have i made a terrible mistake???
 

i told my old mechanic about the '82 300sd i bought, and he said he could work ont he basics - suspension and that sort of thing. so, today i left the car in to have the ball joint and a couple of bushings replaced. turns out, they dont have the tools to press fit the ball joint back in, so they had to farm it out, and told me to check in later today on progress. this is a good shop ive been gong to for years, and i really trust them. however, im wondering if i havent taken more of a risk than i should have by not bringing it to a mercedes guy. i figured if it wasnt work on the actual engine itself, or climate control, i could get away with it. maybe not. opinions?

Well, as far as suspensions go, it is fairly straightforward for folks who know suspensions. Sounds like just a case of not having the right tools, and not wanted to ruin anything.
My "regular" car mechanic has taken care of my family's vehicles for over 20 years, but he farms out tranny work.
You main issue, is are two shops going to be getting a full cut of your $. I would be glad he sent it to the "right" mechanic if I were you.....
So "terrible mistake", I don't think so......;)

The 126 ball joint is a unique think and I would imagine quite a few mechanics are surprised by the tool requirement. I would not think any less of your mechanic just because of that. There are a number of discussions in this forum about the ball joint press - some rather heated.

yeah, they've typically been pretty good about cutting me fair deals, and holding back on work that doesnt need to be done in order to save me money. im sure itll end up costing more than just a regular, straight-forward ball joint replacement would have. i probably jsut should have goen to the $85/hr. mercedes guy, and it would have probably ended up the same.

i need to learn how to do this stuff myself.

I dont think your risking anything. Those balljoints are a pain to replace. Ive been a mechanic forever and when I saw how those things get pressed in I thought about farming out that part of the job myself.

At least he didn't try to do it with a generic tool and hydraulic press. If anything, I'd give him a couple of points for being honest about having to farm it out.

Lower ball joints are not that difficult to replace. I've done a 126 in the backyard, on dirt using no special tools other than the rented Autozone press.

When you get the car back I would suggest looking at the ball joint boot. Make sure it was installed correctly and not damaged.

update: i will definately take it to an mb tech next time. my guy did a great job - replaced a few bushings and did the whole ball joint, and now it feels and sounds great. however, the did tack on $100 to cover the farm-out. next summer i will learn how to do this.

Hang around, use the search and don't be afraid to PM members here for help with future repairs. Soon you'll be offering help to someone else.

Just don't get sucked into OD.:D