I bought a '87 560SL knowing it had a few issues, but nothing serious... My step-daughter used to work at a popular MB repair shop so we dropped it off..they called and said I should sell the car that it was not safe to drive?? wth..
Here's the issues, none of which are a safety issue I believe..and I'm sure I'll be posting up lots of questions later for each.
1) Transmission sometimes shifts very firmly into 2nd gear when very light on the throttle, if normally accellerating it shifts fine... Shop said the #2 cylinder in the tranny was blown and to replace would require tearing the tranny completely down and should probably rebuild it while apart..$2200.
2) Power steering fluid leak...how easy is it to replace the steering pump on these cars? Shop claimed it was pouring fluid out...it is wet underneath, but leaves no drops on the ground even after being parked for a day...
3) Transmission pan leaks..again not enough to leave a drop on the ground, but does blow by onto the exhaust and smokes a bit at shutdown...how difficult to change a trans pan gasket?
4) Steering coupler rattles under the dash...how hard to repair that yourself? Shop said nothing about this.
5) Shop said the head gaskets are leaking to...I inspected these and there is some wetness at the rear from oil, but not enough to even puddle any oil on the motor to drip off...I know this is a common issue with the 560's but this does not need to be tended to at this point.
6) How easy is it to replace dash indicator lights, such as the "hi beam" indicator?
7) Radiator needs flushing out, I see the drain, but how do you refill these on this car??
Shops says it would take $8-9k to fix all the issues so I should sell it...I think that is a bunch of hot air or am I wrong? Interior is mint with the exception of a dash cover covering sun damage on the dash as it was a CA car. Underside is pretty clean too, paint is beautiful and both tops are in perfect shape.
I've read about the timing chain and the center AC vents, but those too do not need tending to at this time, chain is quiet.
I do much of my own work on other cars, all the way to building motors in the past for my truck, and I have a lift in my garage, its just that I know nothing about this car so I may ask a lot of dumb questions on here
Any comments on any of the above issues is much appreciated.