say if it was new, used, whatever. I am assuming it was a used part given the low cost.

At first, the dealer thought the gasket was needing replaced and the head milled. The quote for this was around $1400. I gave them permission to start that job.

A few weeks later, they called and said the head was cracked in a few places and would need to be replaced. The estimate was $2000 for a rebuilt head with valve guides, but no valves. They did give me the option to check around, as they know I work in the computer industry and may have some connections via the internet. I was able to locate a new complete MB head with valves and related hardware for about $1850, including rush shipping. It appears the total job will cost between $3500 and $3800. I gave them the go-ahead to continue. BUT...

I would appreciate any comments on the following issues:

1. The new head is supposed to be of an improved design. According to the place it was ordered from, the old heads have a history or developing cracks. What changes were made to prevent this from happening?

2. The car did overheat once, and the gauge went to about 115. My local dealer didn't think this was hot enough to cause the head to crack, but wasn't able to offer any ideas as to why it did...any insight here?

3. Does the price seem fair? As I understand, this is a rather involved job and given the cost of parts, the labor doesn't really seem out of line.

4. The dealership has had the car for about 6 weeks now. This seems unreasonable. I call about twice a week and am always told "we need a few more days". A few weeks ago, they said they were down to two MB techs (down from 5). It was to be done last Thursday or Friday. I called Wed afternoon and was told "we should be able to get started on it tomorrow sometime and should be done by the end of next week" Now the story is they only have one senior MB tech there and one new tech. It may be another 1 to 1 1/2 weeks. They did offer me a complete dealership detail free of charge.

5. Given the car has all the service records from when it was new up until the last oil change before I took delivery, I find it hard to believe the previous owner knew of this. The car was maintained VERY well and has all the documentation to back it up. The owner was an MD from a large hospital. He didn't let anything go. Even things like replacing the dash pad due to cracks to refinishing the wheels because of peeling. From the service advisor's notes, he would drop the car off with a list of things needing looked at and they would deliver the car when done. There are several of these instances where the service bill was $2500 or more. What could I have done to have caused this ordeal?

As always, any advice would be appreciated.

__________________
Lance Allison
Lance@LanceAllison.com

Current:
11 MB S550 4Matic, 55k miles, Designo Black/Black
14 Ford F150 XLT Lariat Crew, 73k miles, 5.0
Coyote V8 4x4. Black/tan.
09 GMC Envoy Denali, 5.3 V8, 4x4 SWB. 38k miles,
Jewel Red/Med Gray.

Gone:
87 MB 300SDL, 320k miles, Astral Silver/Blue.
98 VW Jetta TDI, 488k miles, Classic Green/Gray.
85 Olds 98 Brougham FWD, 4.3 DIESEL V6, 80k
miles, 3x Gray.

MBCA Member, Chicago Region

If I understand this, you have supplied the parts and the dealer is doing the labor.

Guess who eats any additional labor if the head you've purchased is flawed?

I hope this all works out for you; it sounds to me like something is wrong at the dealership you've taken your car to. Is this an MB dealership? I'd call Mercedes if it is.
1-800-FOR-MERC.

__________________
Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

Right on target. We've already discussed the warranty issue. Since the head is an MB part being supplied by an MB authorized distributor, the warranty will still apply. Given it's only 12mo/12000mi, but I think if there is a problem, it should show up before then.

Yes, this is a MB dealership. I work at the world corporate headquarters for a major insurance company. I've heard horror stories from a few people regarding service from this dealer. Not so much a problem with their work, but the length of time involved. One person has had their 1993 500SEL in their facility for 2 1/2 months for an AC Evap replacement. He's unable to pull the car out of the shop, as it's still torn apart. Same runaround I've been getting.

There over 6000 people employed in the complex where I work and probably more than that at our other complex just a few miles away. If you drive through the parking garages, there are several examples of the marques this dealer sells, but most are not from that dealer. Several, in fact, have dealer badges from a dealer 60 miles away.

Wish I would have paid more attention and asked around before I had this huge job done. Oh well, live and learn.

[Edited by Lance Allison on 06-30-2001 at 02:01 PM]

__________________
Lance Allison
Lance@LanceAllison.com

Current:
11 MB S550 4Matic, 55k miles, Designo Black/Black
14 Ford F150 XLT Lariat Crew, 73k miles, 5.0
Coyote V8 4x4. Black/tan.
09 GMC Envoy Denali, 5.3 V8, 4x4 SWB. 38k miles,
Jewel Red/Med Gray.

Gone:
87 MB 300SDL, 320k miles, Astral Silver/Blue.
98 VW Jetta TDI, 488k miles, Classic Green/Gray.
85 Olds 98 Brougham FWD, 4.3 DIESEL V6, 80k
miles, 3x Gray.

MBCA Member, Chicago Region