Just wanted to close the thread.

The dealer stayed on time and on budget. He showed my Bro pics of the shaft that was replaced. Basically huge numbers of teeth were missing from the gears on the shaft. Probably not long before a catastrophic failure. Unfortunately I don't have the pic's so can't post them.

I had asked my Bro if the car was showing any symptoms. He said a few times it felt "off" when accelerating from a stop, but nothing really. Only the check engine light/data led him to seek repair.

Bottom line is that while expensive, it was probably best done at the dealer, as noted by previous posters. Car is running great.

Best quote from the service advisor addressing the cost of repair "you know, nobody said Mercedes was not proud of their cars."

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2002 E320 Sedan 93K Designo Mocha Black Metallic!
1995 E320 Wagon 205K Black Wagon
1982 240D 183K SloPoke

I believe each of these cars are the final production year for that model.