Good Mercedes mechanic in So Cal Plug

[Rhinkel]

I want to share my experience with a long time Mercedes mechanic in Costa Mesa, Ca. I had inherited a 70 W113 from my dad that was partially restored, had been sitting for 15 years and had a small engine fire.I had rebuilt the braking system and cleaned out the fuel system- blasted the inside of the tank, rebuilt fuel pump, blew out the lines, new exhaust and was able to get the car started.

My abilities to tune past this point were worthless and I found Steve Marx at "Marx" on Placentia. He had the car for two weeks, lightened my wallet substantially but my end result is a car that has never run so well. It runs, shifts, starts- cold and hot- and the sound!! Just beautiful. Perfectly roadworthy so I put 150 miles on it this partially rainy New Years weekend.

When I walked in and saw 3 300 SL's in progress, I knew I was in the right spot, he was honest, fair, gave me several alternatives but was not inexpensive. My result though was worth the price. For those local, don't be afraid to give him a try!!

[scoot]

I'm interested in getting my car "tuned".  It has a new engine, injection pump, all that stuff.  But it isn't tuned right.  Can you give me some idea how much of your wallet went to tuning the car?

[Rhinkel]

My tuning went pretty deep as I had some small fire damage I didn't see, but he did. Plus most of the time and expense was spent on the hoses and cooling systems.

I originally took it in just for the tuning which was to check fuel pump flow, time it, adjust valves and do routine tune up. The original was for just under $1 k.

For me it became like a home remodel.... The old " why we're at it". With a new engine and rebuilt injection pump I would definitely turn Steve loose. The way it runs now, I can't describe the difference in words. Starts with a light touch- hot or cold, runs right at 180, no pinging, no flat spots, no soot out the back, it sounds different, shifts so much better... And on.

Beware he is a perfectionist and he will likely find things he doesn't like but I cannot argue with the end result. My car, by the way, had a rebuild more than 15 years ago plus tranny and fuel injection. It has less than 6 k miles on the rebuilds, it never ran near this good.

Don't be afraid to call Steve and talk with him. Tell him that you got this off the message boards from the guy who just left with the light blue 280sl!
 He's a nice guy. Good luck

[Madusudo]

Thank you Rhinkel for sharing your experience at Marx.  I am also looking for a good mechanic in SoCal.  I have been introduced to George at MBZ in San Fernando Valley, which is about 20 miles from where I live.  He was highly recommended by a friend.  However he is probably the busiest mechanic in town.  There was a 190SL and a 230SL in the shop that is being under work among many new mercedes for routine work.

He spent some time to briefly check the motor and lifted the car for a check.  He friendly suggested to come back in March.  Oh the agony of waiting is killing me.

Thus I will have to check on Marx, who is located 51 miles away from home.  Is Marx also busy with new cars or does he primarily focus on older cars like ours?

[Rhinkel]

I am going to speculate but by the looks of cars in his bay, he works primarily on the older ones. 3 300sl's, a 190 and 2 280's were in the bay when I was there. Give him a call to ask about his availability. I can't say enough good things including the way he dealt with me and my issues. Plus, he took my car immediately. I had more than 50 hours of labor in the end on my project with him.