MB dealer as mechanic

[n/a]

I'm going through that lovely search for the best mechanic in my area for my '71 280SL.  A guy in a new AMG'd S550 saw my car in traffic yesterday and flagged me down to talk, and the first thing out of my mouth after he told me he had a '65 at home was "who's your mechanic?"  He says "you're going to laugh, but I've been using our local MB dealership's service department and they've been great."  I guess its worth a try, but has anybody had experiences with their MB dealer and working on our cars?

[J. Huber]

Well, not sure if this is a blessing or a curse, but we don't even have a MB dealership! However, when I did live in civilization, I more or less avoided the dealer (except for parts). It was partly the "stigma" or reputation that dealers tend to cost more (unless its a warranty situation). It was partly because I was told point blank from a mechanic there that most technicians are trained for the new cars -- not the older ones. I suppose neither of these is a really good reason not to use a dealer -- since there are clearly exceptions. I have always had good luck with independent shops -- who seem to give the car more personal attention and enjoy working on the older non-computerized vehicles.

James
63 230SL

[Jonny B]

I am most fortunate to have a MB old car guru (the redoubtable Ted G.) almost in my back yard. I did speak the local (NE Ohio) dealer and they indicated they pretty well only go back 10 years. However there are some dealers that do have folks that tackle the older cars. All you need to do is ask.

Another option is to try "The Mechan-X Files" on www.cartalk.com. This is a list of experiences and recommendations set up as a searchable data base.

Good luck.

Jonny B
1967 250SL Auto

[rwmastel]

Drive that guy's '65 and see what you think.  Look at the receipts to see if there are multiple visits for the same problem.

They just might have one or two mechanics who take it apon themselves to understand the older cars.  Insist on speaking with them face-to-face before deciding if to use them.  Drive through their back lot once a week for a couple months and see how many old cars are in for service on a regular basis.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[mdsalemi]

By understanding your car--even if you can't do the work yourself, you'll be able to understand the kinds of things that can be done easily by any skilled mechanic and certainly an MB mechanic.  That's one of the things this forum does is allow us to understand, learn and share our collective knowledge and keep it alive.

Things like changing a radiator, oil cooler, nearly all suspension and brake work, body work of all kinds are the kinds of things that are "easy" for a skilled mechanic or shop.

It's when we have these complex fuel injection issues; fuel delivery issues, linkage adjustments, transmission adjustments, and peculiar things like this, that are pretty much related to this car only, or cars of this vintage that the old world skilled and experienced mechanics come in very very handy...

Sometimes the issue is just figuring out where your real problem is, that is the challenge.

Personally I have not been to a dealer since my transmission woes of July 2001, when they told me to "get that thing out of here" when they saw the fluid leaking all over their pavement at the Mercedes dealer in Lansing, Michigan.  But nearly all the mechanics I have used around here have worked at dealers.

Thankfully I've got quite a few skilled mechanics in the area, and Dr. Benz is only a 90 minute drive away.  Really, around here I think this is one of the better places to own a Pagoda!

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[ChrisInNashville]

Before I bought mine, I called the owner of our local dealership for guidance.   He referred me to a local friend who had done a body off restoration on one...I put the same question to this friend...and he said "You can't take it to [his] dealership...I love him by a son, but they're simply not interested in doing something difficult that requires passion".  

I prefer someone with passion...where part of his compensation comes from the pride of having someone trust him with their beautiful old car.

[enochbell]

Interesting post, got me to thinking about the long-term future of these cars.  My authorized dealer in Atlanta has a great parts guy who has an in-depth knowledge of the 113 and he has been a great source of advice that comes from his personal experience and passion with a 230sl.  But the service department is limited to "well, we can put a new one in and see if that fixes the problem" approach.  They are not able to do any problem solving.  

This board has a few people who are an invaluable source of understanding about the pagoda who also make their living restoring and keeping our cars on the road...and for whom we are all grateful.  But what happens in 40 or 50 years?  What do you all think will be the future of these cars?  In 2047 will there be enough W113's on the road to have anyone who can afford to keep them on the road?  Just wonderin'

g

'64 230sl, fully sorted out...ooops, spoke too soon

[69280sl]

Not too long ago, I went to the MB dealer to order parts;the split boot, staples and clamps to fix a leaky rear axle. The parts took a day or two to arrive and during that time I decided I really didn't want to do the work, so when I picked the parts up, I asked the service manager for a ball park price to do so,(knowing from the threads on this site that it is about a half days work for an amatuer). The service manager said he would have to check with one of "the old timers".

The old timer said he thought he remembered doing that type of repair. That a lot of the car had to be dismantled, and it was a 2-3 day job. The service manager then quoted me $2000.

That is why, in my opinion Pagodas and dealer service don't mix.

Gus
68 280sl, signal red/beige

[tuultyme]

A couple years ago when I went to buy a new key for my C230 at the local Mercedes dealer here they had a pretty rough 230SL and a couple other older Mercedes in the Mercedes shop.  Last year we bought a Chrysler 300C from the Chrysler side of this same dealership.  Now I see that they have moved the repairs of all the old cars to a couple stalls in the Chrysler building.  The service manager said that they have a guy just for the older cars.  I have not used them, do most of my own work, but I have seen older BMW's and Mercedes in those stalls.  The owner of the dealership keeps a small collection of old mercedes in a "museum" on site. One of these days our local club needs to stop by and inspect the cars.

Bruce; 268Blaugrun(green) 1970 280SL; IL

[bpossel]

The local MB dealer here in Memphis has an excellent service shop.  I have them do work on my E320.  However, working on older cars like our 113's, they just do not have the skill anymore.  I attribute this to the evolution of mechanics, electronics and the automobile.  As we know, newer cars have a lot of electronics, and when these cars go into the shop, they simply plug 'em up to their laptops.  It seems that the current generation of mechanics are trained to read the "codes" and then simply replace the bad parts.  Very little to no experience and/or training if a "code" does not show up on their screens.  

  I agree with the others who have responded to this post.  We are very lucky to have this forum and have the expertise of some very good, skilled mechanics who know these older MBs.  As I do work on my 113, I collect a lot of information on each of the jobs that I have done.  I create word documents with pictures and direct quotes/information from this site.  Hopefully in the near future we can re-vive the idea of creating a nice service manual for the Pagodas.  This would really help us to maintain our cars and also pass on this very invaluable information to the next generation that hopefully will appreciate these great cars as we do.
Bob

bpossel  (Memphis, TN.)
'71 280SL  /  '97 E320

[Mike Hughes]

My '66 230SL was purchased from , and has had every scheduled maintenance performed at the same Washington D.C. Area dealership since it was new, according to the original service book.  They have a couple of seasoned technicians who remember the car going back years and years and treat it with the respect due an active old lady.  It is about time for the 81,000 mile service and it will go back again.  We are fortunate to have a couple of reputable independent shops that are closer to my home or office for delicate repairs, but the scheduled maintenances will continue to be performed there, unless they really give me cause to question the quality of their work!

- Mike Hughes  -ô¿ô-
  1966 230SL Auto P/S
  Havanna Brown (408)
  Light Beige (181)
  Cream M-B Tex (121)

[dldubois]

I've always used a local mechanic that seems to know these old mercedes inside and out.   Though last year I had complaints with the shifting on my automatic and he adjusted but it still wasn't as smooth as it had been in the past.

I ended up taking to the MB dealer here and within a couple of hours one of their mechanics was able to get it shifting smoother than I can remember.  

I guess it depends if the dealer has a mechanic on staff that knows these cars.

Dana DuBois
1969 280sl
Corinth, TX