wu56Shoozz
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2016
- Messages
- 1,982
- Car
- MB Vito 111CDi / W203 C Class Saloon 320CDi Avantgarde
More like yer wife ..Ooofftt!! (Snigger) 
Advice welcome on the 'older' Merc. Sell up or keep?
Plus you've already sunk £700 into it already...
You may as well put a bit more in and get some value out of your not-insignifcant investment!
On the point of inde's - it's not about being tight as being sensible with money.
There is no point in spending £125 per hour maintaining a FMDSH on a car which is nearing the bottom of it's "working" value.
FMDSH makes no odds once the car is beyond 3 years old, certainly to me anyway, so you may as well save the money on labour and keep the car running longer bringing you cheaper overall running costs.
Not all inde's are cheaper than MD though so do your homework by all means.
You may as well put a bit more in and get some value out of your not-insignifcant investment!
On the point of inde's - it's not about being tight as being sensible with money.
There is no point in spending £125 per hour maintaining a FMDSH on a car which is nearing the bottom of it's "working" value.
FMDSH makes no odds once the car is beyond 3 years old, certainly to me anyway, so you may as well save the money on labour and keep the car running longer bringing you cheaper overall running costs.
Not all inde's are cheaper than MD though so do your homework by all means.
wu56Shoozz
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2016
- Messages
- 1,982
- Car
- MB Vito 111CDi / W203 C Class Saloon 320CDi Avantgarde
JohnEBoy has a point.. learn to shop on a shoe string, its an old car, it doesn't aways need "Dealer Parts" a class example recently for me was rear springs - £64 from local Dealers, £21 for Lesjofors from the continent..so it makes life a little easier and less painful, then look for an Indies that will take your money for labour only and allow you to supply the parts. I'm always wary now of Indies supplying parts, the mark up can be excruciatingly painful, like getting a testicle removed.. I had a friend, a lovely old guy that had an Audi needing some TLC, he asked for a garage to go to and I recommended one that I used. They stung him a whopping £1300 for £300 of parts needless to say two of us were not best pleased...so it pays to get to know an Indie & shop around for parts...
Thank you. Yes it soon adds up. Looking back through the previous owner's Main Agent service history bills, there's some eye-watering amounts from 2004-2013. Virtually every service looks like a basic £1000 with any additional work on top. Wipers, brake pads, tyres, screen wash was/is very expensive at Mercedes!
Thanks. I hadn't thought of that at all. Not sure how my garage would react to that...mind you, they let me buy my own tyres today.
wu56Shoozz
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2016
- Messages
- 1,982
- Car
- MB Vito 111CDi / W203 C Class Saloon 320CDi Avantgarde
No Harm on asking.. I have a genuine Merc Indie up here that won't put anything other than Merc Parts so his bills are not that far off Merc, but he's not that great so I went back to my old guy, not an Indie just a normal and his skills were far superior for a lot less..
Lesson Learned stick to what you know is safe.., better still my guy puts it all back like factory so you would never know...
Lesson Learned stick to what you know is safe.., better still my guy puts it all back like factory so you would never know...
I can never find people like this.
flat6buster
Active Member
So it's cost you 3700 in 3 years/15000 miles.
If it's only worth 2500 then the next 3 to 6 years could be the cheapest motoring you ever have if you find a decent indy for servicing.
If a repair arrives that will cost more than a grand, then throw it away ( so to speak ).
If it's only worth 2500 then the next 3 to 6 years could be the cheapest motoring you ever have if you find a decent indy for servicing.
If a repair arrives that will cost more than a grand, then throw it away ( so to speak ).
wu56Shoozz
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2016
- Messages
- 1,982
- Car
- MB Vito 111CDi / W203 C Class Saloon 320CDi Avantgarde
Belive me I could tell you horror stories that would make your toes curl and quite possibly make the "other " testicle fall off..
Believe it or not I've been barred from two dealerships for wanting the repair carried out correctly and told from an Indie not to darken his doorstep again, all because I wanted an update on my car that had sat in his garage for 5 weeks waiting on a clutch & gearbox... "Peter" I hope yer on here, name & shame....
So, its taken me quite some time to find a proper "Pride in his work mechanic" . I used to have an old guy that was into his 60's, hated technology - computers etc, but could do all the mechanicals to a very high standard sometimes even improving on original designs y'know, replacing plastic bushes with aluminium as engineering was his forty... sadly he retired and not long after passed on.. a typical engineer, heavy smoker, used to do all your work for you for beer money as it was a hobby for him.. loved the guy.. pure thorough through & through... sadly he's a dying breed (no pun intended) miss the guy..
I'll certainly be keeping the car now, having picked up another bill this morning for £600. Total this week of £1300. Only went in for a check-up.
Bang goes the holiday fund.
Right on the borders of East and West.
PCS - is that a garage?
Bang goes the holiday fund.
Right on the borders of East and West.
PCS - is that a garage?
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Thanks for that, but they are an hour and a half away.
Going off thread (but it's mine so I'm allowed)
Taking the car to garage is a pain, especially if, like mine, it's been in a couple of times in the last two weeks.
Do you chaps get a lift back with the wife/friend who's in another car or do you rely on Public Transport to get you home and back to pick the car up?
Most inde's have cars you can borrow whilst your one is in. Not sure if PCS do but I would guess so...
I've also seen Stevensons Independent Mercedes Benz Specialists recommended on here before although I have no personal experience of them.
I have two cars touching the 140,000 mark . One a six year old Ford Focus tdci , the other a nineteen year old C240 . The Focus smokes like **** on cold startup , rattles like the proverbial bag of nails , is uncomfortable after a couple of miles ,and hopefully, when I retire in three months time and hand it back to the company it will spontaneously combust.
The C240 , on the other hand is a delight to drive , has very minimal rust, and will become my daily driver . As it was given to me I feel obligated to keep it for as long as is practical. Brake discs/pads , and other service parts are not expensive items if you shop around .
The Focus has a book value of , I guess , around £3500 , the C240 , probably £600 . Minor jobs I can do myself , and I would not get rid of the Merc unless faced with an outlay of , say £700 , at which point I would scrap it. A couple of grands worth of Ford is not likely to bring a smile to your face when driving it.
The C240 , on the other hand is a delight to drive , has very minimal rust, and will become my daily driver . As it was given to me I feel obligated to keep it for as long as is practical. Brake discs/pads , and other service parts are not expensive items if you shop around .
The Focus has a book value of , I guess , around £3500 , the C240 , probably £600 . Minor jobs I can do myself , and I would not get rid of the Merc unless faced with an outlay of , say £700 , at which point I would scrap it. A couple of grands worth of Ford is not likely to bring a smile to your face when driving it.
David404
Active Member
Unless your putting in £8k £10k + existing car as PX I'd keep and put up with the bills. On £5k - £8k used car j figure there will be stuff the previous owner for left for E to do so I budget on an instant £1 repair bill. J like stuff to work.
