A lot of stuff needs to be done

[202rules]

I towed my car to the dealer today (got Allstate motorclub free towing), and I just got a call back from the dealer with the following:

1) The reason the car won't start and the alarm is set, is because there's an aftermarket alarm on it that whoever had it before got installed. They said they can install the new keyless entry mercedes alarm and it would cost $200 for the whole thing (parts, labor and removal of old one). $100 extra for remote start.

2) I've got two shifter bushings that are missing, they want $150 to install them, I think I should pass.

3) They say the control arm bushings (front suspension) are splitting, and they need replacement, and that we have to do alignment, the whole thing's gonna cost $875.

4) The head oh head gasket. Leaks oil and coolant, the whole thing is gonna cost $2100 and they said everything from the head up is gonna be new.

I've had this leak for quite a while, a couple of places said it was the head gasket, and one place said it was the front seal.

How do I go about planning these fixes?

I think I should get that alarm installed for sure, should I go for remote start?

[1SIKBNZ]

so mercedes offers a remote start that can hook up to the factory alarm for only $100? you have any part numbers for this or any info? thanks!

[202rules]

Originally posted by 1SIKBNZ
so mercedes offers a remote start that can hook up to the factory alarm for only $100? you have any part numbers for this or any info? thanks!

You know what? I just found out from the dealer it's an aftermarket one, the mechanic I go to told me it's not worth it, he said to tell 'em to remove the one on it and not put anything there.

He also gave me a better quote on the control arm bushings. So the guy at the dealership was really bummed when I told him, "aaaah, lets just take the alarm that's causing the problem off, I'll leave the remaining stuff for later".

[babycarlsson]

Control arm bushings job $800+ I wonder how much is the labor... Considering that the bushing kits are generally under $50 per side... Check http://www.importeccatalog.com/

[Andrew C280]

as far as i have been told there is no factory alarm kit for installation after the fact. i have been screwing around with this kit from europe its suposed to be the same as merecedes factory alarm. its not even made buy a mercedes contract company. if any one knows where i can get or if its even possible to get a factory alarm i would like to know right now i can get one for 6k from the dealer.

sorry to here about all your problems, i could start to list all the problems on my car but I dont have allday, thank god I can do most of my own work or I would be in the poor house i bought a mercedes because there supose to be built like a tank and from my personal crash test i can say it is but, this bull they talk about on there website about 1000000 miles is a load of crap i have had some cars for more than 15 years and the only thing that goes wrong is rust.

[jnolte]

BUshing kit install should not be 800+ ive heard people get quoted 250-350

[202rules]

Originally posted by jnolte
BUshing kit install should not be 800+ ive heard people get quoted 250-350

That's good to hear, the other mechanic quoted me $725. It's the two sets of control arm bushings, the thing is that they have to do alignment after that, so the price includes that. Does 250-350 include alignment too?

Anyway, just got the car back, they charged me $100 to remove the alarm and do some rewiring. The anti-theft works as it should now.

They washed my car, shined the tires and vacumed it

[Andrew C280]

nice did they reinstall and alarm or just the IF centeral control system

[202rules]

Originally posted by Andrew C280
nice did they reinstall and alarm or just the IF centeral control system

They just took out that aftermarket alarm that was on it, and now it's back to the way it was originally. So the mercedes anti-theft is there and works, I tried it by locking the car from the outside and trying to start it.

[Andrew C280]

but you had the factory alarm there the whole time they did not have to reinstall it ?

[202rules]

Originally posted by Andrew C280
but you had the factory alarm there the whole time they did not have to reinstall it ?

yep. It was there, I doubt you can take it off as it's an essential part of the car's security. So any after market product you wanna put on there is gonna have to work with it on.

[C280 JR]

I paid, $160 for lower control arm bushings with the part, $95 for shifter bushings, including part, $700 for head gasket

Elvir

[202rules]

Originally posted by C280 JR
I paid, $160 for lower control arm bushings with the part, $95 for shifter bushings, including part, $700 for head gasket

Elvir

lol, you had the same problems? $160 is very cheap, was that the price of the two sets, or maybe you didn't need the whole set, probably I don't even need the whole set. But it's just the labor costs that they charge a lot for, and they added the wheel alignment.

And $700 for head gasket replacement, daamn!

So you didn't go to the dealership, did you?

[C280 JR]

202rules, i have a local dealership that i go to to get my car fixed, its where i bought it from, the only time i go to a mercedes dealer is when im having electical problems, which is why i strictly need mercedes experties...

Elvir

[LV202]

Get your car away from that dealer. They are thiefs. Get a good indy and slowly take care of the work. Head gasket on this model is external and you can let it go a while until you are sick of the oil leak.

A sucker is born every minute, don't be one of them.

[Rocky]

160? just for parts right? Labour on re + re on those LCAB are long and expensive..especially if you don't have the special tool. Took me a good 3 hours or so at my old shop and I had to fabricate the tool.

[slam96c36]

Never go to mercedes dealer on that kind of stuff...they over charged you. I just replaced my head gasket on my 96 C36...I saved over $500 dollars by going to local shop that work on Mercedes only.

By the way this question is for 1SIKBNZ....you mention earlier that you just installed blinking mirrors...do you have a pics so I can take a look at it..I been asking around how to set that up and no one know anything about it.

thanks

[Rocky]

hey SIK whats up?

I'm most likely going to install it this weekend..friend is helping and gonna take pics..dependant on weather..if they come out alright i'll let you know.

This might help incase you wanna go it alone..

Tken from the sistersite bnzsport and posted by mad skillz

So, if you’re going to make a wire for wire connection between an existing W202 mirror and a W210 mirror, assuming there are no memory or auto dimming functions on the W202 mirror, the connections would be:

W202 to W210
Black -------------------- Black
Grey --------------------- Grey
White -------------------- White
Brown / Red ------------ Brown / Grey
**White / Red ---------- Black / Red
*To Ground ------------- Brown
*To Turn Signals (R&L)-- Black / White

*Wires that must be connected by installer
** This will appear Black / Red on W202 wiring harness, mirror side


HOW TO INSTALL:


So, for my install, I went with what was easier for me and wired the mirrors to the left and right blinkers using wiretaps. It works well and is really easy.

As for getting the two wires into the engine bay, I routed them through the rubber grommet on the passenger foot well. If you open up the hood and remove the black plastic cover over the firewall on the pax side, down low you will see where a group of wires enter the passenger compartment. It’s very low so it will help if you use a flashlight. I used the coat hanger trick to put the wires thorough. It was much easier to do it from inside the car to the engine bay rather than from the engine. As for the ground for each mirror, I found a convenient bolt under the kick panels on each side.

The hardest part was finding out how to remove the door panels. There is a hidden bolt UNDER the plastic cover behind the chrome door release. I had a hell of a time finding it.

It’s also tricky to get the mirrors on the car. Because the spring is under considerable tension I found the best way to keep the mirrors open was to jam it with the base of a rubber coated screwdriver. If positioned correctly, you’ll be able to screw in one of the three screws needed to mount the mirror. Here’s a great tip: you only need one screw to hold the mirror to the door. When you get one in good and tight it will hold the assembly to the door and you can pull the mirror back and install the other three screws. This saved me TONS of time and worked well…

If you have any other questions, just ask. Good Luck!!!!

[slam96c36]

Thanks for the info....

I'll try that and see what happen..I'll email you if I have any more question or can't get it on.

thanks again
ty