Sadly I doubt benevolence is one of the first thoughts when it comes to dealer service these days. You are 100% correct about how things change. Today's dealer techs either do not have the necessary skills or simply refuse to work on our older MBs. If their diagnostics tools don't point them in the direction to begin troubleshooting a problem, they start throwing parts at it. This leaves owners with over the top repair bills potentially exceeding the value of the car many times over.

The first time I saw someone post about dealers refusing to service a W123 or 126, I thought how absurd...they must be crazy. Impossible for dealers to say they won't work on ANY MB. Fast forward a few years, there are several posts here backing up dealers' refusals. It seems as if they don't like vehicles 140/210 and older.

That being said, I'm personally disinterested in anything MB offers new aside from a few models that are not reasonably affordable. Let's set that figure at ...say...$70k. That will get a new C/E-Class or a huge myriad of anonymous blob-shaped mall crawlers. No thanks. I've owned a W221 gasser for quite awhile now and even that challenges my limited mechanical capabilities. Plus its "safety" tech drives me batty. I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles in cars without cameras, automatic braking, distronic cruise, constant beeping, buzzing, and the like. I can turn a key to start a car and have never had a rear end collision, never backed over or hit a pedestrian, managed to always remain in the correct lane of travel, and can pull into a parking spot or garage without taking out a bumper cover or side mirror. Plus I know the car will be considered a total loss by insurance after a minor collision due to the cost of parts relating to said safety technology. When it comes time for buying something newer than a 221, I have no idea what I'll do.

Back to the issue at hand, there are a select few independent shops relatively nearby that are highly regarded here on this forum. These guys always have older MBs in for service. In fact, you can drive by their parking lots at any time and see plenty of 115/116/123/126's. I will be seeking out one of these shops when needed. In my logical mind, the best place to get service would be at a shop backed by the folks who made the car. This is simply not the case.

__________________
Lance Allison
Lance@LanceAllison.com

Current:
11 MB S550 4Matic, 55k miles, Designo Black/Black
14 Ford F150 XLT Lariat Crew, 73k miles, 5.0
Coyote V8 4x4. Black/tan.
09 GMC Envoy Denali, 5.3 V8, 4x4 SWB. 38k miles,
Jewel Red/Med Gray.

Gone:
87 MB 300SDL, 320k miles, Astral Silver/Blue.
98 VW Jetta TDI, 488k miles, Classic Green/Gray.
85 Olds 98 Brougham FWD, 4.3 DIESEL V6, 80k
miles, 3x Gray.

MBCA Member, Chicago Region

Given shop traffic in 2019 is low for these older cars, what you pay for a dealer tech that is expert in and at the ready to service these cars? Would you be OK with 2 or 3 X the rate of newer cars? Would you want to pay 2 or 3 X for the dealer to have service parts in stock for these cars at all times?

If you were expert in these older cars, would you want to be paid flat rate to work there when maybe one or two of these cars showed up every month?

If you took a 60's 300SL / 300SE to any dealer, would you expect them to have a tech that could set up the mechanical fuel injection pump?

And these shops will be few and far between to cater to a dwindling number of cars. Note that they likely will charge higher prices, partly due to them having difficult to find skills and partly to keep the cheap people that drive junk away.


Once cars get past say 10 - 15 years old, they develop problems not seen in newer cars and the dealer isn't prepared to address these issues. As a case in point, the 722.6 5 speed electronic shift trans has an issue with torque converter clutches dragging. Early on this will cause a light throttle vibration and worst case, it will cause a stall when shifting into drive / reverse.

It took an independent shop and , to quote the article " Wayne had a tolerant, accommodating customer (which can be rare in this industry)."

The PDFs are posted below, it is worth the read not only for the 722.6 problem / fix but to show that all auto mechanics are stupid idiots that only rip people off.. . . ( This last bit is aimed at others in the general audience not you as apparently you are OK with many mechanics. )

Also, if book time calls for 4 hr to do a job, it will take longer on an older car that has seen road salt. Bolts break, heads strip and the customer won't be willing to pay more for the added time.

Attached Files

	TCC Shudder722_6, Part 2 - Sonnax.pdf (90.4 KB, 103 views)
	TCC Shudder_722_6 Part 1 - Sonnax.pdf (156.2 KB, 99 views)

Exactly my point. When paying dealer rates for service, one should reasonably expect to get an expert level tech or group of techs to address the problem. Twice, I've had a dealer service department fail to meet this expectation. Neither problem was old school Mercedes specific. One time I had a sunroof problem and another issue with my 603 overheating. They charged thousands and gave me back a less-than-repaired car. That being said, I would rather be told upfront when something is beyond a shop's capability. I have zero qualms with paying more (and expect to) when something requires a very specialized skillset. Neither of my negative experiences required anything too specialized.

Actually yes. My example: For more than 2 decades, I've worked in the tech area for one of the largest companies in the USA. I'm required to have working knowledge across every generation of systems, including some that are as old or older than me. I work with very few people who are comfortable with (or have any desire to learn) the old systems. As such, I'm considered an industry SME (subject matter expert) on these relics. I can work on a mainframe that has the processing power of a calculator and wouldn't fit in my dining room. The demand is low. Problems are infrequent. Capability is necessary. My pay level is no different than anyone else with a similar level of I.T. experience and time with the company. I know this is not exactly an apples to apples comparison with auto mechanics, but the concept is the same. I don't necessarily like working on the old stuff and thankfully don't have to very often...but when the need arises, I do it and make no higher level of pay when I do. It goes with the territory. As with tech, automotive work is always evolving. Learn the new things but remain proficient with the old.


You're right. I'm totally ok with mechanics and don't have an axe to grind with them. Quite the contrary. We can't all be experts for every scenario and I applaud those who are masters at wrench turning. Also I am very thankful for this forum. There is a broad scope of knowledge and experience that could never be duplicated in a single location.

__________________
Lance Allison
Lance@LanceAllison.com

Current:
11 MB S550 4Matic, 55k miles, Designo Black/Black
14 Ford F150 XLT Lariat Crew, 73k miles, 5.0
Coyote V8 4x4. Black/tan.
09 GMC Envoy Denali, 5.3 V8, 4x4 SWB. 38k miles,
Jewel Red/Med Gray.

Gone:
87 MB 300SDL, 320k miles, Astral Silver/Blue.
98 VW Jetta TDI, 488k miles, Classic Green/Gray.
85 Olds 98 Brougham FWD, 4.3 DIESEL V6, 80k
miles, 3x Gray.

MBCA Member, Chicago Region