i gotta a few minutes .....so heres some additional thought. Go to the Dealership & get a copy of the Vehichle Master Inquiry (VMI) That will tell THE REAL STORY. Slip the service guy a saw buck if ya get it. The M104 engine is bullit proof except the head gasket (on the inside) replacement part for the gasket has been re-enforced to prevent the oil leak and a another fix to stop oil from getting into the cooling system. Look for milkshake under the filler cap ! The other campaign (recall) to look for is the engine harness replacement . I think the # is 950223. I could go about electrical weirdness under the hood.......As in early Lucas .
922.369 transmissions are straight forward simple.. Weak spot ....reverse clutch.. It's gonna go If it's shy about reverse...now or ever, it's on the way out & already sending crap thru the rest of the gearbox & converter. Rad. gonna go too. Then the fan clutch ect. ect.. The aircondo fix is gonna be a killer if ya really gotta have. I think if the air condo goes out on my car .... could be "game over"

I have never seen a condensor "go" on any old Mercedes, unless they are physically damaged from a frontal collision. From my experience bringing A/C back to life on countless old MB cars, the only parts I've ever had to replace were compressors, (a few), expansion valves, (only one, thankfully, can be a real PIA), and seals, etc. A/C systems are fairly simple and it sounds like some people here are being fleeced on repairs. :cool:

Condensors are also not difficult to remove and replace. Maybe you are confusing them with evaporators, which are deep within the dash and a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

Thw aircondo in my E320 has never failed ..so far. The cars never been crashed or been in unsafe hands it's entire life . OAT here @ SDF today 93F . Inside the wagon today, like a meat locker. Still a pleasure to drive....Fast, quiet & nimble and only 18 years old. The 124 was the last of the "Old World Mercedes" Now they just build cars for the masses ,all the masses. Can buy a new Mercedes sedan for 30G's ..today. Still have the window sticker for mine .... in 1995 the Sticker was $ 48,640.00 . What Happened?

What happened? They got more expensive. I helped a friend buy a new E350 wagon this year, it was ~$68k. And with all due respect, there is no comparison between a 1995 and a new one. I'm glad your car is working well, though. Those were good cars.

you are correct! I was thinking evaporator. from what I've read, you have to remove the dash.

I recently drove a friend's 2006 E500. Worlds better driving than my car, but they've also replaced every major drivetrain component on the car, under warrantee, save the engine, since they got it.

I think a well cared for 94-95 E320, is probably one of the best bang for buck cars out there.

BASE PRICE on a new E-wagen is $58,600.00 E-Class Wagons: E350 4MATIC, E63 AMG Wagon | Mercedes-Benz

Not sure I am comfortable making the price/vehicle associations I believe you are trying to make but I would say "nothing happened." Good progress all around I would say.

Yes, the pricing is similar adjusted for inflation. My friend's 2013 @ $68k is very nicely equipped but does not have every single option available. It does have panoramic roof, navigation and most everything--it is simply one of the most beautiful new cars on the road, IMO, in silver w/ silver 18" AMG rims and an oyster leather interior with black accents and the black glass roof. Gorgeous wagon.

I'm hoping like hell that I have the scratch when she decides to sell it someday. A nice old w124 is a hell of a good car, but this new thing is like a magic carpet or something. :)

On the subject of cost of a/c repairs. Any reputable shop will want to replace all major long term maintenance components on a 15 year old car. Items like expansion valve, dryer, hoses, o-rings. They don't want you back at the shop a week later and have them fix it for free again, if some other thing goes. This is why a pro shop a/c repair is always $1500 and you really can't blame them. And this is also why the ad is BS - if it was just a refill, it could be done for $200. It probably wouldn't stay in there long enough to sell the car.

G

Sorry, but this is incorrect and bad information. I have owned many old Mercedes-Benz cars with A/C, including some as old as 1970, that did not need everything replaced, had great compressors, etc.. A reputable shop will not replace expansion valves for no reason or open the system unnecessarily if it does not leak. The dryers do not just "go bad", they can last literally forever if system is never contaminated. I have never spent anywhere near $1500 on A/C repairs on these cars and have had many that I simply had charged and they worked great. From the ad's description, the A/C may even be operating, (compressor engages, some freon in system, etc.), but needs a charge to be ice cold. Or it may blow hot and have no freon, it's impossible to know from that piece of paper.

MB cars of that era have excellent A/C systems and they are usually fine. I have replaced compressors a couple times but they are around $200 new. :cool:

If you walk into a shop with a system that's depressurized, they will replace the expansion valve and the dryer. What you do under the shade of your tree is irrelevant.

At any rate, I think we can agree that for the AVERAGE person, that's not mechanically inclined, a bad a/c system is a $1500 deduction on any car.

I used to live in the South US. Any running beater with bad a/c was $500. Same car with good a/c? $2000. Guess why? ;)

G

I don't work on cars under trees and with all due respect, it sounds like you could stand to learn quite a bit about this subject from me, (or someone else). Anyone who hands a shop $1500 to replace what you list is what I'd call "a victim".

While we're on the a/c subject, Dennis-a question. My driver's side dash vent (could be pax too, but I've not checked) occasionally blows hot air when the system calls for a/c - only after the car is restarted-turning the system to full hot then to full cold restores normal operation. Is this likely a bad vac motor or ? Expensive fix?

This is correct so long as its a good shop. Once atmosphere is introduced to the AC the dryer should be replaced. The expansion valve can be cleaned if a catastrophic failure didn't send crud into the system. Seals are soft and naturally can get hard. Swapping seals isn't too tough.

Replacing everything like hoses and compressor is not necessary. Pulingl a vacuum and holding it overnight will tell you if hoses are bad or compressor seals are leaking.

Running a high pressure test will tell you if the compressor is on its way out.

If you know what you are doing - any vehicle with AC can be brought to cold - the cost will require a case by case analysis.

well, ok, if anyone is still following this- my 1100 tensioner/air pump repair broke down as 540 for the pump, 130 for the tensioner, 50 odd for the idler pulley plus the belt, and roughly 300 in labor.

The only item I can really question is the pump. Yes, they are 270 at ******** or 350ish from Pelican (the gen OEM rebuilt one is 900!) but the car is at a shop, its my driver, and it needed to be done.

So was I robbed? Perhaps-maybe the shop bought a pump for 270 and marked it up to 540. I dunno. Had I the time or inclination to diy it, you can even replace the pump bearing for 50 bucks, but that just wasn't an option in this circumstance.

Which car do you have? A w124? The systems vary quite a bit through the years, anything from a bad interior temp sensor to a bad or leaky heater control valve can make hot air flow from the vents instead of cold. As for vacuum, depending on the system, it generally opens and closes all of the flaps and doors that direct air to one place or another. This changed completely in some newer models, (less vacuum and more electric), AFAIK.

I should clarify that I am not a certified automotive A/C technician and I do not do my own A/C work other than changing parts. I do not charge my own systems or diagnose them, either under a tree or otherwise. I have excellent, certified technicians doing this on my cars with good results. I have changed many a filter/dryer when appropriate, (they are cheap and easy to change), plus the occasional expansion valve and plenty of seals. Seals are generally child's play, expansion valves can be a PIA on certain models because Mercedes routed those lines behind safety bars in the dash or console, this may be the case on the w124, (IDK).

I've brought more A/C systems back to life on old cars, and mostly old Mercedes, than I can count. I've simply evacuated and charged many that worked perfectly for as long as I owned them, others needed additional repairs. I have a 1990 w126 that I will have filled with R-12 today and the entire system will work like brand new. It will cost me $150 total, and yes, it is real R-12, not "Freeze12" or some other crap.

If you are spending $1500 to get an intact A/C system blowing cold, (all components still present in the car), you are getting sodomized. I could get 3 old Mercedes with bad compressors blowing cold for less than that. :cool:

Denis-w124 wagon, e320, 95. No a/c issues other than the outer vents occasionally blowing hot on startup. Haven't dropped a dime on the a/c in the 4 yrs I've had the car.

This sound advice, but I will add that a lot of the claimed to be OEM branded parts are not the quality that they were even 2 years ago. Names like Lemforter, Corteco, Bosch and other formerly trusted names are now made in China and are barely better than Meyle, which is generally absolute crap. In many cases, such as some motor mounts I just needed, the dealer part is the only decent part. Uro is a low-bid chinese part, brake rotors that cost ~$100 each from the dealer might be $12 from Uro. So that should tell you something. :cool:

I'll ask the expert and get back to you on this thread. :)