For a 2001 MB having a brake line fail, I would be very pissed off. How many miles are on the car? Have you brought this to your dealer for regular scheduled service? If so they should have changed the brake fluid once a year and there would have been no way that this should have happened. You should point this out to the service manager. If you did not use the dealer for service your on your own.

$1300 to fix a brake line sounds ridiculus. This should be about 1 hr labor and I will assume less than $100.00 in parts assuming a pre-formed line from MB. Or else $5.00 in parts for a bend it yourself line from Pep Boys.

I cant see a power steering repair causing this problem. They are not not near each other.

John Roncallo