SL55 AMG with a cracked piston - what's it worth??
Discussion
Hi all, any help appreciated on working out the value of my car please!
It developed a misfire last week so I took it to a Mercedes dealer for diagnosis and repair, expecting a failed coil pack and a couple hundred quid bill.
Anyway they phoned and said it had poor compression on one cylinder and would investigate further. After removing the head they said it has a cracked piston. Apparently the piston is around 300 quid.
I asked about labour charges and they said £110 + vat per hour, so £132 per hour or around 1k per day. He estimated the cost would be around 7k.
Now call me old fashioned, and yes I did buy the car knowing servicing etc would be expensive, but I'm not prepared to pay for a mechanic's services at £1000 per day. I think it's too much by half and I'll tell them that when I have the vehicle removed and pay them for work to date, not that they'll be bothered.
So now I'm going to sell the vehicle as it is, which won't save me any money and may actually cost me more. So the question is, what do you think it will fetch on ebay? Should I put it on a 'buy it now' or risk an auction? It could be a great bargain for someone that can do the work themselves.
It's a 2002 SL55 AMG with full Mercedes service history and every invoice etc. Immaculate condition, not a single ding on the bodywork. (note to Mods - this is not an advert but how can I get help with the value if I can't list the vehicle details, please don't delete thread).
Two previous owners the first of which was Jeremy Clarkson. 5k of extras including nappa leather, keyless start/go. 96k miles.
Everyone has said that they've never heard of compression problems on these engines before, do you guys know of any, just curious.
It developed a misfire last week so I took it to a Mercedes dealer for diagnosis and repair, expecting a failed coil pack and a couple hundred quid bill.
Anyway they phoned and said it had poor compression on one cylinder and would investigate further. After removing the head they said it has a cracked piston. Apparently the piston is around 300 quid.
I asked about labour charges and they said £110 + vat per hour, so £132 per hour or around 1k per day. He estimated the cost would be around 7k.
Now call me old fashioned, and yes I did buy the car knowing servicing etc would be expensive, but I'm not prepared to pay for a mechanic's services at £1000 per day. I think it's too much by half and I'll tell them that when I have the vehicle removed and pay them for work to date, not that they'll be bothered.
So now I'm going to sell the vehicle as it is, which won't save me any money and may actually cost me more. So the question is, what do you think it will fetch on ebay? Should I put it on a 'buy it now' or risk an auction? It could be a great bargain for someone that can do the work themselves.
It's a 2002 SL55 AMG with full Mercedes service history and every invoice etc. Immaculate condition, not a single ding on the bodywork. (note to Mods - this is not an advert but how can I get help with the value if I can't list the vehicle details, please don't delete thread).
Two previous owners the first of which was Jeremy Clarkson. 5k of extras including nappa leather, keyless start/go. 96k miles.
Everyone has said that they've never heard of compression problems on these engines before, do you guys know of any, just curious.
So you're not choosing the most expensive option (dealer repair) but are choosing the second most expensive option (sell it broken)?
Why not get a good independent to examine the car and cost a repair. I would think the job will cost £2500-4000 depending on parts
Are you sure the dealer didn't say cracked piston ring, btw?
Nick Froome
Why not get a good independent to examine the car and cost a repair. I would think the job will cost £2500-4000 depending on parts
Are you sure the dealer didn't say cracked piston ring, btw?
Nick Froome
deeps said:
No he said cracked piston.
I don't know any good independants, I'll ask the question in the local forum though, thanks for input.
Where in the country are you?I don't know any good independants, I'll ask the question in the local forum though, thanks for input.
Theres plenty of very good indies who could do this, probably at a third of what those robbing b
ds want to do the work for you.The repairs will be with the same parts, to the same standard if not better. Do not be put off by using an independent, there are some very very good Merc ones around. Have a look on other forums as well like MBClubUK, or the Mercedes Owners Association.
HTH.
I see you are n Somerset. You have one of the best Merc indies around on your doorstep. Speak to Steve at Avantgarde automotive. Top guy and knows his performance mercs well as he worked on the development team of the SLR and has now set up his own business. I will never use anyone else. He is very good value and sorted out a problem that no-one else could fix on my E36 for very reasonable rates.
Slow down, take a deep breath, turn down the hostility...
Your car's failure is unfortunate and the cost of repair will be substantial however you go about it. That said, your position is far from hopeless.
It sounds like the dealer has been helpful so far. They are likely to be sympathetic to a request for a reduced hourly rate, especially if you are a long-standing customer, if you bought the car from them and if you have had it serviced, maintained and repaired by them. My dealer gives me a 50% discount on their usual hourly rate. They will be more accommodating if (1) you don't need a courtesy car and (2) there is no time pressure so they may work on your rebuild as and when pressure of work allows.
If the car is standard, if it was purchased through Mercedes-Benz, if you have had it a long time, if you have had it serviced on schedule by Mercedes-Benz, if it has not been abused, you may well get some goodwill contribution from Mercedes-Benz UK. On the other hand, if you've had the car ten minutes, bought it from a knacker and repaired it on a shoestring, you won't get any help at all and nor should you.
As others have observed, this is exactly the kind of job a reputable independent will excel at and for a considerable discount on main dealer prices.
Finally, you might like to consider obtaining a used engine and doing a swap, albeit I'm not sure the saving would be huge. At least with a rebuild you'll have essentially a brand new engine.
Your car's failure is unfortunate and the cost of repair will be substantial however you go about it. That said, your position is far from hopeless.
It sounds like the dealer has been helpful so far. They are likely to be sympathetic to a request for a reduced hourly rate, especially if you are a long-standing customer, if you bought the car from them and if you have had it serviced, maintained and repaired by them. My dealer gives me a 50% discount on their usual hourly rate. They will be more accommodating if (1) you don't need a courtesy car and (2) there is no time pressure so they may work on your rebuild as and when pressure of work allows.
If the car is standard, if it was purchased through Mercedes-Benz, if you have had it a long time, if you have had it serviced on schedule by Mercedes-Benz, if it has not been abused, you may well get some goodwill contribution from Mercedes-Benz UK. On the other hand, if you've had the car ten minutes, bought it from a knacker and repaired it on a shoestring, you won't get any help at all and nor should you.
As others have observed, this is exactly the kind of job a reputable independent will excel at and for a considerable discount on main dealer prices.
Finally, you might like to consider obtaining a used engine and doing a swap, albeit I'm not sure the saving would be huge. At least with a rebuild you'll have essentially a brand new engine.
It`s far from a hopeless situation . Mercedes dealers are usually happy to discount their hourly rate for anything over 7 years old .
An alternative is www.creweengines.com who seem to have great reviews for their work in providing replacement / exchange engines for all Mercedes models .
It seems a very unusual and unfortunate failure , one I`ve never heard of in the past .
Despite the car was previously Jeremy Clarkson`s , it`s worth getting it back together again though !
An alternative is www.creweengines.com who seem to have great reviews for their work in providing replacement / exchange engines for all Mercedes models .
It seems a very unusual and unfortunate failure , one I`ve never heard of in the past .
Despite the car was previously Jeremy Clarkson`s , it`s worth getting it back together again though !
No they said it's an engine out job.
Thanks for all the replies guys, much appreciated. Will post back tomorrow with the outcome. WSM Merc have just let me know they want to reconsider the price which they will let me know tomorrow, and Steve from Avantgarde in Martock has been very helpful, thanks for putting his name up.
Thanks for all the replies guys, much appreciated. Will post back tomorrow with the outcome. WSM Merc have just let me know they want to reconsider the price which they will let me know tomorrow, and Steve from Avantgarde in Martock has been very helpful, thanks for putting his name up.
Jayzee said:
Just out of interest, do you know if the car had been remapped at any point in it's past?
No remap or mods, it's in stock condition, last owner had it 6 years and serviced it meticulously at WSM Merc. Most of the miles are motorway miles.WSM have offered a large discount on the original price, so are doing the job. Should get it back middle of next week
deeps said:
No remap or mods, it's in stock condition, last owner had it 6 years and serviced it meticulously at WSM Merc. Most of the miles are motorway miles.
WSM have offered a large discount on the original price, so are doing the job. Should get it back middle of next week
So what inspired them to offer a large discount? Did you tell them you were looking at independents? WSM have offered a large discount on the original price, so are doing the job. Should get it back middle of next week
Yes, I asked for an invoice to date including parts they had ordered, and said that I would arrange for collection of the car to be trailored away, at which point they asked what they could do to keep the job. After several meetings and better price offers we agreed on a fairer price at 4k inc vat and a set of plugs, still more than independent quotes but as they had started the job and sent the head away etc, and made the effort to keep the job, I was happy to leave it there.
All I ever ask for is a fair job at a fair price
All I ever ask for is a fair job at a fair price
I'd certainly repair it rather than sell it as it is
What was the 7k for? All that labour? Half the job is done if the head is off, it would be good to have a look and see if the piston might come out as someone else said without pulling the engine, the garage may quote for this but it may not be really necessary
I have a 6,000 mile engine from a year old SL500 which I keep as a spare for my CL500 but no sign of it ever being required. The engine was over £14k new. You are rather unlucky, but you did the right thing speaking to the dealer. They will work for £50ph sometimes if you're nice about everything, they want the work, and the variety. They may do you a deal for an apprentice to do the work too, as they need the engine work on their records, sounds risky, but not really, it wouldn't be a 1st year numpty
It would be a highly rewarding job for many, and I don't mean financially. The best techs love stuff like this.
Its not all about money, but would be interesting to know how it works out.
Only my2p
What was the 7k for? All that labour? Half the job is done if the head is off, it would be good to have a look and see if the piston might come out as someone else said without pulling the engine, the garage may quote for this but it may not be really necessary
I have a 6,000 mile engine from a year old SL500 which I keep as a spare for my CL500 but no sign of it ever being required. The engine was over £14k new. You are rather unlucky, but you did the right thing speaking to the dealer. They will work for £50ph sometimes if you're nice about everything, they want the work, and the variety. They may do you a deal for an apprentice to do the work too, as they need the engine work on their records, sounds risky, but not really, it wouldn't be a 1st year numpty
It would be a highly rewarding job for many, and I don't mean financially. The best techs love stuff like this.
Its not all about money, but would be interesting to know how it works out.
Only my2p
The 7k was labour and parts. I was going to sell it because I was just so disappointed with it and over reacted I guess, but having chewed it over I'll be keeping it now. They quoted me 37k for a new engine lol, but if I get any more serious problems like this I'll replace the engine with a good low mileage one which will cost around 5k. Hopefully it will be fine when I get it back next week though
I've asked them for the cracked piston so that I can have it examined to try and determine the cause, might contact Mercedes and see if they want to examine it.
Apparently detonation is unlikely because it has knock sensors all over the place, and it was running standard boost anyway on 99 ron fuel. But something must have caused it. One mechanic thinks it may have had a flaw in it from manufacture but others think that's unlikely.
This car is for sale now, wonder exactly what work was done to put it right...
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