Any mercedes owners in the area?

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  • J.T

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 23, 2012
    1,081
    MD
    EDIT...
    So a lot has changed since this thread was started. Thanks to a ton of hard work and the support of about a dozen or more MDS members who have become customers we now (since July 2015) have a really nice, clean 3 lift/4 bay shop located in Westminster. In general we can save you about 30-40% off dealer prices for repairs while still utilizing OEM parts. In some cases we have saved customers litterally THOUSANDS of dollars, so the drive to Westminster is well worth it in most cases. Mopar92 is here turning wrenches daily. We specialize in Mercedes, BMW, and Sprinter vans but will service pretty much anything. Business has been great and exceeded most of my expectations so far. So thanks to all who have supported us so far and we hope to help out many more of you guys in the future. The 10% MDS discount is still in full effect

    http://www.mercedes-md.com
    http://www.facebook.com/mercedesspecialists

    410-635-0265


    ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    If you are looking for somewhere besides the dealer to have work done I'd like to offer my services. I'm a master certified MB tech with 12+ years experience. Trying to get the new business off the ground. If I can help you or someone you know please pass along my info. I am based in Owings Mills. Thank you

    Mercedes Specialists

    10% off for MDS members or referrals from MDS members
     

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    boardboy330

    Resident Secret Squirrel
    Mar 18, 2008
    12,630
    I will keep you in mind. I have a fleet lol.

    Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
     

    PJDiesel

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Dec 18, 2011
    17,603
    I just sold mine to a Florist in Canton. I think he already has a "guy". (Plus, its a diesel, so he won't be wrenching on it much anyway) ;)
     

    Les Gawlik

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 2, 2009
    3,384
    J.T was able to help me work through a problem over the weekend. It's very reassuring to have an MB tech available on the board.
     

    Raineman

    On the 3rd box
    Dec 27, 2008
    3,543
    Eldersburg
    We have 4 Sprinters in our work fleet and my Mrs. WANTS to be a Mercedes owner pretty bad...and she deserves one. I sent you a PM.
     

    J.T

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 23, 2012
    1,081
    MD
    Replied to all pm's. And yes I can do sprinter work as well. Thanks fellas
     

    Les Gawlik

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 2, 2009
    3,384
    With a little bit of effort, and the help of a good tech like Justin, it's possible to run these cars for less than an insane amount of money. Here's an example.

    About two weeks ago, I was coming back from Frederick. I use the NAV and MAP functions often, even driving locally. I noticed that I lost sound from the NAV guidance, and then it stopped working altogether.

    I thought that since you can get a really nice GPS for a few hundred bucks, this shouldn't be a big deal. I called the dealer and they said it was probably the NAV processor, but it would cost $125 in diagnostic fees to find out. The part itself was $1,500.00, and if the whole COMAND unit had to be replaced it was like $3,500.00.

    I thought that was an insane amount of money. So I trundled off to Al Gore's Amazing Internet to do some research. The NAV processor is a glorified DVD drive, the sort you can get for your laptop for a hundred bucks or so. They are on eBay for about $4-500. I found and entire COMAND unit with free shipping from Canada for a little more than $300.

    Friday night I was trolling here, and I saw Justin's post. I PM'd him and we set something up for this afternoon. As it turned out, I had some issues over the weekend Justin helped me out with. He came to the house this afternoon, and swapped out the NAV processor from the "new" COMAND head into my old one. We powered it up and it worked fine. His rate was very, very reasonable.

    So, the ML is repaired, and I paid 75% - 80% LESS than I would have paid if I just dropped it off at the dealership. Thanks, Justin!
     

    J.T

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 23, 2012
    1,081
    MD
    Anytime Les. Thanks for the feedback. I txtd you about the pigeonhole. Let me know if/when you wanted to knock that out
     

    rico903

    Ultimate Member
    May 2, 2011
    8,802
    What's the overall consensus on MB"s. Consumer reports trashes them and I know German cars cost a small fortune for parts and service. What models, low end , are most recommended? Good to know there's now a reasonable resource here.
    JT-are you familiar with Auto Collision Specialists(ACS) in Reistertown? They are a great body shop that does a ton of MB work. As well as a lot of other high end work.
     

    Les Gawlik

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 2, 2009
    3,384
    There's good and bad in everything. CR just loves Japanese cars. Mercedes got a little ahead of itself in the early 2000s with electronics that were sophisticated, but unreliable. They have an engine with a bad gear on the balance shaft, the M272 3.5 l engine in many of their vehicles. The gear teeth erode, sending metal throughout the engine. The worn gear ultimately trips the cam position sensor, causing the CE light to come on, and there are drivability issues after that. The repair is very expensive, as high as $6000.00. I think the allowance is 25 hours of shop time, including two oil changes. MB provides either full reimbursement or almost nothing, depending on mileage. My CE came on as I was driving the dump road to Hap Baker's one summer day. It was still under warranty, so I didn't pay anything. I did have to get something out of the car, and I went into the shop while it was being repaired. They do take it down to itty bitty parts.

    If you get a good one, they're fantastic. I drove a C for 300,000 miles without a hiccup. I drove it every Thursday night in the summer from Baltimore to Havelock, Ontario, and back every Sunday night. It was always comfortable, stable at speed (and I do mean at speed) and reliable.
     

    J.T

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 23, 2012
    1,081
    MD
    Very familiar with ACS. Great guys and top notch work.

    As for reliability Les is correct. The early 2000's were rough but they have been getting better and better every year. Even the early 2000's cars have had most of the bugs worked out by now due to all the warranty work we used to do. The big thing is keeping up on maintenance and whatnot. I can take care of you for much cheaper than a dealership can and the running costs generally aren't that bad honestly.
     

    IMBLITZVT

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 20, 2009
    3,799
    Catonsville, MD
    The Bolt/Lock of my Machine gun is made by and Marked Mercedes... I guess that makes me a Mercedes owner? :) Ever service one of them? WWI MG08 Maxim Machine gun.
     

    J.T

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 23, 2012
    1,081
    MD
    The Bolt/Lock of my Machine gun is made by and Marked Mercedes... I guess that makes me a Mercedes owner? :) Ever service one of them? WWI MG08 Maxim Machine gun.

    Wow! That's pretty cool. I'd love to help you "service" it sometime. Haha
     

    rico903

    Ultimate Member
    May 2, 2011
    8,802
    JT-Had diner tonite at a friends house with him and his wife. He has worked at ACS for years. He has about 3-4 old MB big body diesels he gets cheap and all of them have 300-400K mi on them. He has about 600 gals of different kinds of fuel at his house which he pays nothing for. He's one of those good old boys that can fix anything. His daily driver has 400k on it it. He got it from a guy who had a whole folder full of receipts from Valley Motors for everything he ever had done. I don't know how long the guy had the car but the receipts totaled $56,000. They charged $500 for an oil change. I almost shit. ACS owners are friends of mine so glad you like the shop. They do great work. Just got Aluminum certified for MB, quite an expensive process. Have to have a whole area just for it. Would love to own one someday but the horror stories scare me away.
     

    Les Gawlik

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 2, 2009
    3,384
    J.T just stopped by the other night to fix a problem on my ML that had been annoying me for months. He was prompt and efficient- the fix took about the same time as I am spending typing this. The charge was 1/3 less than the stealership quoted me.

    Horror stories do abound, but there are many stories of success, too. I ran a C220 for 300,000 miles. It never let me down. I was never stranded. It never failed to start. That's not bad.

    If you think you'd like an MB, the secret is to get a Certified Pre-Owned car. They used to call them Star Mark. The only unavoidable problem with MBs is that they lose an enormous percentage of their value in the first two years. Use that to your advantage. There are some real bargains in the CPO market, and you get a good warranty with it, and you can get an extended warranty on top.

    I saw a CLS AMG with a sticker of about $120k on the showroom for for $50k one evening at the close of business. It was positively immaculate, and had only 18k miles on it. I called back the next morning and it was gone.
     

    J.T

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 23, 2012
    1,081
    MD
    JT-Had diner tonite at a friends house with him and his wife. He has worked at ACS for years. He has about 3-4 old MB big body diesels he gets cheap and all of them have 300-400K mi on them. He has about 600 gals of different kinds of fuel at his house which he pays nothing for. He's one of those good old boys that can fix anything. His daily driver has 400k on it it. He got it from a guy who had a whole folder full of receipts from Valley Motors for everything he ever had done. I don't know how long the guy had the car but the receipts totaled $56,000. They charged $500 for an oil change. I almost shit. ACS owners are friends of mine so glad you like the shop. They do great work. Just got Aluminum certified for MB, quite an expensive process. Have to have a whole area just for it. Would love to own one someday but the horror stories scare me away.

    Yea Chuck is a good guy and they put out great quality work.

    J.T just stopped by the other night to fix a problem on my ML that had been annoying me for months. He was prompt and efficient- the fix took about the same time as I am spending typing this. The charge was 1/3 less than the stealership quoted me.

    Horror stories do abound, but there are many stories of success, too. I ran a C220 for 300,000 miles. It never let me down. I was never stranded. It never failed to start. That's not bad.

    If you think you'd like an MB, the secret is to get a Certified Pre-Owned car. They used to call them Star Mark. The only unavoidable problem with MBs is that they lose an enormous percentage of their value in the first two years. Use that to your advantage. There are some real bargains in the CPO market, and you get a good warranty with it, and you can get an extended warranty on top.

    I saw a CLS AMG with a sticker of about $120k on the showroom for for $50k one evening at the close of business. It was positively immaculate, and had only 18k miles on it. I called back the next morning and it was gone.

    Thanks Les. Hope to hear from you soon
     

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