Gillly:

Thanks for your input! The belt tensioner was replaced under my last warranty visit so I did not "pay-up." Actually, I had requested that they replace the harmonic balancer which was a 00-00 suffixed part number and they instead replaced the belt tensioner. Another visit was required to finally replace the harmonic balancer. It seems that it is not all a Mercedes issue but also the quality of the service in the service departments in the dealerships. Kind of makes you just want to go out and buy the most realiable vehicle and "flip it" when it starts to become problematic.

It is hard to justify the hourly service charge when they can't seem to fix it right the FIRST time.