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

__________________
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.

Hassle free Toyota stuff.....what would that be? The radio?