I differ with your opinions. It's true you don't see someone bringing thier own steak to a restaurant...but its common to bring your own bottle of wine. Some restaurants charge a corking fee for using the corkscrew tool. they are happy to have you for all the other profit you generate when you buy coffee and desert after the steak.

As for softconsult, you made your position clear in your post early on in this thread which stated:

"My post was not ever intended to help you".

I'm sure that's the attitude ehm was looking for on this forum in his first post.

Is that called....professional problem solving?

Yes, you can bring your own bottle of wine, but as you pointed out, you pay a fee and pay for the rest of the service. If you don't like the wine, you just have to drink it. The restaurant will not let you tie up the table while someone in your party goes for more. That would be like tying up the hoist waiting for the correct parts. You also mentioned buying coffe and dessert. Does that mean that when someone supplies their own parts I should offset that by finding more work the car needs while its there? Actually that won't work, because the guy will want to set up another appointment so he can get the parts.

__________________
Auto Zentral Ltd.

Funny you should mention that owner diagnosis thing. Years ago I had a guy come and make an appointment to replace his water pump. He didn't want me to check the cooling system. When the car came in, there was a definite leak in the water pump area. As I started work on the car, I couldn't help wondering why he wanted his water pump changed Oh well, it was his call so I did what he asked and changed the pump. I didn't even charge him any extra for tightening the hose clamp that was leaking near the pump.

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

Well Tan Man, you somehow fail to understand that my original post, the one you find so offensive. I was simply to make the point that for certain repairs it's better to let a pro buy the parts and do the repair.

My additional point was to point out that shops depend on parts markup for a significant part of their Gross Margin. You want to argue with the restaurant analogy by bringing up BYOB and corkage. Why argue this point? Shops set their own rules. The advice, I know you hate advice, would logically be to ask your shop what their policy is , before you run out and buy parts.

You think it's my posts are not helpful because they don't provide a specific answer, or even a guess. You think these suggestions should not be made.

Apparently, you are in the minority on this one. Several people, a majority by count, are in agreement with me. Actually, the original poster said he is now in agreement.

So you have your opinion and I have mine. I will continue to offer my thoughts, and so will you. No problemo.

Steve

Actually I forgot to address Tan Man's sarcastic line, "This is professional problem solving!"

Actually, yes it is. It's just that your perception of the problem and my perception of the problem are different. Problems are usually things that continue to occur. You are immediately going to react, and think that the original post was a specific problem to be solved. It was, but it more than that.

Open your mind just a little. Realize that some other person in the future may search the forum for "Wiring Harness" and find this thread. Don't you see that some advice that goes beyond the specific problem might be helpful?

Solving the problem is not just correcting the specific occurence. It is figuring out how to prevent it, and similar ones in the future.

So here we have the specific occurence, wrong part. It has already happened. Question is how do we prevent it from happening again.
I offered up one way. Others, including you, offered up some other suggestions.

By the way, it's not unusual for people to not understand problem solving.
Most managers I deal with are absolutely terrible at it.

Steve

1992 Mercedes do NOT have wire harness issues...only starting 93-96(very few 97), model had the biodegradable material .

Seems to me that a sometimes DIYer really needs to have a shop that will let them bring in the parts now and then. Sometimes you don't make a decision on whether to do it yourself until you see the part and figure out how it all works. In my experience a lot of good honest shops will let a good customer bring in their own parts. That's my first question for a shop and won't use a shop that prohibits it. I think a good honest shop doesn't have a parts profit margin that is so great that they have to be all that concerned about it. Of all the functions that middlemen typically provide to earn a profit margin an auto repair shop is performing very little of them. If their profits margins are that exciting to them I'm a little suspicious.

True on the 300E in question but 92 400E wiring harnesses are not so great, probably not as bad as 93+ 104 HFMs.

Try telling that to people who own 1992 400E and 500E's.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Anyone who has read the"codes" and associated thraeads is aware of the infamous "main" harness and its association with control module and actuator. When I replaced the oil sensor (in oil pan), I realized another harness had the same detoriating insulation. I replaced the 3 wires for the "B" harness.

However,

Arthur Dalton's comment in this thread...


presents the question...
Are there other harnessessss (with the ng insulation), that could cause these codes and cause one to falsely suspect control module and/or actuator?

Bob
PS Last night, wife came home in "Limp Mode" in our 94 e320. Pin 8 Code 8 & Pin 14 Code 3. OVP relay new #, New Stop Light Sensor, Wire harness replaced by PO, 4Mercedes rebuilt actuator and control module tested OK. I want to give 4Mercedes the benefit of doubt that their work is OK and someting else is causing the codes & "Limp Mode."

< Are there other harnessessss (with the ng insulation), that could cause these codes and cause one to falsely suspect control module and/or actuator?
>>

sure is .. the pigtail harness to the EA is not part of the wire harness and is another common insulation bio-degrade problem.

i open my shop on saturday mornings for two reasons. 1 so that people who cannot get here during the week can pickup and drop off their cars. 2 so that good customers who want to diy can bring in their parts,have access to tools and have access to help when they run into trouble.

__________________
David S Poole
European Performance
Dallas, TX
4696880422

"Fortune favors the prepared mind"
1987 Mercedes Benz 420SEL
1988 Mercedes Benz 300TE (With new evaporator)
2000 Mercedes Benz C280
http://www.w108.org/gallery/albums/A...1159.thumb.jpg

David, that is a great business approach. I'll bet the word of mouth advertising keeps you predictably busy.

Denayel, you wrote, "

In my experience a lot of good honest shops will let a good customer bring in their own parts. That's my first question for a shop and won't use a shop that prohibits it. I think a good honest shop doesn't have a parts profit margin that is so great that they have to be all that concerned about it."

A couple of comments.

That's a fine strategy, if and only if, you are in area large enough to have more than just a couple of MB shops. My area has 3 that I know of and none will allow customer parts purchase. I have a general shop about 3 blocks away from me. He will work on MB and actually welcomes me bringing parts to him. He would rather not hassle with sourcing parts that are not routine for his shop. However, I tell him to just add something somewhere to make up for his lost margin. Whether he does or not, I don't know.

I don't know if you have ever been self-employed or owned a business. My guess is not. I really don't understand how you can connect honesty with concern parts profit. You mean the only shop owners that worry about parts margins are dis-honest? I don't own a shop, but I understand it's quite a tough business.

Maybe a couple of shop owners will post a reaction. My bet is there are so few people actually wanting to bring in their own parts, that those shops allowing it are just winking because it's not significant. The shops that prohibit have made the business decision that it's just not worth the delay and risk involved.

Steve

I'm not trying to hijack this thread. Really.



David, I admire your dedication to your "good customers". Every DIY'er I've ever met would give their right arm for access to a lift and air tools, not to mention professional advice!!! I'm curious though. Do you charge a fee for the use of your shop and equipment? How do you decide who's allowed to work in your shop and who's not? Do you put limitations on the type of work you allow them to perform? Have you ever lost a customer because you turned down a request to use your shop?

Didn't say it, didn't imply it. I hold no grudge against a shop that doesn't allow customers parts - entirely their call, it's just not what I want in a shop. I've been self employed for last 12 years.