BG Auto: Old an ailing car woes, plus possibly deceitful mechanic.

[ClarkSammich]

Dear BG,

I drive a 1988 Mercedes Benz 260E, and have done so since the ripe young age of 17 as my first car. I bought it for $2,600 nearly 7 years ago, and up until now, it has proven to be an absolute behemoth of a vehicle. Never broke down, seemingly doesn't require gasoline as it can travel for hours with the gas light on, etc. I've tried my best to take good care of it, thinking that if I did, I would be able to extend its already long life even further like some kind of car necromancer, and recently this had led to a problem.

I'll try and tl;dr as much as possible: Took car in to German vehicle specialist place, they say I need $2,500 in maintenance. I'm suspicious of them because in the list of things they want to do they have brake rotors @ $400, serpentine belt replacement @ $500, and didn't list any of the standing issues I know for a fact the car has (i.e. an oil leak, needs to be aligned, etc) in their list of maintenance. They also said the entire front end needs to be rebuilt, new drive shaft, etc. I'm well aware that Mercedes maintenance can and does cost an arm and a leg, but what I'm doubting is the integrity of the mechanics in question. They essentially told me the car was unfit to drive until these changes were made.

Obviously I don't want to pay $2,500 to fix an old car, so I may be trying to reason my way out of it, but maybe not. I'm definitely going to take it into get 1 or 2 more estimates at different places, but I figured I would ask here first.

[Brill Weave]

Just like a doctor dood. Get a second opinion.

[Odon]

If you have a webcam we here at BG Auto can give you a complete evaluation of your vehicle to further assist you in the fixing of your vehicle.

[Melena]

As someone else already said, get a second and or third opinion. Ask your friends if they have a mechanic they trust and take it to them. This is one of the biggest reasons why I hate taking my car in for an oil change. The list of crap they tell me that "needs" to be fixed is retarded at best, and it's a huge upsell and pure profit for them. Last oil change they tried to get me to pay 160 for them to change my cabin and engine air filters. Just went to o'riley, paid 40 bucks for the two filters, did it myself in 5 minutes.

[Syntex]

You actually did the smart thing and came here before having the work done. I was really expecting to read this and have already spent the money.

Like others have said though, go show it to a few others(family/friends if possible) and see what they think. Also you might consider if the repairs are 2500+ after consulting with a few people that it might be a better deal to just get a new one then to try and squeeze another year out of it before you need to invest another grand or so. Not what you want to hear but that sometimes is the best choice.

[Brill Weave]

Sadly Syntex is right. You have to be realistic about the car. It's an 88. If the repairs cost more than a grand I would toss the car as a trade in. Check Kelley's Blue Book to see what your car is worth. Given the year and condition of vehicle I'm willing to bet it won't be worth more than $2,500. If that's the case it's time to cut it loose and look for a new ride. Because sooner or later you're going to hit the point where you're going to keep pumping money into the car past it's value.

[Cadsuane]

The maintenance items they suggested are indeed things that do need to be fixed one way or another, and considering the year and probable mileage on the car they would be on the way out. However:

1.) If I'm not mistaken Mercedes used rubber flex disks as opposed to u-joints to couple the driveshaft with the rear differential in those years. In that case, the drive shaft never dies unless something catastrophic happens to it; the flex disc does. So not much chance that actually needs replacement.

2.) Rebuilding the front end would entail an alignment. The fact that your alignment is out is probably the result of a bad tie rod/bearing/suspension linkage etc.

3.) An oil leak on an old car is usually not a pressing issue as long as the owner can keep on top of it and check his dipstick every so often. Sometimes it's difficult enough to fix that it's not worth working on on an old vehicle.

Rotors at $400 seems a little ridiculous, even if they're doing pads at the same time. Rotors are often salveageable with a quick spin on a lathe if they're not too warped or discoloured or overmachined. Shady mechanics prefer to replace calipers and rotors that can be serviced instead.

Serpentine belt replacement is a labour intensive process so it's not going to get much cheaper than that. Of course, you should ask why they thought it needed to be replaced in the first place. Is the engine running rough or are their other indications that there are timing problems, or did they look at the odometre and just assume it was time for it to go? Questions to ask another mechanic.

In my experience antique car maintenance is best done by old semi-retired farts who were working on cars when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. German car specialists and dealership mechanics fancy themselves artisans and will fuck you for every trivial skill that they don't exclusively have, convincing you all the while that your car is too exotic a snowflake for anyone else to work on. Honestly, if you see a guy at your local break and tire shop over 50 who looks like he was born with a wrench in his hand, have him look at your car and you probably won't be disappointed.

[Squirrels]

Repeating most of what was already said in this thread. Get more opinions. The more opinions/estimates you have, the better decision you can make on whether to fix the car or trade it in. I'd suggest a friend or family member to look at it if you have any that are mechanics. Dealerships/specialists are going to charge an arm and a leg for anything they do because of the amount of people on their payroll. As well as the fact that they will tell you that things need fixed when they are in complete working order(had a rebuilt transmission put into a car, 3 weeks later JiffyLube was telling me my transmission needed drained and cleaned and only after I showed them my receipts did they stfu about it).

[ClarkSammich]

I'm probably going to wind up selling the car for scrap, or trading it in to put toward a newer vehicle. It's unfortunate, because I really do love the car, and will probably wind up investing in another Mercedes because of it, but the reality of the matter is as many people mentioned: it's too old to pump money into, and the cost will (has?) outweigh the actual value of the vehicle.
Though as it turns out, the front end issues are plot thickening, and pretty frustrating. Around a year ago, an old lady in a minivan smacked into me at ~25mph, right on the passenger's side front tire. I took it a shop nearby, had it repaired sans bodywork for around $300, and went on my way. Turns out the place did the repairs with either used parts, or the same damaged parts retooled, which led to a significant portion of the front suspension/etc problems I'm facing now. As luck would have it, that fine establishment is also out of business.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice, I do appreciate it.

[BaneTheBrawler]

I know that feel bro. Had to junk my '87 Chevy last year. It wasn't really anything special, just a regular pickup with a wooden bed... but it was fun to drive and it was my first car. The frame was rusting through, though. It had no more than ~2 years left in it. Got a decent amount for it, though. Thing was heavy.

[Acevalefor]

I'm probably going to wind up selling the car for scrap, or trading it in to put toward a newer vehicle. It's unfortunate, because I really do love the car, and will probably wind up investing in another Mercedes because of it, but the reality of the matter is as many people mentioned: it's too old to pump money into, and the cost will (has?) outweigh the actual value of the vehicle.
Though as it turns out, the front end issues are plot thickening, and pretty frustrating. Around a year ago, an old lady in a minivan smacked into me at ~25mph, right on the passenger's side front tire. I took it a shop nearby, had it repaired sans bodywork for around $300, and went on my way. Turns out the place did the repairs with either used parts, or the same damaged parts retooled, which led to a significant portion of the front suspension/etc problems I'm facing now. As luck would have it, that fine establishment is also out of business.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice, I do appreciate it.

Bring it to me >.> I'll fix it for the cost of third-party parts and some beer...

Seriously though. In a mercedes that old, the serpentine belt isn't a big deal because you can practically climb in and sit between the engine and the frame. Maybe a couple hours tops to fix that. The brakes and rotors are also a simple maintenance thing and shouldn't take any more than 30 minutes to fix unless they have to turn the rotors. Then just add another 30 minutes. Total parts for the brakes should be less than $200 including pads, rotors and caliper rebuild kit.

The alignment can and should be done at a tire shop, not at a dealer/mechanic. Most places charge around $90 for the alignment and they will replace bushings and any other incidental small parts included in that.

[Cadsuane]

I'm probably going to wind up selling the car for scrap, or trading it in to put toward a newer vehicle. It's unfortunate, because I really do love the car, and will probably wind up investing in another Mercedes because of it, but the reality of the matter is as many people mentioned: it's too old to pump money into, and the cost will (has?) outweigh the actual value of the vehicle.
Though as it turns out, the front end issues are plot thickening, and pretty frustrating. Around a year ago, an old lady in a minivan smacked into me at ~25mph, right on the passenger's side front tire. I took it a shop nearby, had it repaired sans bodywork for around $300, and went on my way. Turns out the place did the repairs with either used parts, or the same damaged parts retooled, which led to a significant portion of the front suspension/etc problems I'm facing now. As luck would have it, that fine establishment is also out of business.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice, I do appreciate it.

Probably the right call. I had an '82 mercedes 300D turbodiesel that I loved and told myself I was going to restore, but sometimes you just have to be practical.