PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - Sunroof Repair Cost on W126 (Reasonable?)

Lance Allison · #13 06-07-2019, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnathan1

Sorry to dredge up an ancient, desiccated old carcass of a thread, but I just had to comment on how remarkable it is that back in 02' general opinions of MB Dealers, etc, seem to be mostly about their benevolence! My how things change....

(Now get ready for the army of people saying that they feel the same way as the OP...lol)

Sadly I doubt benevolence is one of the first thoughts when it comes to dealer service these days. You are 100% correct about how things change. Today's dealer techs either do not have the necessary skills or simply refuse to work on our older MBs. If their diagnostics tools don't point them in the direction to begin troubleshooting a problem, they start throwing parts at it. This leaves owners with over the top repair bills potentially exceeding the value of the car many times over.

The first time I saw someone post about dealers refusing to service a W123 or 126, I thought how absurd...they must be crazy. Impossible for dealers to say they won't work on ANY MB. Fast forward a few years, there are several posts here backing up dealers' refusals. It seems as if they don't like vehicles 140/210 and older.

That being said, I'm personally disinterested in anything MB offers new aside from a few models that are not reasonably affordable. Let's set that figure at ...say...$70k. That will get a new C/E-Class or a huge myriad of anonymous blob-shaped mall crawlers. No thanks. I've owned a W221 gasser for quite awhile now and even that challenges my limited mechanical capabilities. Plus its "safety" tech drives me batty. I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles in cars without cameras, automatic braking, distronic cruise, constant beeping, buzzing, and the like. I can turn a key to start a car and have never had a rear end collision, never backed over or hit a pedestrian, managed to always remain in the correct lane of travel, and can pull into a parking spot or garage without taking out a bumper cover or side mirror. Plus I know the car will be considered a total loss by insurance after a minor collision due to the cost of parts relating to said safety technology. When it comes time for buying something newer than a 221, I have no idea what I'll do.

Back to the issue at hand, there are a select few independent shops relatively nearby that are highly regarded here on this forum. These guys always have older MBs in for service. In fact, you can drive by their parking lots at any time and see plenty of 115/116/123/126's. I will be seeking out one of these shops when needed. In my logical mind, the best place to get service would be at a shop backed by the folks who made the car. This is simply not the case.