Hi,

i bought my first Mercedes (my first car actually) in Feb 07 from the original owner. It's a 2003 C230 coupe with 31k miles. I got a flat tire the other day and said, what the heck, i'll bring it to the dealer (Mercedes Benz of Manhattan) since i never had before, and also to run the service B on it (it was almost time for it anyway). my brakes are also squeaking a little and my transmission is a bit jumpy when upshifting from 1st to 2nd.

anyway,
this is what they're chargin
Service B -$450
Diagnostic on Trans - $125
New Tire - $199
Brakes and Roters - $1400

they also told me i should change the rest of the tires (175 each) and haven't heard anything about transmission yet.

am i totally being taken for a ride?

from reading these forums, it seems like taking the car to the dealership is always the wrong thing to do. but how can i find out if there is honestly something wrong with my car? at what point should i get the brakes and rotors replaced? what's a fair price?

does anyone know anything about Rheinland Motors? is it better for me to go there?

any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Again, this is my 1st car ever and i know very little about them, so please forgive my rookie questions.

thanks!

Gabe