hmm, sagely advise but let me digress, i bit the bullet on this one and took it in. figured have it done right the first time. my neighbor, an aerospace engineer, suggested vaco precision inc. after an hour interview decided to religeously take his wifes late 70's 450 slk? been at the same location for 25 years. and really seems great, said its the worst smelling one he's ever done. it gets a test drive tomarrow but i don't think i have long after. as far as resale if i start pouring my piggybank into the trunk i am holding on to it. the good luck is this is southern california and the junk yards have quite a few benzs, sadly most are in better condition than mine.