So yes after many weeks of trying to figure out what to do with my car, I decided to have my mechanic repair the car because A. I didn't have the time or tools to do it myself and B. I had the money and now have a more steady source of income than before (I'm back to work after 6 months). So I haven't gotten the total bill yet and it is much more than I am sure many of you guys would have paid but I felt the quote was very reasonable (my mechanic was not going to get much for his labor after the price of the parts and he was doing lots of work). One thing that will probably increase the price of the job more than we expected was also a thing that proved that I could not have done the job myself. When one of the POs put on W202 rims, the rims were attached with cheap bolts and after sitting for so long and apparently not having been rotated, when my mechanic went to take out the bolts to remove the wheels so he could work on the brakes (which was a job we were considering attempting) the bolts even after being sprayed with penetrating oils would not move and would snap so he was drilling them out yesterday. Also the news on the transmission that was in there was that even though the PO only was told the torque converter was replaced, the original transmission had been replaced with a used one from a parts yard that had water in it (which is why it went soon after the job was done) and it wasn't even the correct transmission.
Anyway, I shall be getting the car back soon and will get it registered. My mechanic drove it and said the engine was very strong, the transmission shifted smoothly and it rode very well and felt tight. He had not been sure if he needed to replace the brake pads and rotors but by driving it he was able to tell they needed to be replaced. I know I have ended up paying more than most people here would be comfortable paying but I am fully confident in my mechanic and am satisfied with the car and eager to drive it.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

What a mess (the car). Congrats on getting it back on the road, and ending your unemployment!

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Irrelevant to you what anyone else would pay. You need a car. If you hold onto the car and get several years of good service out of it then it will have been a good value to you and that’s all that really matters. Hope it serves you well!

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You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime you just might find you get what you need.

his ad sounded fishy... be CERTAIN you verify the radiator is not where the water got into the trans!!!

the bolts being cheap is likely not what caused their failure, more likely is some rim jockey used a MASSIVE impact wrench to install them, and stressed them severely. I've have the mechanic TOTALLY inspect the hub threads for stress. you may need a set of hubs!!!

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Had to read some other posts to "catch up" for this one. Without getting into the claims of your mechanic (a rebuilt alternator is not as good as a brand new one from Mercedes?- I think there are a large number of people on here that would disagree with that, and I think that ALL bolts/studs will fail when not used/torqued correctly..) but what is important is that your car has been restored to road-ready. There have been several repairs that I could have attempted myself, but for the sake of time and skill level, I've taken these repairs to my indy. ANY repair I bring to my Indy feels like a financial punishment these days for lacking the skill, knowledge or time to do the repair myself- but after a few days of driving the car, the twinge that comes when remembering putting the costly repair on a credit card fades away...

Well my brother is going over right now to pick up the car. Soon I can give more info on how it is

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

Well I just went out and took it for a spin on a random road nearby that I have never driven but turned out to be the perfect road for a test drive. It handles wonderfully and acceleration is decent once you get out of 1st gear (you gotta put your foot down to get going). The tachometer and odometer need to be attached plus I have some panels to attach to the bottom of the car so I do have some basic stuff (well not sure if the tach and odo are basic, I'll look them up) I can do. Also yes, the bolts were not cheap bolts, I misunderstood his accent. They were OEM bolts that had probably been put in too forcefully (he checked the hubs and said they were fine) and had just been sitting so long they were pretty seized up.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.