£3000 to fix SLK roof (1997) Surely Not?

[S7EV1E]

Hi there to all,
hope you can advise me, I've just been quoted £3000 (or it could go to more) for my roof to be fixed on my 1997 230SLK. Nothing is bent or broke , so It will just require at most, a complete stripdown, investigation of what is broken, then replace the broken part and rebuild, this will be carried out by ''I Quote'' A fully trained Mercedes technician, with all the latest diagnostic and repair equipment.

My main questions are:

1. done by the above technician what is the max time it takes to strip the roof
2. does it take the same time to rebuild the roof.

3. Am I Being ripped off

thanks for your help.

 

[SLinKyjoe]

twilight zone!!!!!!!!!!!

didnt you put this in ealier and get a reply from the pieman?

 

[S7EV1E]

twilight zone!!!!!!!!!!!

didnt you put this in ealier and get a reply from the pieman?

yes I did put it in EARLIER and was advised to put it in the technical question page.

 

[peterchurch]

Hi,
Im sorry to say that it does not surprise me The roofs are very advanced, and have sensors all over the place. Take into concideration, an hourly rate of £100 plus vat I can see why you might get that sort of bill...

The trouble is, its not the sort of job you could trust an independant with...

sorry


Peter

 

[SLinKyjoe]

yes I did put it in EARLIER and was advised to put it in the technical question page.

rightydokay.

thought i had gone mad for min...that explains it...

 

[Arnie]

Peter is correct about the labour rates, but I think that it may not require an "engine" tech at £100, but more like a bodywork tech at £40, especially if he's fully equipped with the latest kit. Also, there should be error codes available to point in the general direction of the fault, so £3000 seems a bit extreme. Even at £100 per hour, that's 30 hours or 4 day's work. How long does it take to assemble a roof on the production line? It can't be more than a couple of hours. so, even 10 hours should be plenty. Get a second quote from another dealer.

 

[kkmfo]

go to an indy

Several years ago I had a Peugeot 306 convertible with electric soft top. It went wrong and the peugeot stealer wanted £4K to put a new one on - they said their "best technicians" had checked it over and couldn't fix it (still makes me mad just thinking about it).
I found a specialist in Aylesbury who found the problem and fixed it in 1 day for £200.

There must be some indies around who know how to fix SLK roofs by now - the car has been around for years. Sorry I can't help with specifics but if I were you I would start by ringing round all the merc specialists and asking if they can recommend someone.
Worst comes to the worst, get the car fixed to a point where you can sell it - and pray the roof works on the one occasion that you have to demonstrate it to a buyer......

 

[peterchurch]

Hi,
I would not think that MB would bother to note the difference in rate between who was doing what job.. They did not seem to want to, when they changed my windscreen... (not that they got it right, but thats not the point) This is possibly the only job I would not concider going anyware but MB because if it leaks after they sort it, I would want the full comeback.

Regards,

Peter

 

[john_boy]

roof

Hi Stevie,

i had problems with my SLK Roof - i went to the main merc dealer then the local specialist merc repairer.

both came up with the same reply...

mega complicated and no one really had much experience in fixing them, so you'd end up paying for "exploritory work".

what i did was to get the roof down and liberally spray WD40 onto every part i could see, then repeated with the roof half up, and....

hey presto the roof worked perfectly ! - in fact is was smoother and faster than it had been for months !!

try it - £2.50 for a can of WD could be money well spent !

Good luck

 

[MB partsman]

Peter is correct about the labour rates, but I think that it may not require an "engine" tech at £100, but more like a bodywork tech at £40, especially if he's fully equipped with the latest kit. Also, there should be error codes available to point in the general direction of the fault, so £3000 seems a bit extreme. Even at £100 per hour, that's 30 hours or 4 day's work. How long does it take to assemble a roof on the production line? It can't be more than a couple of hours. so, even 10 hours should be plenty. Get a second quote from another dealer.

soz arnie... roofs are normally sorted by the workshop <engine tech> and not bodyshop techs.... in fact in my experiance the cars come back from the bodyshop to get the roof sorted!
30hours IS about right for the roof to be fully disassembled, and reassembled, and readjusted.
dont forget when cars are built, only the assembly is being done, and as all the parts are new they fit together better.... and are fitted using jigs!

 

[OlafMaxwell]

Suggestion....

In Waterford, Ireland, an hours drive from Rosslare [ferry from Fishguard or Pembroke] there is a family owned MB main dealer who despite my bad experiences elswhere I can recommend. They charge I think ?75 an hour, about £50.

Try them, + 353 51 301222 ask for Orla Cooper [Mercedes Service]. There is a Travelodge [good website and internet booking] within a short distance.....or get a replacement car for ?30 a day [about £21]. At £3,000 for 30 hours it seems 30 hours will cost equivalent of £1,500 and still main dealer service records.