Alarming yearly maintenance costs ..is this normal

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cellarmerc

Active Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
85
Location
Valencia,Spain
Car
W211 E320cdi est. Elegance 2005
Over the past year I have to replace the rear hatch struts (280euro inc fitting) and apparently this is rare ... also the previous owner damaged the locking rear seat catch .. I thought it would be a cable but no.. it cost 570euro to fit & supply the new Merc part in the seat... . I complained about vague steering so changed front worn bushings but also they had to change a warn and fatigued arm bushing that had to purchased as a complete piece (arm maybe)or whatever it was , yes I verify I saw all the parts new...760euro fitting .and now today new discs and service 748euro today ..couldn´t put it off any longer . Now if I did a major service and gearbox oil when I bought it at 172k km at 800euro then I seem to have had a really bad year or is it like that with a 183k km Mercedes E320 ... seems like high running costs or are all 8 year old E320 diesels like this..
Sorry to moan but a guy liked the car in the garage and was interested in buying it ... hate to sell it now I have done all the work ...just hope the dreaded electronic brake system doesnt fail as they say thats not cheap !
 
That is all perfectly normal work on a 211.
 
What proportion of the cost of these repairs were for parts and how much for labour? Mercedes Main Dealer labour costs are usually higher than the industry standard rates - don't know if this applies in Spain or not?
 
Mine was similar and when faced with the final kick of 1600 quid to sort the brake fault, we just got rid of it.... Repairs are normal in cars but the costs involved in keeping that beast was just silly.
Cheers
 
I gather it´s not a cheap car to keep but there are few cars to choose from when you want good leg room,space,economy & enough power coupled with a classy image for clients (and myself ). I like the car despite the bills, but like you mention if it continues it will have to go. As usual its the combination of expensive parts, reasonable labour at 35euro per hr as not Mercedes but then the VAT or IVA in Spain on all of that adds up. The A6 avant is an option but lacks a bit of the class (unless its the RS6 V10 haha).
 
I'm averaging ~300eur / 250 pounds per month just for maintenance (not including tires, insurance, diesel etc) for my W203 c200. It's been in the garage every month 1-2 times since I got it in June. In fact it's going again next week, it's been already 5 weeks from last time :rolleyes:

Your E320 has air suspension right? Be mentally prepared for 1-1500eur bill when it goes wrong. My friend just had his car repaired because of that.

And 35eur/h for labor sounds awesome even though it's not the dealer. Here in Finland the prices usually start from 80e/h even for the indies and the parts are 2x price compared to UK or Germany
 
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Comes down to choices - mercs are, overall, high maintenance - you want low maintenance, then buy a toyota

Look at warranty direct cost of ownership tables, with WD take into account what they don't cover though and what they will and won't pay for. Otherwise you could be disappointed in the actual cover you get.
 
Except for service items, oil etc, mine has cost...£0 this year.
 
Its normal for W211 320 CDI,they are notorious for high running cost.The petrol version is even bigger money pit...
 
Annual costs of my W211:
30000km/year.

Fuel costs 10,9 cent/km
Insurance, taxes, MOT 4,3 cent/km
Repairs and maintenance 4,3 cent/km
Approx. depreciation 7,6 cent/km (2400€)

Total 27,2 cent/km.
 
i think you just had a bad year, hopefully many more of cheaper motoring.

if you keep on top of the repairs
 
As above.

Apart from routine servicing and 2 front suspension arms, my W220 hasn't cost me a penny over the last 2 years.

It is due an A service within a week or so and it now needs a ball joint. I have a feeling that now i'm at 133000 miles it's just a waiting game until a big bill comes along.

That's in complete contrast to my W209 CLK I had. I virtually replaced every piece of suspension and drive train. Engine and gearbox included. (luckily gearbox MB did under goodwill)
It was an absolute money pit and I should have kept it for a few years after all the brand new suspension and brakes went on, but I was sick of the sight of it.
Surprisingly it didn't suffer 1 electronic fault. So next time someone warns you off a modern car due to electronics, be aware!
 
Fuel costs -4£ per day for 10 000 miles
Repair and servicing-roundabout 1000£ for the hole year
Tax+ insurance- 500£ circa
The car in question-W203
 
All depends on how the car is driven and maintained,

i'm always putting my cars on ramps to have a poke about and keep an eye on various high consumption items. (bushes, suspension arms, brake parts etc) keeping things greased up and cleaned up! And as soon as i hear a noise that isn't quite right i'm getting underneath to check it out. I don't rotate my tyres, i keep an eye on them and any uneven wear is spotted early on and caught before it gets much worse!

At the end of the day tyres are cheap enough and regularly replaced for me to worry about squeezing every last mile out of them, a dodgy track rod end that might cost £30 to have replaced is better than not noticing for quite a fair few miles due to tyre rotation and can escalate into bushes further up the chain and ball joints etc....and a higher repair bill!

A lot of my cars get driven hard, not so much nowadays but track days, offroading etc could regularly see me going through tyres, clutches, bearings, brake parts etc a couple of times a year.

Knowing what to look for on a car and what isn't right, is an absolute must for certain types of high maintenance vehicles, or they can turn very quickly into serious money pits! In 9 years, apart from mot's and tyres, I've only ever put a car into a garage once for repair work..... otherwise i'd dread to think what id have ended up spending in labour rates!

As for you OP, that doesn't sound to bad really considering the age and mileage.....the prices paid are a bit sickening but the things being replaced are quite normal. (apart from boot struts and seat cable)
 
renault12ts said:
£1000...for 10,000 miles??? That is a big cost.
My 2013 fuel bill is actually 1400£ for 16 000miles ,and 1000£ Are only for repairs and service,roughly 3000£ total...
 
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