Does is ever stop...the repairs? Whys? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

sptt · #1 03-17-2011, 01:24 AM

I'm starting to total my monthly repairs on my 300E. Seems like every day off I'm replacing a 20 year old part and spending my day off doing it. I have added up last month's bill and it was $450.00 worth of whatever and my time. The last two weeks....new water pump $125.00, hoses, etc. $25, oil changes, and new Fan Pulley Bracket $175.00, new fan blade $80.00. Couldn't I have a nice new BMW or MERC for what I'm averaging to keep this old gal alive (not to mention the lack of gas mileage she gets). Don;t get me wrong, I love to learn, work, and fix her but geez...where do I draw the line now?

Aquaticedge · #2 03-17-2011, 01:31 AM

Draw the line at what the car is worth. you put more into it then its worth you'll never get what you have in it out of it, However if you plan to keep the car and damn the consequences well, the bottom of your wallet at any given time is the line

JohnM. · #3 03-17-2011, 02:02 AM

It does end. Most of the problems on the W124 seem to come from the front of the engine area, so you get to know it all pretty well. When I did my headgasket, I did radiator, water pump, all ignition pieces, fan bracket, etc all at once. When you are in there all the time it does seems excessive.

As long as its less than a car payment per month, you are doing it right. If its more, and its still a POS, you should drop it and find another unless you really do love it; then money is no object. "Lemons" are everywhere in the used car world. Mostly due to a mish-mosh of previous mechanics, unless you are lucky enough to have a one-owner dealer serviced car.

I had a few thousand dollars worth of parts go into the car when I first bought it rather than fixing it along the way. Not to say I didn't have minor issues come up here and there. I'd say in the last 2 years I've averaged <$100 per month in keeping the car operational with most months being gas only.

Stretch · #4 03-17-2011, 04:01 AM

Compared with depreciation I'm still of the opinion that it is better to repair an older vehicle rather than buying a new one - my economic reasoning however doesn't include my own time at a reasonable rate of pay - I consider it to be more of a hobby.

Which is why I guess most DIYers on this forum own multiple vehicles - it is all about redundancy when one horse gets tired you use another one out of the stable...

Ivanerrol · #5 03-17-2011, 06:18 AM

I have a rule of scale.
You can spend the equivalent of the purchase price getting a 20 year up to scratch.
In the W124's case though with proper maintenance the vehicle should easily last to over 500,000 km's.

The big ticket items are the tranny and head gasket.

T.C.O still cheaper than the monthly new car repayments though.

If you can find one with a excellent body and interior it's worth doing all the mechanical stuff.

JimFreeh · #6 03-17-2011, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Army

Compared with depreciation I'm still of the opinion that it is better to repair an older vehicle rather than buying a new one - my economic reasoning however doesn't include my own time at a reasonable rate of pay - I consider it to be more of a hobby.

Which is why I guess most DIYers on this forum own multiple vehicles - it is all about redundancy when one horse gets tired you use another one out of the stable...

I agree, adding:

One thing you get with every new car is perceived reliability.

I don't mind throwing money at my old cars, as long as I feel I can trust them to be reliable. Once I lose confidence, that car is on the way out, and it's on to the next. At this point, most often, the car is retired to serve as a parts car for the next. Overwhelmingly, when I sell, it's because I've grown bored with the car, or I need the room/funds for my next toy...

Also, as mentioned, You've got good chance to increase the reliability factor when buying. It's much less risk, if you buy a car that has been maintained, and the owner can prove it. I've bought at both ends of the curve, and I've often lucked out with a cheap car. On the other hand, when I've bought the nicest car, with records, I've never been disapointed.

Jim

lee polowczuk · #7 03-17-2011, 07:56 AM

i am going through this on our 300ce.... the harmonic balancer went.... i have had a fan bearing bracket in my bin for 5 years, so i did that as well..... i also made a strategic decision to replace the water pump.... not necessary... but i had everything apart.... then i did the valve cover gasket, timing cover gasket and distributor cap and rotor....

i think it was worth my time...and i waited patiently for some parts to arrive.

now i feel the front of the engine is in good shape.... i figure i will have to do valve stem seals in maybe 40k miles or so....

oh i also painted the valve cover a nice red color... and cleaned 22 year old grim off some parts.

of course this car is in near near mint condition, so the 400 dollars in parts are a drop in the bucket.

now a 300e that i sent to the boneyard a year ago needed a fan bearing bracket, tires, and ball joints... it had 226k on it... i pulled some parts and had it towed away...they gave me 200 for it and I was happy. it was not economically feasible to fix it.

Hit Man X · #8 03-17-2011, 08:22 AM

Even NEW vehicles need unexpected repairs and maintenance. Do people not understand this?

$450 is not much for some basic repairs on a vehicle. Hell, can you even own a new vehicle today for $450/mo in payments with comp insurance? And how much will you have spent by the time you pay it off in say, 36 months (or LONGER)... then you will end up with another 100k car that needs maintenance front to rear that is basically worthless.

Sure you gain some fuel economy advantage, but is the return there when your current 15mpg vehicle has no payments and insurance is nearly free?

I am about to do the top end on the 300SEL. $650 or so and off I go... that cash outlay does not even provide a down payment on a new Kia.

Someone else pointed out, I too enjoy my old cars and spinning wrenches on them. Sure, some of my purchases were impulse, out of necessity, or just plain stupid... but that is life.

Honestly, I am not too sure what I would drive if I did not like to work on them/physically could not or had the time.

benzme · #9 03-17-2011, 08:30 AM

I paid $640 for a one owner, 250,000klm 300TE with new tyres 6 months ago. A nice car but a little neglected toward the end. Up to now it has cost about $4000 including on road costs, purchase price and insurance which, I think is not bad considering the insurance company insisted on covering the car for $9,000

.

That aside, I figure since I intend to keep the car as a daily driver then budgeting for another 2k in the next 12 months is acceptable. Can't afford another anyway.

My wife's 300E however, cost nearly $7000 to buy 12 months ago, swallows money like a poker machine and is turning into a basket case - it's just one damn thing after another. I'm taking the tyres off along with a few other bits and breaking up the rest and copping the loss. This is one car where you say enough is definitely enough.

I'm a little more optimistic with the wagon. And as it's a TE it's always going to be worth more than a sedan - I hope.

Fingers crossed.

Cal Learner · #10 03-17-2011, 08:43 AM

Yep, that's how it is with our older cars. On any given day, we could be confronted with the, "is it worth it?" question, but every day when I go out to the garage and see her again, I know the answer. That's partly what sets us apart from the rest of the world that simply trades in their new ones every couple of years without a second thought. We're romantics, when it comes to our old gals.

Stretch · #11 03-17-2011, 09:15 AM

Good point about new cars also costing money - regional differences make a big difference.

My neighbour (here in Holland) had a first service on his Renault - this included 4 new tyres - the bill was 2500 euros...

...at the time that was probably double the purchase cost and 2 years of maintenance on my little old 80s Honda Civic...

EricSilver · #12 03-17-2011, 09:17 AM

It’s worth it.

If you replace the car with a new one, you would, as already mentioned, have to deal with immediate depreciation losses. Replace it with a pre-owned one and you inherit someone else’s issues and restart the repair cycle.

That being said, the last 4 years have been essentially trouble free for my 95 E320. Only repairs were an air pump bearing and a neutral safety switch. I dodged the dreaded head gasket bullet by using Steel Seal to close a breach. Routine maintenance consisted of oil, ATF and tire changes.

Now, however, it is time to pay the Piper for that (almost) free ride, so I just replaced my water pump, all hoses and expansion tank; am preparing to reseal the upper timing cover; the mid-exhaust is cracked so I need a new one; the steering damper is on its way out; and one of my ball joints is groaning. Cosmetically, the car looks great and in the next couple of weeks I’ll do a proper polishing with an orbiter to restore her mirror-like shine.

While the car’s market value may not seem to justify the repair work, its utility value most definitely does. It is paid for, reliable, has low maintenance and insurance costs, gets 28/22mpg in highway/city driving, I know its issues and behavior, and it is simply a nicer car than many newer ones on the road.

I would only replace it if I encountered a problem that was prohibitively expensive or if it developed a problem that could not be solved.

urtruelove78 · #13 03-17-2011, 02:35 PM

Here is my reality and calculations.
I have 300e and 420sel and both cost $1000(liability only) to insure for three drivers.
and i have 07 santa fe bought used and paying 2k(full) to insure.
I put $1300 last year in repairs for 420sel mainly front end, transmission and regular service.
that money was spent after 5 years of no expenses other then regular oil change and maintenance(Was driving 300e and motorcycle interchangeably to work).so she is definitely a keeper.
300e is totally different story though. Spent at least $4k in repairs in same 5 years including transmission rebuilt and others. Front end and suspension are holding up well so far on it tough and will be due in couple of years. Last year was good though for 300e as $0 on repairs other then regular.
santa fe being hyundai and in warranty many small things taken care but would have cost at least 600-700 if out of warranty.Nice car btw.
Considering all these I'm just spending savings in insurance to cover repairs on both cars and i like driving them(300e specially).
If I had elantra or sonata(yes i'm Hyundai fan after having my Santa Fe), i would save some money on gas but would have been paying more for insurance.
One thing is for sure though, I will always have one w124 in my stable.

tbomachines · #14 03-17-2011, 03:03 PM

A lot of it has to do with luck of the draw too. I got my 300E, which had been a theft recovery and has a broken odometer (longer service intervals), a little over a year ago and put about $400 worth tune up stuff in it (ignition overhaul, filters, brakes). Its been dead reliable. Even my 300SD which sat for years in a forest has good compression (got super lucky) and donated its engine/trans to another body this year. Total into it is $2000 including both cars' purchase prices and I'd take that thing anywhere. Also consider that you OWN the car rather than a bank. Maybe not a big deal for the older guys on here but for a 23 year old, owning 2 cars and not having any sort of car payment is a huge benefit (not to mention lower insurance). Life is expensive enough without a bank owning your transportation.

Ferdman · #15 03-17-2011, 06:13 PM

A PPI (pre-purchase inspection) by a MB-trained tech (who is intimately familiar with the specific car for sale) can prevent buying a neglected MB automobile that has major repairs pending. Once I negotiate a sale price I always have a PPI performed by a local indie so I have a second opinion from a professional tech.