Last week after reading about flex disc implosion I decided it was time to check the old girl out. I have a guy at a tire shop who will let me put her on his lift. With 175k on her I didn't have much hope of eithier one being good. Much to my suprise they were both in excellent condition probabley due to the fact that she has never been winter driven. We had a look at the front end and drive line which also looked good. (replaced lower ball joints about a month ago) However I did notice the differential was a little wet. The guy at the tire shop won't work on the car because he knows nothing about mercedes. Myself I don't do much except routine maintence and simple stuff (haven't the tools and the experience wrenching on cars, or the confidence to really tear into her.) So I called a guy who has a big shop in the suburbs of Detroit, he adjusted my valves for me earlier this year. Oh yeah he said you better take care of that right away before that pinion seal implodes. Quoted me 3.5 hours labor and 30 bucks for parts Total 355 dollars. Seemed kinda high so I Pm'ed Brian and he told me it was 1 hour job. In the meantime I found a small shop in Canton Mi. who agreed to have a quick look at her. The old guy put her on the hoist and laughed when he saw the differential. He said don't worry about that little bit of seepage you have but for GP drained the fluid and put new in, we cleaned it up real good so I could monitor it in the future. He said if does go bad he would put the opinion seal in for a 100 bucks. Since April I have come across 5 places where I wouldn't let them touch my vehicle because they are rip off a###holes. I am not stupid but am ignorant of many things mechanical. Thanks to this site I am learning alot and really appreciate some of the good people here. I almost gave up and sold the SD because of the issues of keeping her maintained at a reasonable cost. I know I have to pay for the service but just want to be treated fairley. I would like to call that jerk up that quoted me 355 dollars and let him have it but have decided not to stoop to his level. Sorry just had to vent......Jim

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Jim Messina

1983 300 SD
2006 Silverado Z71

well your not the only one, we had somone on this site who paid 195 dollars for 5 pounds of r134.

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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

My car's differential also has some sort of seepage but since replacing one axle the fluid is new and fresh. I might start looking for somebody who'd just charge me relatively the same amount your mechanic said...thanks for the heads up too

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

Then there was the guy that took his TD into a shop to have the rear suspension CHECKED OUT.They called and told him something to the effect that they destroyed the old "shocks" getting them out and new ones would be $$$+$$$. Sounds like they had no idea how too work on the MB self leveling sys. Wonder what happened there.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

A friend of mine took his Ford to a chain tire store for an alignment. They charged him $750 to replace his outer tie rod ends. The parts retail for $50 and the job can be done in 30 minutes. That works out to an hourly rate of $700, plus the mark-up on the parts.

The interesting thing is that my friend had no idea that the had been taken to the cleaners. He had a warm feeling that he had done a good thing for his car. The shops have got to love customers like that!!!

Don't sell the SD due to the blatant thievery of others. If in doubt about the labor involved with any procedure..........simply post on the forum.

Labor does vary a bit.........depending on the experience of the shop. But, anyone with reasonable time on the job won't bankrupt you in the maintenance.........unless you must delve into the engine. These are not complicated vehicles.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that many mechanics don't have the will to work on these older vehicles. The high $$ helps them get the will.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

This guy that tried to rip me off knew exactley what he was doing. Thats all he works on is Mercedes, BMW, etc. Hes got a big shop, does alot of work for rich people. I should have known better than to go there but have had trouble finding qualified people to work on the car. Like I said before thanks to this site, I do more of my own work since coming here and have learned a great deal about these cars. I have never had a car like this old diesel, its awesome. This guy I took it to last week seems really fair so maybe I finally got lucky.

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Jim Messina

1983 300 SD
2006 Silverado Z71

I'm always more than fair.. maybe that's why the wife keeps saying I'd better not open a shop, cuz we'd be broke.

The fact of the matter is, you have simply chosen to believe the guy that suggested less work and--especially--less money. He told you what you wanted to hear, nothing more.

You actually have no idea whether you need a pinion seal and neither does mechanic #2 but he's already quoted you a price for doing it. Won't it be convenient for you to have to make a second trip? Frankly since your car is 23 years old you probably could use new seals everywhere.

Most mechanics dread the notion of "comebacks" and probably err on the conservative side--e.g. go ahead and replace the seal--to avoid them. MOST customers hate them, too. For the most part, these mechanics are looking out for their customers. They indeed "know exactly what they are doing" ... which doesn't describe you.

I guess you have to choose what you consider the better mechanic, i.e. the one that tells you what you want to hear or the one that is conservatively thorough to perhaps a fault.

What you have gained is a second opinion as to the time required and for all you know this is what you could eventually get at mechanic #1. You'll get to buy the diff fluid a second time when the seal is replaced in all liklihood--which will then make two diff fluid changes you didn't need.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

Don't worry about a little dampness on a differential, after 25 years expect the seals to weep a bit.

Some places rip you off, thats why you have to shop around.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

To lkchris,
First of all car is 24 yrs old not 23. Second, last record of diff oil change was over 5 yrs ago so it was needed. The 20 dollars he charged was worth it.3rd, 2nd mechanic said if pinion seal was needed he would do complete job for 100 dollars. 4th, Yeah that 1st mechanic was really looking out for me charging me a extra 250 dollars for the job. 5th, 2nd mechanics opinion wasn't the only one I went by, I got advice from a very knowledeable person on this site. Also advice I recieved said don't worry about minor seepage now fix it when I need flex disc's or center support bearing. As for seal leaks in the car I have no others it was very well taken care of by the PO. Finally in regard to your comment about (most mechanics know what they are doing...which doesn't describe me) You are correct I don't have a vast knowledge of cars so I have to rely on opinions of others, sort through them and try to make the right decisions. Also I don't have money to throw away on (might need it) parts when I can monitor this to see if its really needed. Thanks for your concern.....Jim

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Jim Messina

1983 300 SD
2006 Silverado Z71

The fact of the matter is that the first mechanic attempted to extract far more money for replacing the pinion seal than is warranted for the job.

He may have no idea..........but, I'm certain that the problem is the pinion seal and I haven't even looked at the vehicle. The symptoms and the typical age of the pinion seal clearly dictate the problem. Furthermore, I can state with certainty, that the replacement of the pinion seal is a two hour job. Most of this time is spent removing and reinstalling the driveshaft. A mechanic with air tools can do it faster.

Both mechanics were quoting the exact same work..........if you feel that the first mechanic is going to go a "better job" because he charges more money for the job...........then you're clearly not an astute buyer and you deserve to toss your discretionary funds out the window.

BTW, there are millions of people in this world that follow a similar path. This website exists to ensure that people who frequent it are not one of those people.

Thank God for this site.

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Jim Messina

1983 300 SD
2006 Silverado Z71