Alright guys let's hear em, I know we've all had to go into the dealership or other repair facility and have gotten the "oh shit, it costs THAT much to fix it!" feeling. Here's my first one, from today nonetheless.


The Benz got it's first SES light last Saturday, but it drove and acted normally, so I kept driving it, unworried. I made an appointment at the dealer I always work with to go in and get it diagnosed today at noon. Now I went over to Steve's (MN-STS-Lover) house last night to use his codebreaker to find out what code it was throwing. It was something like "lean running condition, bank one" so I figured it was something minor. Nope.

Went in this morning and I showed my advisor what code it was and he told me "Well it's probably a mass airflow sensor or an 02 sensor." I figured, ok, if it's the MAS it's probably gonna be like a couple hundred bucks. Haha, nope! He said it was around $790 for a new one, and that's only with .5 hour to install it....which means the part is like $690! :cookoo::eek::ill:

But he told me, since I work for a dealer (even though it's a competitor) he'd give me a discount....$715 for the job, instead of $790. Now I probably won't have them do it, but damnit that's customer service! And that's why I love the service I get at Feldmann.

So I don't exactly have a "Mercedes" type pocketbook so I had to pass on the repair for now. I paid my $115 for the hour diagnosis and I found a place that'll sell me the MAS for $345 with my employee discount.

So anyways, enough of me, how about you??

Timing chain guides for the Q45. $2500 at the dealer, but...

I paid $1450 (plus gas to and from Promise City Iowa) by ordering the parts online and taking it to a guy in Iowa who worked on it at home. I even got a free buffalo steak dinner.

$2500 for timing chain guides?! Ya gotta be kiddin me! Tell me that's all labor!

Post that picture you made of you sitting by the Q45, hair disheveled, holding a sign that said "need money, car needs timing chain guides" or somthing like that.

http://q.spilky.com/qbeggar.jpg

Within a month of buying the Seville:

$1100 to replace the water pump gasket and a flush and fill
$800 to replace the intake manifold (cracked port for the backfire relief valve)

Still don't see that logic.. $300 more for a gasket (not the pump) vs. the entire intake manifold?

Being dumb enough to buy a "high tech" car.....Priceless! :thepan:

I have a basic GM one that I called on and kind of expected, but still kind of hit me.

I knew my Fleetwood probably could use new plugs & wires at a minimum, after 12 years and 125k miles (okay, I actually think the plugs have been done, from the looks, but still). Now, being a small block Chevy, it shouldn't be that difficult, but is complicated only enough to make service people not like doing it. One local shop I've gone to that fixed my A/C before, had remarked each time "Yeah, that's the LT1. Great engine, but the $1000+ tune-up because of where the distributer is and such." That was semi shock #1, but still with all new AC Delco parts included, and the labor, wasn't too extreme for a shop quote.

The next later was just the plugs & wires, where both they and the GM dealer gave a very rough quote of $600. Still haven't done it, but know the best way other owners have, so might still attempt it...I tend to let things linger, rather than just get them done, obviously.

Another was when my fuel pump went out, and because the wires were also melted going to it, they had to get a whole new sender...to the tune of $400. That first service when I bought it, just for a transmission fluid change, went from $125 to $1300 in a matter of a few hours...but, it took care of a few things, that'll now be good for as long as I have it, likely.

Still, that's chump change compared to a lot of import bills.

Case in point? They RARELY ever go out (I always wonder why this is a common issue on SO many import vehicles), but MAF sensors for my LT1 are cheap and easy to find. Used and miled up MB's, BMW's, Lexus's, etc., I like, but it's still the repair bill factor that really led me to as basic and easy as I could find, and still enjoy--ala Fleetwood.
------------------------------------

JESDA: Great pic!

I gotta make a pic like that. Except mine would say:

"Broke, need MAS, 4 Michelins, l/f check strap, lower control arm bushings, coolant flush, a brake flush.....and a hug!" Paypal to Chadillac1973@yahoo.com

Oh, and my $118 oil change from the dealer was a nice swift kick in the pocketbook.

I gotta make a pic like that. Except mine would say:

"Broke, need MAS, 4 Michelins, l/f check strap, lower control arm bushings, coolant flush and a brake flush.....and a hug!" Paypal to Chadillac8705@yahoo.com

Haha...good job. Now we can start advertising your need. Ah, but that Mercedes joy...makes up for the bills, most of the time. Very likely just the usual few things you ALWAYS run into right after a new used car purchase, or we'll hope so. All pretty minor too, just not "Chevy cheap".

I gotta make a pic like that. Except mine would say:

"Broke, need MAS, 4 Michelins, l/f check strap, lower control arm bushings, coolant flush, a brake flush.....and a hug!" Paypal to Chadillac1973@yahoo.com

Oh, and my $118 oil change from the dealer was a nice swift kick in the pocketbook.Only a hug? Hell, with the big back seat in the Benz you should at least hold out for a b-job.

Sorry F, beat you to it!

volvo 105k service ......$1100-1500 (includes timing belt)
volvo o2 sensor is around 300... just for the sensor
volvo software upgrades normally cost around 50 bucks in addition to the diag charge, yes software updates , downloaded from our freinds in goteburg ..

thing is , its VERY typical for a volvo customer to come in and drop thousands on a car , and those customers with almost 10 year old cars from the 850/s70 family can and often do drop 3 grand ...something your typical florida cadillac owner wouldnt do , hell try prying more then 20 bucks for an oil change out of a caddy owners hands ...not to say volvo rips folks off , these cars do indeed need these services , also a big reason why a volvo with 200,000 miles is a very typical sight ...

the record tho for a single job ive seen was a warranty/recall on the 06 XLR-V , engine replacemnt , 41 hours labor per gm , so that at a shop rate of 95 bucks per hour and the cost of a superchagred 4.4 northstar (wonder how much that thing costs )...well it at least 3400 in labor alone to do the job , prolly another 5-8 grand for the engine ...doubt gm paid that ,since it was done under warranty..but a 11 grand job at the least

Wow. My $400 door ding seems almost reasonable. :lol: Pissed me off anyhow. :yup:

Bought the Town Car with a bad heater core (and blend door actuator, and worn driver door hinge) Among other issues....

To replace the heater core, and BDA, and entire hinge, the entire dashboard needs to come out.

To get it done at the dealer, all labor, would have been about $1,800 for all 3!

I replaced the heater core myself (twice) for $100 myself, using OEM Motorcraft, after using a cheapie aftermarket... no problems since :)

New BDA was $70 from Ford.... that was quick and easy, once the entire dashboard came out :)

I fixed the hinge using a $7 pin and bushing kit for an F-150 in the HELP section, had to buy a dremel to cut thru the pin, as factory pin is tapered, and non replaceable.... perfect match, and IF I need to, it will be very easy to replace in the future now.

So all 3 repairs I did myself for about $180 vs 10 times that price at the dealer :) Not even sure how much all the other work I've done would add up to... but those were the only WTF that much? repairs :)

Still tho, $120 for an oil change is pretty bad tho....

depends on what is involoved in that 120 dollar oil change ....

there may be adjustments , in depth inspections , who knows .....takes me a half hour to 45 min complete an oil change at volvo ....thats checking almost all componets for function and a 3 mile test drive ...

but still , i think that there is very little justification to go anywhere above 75 bucks for a 3-7k type service

They (M-B) say the oil is good for 10,000 miles, so even though it is synthetic, that breaks down so it's equal to two GM synthetic oil changes, at $56.99 a piece. But if you look at it though, 7.4 quarts of oil, that would round up to 8... at $7-8 bucks a piece equals $56-64, and then you've got the $28 canister style filter. So you're looking at $84-$92 if you'd want to do it yourself, and then you've gotta find a way to get rid of the oil if you do it at home.

Here's what else comes with the $118 oil change.

Inspect:

Tires
Belts
Hoses
Fluids


Condition of struts/shocks
Front and rear brakes and the e-brake
Exhaust System
Any fluid leaks
Radiator
Battery/Battery Cables
Igntion wires/ spark plugs
Air/Fuel filters
Wiper Blades
All exterior and interior lights
HVAC system
Seatbelts

And a complimentary hand car wash, vaccum and dry. $14.95 value. You'd have to ask at the dealer I work at for a car wash, and it's not a hand wash...we just drive it thru the wash bay.

I'd say it adds up pretty well to $118. The things I have in bold are the things we check at Chevrolet when you come in for your $32.95 oil change. M-B goes much more in depth.

Mobil 1 synthetic is $5/quart at Advance Auto, 5 x 8 = $40. Your canister style filter (Purolator) is $9 at Advance Auto. Disposing of the oil means bringing your oil drain pan back to Advance Auto and dumping it in their oil collection tank (free of course)

Bascially about $50 for a DIY oil change on your car.... you could get 2.5 home oil changes or 1 dealer oil change.....

As far as I am concerned.... all those "inspect" things don't mean anything to me... no matter where you go. Maybe to someone that dosn't know a tire from a tie-rod, the thought of a tire wear check or fluid level check is a selling point... to me its just extra stuff to make it sound like you are getting a better deal.

Tires, belts, hoses, fluids..... look at them, simple as that. Condition of shocks/struts? Bounce each corner of the car up and down by hand... good? Front and rear brakes... they work. Dosn't M-B have brake wear sensors or something anyway? condition of parking brake... park on a hill, does it hold the car? Exhaust system.... is it loud? overly rusty? fluid leaks.... drips on the ground? If so, from where? Radiator.... is it leaking? Battery/battery cables... does it start the car? Is there an acid mess? are the cables staying together by one piece of wire? plugs/wires... do they actually pull each spark plug out to look at them? air filter... look at it... fuel filter... if its the inline canister style, not sure how you can tell its condition... maybe hook up a pressure gauge at the fuel rail and run the fuel pump? or you can remove it and blow thru it :) wiper blades.... put the winshield wash on.... do the blades streak, chatter, leave spots or are torn? int/ext lights... turn them on at night and look at the car, for turn signals/brake lights put the hazzards on and make sure they all light up, for the 3rd brake light, usually you can see a reflection of it at night on the car. Interior lights... turn them on. HVAC system... does A/C work? does heat work? If car has a cabin air filter, look at it. seat belts... do they pull out? retract back in? buckle? are they ripped/torn?

The car wash can be done manually at a coin op place for $5, or at home for about 50 cents in materials.

I dunno... I know to someone that can't, or dosn't want to work on cars, then its a great deal... or the typical M-B owner, $120 isn't even something they would think twice about... but I just have a hard time justifying paying that much for not only something that I can do... but such simple, basic things... All those things mentioned I perform on my vehicles on a regular basis, at different times.

My mom came up with Aimee to visit me this weekend, took my parents '98 Park Ave... so I looked it over... washer fluid was empty, so I filled it up, oil was about 2/3 quart low, trans fluid was about 1/2 qt low, all other fluids were fine.... went to Advance got a quart of oil and a quart of ATF... put those in, while there I put the lights on, walked around the car, they all worked, put the hazzards on, all turn signal/brake lights worked. I use windsehild wash often, and the wipers were fine. Air filter is new, tires are new. Car was a mess so I went to the car wash, Monday-Friday the local car wash offers double time, so $5 in got me 25 minutes of wash... washed entire car including tires/wheels, engine, once car was washed I did the protective foam stuff then spray wax (water beads up nice) then spent $2 for 8 minutes of the vaccum and cleaned out the mess of sand/dirt/pebbles/twigs on the floors of the car.

But... maybe its just me :shrug: I just can't justify spending $120 for an oil change, but if you have the money and don't mind paying that, then its all good :)

I'll gladly pay the money so I don't have to get dirty.

Well this isn't quite up there with the numbers you guys are throwing out but. On my 93 Brougham a couple years back I was amazed to hear that replacing the 2 rear brake lines was a $500 - $700 job.

I don't recall exactly now what it costs but it was something in there.

I guess I was also amazed when the transmission in my DTS costs $3000+ to rebuild.

I'll gladly pay the money so I don't have to get dirty.

Me too, especially without the time or space to do such work myself most of the time. Case in point, that service you detailed for an oil change, inspections, and wash seems WELL worth the cost to me--especially because you can just make an appointment, bing-bang-boom, and you're out with a serviced and cleaned car, with little effort.

Ah well... must be nice to have all the extra money to get work done at the dealer so you stay clean.... Guess I don't mind getting a little dirty now and then on the car... I am a mechanic after all :)

The stock halogen head lamps on 1st gen Mark VIII's suck so I wanted to upgraded to the HID's instead. Only problem was the setup costs over a $1000. The rubber molding around the rear window tends to bubble up and look like crap, unforunately you can't just buy the molding. You have to buy a entire rear window setup which also costs over $1000.

I am a mechanic after all :)There's the difference. You do this for a living, so you're very comfortable doing most of the work on your car. My dad was an aircraft mechanic for the Air Force, so he did most of the work on our cars when I was a kid. I'd help him, handing wrenches, tightening or loosening parts, etc. I helped him pull and reinstall two engines he had rebuilt. I did the same with a friend who helped me with Betty when I had her engine rebuilt in 2000. But I inherited none of my Dad's skill or patience. I've learned how to do some repairs on my cars out of necessity (and have gotten very dirty in the process), but it's not something I enjoy doing.

In theory, I could change my oil myself. The biggest hassle is disposing of the old oil. I pay $36.99 for Cruella (high-mileage oil) and $29.99 for Betty at a Valvoline oil change franchise owned by the local True Value Hardware store. That's before my AAA discount, plus a coupon that's printed on the back of the local grocery store receipts. I've jokingly told them pretty soon they'll be paying me for the privilege of changing my oil. For me, it's well worth it.

Some little electrical piece of crap that rarely goes out on my old 4Runner is in the neighborhood of six hundred bucks. The damn truck isn't worth but two grand...so its pretty irritating that it may be going out soon. :)

We had a guy come in the shop the other day who had one of his Airmatic struts blow out on his '01 w220 (it was a 430). Well, he ended up needing both front struts, plus a right lower control arm and an alignment. I think the bill was around $6k if I remember correctly......VERY expensive.

The bill for my water pump housing, and front struts on my STS from two years ago when I had it fixed at the dealer (had no tools at the time and nowhere to do it) was about $2200......that just plain sucked.



These days, unless it's something I can't do in the shop or home (like replace the trans) the labor is free, and since I usually buy my parts from the same suppliers that service most shop, they're cheap too.

Oh that's right Dan, I forgot you worked at a M-B dealer. Looks like I've got someone to go to for help with mine! ;) :D

550$ for a power door lock actuator for my ls400. 1500$ for the gauge cluster. 600$ for the tachometer needle. 300$ for 1 upper control arm.

I fixed my gauge cluster myself with some soldering. got a door lock actuator from a junk car for 20$ Thankfully my upper control arms and tach needle are good!

I still want a w140 s-class but i cant afford the maintenance. So i definitely cant afford a repair.

a 6k repair bill??? holy crap. Those w220's are crap from what i've heard. Amazing cars but unreliable. Everything breaks and is very expensive. They are damn gorgeous though. Oh the 03-06 models are stunning.

i change the oil in my LS for about $26 in Mobil One oil, 5 for a Toyota brand filter, and about 30 minutes of my time.

Those w220's are crap from what i've heard. Amazing cars but unreliable. Everything breaks and is very expensive.


Not what I would care to call an "amazing car."

I have a basic GM one that I called on and kind of expected, but still kind of hit me.

I knew my Fleetwood probably could use new plugs & wires at a minimum, after 12 years and 125k miles (okay, I actually think the plugs have been done, from the looks, but still). Now, being a small block Chevy, it shouldn't be that difficult, but is complicated only enough to make service people not like doing it. One local shop I've gone to that fixed my A/C before, had remarked each time "Yeah, that's the LT1. Great engine, but the $1000+ tune-up because of where the distributer is and such." That was semi shock #1, but still with all new AC Delco parts included, and the labor, wasn't too extreme for a shop quote.

The next later was just the plugs & wires, where both they and the GM dealer gave a very rough quote of $600. Still haven't done it, but know the best way other owners have, so might still attempt it...I tend to let things linger, rather than just get them done, obviously.

Another was when my fuel pump went out, and because the wires were also melted going to it, they had to get a whole new sender...to the tune of $400. That first service when I bought it, just for a transmission fluid change, went from $125 to $1300 in a matter of a few hours...but, it took care of a few things, that'll now be good for as long as I have it, likely.

Still, that's chump change compared to a lot of import bills.

Case in point? They RARELY ever go out (I always wonder why this is a common issue on SO many import vehicles), but MAF sensors for my LT1 are cheap and easy to find. Used and miled up MB's, BMW's, Lexus's, etc., I like, but it's still the repair bill factor that really led me to as basic and easy as I could find, and still enjoy--ala Fleetwood.
------------------------------------

JESDA: Great pic!

Plugs and wires plain suck on any LT1 but, 600 bucks! I never priced it out. I just always did it myself, but it usually took the whole day!(and a few beers)

Man there is some pricey stuff out there!! I do most things myself unless it is transmission related. To hard to mess with and that is why tranny guys can charge that much. It is a hobby for me.

They (M-B) say the oil is good for 10,000 miles, so even though it is synthetic, that breaks down so it's equal to two GM synthetic oil changes, at $56.99 a piece. But if you look at it though, 7.4 quarts of oil, that would round up to 8... at $7-8 bucks a piece equals $56-64, and then you've got the $28 canister style filter. So you're looking at $84-$92 if you'd want to do it yourself, and then you've gotta find a way to get rid of the oil if you do it at home.

Here's what else comes with the $118 oil change.

Inspect:

Tires
Belts
Hoses
Fluids


Condition of struts/shocks
Front and rear brakes and the e-brake
Exhaust System
Any fluid leaks
Radiator
Battery/Battery Cables
Igntion wires/ spark plugs
Air/Fuel filters
Wiper Blades
All exterior and interior lights
HVAC system
Seatbelts

And a complimentary hand car wash, vaccum and dry. $14.95 value. You'd have to ask at the dealer I work at for a car wash, and it's not a hand wash...we just drive it thru the wash bay.

I'd say it adds up pretty well to $118. The things I have in bold are the things we check at Chevrolet when you come in for your $32.95 oil change. M-B goes much more in depth.

7.4 quarts wow! I know my Big Block has 8 with the oil cooler.
So I would guess that is not unreasonable with all that oil and that filter.

Within a month of buying the Seville:

$1100 to replace the water pump gasket and a flush and fill
$800 to replace the intake manifold (cracked port for the backfire relief valve)

Still don't see that logic.. $300 more for a gasket (not the pump) vs. the entire intake manifold?

Being dumb enough to buy a "high tech" car.....Priceless! :thepan:

$1100 for a water pump gasket? Not bad for an hour labor and $5 gasket. Ouch man I'm sorry.

I thought the $259 I paid to get the water pump "locked" in was bad with them having to put it all back together, find the leak, tear it apart, and put it back together again.

I'd say any MB W210 or later is a heap of trash. So sad. As a kid I always admired the tri-star.

My daughter's kids broke the back window of her Dodge minivan. It was over $1200 for a junkyard replacement.

HOLY SHIT! 1200 bucks for a bone yard replacement...Crazy!!

WOW! Since I do almost all of my own (non warranty) maintenance I had no idea of some of those prices. Some seem like down right highway robbery. You guys need to invest in some tools and learn how to do some of this stuff. Then again, if you would "gladly" pay to stay clean, I guess you can't complain about the cost to do so.

7.4 quarts wow! I know my Big Block has 8 with the oil cooler.
So I would guess that is not unreasonable with all that oil and that filter.

Definitely man! I'm amazed at how much oil these DOHC motors take! The 1.6L in my brother's Nissan took like 4 (well, about 16 if you count the 12 in between oil changes LOL) , my mom's 3.3L Highlander takes like 5 and the V8 W140 S Classes take 8.5, and god only knows what the V-12 S Classes take!

WOW! Since I do almost all of my own (non warranty) maintenance I had no idea of some of those prices. Some seem like down right highway robbery. You guys need to invest in some tools and learn how to do some of this stuff. Then again, if you would "gladly" pay to stay clean, I guess you can't complain about the cost to do so.

x2!!!

Glad I'm not the only one that feels that way.

I'll gladly pay the money so I don't have to get dirty.
Well said;)

I'd rather get dirrty than dirty, but I can't seem to have luck with either. :bigroll:

My daughter's kids broke the back window of her Dodge minivan. It was over $1200 for a junkyard replacement.


HOLY CRAP

x2!!!

Glad I'm not the only one that feels that way.

x3!!!

I agree with you guys (and everything I know about working on a car was self taught from reading the FSM).

Wish I had more/nicer tools.

The most expensive service I had done on the Escalade was $1111.12. That replaced the rear brakes/emergency brake, oil change, tie rod ends, and transmission fluid and filter.

http://q.spilky.com/qbeggar.jpg
Who's the Mexican guy holding the sign? hehehe

Who's the Mexican guy holding the sign? hehehe

Tengo un gato en mis pantalones!!!

Tengo un gato en mis pantalones!!!
¡Ay, caramba! :bonkers:

Cats and pants? That's what I got out of that.

Jesda, how did the cat get in your pants?

HOLY CRAP
What really surprised me was that there was none to be found in a town of 350,000. It had to be shipped in about 2800 miles.

I guess I'll take the cake for the most expensive PAID repair then. 1999 BMW 328i, when I ran over Verizon's stupid manhole cover and tore a hole in the trans (the trans was working perfectly mind you).

Verizon's total out of pocket insurance cost for this repair? $9,500.00. The car was worth 9 at best.

This included a new transmission, transmission mounts, new engine mounts, driveshaft, power steering pump hoses, and a new right front shock and control arm (I have a feeling Reeves BMW padded this bill by the way). The transmission was 4000.00 reman and about 2000.00 labor.

Before you anti-BMW freaks jump in, this job could have been indepdently for about 3500.00, about the same as the HG on a N*. However, IT WASNT MY CHECKBOOK! Hehehehe.

Now 6000.00 for the airmatic strut on a W220? Thats absolute f**king insanity. You would pay that for ALL FOUR CORNERS, the labor, AND THE COMPRESSOR on my BMW built Range Rover. W220's are such utter shit-piles, even MB salespeople will admit it readily. It's so funny to see people bitch about BMW's being over-rated when MB is really more deserving of the over-rated title, anything built post-W140, but ignorance is bliss I guess.

Speaking of the Range Rover, despite that truck's apparently piss poor reliability history (mostly stemming from the 2002 and prior and 2006 and newer Jaguar based models), I haven't had a single maintenance intensive issue outside of a broken power telescope gear for the steering wheel in nearly 2000 miles of owning it. Knock on wood. I love my Rover, but I've got a new project I'm working on that I need to focus on right now, and Jesda made me a terrific offer.

550$ for a power door lock actuator for my ls400. 1500$ for the gauge cluster. 600$ for the tachometer needle. 300$ for 1 upper control arm.

I fixed my gauge cluster myself with some soldering. got a door lock actuator from a junk car for 20$ Thankfully my upper control arms and tach needle are good!

I still want a w140 s-class but i cant afford the maintenance. So i definitely cant afford a repair.

a 6k repair bill??? holy crap. Those w220's are crap from what i've heard. Amazing cars but unreliable. Everything breaks and is very expensive. They are damn gorgeous though. Oh the 03-06 models are stunning.

i change the oil in my LS for about $26 in Mobil One oil, 5 for a Toyota brand filter, and about 30 minutes of my time.

What year is your LS? Did you have the classic "Tachometer needle stuck" issue? Happens to the 98 occasionally on the Speedometer, has never happened to the '90. The 98 backlight also dims occasionally.

I gotta make a pic like that. Except mine would say:

"Broke, need MAS, 4 Michelins, l/f check strap, lower control arm bushings, coolant flush, a brake flush.....and a hug!" Paypal to Chadillac1973@yahoo.com

Oh, and my $118 oil change from the dealer was a nice swift kick in the pocketbook.

As they say, "you gotta pay to play"....welcome to the bigs.



F

Nick got quoted 950.00 bucks to do the brakes on his CTS from a mechanic we have trusted for years with our work until the last couple years when the high prices started along with diagnostic charges wether you had them do the work or not. And that was replacing all four pads and front rotors and machining the rears.

I wonder what it would cost my brother to have the 1.6L in his Sentra rebuilt at the Nissan dealer I used to work at?

Depending on how extensive a "rebuild", I'd bet they quote no less than 2000.00 *IF* they dont just tell you to scrap the motor and tell you they can only do a replacement at this point.

Timing chain guides for the Q45. $2500 at the dealer, but...

I paid $1450 (plus gas to and from Promise City Iowa) by ordering the parts online and taking it to a guy in Iowa who worked on it at home..

And you bad mouth Northstars for headgaskets??? I'd say the Nissan.........
I mean Infinity is a bigger turd. .:stirpot:

And you bad mouth Northstars for headgaskets??? I'd say the Nissan.........
I mean Infinity is a bigger turd. .:stirpot:

You cant take the Northstar to Joe-bob and have him do it for 1400.00. Theres a ton of guys out there who will do the chain-guides for the Q on the cheap. Most independent Cadillac mechanics won't touch the headgaskets, OR will charge only a couple thousand less than the dealer, which is still close to 3k.

Let's leave that out of the picture for a moment though... the primary *difference*, is that Nissan actually *fixed* the problem. This only affected 90-92 Q45's. Its a non issue after that.

I really don't like Nissan much at all, but your argument doesn't hold much water.

Holds a lot of water, for $1400 in labor, I'd do Northstar headgaskets all day.
Even if I stroked the job out a whole week, that's good money.

And I'm not a Joe-bob, I'm an ASE certified technician.

And FYI, a couple thousand less then $3000 is $1000.

Cadillac for the most part fixed the issue too, it just took them 7 years.

Holds a lot of water, for $1400 in labor, I'd do Northstar headgaskets all day.
Even if I stroked the job out a whole week, that's good money.

And I'm not a Joe-bob, I'm an ASE certified technician.

And FYI, a couple thousand less then $3000 is $1000.

Your grasping at straws and symantics to make up for the design flaw of the Northstar dude. We've been there and done that here 1000 times, and yes there are dealers who charge upwards of 5k to do the headgaskets ALL-DAY-LONG, and independents who charge 2500-3000 EASY.

Now that I know I can take my Northstar to you when the headgaskets blow and have you do it for +/- 1700.00, I'll go ahead and buy my dream Seville again. I'm right here in Tampa, What's your address? Hope you timesert it!

No problem, we can talk at the November 10th meet. I'm about 20 minutes
from where the meet is taking place. PM me if you want to set something up.
And yes, time-sert is a must, wouldn't do it without.

:hide:

Hey, if enough people get in on this, I'll rent a warehouse and a lift and start
doing them full time. After working as a Benz dealer tech, this will be cake.

:hide:

And Chad, if you ever need an evaporator done on your W140, fly me in
and we can do it over a weekend. About 8 hrs working time.

Im all for it. Im pretty stoked cause this means I can go find my dream Seville with an HG problem on the cheap and have it fixed for less than 5k out of my pocket. If it's the truth I'm pretty excited.

I plan on doing the same thing, I really wanted a white Eldo, but at
the time all I could find (with low miles) was this calypso green car
so 1st clean white one with blown gaskets and I'm in. Nice part is
I can take my time doing it since I already have a great running, low
mileage Eldo already.

I

Pan Gasket/ Rear Main on the Eldorado.. still haven't gotten over it or fixed it. I wonder how bad it is to inhale this burning oil smell everyday :hmm:

Oh yea.. when my struts went out that sucked big time too. At least there was a cheaper aftermarket alternative though. I'm over 10K deep in this thing and that doesn't even include the purchase price... at this rate the only original thing will be the body, engine & tranny (let me not jinx the last two).

And Chad, if you ever need an evaporator done on your W140, fly me in
and we can do it over a weekend. About 8 hrs working time.

Are you sure 8 hours is the total book-time for that job on a 140? The last time I looked (and I'll admit it was awhile ago), that job was booked at 20 hours minimum. In fact, the MB evaporators are about the only other engineering disaster that I consider right on par with the N* HG issue and the quoted book time is about identical on both.

I know Cryo-Seal, Superseal Pro and a few other kits claim to successfully abate the problem, but the physical repair as far as I know has not changed.

No, your correct, book time in indeed 20 hrs. But after doing so many at the dealer
I can do one in 8 hrs. I once did one in 5 hrs but that was after doing several
in one week and I had all my tools set up and through repetition everything was fresh in my mind.

The very first one took me 10 hrs.

I almost forgot one that sucked but turned positive.. 2 years ago my A&B solenoids went out on my tranny a week before a job interview that required commuting to NJ everyday. We all know it should only be about a $300 job but everyone in the tri-state area was trying to get me for $600 plus.. long story short a fellow forum member Oldgamer who had recently gone thru the same thing ended up doing it for me in his driveway & showing me how to on a Sunday.
I'll never forget that one.. :worship:


FYI.. I'm writing this from my job which I landed at that interview.

Yeah, oldgamer is cool. I've seen a few of his post's

Your grasping at straws and symantics to make up for the design flaw of the Northstar dude.

I almost forgot that one, I wasn't grasping or using symantics. I just called
the Q45 a turd. And I was just messing with Jesda, that's what the :stirpot: was for

I almost forgot that one, I wasn't grasping or using symantics. I just called
the Q45 a turd. And I was just messing with Jesda, that's what the :stirpot: was for

Sorry, Im having a bad day. i didnt even see the stirpot.

No problem.:thumbsup:

Clark, if you were anywhere near me and my Evaporator went, I'd be calling you in first.

Even with air fare, you'd save big. Hopefully it's already been done.
Have the dealer run a MB net, it has the warranty history of your car
as well as the delivery date and selling dealer.

I had them do that when I was in there on Friday. It had never been done, but with the Fidelity Warranty I sign out on tomorrow, it's $100 to have it done at the dealer. I made damn sure that the warranty I bought covered the A/C evaporator.

Good move with the extended warr. When I was a service advisor, that's how
I would sell the extended warranty's. I would mention that "when" the evaporator went,
the warr would pay for itself.

Oh definitely, that and the headgaskets, which are apparently pretty common on the M104's.

Yes, did a lot of 104 headgaskets as well, oil leaks though. Not coolant.
Also common are front driveshaft flex disc, engine mounts, blower motor resistors, door checks,
belt tensioners, and rear window regulators which
use big rivits to mount to the door.

Come on guys we dog the northstar because all we hear about in the seville forum is overheat this or headgasket that. Look at it in comparison to how many are out there and the majority of them don't go bad till 150-200k miles and if I get that far I will pay the 3 thousand with a smile knowing I will get another 200k out of her. The northstar isn't a bad engine we just hear about all the headgasket issues in the seville forum so it makes us think they are all bad. I think 2000-20004 sevilles in most cases will be fine if the coolant and oil systems are maintained don't you guys think ?

I'd have to agree with that statement.

Me too.

The only think I don't like about the FWD Northstar is that nobody wants to help us out with tuners and things for our cars they either say not enough demand or just blow us off !

N* repair is $2500+, and still affects cars 2000+ and later. Some unfortunate people on this forum have dealt with head gasket failures on 02+ cars before even seeing 60,000 miles.

Chain guide job cost me $1400. I bought the parts from a dealer and paid a guy on a buffalo ranch in Iowa to do it in his driveway one afternoon. I enjoyed a free buffalo steak dinner. :)

Nissan remedied the chain guide issue by the 1993 model year, and I can count on one hand the number of known head gasket failures on the VH45DE. Most Qs have terribly neglected cooling systems. On Q45 #1, I finally did the water pump, t-stat, and some hoses at 175k. Radiator was finally replaced at 190k. Its shocking how much brown gunk spewed out during the flush.

N* is a wonderful engine with serious design flaws. Hopefully for RWD use GM made some changes.

Uh oh...wish our ex-resident N* guy was still here, god rest his soul...He'd be a great one to have on this particular thread. :)

How many people remember him nowadays, anyways?

Bbob is dead?

N* is a wonderful engine with serious design flaws. Hopefully for RWD use GM made some changes.


Fortunately for me, my 12 year old Eldo with 75k has not been afflicted
with ANY of these "design flaws". It doesn't leak oil, doesn't burn oil,
and doesn't have any cooling system issue's what so ever.


http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k120/clarkz71/Dunedinhouse052.jpg