After my W210 was off warranty, I pretty much gave up on the annual A/C repair. As long as the dealer was paying, I was fine with the cost and complexity.

Its not too complex for tinkerer type gearheads. Its just a bit oddly setup. And if you look hard enough, you will find other bits at lower cost.

e.g. if you roll with this problem to the dealer, they sell you a new A/C compressor and other bits - if you look harder at part number level you can find the clutch and you dig even deeper you find other parts that you can use in place (like the toyota above)

its just a different approach.

e.g. I had a dilemma in finding a proper windshield washer jet elbow for my W210 (part NLA from MB).

looked it up - found BMW use same part and still sell it.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)