Mechanic from HELL-but W115 lives on.....(long) - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

nachi11744 · #1 01-14-2005, 02:14 AM

Hello,
I had to send my W115 into a shop for urgent repairs, like the cooling system had combustion pressure in it and the manual trans was crunching on every upchange. Shop owner/mechanic agreed that I could supply parts BEFORE I took the car in. Let me give some background info, this guy works on Rolls Royce, Jaguars, Range Rovers, Mercedes, Audi and the like.
I found out the hard way why most of these cars run like a piece of junk after a few years.
Diagnosis was blown head gasket and failing syncros, so the mechanic/shop owner lifted the head. It was badly corroded and the waterways were blowing into the combustion chambers. OK, needs a *good used* head, which this guy wants to supply for US$500, when the part sells for US$220.
I got hold of a good used cylinder head and W123 iron case 4 speed box for US$550 to replace the noisy box in my car, now he was annoyed. He proceeded to tear up the servicable clutch by ripping it all out and dumping it on the filthy shop floor and letting his dogs pee on the clutch plate!
He pronounced the engine/trans mounts dead, so I got new ones for him to fit, then he wanted a new set of intake/exhaust valves, not exactly cheap here at almost US$500 a set. I told him NO, grind in the old valves as they were hardly worn as it seems the used head was rebuilt and the car ran a minimal amount before it was scrapped.
He threw it all back together, leaving the front pair and rearmost pair of head bolts LOOSE, set the valve lash TOO WIDE and fiddled with the selector finger adjustment on the gearbox so that it is difficult to engage reverse, then blamed the *dirty, worn* clutch.
If such a thing is possible, the car actually ran WORSE than before going into the shop for the repairs, with a unholy racket from the valve gear and grating reverse gear engagement.
I spent one whole day to retorque the headbolts, readjust the valve lash, reset the shift finger for reverse, loosened the engine mounts and retightened them with the engine idling, refilled the cooling system with the proper coolant(he returned the car with plain water in the system), removed and reinstalled the radiator(he had it sitting on wooden spacers to raise it as he claimed the engine mounts supplied by me were incorrect)AND of course, cleaned one week of workshop filth off the car.
No way I am going to send my cars to any shop here ever again.

joshhol · #2 01-14-2005, 07:01 PM

That's unbelievable.

You should tie him up in a doorway and slam a door on his head several times.
I hope you're doing all work yourself from now on. I live by a really great mechanic but I prefer doing the work myself to save money and be really particular about it. I guess in Maylasia, there isn't much recourse for a customer who gets horribly ripped off as there is here. Reminds of my friends mother who had a W201 in Macedonia in for service. The garage proceeded to remove the transmission and sell it and reinstall some used POS that was laying around the shop. What can she do about it? Nothing.

I really hope he didn't royaly screw up the valve grinding and leave a bunch of crap in the combustion chamber when he refitted the head.

Isn't there any mechanic you trust over there?

Tomguy · #3 01-14-2005, 08:36 PM

Actually, Josh makes a good point - with a mechanic like that, you can be pretty sure he left at least a little something, if not a lot of crap in the cylinders before he refitted the head. I doubt he ground the valves within spec if he did it at all! There isnt any legal path you can go down, nor any type of transportation authority you can report this quack to?

It's a shame, if mechanics over there are all like him, that all cars die young or run like **** after only a few years due to this kind of negligence. Here in the US, we have to have our cars pass emissions tests. Over there, incompetent mechanics are probably responsible for 20x the pollution as here! (I just can't wait until all those pieces of junk, usually Fords and Lincolns, are failed on inspection over here due to the amount of oil they burn and/or leak).

nachi11744 · #4 01-17-2005, 12:14 AM

Hello,
Both of you are right, unfortunately

I am sure I will find more of his handywork soon and apart from shooting him in both kneecaps, which is still illegal in this country the last time I checked with my lawyer, I cannot do anything to him

.
As it is, the car runs OK, I am wondering if it is possible for the clutch to still work if assembled the wrong way round on a Benz, because I cannot engage reverse without it grating, have to engage 2nd or 1st to stop the shafts and then quickly slot it into reverse.
The donkeycart mechanic claims it is the flywheel, so I am not interested in hearing his diagnosis anymore, all of which end with the statement that the car is 30 years old now, it cannot possibly run 100%.
Cars do run like junk after a few years here, but owners of cheaper Jap/Korean/local cars just buy new ones every five-six years and keep the banks rich and happy

My lawyer's W210 E230 is one example that is *maintained* by a *MB specialist* here, the fuel filter had not been changed for 5 years, when the car stalled, I was a passenger. We pulled into a gas station service bay, I convinced the lube bay guys to help us for a nominal sum, raised the car on the lift, pulled out the fuel filter and got rusty coloured fuel pouring out

A new filter and a couple of minutes of cranking got the thing running better than it had in years. The throttle cable was slack too, adjusting that got him at least another 2500rpm and added kickdown as well

I think I will stick with my W115, at least I can work on it myself and when I die, it can just be parked in a corner and left alone as a classic

joshhol · #5 01-17-2005, 02:14 PM

That's depressing. Don't let anyone else work on your car anymore!

Tomguy · #6 01-17-2005, 05:13 PM

I dont see how it could possibly be the flywheel - that's just to keep the engine's momentum, balance it, and it has teeth for the starter. I didnt think it had anything to do with an odd-shifting tranny! I would DEFINETLY think the clutch or tranny is messed up somewhere - you said you got a replacement tranny, you sure he used that same tranny, and didn't take it apart or anything? I'd definetly take a look at it myself, if I were you.

nachi11744 · #7 01-20-2005, 12:54 AM

Quote:

I dont see how it could possibly be the flywheel - that's just to keep the engine's momentum, balance it, and it has teeth for the starter. I didnt think it had anything to do with an odd-shifting tranny! I would DEFINETLY think the clutch or tranny is messed up somewhere - you said you got a replacement tranny, you sure he used that same tranny, and didn't take it apart or anything? I'd definetly take a look at it myself, if I were you

Hello,
He claimed that the flywheel was scored, BUT the clutch plate that came out was not down to the rivets yet.
I rechecked the shift fingers and rods adjustment yesterday, all are in order.
I suspect he did something to the clutch, because I can feel the syncros blocking the shifts and since reverse is not syncronized, it will not engage at all 80% of the time. The clutch is not *releasing* as it should, what you guys would call *clutch drag*. Any ideas? I just do not have the time to strip it all again right now just to *take a look*

I am really fed up with this whole thing, cannot trust any repair shop around here to do an honest days work anymore

This weekend I will do a vacuum and compression test to see where the engine is at, it seems to have smoothed out, there was a slight tremor at idle when I got it back.
Have a good week.

Mark DiSilvestro · #8 01-20-2005, 10:07 AM

Clutch needs re-adjustment, pressure plate is defective, or clutch disc is bent (possibly by hanging the tranny from it before pushing it home!).

Happy Motoring, Mark

nachi11744 · #9 01-22-2005, 07:35 AM

Quote:

clutch disc is bent (possibly by hanging the tranny from it before pushing it home!).

Hello,
I think you hit the nail on the head

I have a few hours tommorrow(Sunday), looks like I'll have to pull the gearbox out, while I lie on my back.
He even fitted the steering damper the *wrong way* around, with the piston end on the center tie rod

Somehow, the car can still reach 95mph and hold the speed with the a/c going full tilt, so looks like it may survive this guy's best efforts to kill it

Thanks and take care.
Have a good weekend everyone.

anair1970 · #10 01-23-2005, 10:56 PM

Where are you in Malaysia? I am in Port Dickson.

Where is this inept mechanic of yours... (so I can avoid him like the plague..). At present I have a W123, I traded my old W115 for it but I regretted it and need to get another.

Anil

nachi11744 · #11 01-25-2005, 01:40 AM

Hello,
I am in KL/PJ, the mechanic is in PJ, not likely that you will ever run into him, though running over him might be better

He is just pissed because he thought he was about to make a fortune from me by charging me 100% over retail for parts.
You ought to know how it works, the engine mounts, for example are only $45 to workshops, then they charge the customer parts+labour, so they will bill $90 for the part and $30-40 to fit it, about ten minutes work on a MB(I have done W124 260E mounts in one hour). I got the mounts for $60 each, so the guy got a severe attack of attitude.
Anyway, it is all behind me now, I pulled the gearbox and replaced the clutch plate and it cured the judder AND the spin. No more grating gearchanges, now I need to see my orthopedic surgeon to fix my back.
The W123s are good cars BUT the lack of front subframe severely stresses the front frame/firewall area.
Have a good week

#12 01-25-2005, 01:24 PM

At least he didn't like your car enough to delay fixing it for weeks so he could buy it for a song when you got frustrated enough. These so called specialists are sometimes so full of themselves that you are better off having a regular mechanic who gives a hoot work on your vehicle. Yea they are specialists.....
specialists in taking your money, leaving your car dirty, giving lame excuses,
putting down your vehicle when you have a complaint ect.....

I had a so called Porsche tech w thirty years experience build and install a air cooled vw 1600 engine into my meyers manx. He drove the car with no registration, cracked the windsheild, left the interior full of oily hand prints,scratched the gel coat, and the engine lasted the 20 mile trip home has zero oil pressure when warm and noticable end play on the crank. I wanted to strangle him, but the best thing to do is trust your instinct and not spend a dime with these scumbags again.

nachi11744 · #13 01-26-2005, 12:34 AM

Quote:

At least he didn't like your car enough to delay fixing it for weeks so he could buy it for a song when you got frustrated enough. These so called specialists are sometimes so full of themselves that you are better off having a regular mechanic who gives a hoot work on your vehicle. Yea they are specialists.....
specialists in taking your money, leaving your car dirty, giving lame excuses,
putting down your vehicle when you have a complaint ect.....

I hear you...he was a bit miffed when I could adjust the valve lash myself about a year ago. He was very *concerned* that I would have problems, when he saw my MB 17mm crowfoot wrench, he went pale

I am more comfortable just doing repairs myself, but sometimes time, or rather lack of it, becomes a factor. Well, I have to work around it and somehow manage on my own, without *specialist* messing up my cars for me AND taking money for it

Have a good week.

nachi11744 · #14 02-07-2005, 06:32 AM

Hello,
Just an update, I did a compression test on the *used rebuilt head* and it came out good, with all cylinders 180psi(previously were around 155-175psi).
Have a good week.

alabbasi · #15 02-09-2005, 05:07 PM

This guy sounds like a guy I know in Richardson, TX. That Thief screwed me out of 600 dollars and did nothing.