Look what the body shop (BS) tried to do - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

pmari · #1 09-15-2009, 11:19 AM

When I picked up the car after it had been repaired. I could tell power wasn't right. She didn't throw a CEL until I got her out on the highway, a week later. I checked the vac hoses and sure enough the bottom hose on the turbo side transducer was off. Easy fix I think

so I put the hose back on and she ran better, enough to erase the CEL

. Until I had to go to work, back on the highway and another CEL...DAMIT! Go to my INDY (who banged me $25) to read and cancel the CEL, A P0243 (waste gate). OK thanks to this great forum I remembered the transducer swap. That's when I see the epoxy handy work of the BS. (Butter fingers must have dropped the transducer on the floor. Oh... no problem boss, I'll epoxy it back together). Soooo that's why the hose was disconnected.... He was waiting for the epoxy to dry before he put it back on

) After the swap she throws a P0400 (EGR)(read by Auto Zone for free) right away. Now I know the BS transducer fix didn't work

Off to MB for a new $120.00 transducer. I gotta cool down before I go back to the BS and confront him with the epoxied transducer

Biodiesel300TD · #2 09-15-2009, 11:43 AM

Why would the body shop have touched anything related to the engine?

pmari · #3 09-15-2009, 11:44 AM

They had to replace the inner fender skirt along with the fender.
That's where the transducer lives.

marybeth · #4 09-15-2009, 12:01 PM

Be prepaired for these questions:

-It was like that when I got the fender off

-How do we know you did not do the expoxying yourself?

-I do not know nothing about that

-I no speak a english

pmari · #5 09-15-2009, 12:09 PM

Exactly Marybeth, I don't expect to get a dime back. I just want the satisfaction of letting him know that I'm on to his BS.

Biodiesel300TD · #6 09-15-2009, 12:44 PM

Did you ever look closely at that part prior to the car going to the shop?

moon161 · #7 09-15-2009, 12:48 PM

Complain to the DMV if you get no love. They will give them the alternatives of satisfying your complaint or removing the plaque(s) above their door that read 'Certified...'

lutzTD · #8 09-15-2009, 12:57 PM

the prorated replacement cost will be $5

sucks they couldnt at least go to a PNP for a replacement instead of a hatchet epoxy job

JawJee · #9 09-15-2009, 01:13 PM

ooh, I'd be choked.

It's not so much the money even, (although $120 is nothing to sneeze at), it's the fact that the guy thought he'd be SO sneaky, that he was so sure he could pull a fast one on you...

pmari · #10 09-16-2009, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biodiesel300TD

Did you ever look closely at that part prior to the car going to the shop?

Nope never had a need to. PO was a famous architect in N.J. with beaucoup bucks. The car was dealer serviced until warranty ended, then an INDY looked after it who never would need to stoop to that to make money off the PO. PO is a MB nut who was meticulous. He also owned a W211 for a year before he could part with W210. W210 just sat in the driveway, before that it was garaged. Car was immaculate mechanically and physically. Is it possible the transducer was FUBARED the whole time I owned it...yes. Is it probable...NO!
The attempted fix failed very quickly from the get go.

nhdoc · #11 09-16-2009, 06:43 AM

The silly thing is they probably could have convinced the adjuster that it broke as a result of the collision and gotten it replaced as an add-on to the original estimate (that happens all the time once the shop starts working on a repair) but instead they chose to repair it like that.

I guess if it were mine I would ask politely for the shop owner to reimburse me for the part after showing him what you found - explaining to them that you're willing to forget it happened if they did but if they chose not to you'd be sure to cost them much more than $120 in bad word of mouth advertising. Normally that is enough to convince most prudent business owners to do the right thing.