'02 E320 4matic headscratcher....any ideas?

[HHI]

Way back story: I use a small indy specialty shop for my Mercedes and my old SIII Landy. The man who owns the shop is top notch...his assistant not so much. I dropped off the Mercedes about a year ago for new CVs. I got about 20 miles down the road after picking it up and had to stop because of the horrible ride. The problem was one wheel hadn't been tightened down

I wrote it off and continued using him.

About 2 months ago, it needed CVs again and it was time for new brakes all around. 2 weeks ago, I dropped it off again because the front inner CV boots had split. I picked it up and made it 15 miles down the road before I heard a huge bang, felt a sharp impact and lost power. The seat belts pretensioners triggered, SOS went off, no airbags though. I pulled over and called a tow truck. Got back to the shop, push it up onto the lift and the front prop shaft is decimated.....only half of it is still present and just barely...transmission fluid everywhere and the front right CV is popped out from the differential.
I tell him to get it fixed, but have this nagging voice in the back of my head that can't help but think this is his fault (or, more likely, his assistants fault).
He calls me at the end of business today and tells me it's fixed. I was out of town at the time, but stopped by this evening to take a look with my spare key. My car was parked outside, unlocked, with the key in the ignition.
I turned it over and the check engine light came on. Then I found out that the seat belts are all still FUBAR. Drive it around and there's a high pitch whine from the front end. Get back and it smells like something is burning. I put the key back in and left it like I found it and came home.

Thoughts on how I should approach this? I'm not happy with the work. I'm not willing to pay for it and I can't help but think it's his fault.

[mbdoc]

Did they install the "cheap" aftermarket Chinese axle shafts?

[HHI]

Yes

[mbdoc]

Bingo! that is your problem.

A $100 axle is just that!

[Gilly]

I'd be talking to him about warranty on the axle shaft and you might need additional expensive work due to the pretensioners popping, it might need a control unit, I know it used to be that SRS modules were junk after popping off an airbag. I know it was the pretensioner not the airbag, but it still set off a pyro.

[HHI]

Well, I called geocities, they're covering it and calling it a no fault. Towing it to their shop....will hear something next week. Did my own digging and even best case it is almost certainly a total loss.....
Guess im going car shopping.

[Can't Know]

How to ruin a good car, episode 873.

[HHI]

Yeah, finding that out. Lesson learned. Wont hear much until next week, but im on the car hunt now...

Sucks, I loved that car...

[HHI]

Geico now has over 20k in trying to fix this car......trying. it's still throwing srs codes. I suspect a harness issue......but this shop has ignored me from the start. Adjuster agreed to total if its not fixed this week.