I had my A/C serviced at the local dealership three weeks ago and all was good, cold air replaced what had been just cool. During the past week I realized the air was increasingly less cool each day so I took my 96 E320 (82k) back to the dealership this morning and was shocked to be told that the evaporator is leaking and that the repair estimate is $2900 and change.

Question 1: Could the evaporator leak have been the result of the recent servicing, or just timely coincidental?

Question 2: I see that the cost of the evaporator is less than $400 so if I decide to pony up for the rather dear dash disassembling labor is there anything else I should replace at the same time?

Also, is this repair something a competent independent mechanic could handle?

Thanks in advance.

RonC.

Forget the $2900. What a rip. You can buy a used Toyota or Honda car, and drive in COMFORT with the a/c on during the winter. See if you can find a mechanic who likes to tinker. Tell him you want to take the a/c out of a used Honda or Toyota, and put it in the Mercedes so you can get cold air. Rip out the Mercedes junk, and put in hassle free Toyota stuff.

Let me know how it works if you do it!!

jeff

make it of some value.

Telling someone to transplant a Toyota system is next to useless.

So in other words, you've never done this and you want someone else to be the straw man?

yep

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Jim

c-ron. #1 the work they did previously would not cause your evap. to leak.
#2 you'll also need to replace your receiver dryer, when you open up the a/c system you'll have to install a new dryer. And I would recommend the small line between the dryer and condenser, it is a common leaker. Since you'll be right there replacing the dryer, they shouldn't charge you to replace that small line with it.
$2900 seems a tiny bit steep but not too much. Factory evaps are really expensive.
A good independent can easily do this job, but make sure they specialize in MB.

Hey rickpark, have a sense of humor Shheeeesh.

Hi Melcher, if jbach36 had let us know he was kidding around (like with a smiley face at the end of his post) everyone probably would've gotten the joke (if it was a joke). The way his post reads though, it sounds beyond ridiculous .

There are many posts in this site concerning the evap change. A search would help.

Basically, I would AVOID the original OEM evap. Their failure comes from the combination of alluminun and copper, and new units are manufactured the same way. There are some replacement units which are full copper and they are almost warrantied for life. They are a little more expensive than US$400.00, but anyway, the most expensive part of this job is the labor to remove everything that has to be removed to exchange it.

Try looking for a good independet shop, they should be able to handle the job (W210/W124s are easier to work on than W140/220s) and should charge you about 50-60% of what the dealer ask for.

One job the tech did on my E 320T when replacing the evap was adjusting the opening angle for the vents for the recirc function. Factory setting lets about 20% of fresh air to be mixed with the recirc cabin air. They modify the system to be 100% recirculation, so the interior would cool faster.

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

Not entirely true. I've done this job many times on the above mentioned models and I can tell you that the 124 isn't any easier than the 220. They're both A LOT of work, but the fully networked 220 has far less wiring to deal with than you'd expect. The non-networked 140 on the other hand is by far the most challenging, IMHO, especially for a tech who hasn't done many of them.

As far as labor is concerned, in my part of the world you'll pay about 80% of what the dealer will charge you.

I've been reading for a few years now (along with the rest of you) about how the W124 evaporaters have failed with HEFTY $$$ having to be spent to rip apart the entire dash to replace the part. Now, I'm starting to read more and more posts of this same problem in the 210 chassis as well. You would think that after all of these problems, that MB would have somehow designed a better way to replace these units. Don't know if the new ones are of any better build quality than in the past, but it still ticks me off that this has to be such a difficult job ... especially when cars like the 201 have their evaps. in a place that is MUCH easier to replace.

Do the newsest models have this same setup??

Take care and best of luck with the evap. work,
Michael.

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+AMDG+
2005 W203
Running as fast as I can to stay behind!!

My frustation stands from the fact WHY Mercedes hasn't figure out a way to design and fit a PROPER and RELIABLE evaporator in the first place.

Worse yet: M.B. know, by fact, that the units fail due to their alloy combination of copper and alluminum. And? They still sell the replacements with the same faulty mix. This is one real instance where the company should be held legally responsible for their incompetence and be made to pay for all repairs.

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

The answer to this question is simple. Because they don't have to!!! MB is required to make repairs under warranty, excluding wear and tear items. Once the car is out of warranty it's not their problem. I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers' follow suit within the next few years. It's a great strategy to increase profitability in the short term. With so many cars being leased, why on earth would they build a "car for life". MB doesn't care one bit about who's going to own that car five years from now.

I would think, that if someone were to experience this kind of problem, and as this seems to be becoming more prevalent among cars in the 8-10 year range, it would be a serious turnoff to purchase Mercedes in the future.

I'm not a huge DIY'er like some of my esteemed and gifted colleagues, and I don't mind paying paying $$ for legitimate repairs. FE, I can justify $1,500.00 - $2,500.00 for a head repair and reconditioning. However, $2,500.00 - $3,000.00 + for a SINGLE faulty component in the a/c system would surely be the kiss of death for me, and I'm sure other owners as well.

My solution is that I just buy Benzes that don't have a track record of blowing their evaperator cores, and if they do, one can easily get at them without disassembling 75% of the car!

Just my 2 cents, FWIW.

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+AMDG+
2005 W203
Running as fast as I can to stay behind!!

What he said!!!

And this same mind set now holds true for Toyota, Honda, etc.

No one is building "and still lasts 10 years like it used to" car anymore.

I'm hoping the Chinese figure this out and release their version of what Honda did in the 70s.

Back to basics car - a/c and a simple sound system + fluids, filters, belts; hoses that are indeed diyer changeable.

Oh the dream.......

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Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

That is not unreasonable if they change lots of stuff besides evaporator and receiver/dryer.

Post #7 in thread below indicates what I change.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=152840&highlight=evaporator