Rust on wheel arches - W202 1995 C180

[Jamesie]

I was recently quoted £875 + VAT (of which labour comprised £560) for fixing the front wheel arches (including two new wings) and some limited work on the back arches.

Given the guy quoted me "around about £400" when I went to see him and then produced an invoice for over double that he won't be seeing any of my custom, especially as the repairs would cost me more than the car actually did!

I guess it is very difficult to say without seeing the car but what would be a reasonable price for this kind of bodywork? As this is the first car I've had that I've even thought about restoring I'm very new to this.

Also, I've read various things about Mercedes anti-corrosion warranties etc. There is a wealth of conflicting information out there, but would this be covered, or would the age of the car preclude this?

Cheers

James

 

[Dieselman]

All in not too bad given new wings were supplied. I would've thought £100 per corner for arch touch-ups anyway.

 

[Roger Jones]

If they are MB OEM wings, then they'll be at least £200 each with VAT, judging by my recent findings about W124 wings. Work on them and on the back arches is going to take, say, 8 hours or more, so there's your labour costs at, say, £60 or more an hour. Bodywork is expensive and cannot be rushed.

The route to lower costs is non-OEM parts and finding the cheapest local bodyshop, which is probably small, tucked away in a back street and run by good guys in overalls (not suits), with a reception desk littered with papers smudged with dirt. But even then it's gonna cost.

I am no expert, but I doubt that MB would entertain any warranty or goodwill contribution on a 1995 car. They wriggled out of my claim on my 1996 W124 Coupé in 2002. The "wriggle"? They claimed that the corroding antenna aperture must have been an aftermarket job as the car was not supplied with a Becker radio; I later unearthed hard evidence that the car had been supplied with the antenna fitted -- hardly surprising, but I was naive and had given in to aggressive refusal on the part of the dealer in telephone consultation with MB UK HQ.

 

[Jamesie]

Thanks for responses. The price for the wings were for generic alternatives rather than Mercedes parts. I just felt the jump in price from first consultation to formal quote was a bit steep!

Interested to hear any other comments on the warranty situation, but like Roger I am not optimistic.

 

[Dieselman]

On the warranty side, forget it, Your car had a one year warranty...

 

[Will]

Price sounds ok to me, somewhat average for the work involved.

Bodywork isn't cheap and although you may get better quotes, will the overall job be as good?

Have you seen any other work of his? I'd go for quality over price

Having said that, on a '95 W202 I guess it's a lot of cash to spend unless the rest of the car is mint and you really like it/will be keeping it for a long time?

Best of luck,

Will

 

[Roger Jones]

Pattern wings are more like £50--£100 each.

The "really like it and keep it for a long time" is how I approach such costs. The resale value of most such cars (including all of mine) is essentially peanuts unless they strike lucky as sought-after classics and are truly mint and low mileage (that dubious but ever-appealing factor). This doesn't stop me continuing to invest in, for instance, my Coupé, which I really do like and, as when I first acquired it, I intend to keep for many more years; it may well outlive me. I've had it for nine years so far; I had an Audi and a Golf for about ten years each; I've had my Capri 2.8i for 25 years. I'd rather shell out hundreds per year on average on a car with which I'm deeply comfortable than lose thousands a year on a new plastic/electronic box in the pursuit of the other Joneses.

 

[vin230]

The cost sounds about right to me. My old 230 CE back arches were done a few years ago, £200 an arch. removing rot, treating the metal, or letting in a new wheela arch lip, its all labnout intensive. Mine was just to grind back, Kurust, fill and paint. Plus you got to blend in the paint.