I just took my '91 300E in this morning to have it looked at for an oil drip that I noticed on my garage floor and my air-conditioning has stopped blowing cold air. The mechanic gave me estimates of $1600 to do the head gasket and $1200 to replace the compressor. does anyone had advice for me? My car has 225,000 miles and that seems a lot to spend.

Yeah, fork over the money.... guess you didn't read about those two problems b4 buying your car ?

Let me preface all the answer you will get in one sentence .... "brantley , those are normal maintainance items for these cars, just look at how much car you will have for xxx,xxx more miles, much better spending that money than buying a Jap car that's crap........... better than making montly payments, that's just one time.... lots of labor b/c you have to remove the whole dash.."

LOL, sorry to hear about that, but as I have read on here many times, common problems of that unit, although great model / engine by what I read....

good luck

those estimates seem a little high, I've heard people get quotes for the M103 head gasket of around $800.
Do you have a leak at the front of the engine? Does the car use more than a quart of oil per 1000 miles and is there oil in the coolant? Any clackety clack valve noise?

Not sure on the A/C tho. The climate control on these cars are a right pain in the arse I've heard. I'm not looking forward to summer arriving and hoping the air-con will turn on. I'll pobably just sit it out in shorts and open all the windows and sunroof up instead! I'm used to European summers though, when a/c is usually a luxury not a neccesity.

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1993 320TE M104
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past:

1983 230E W123 M102
1994 E300D S124 OM606 (x2)
1967 250SE W108 M129
1972 280se 3.5 W108 M116
1980 280SE W116 M110
1980 350SE W116 M116
1992 300E W124 M103
1994 E280 W124 M104
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"music and women I cannot but give way to, whatever my business" -Pepys

Your mechanic's estimates are higher than the dealer.

The head gasket on an M103 engine should be less than $1,000.

An a/c compressor, if that is your problem, should cost about 1/3 of what his quote is.

How far are you from MB Autowerks? The owners of MB Autowerks also own and operate this forum. There is a link on the homepage.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

The car does not use more than a quart per thousand, it uses about a quart per 2500-3000. Really the only problem seems to be that the leak fouls the plugs and makes a rough idle.

wait, its the compressor not the evaporator, no dash to remove, lol... my bad

So you are leaking oil externally ( based on your first post ), which either means you have a leak at the head gasket and / or at the timing chain cover seal.

You also have an internal leak, as described above, which means that you either need valve guides and / or valve seals.

Sounds like you need a head gasket and valve guides / seals.

It still shouldn't cost most than a $1,000, though....

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

You may save some $!

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J.H.
'86 300E

With the problems you are facing, prepare to fork out at least 2 thousand to an indy. Anything less than that would be pure luck.

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2004 BMW 325 xiT Wagon 40miles
1999 BMW 528i
1995 e320GTO Wagon 137K
GTO means Grocery Transport Only
I LOVE MERCEDES BUT I PREFER HAVING SEX WITH BMW.