I have recently purchased a gorgeous black 2001 SLK 230 Kompressor. There is a soft grinding/scraping sound, only noticeable at low speed - especially when pulling away and/or easing off the accelerator when approaching traffic lights etc.
I took him (his name is Mick) to my local independent MB specialist. They charged me a small fortune to identify the fault, which they had initially thought was something to do with the timing chain. They ascertained that the timing chain was fine and the fault lay with the VVT. Apparently, they confirmed this by disconnecting it? and the noise disappeared. They have quoted over £2,100 to resolve the issue (over $3,400) on top of the money I have already paid to identify the fault!
I have read some blogs which indicate that there is no harm in leaving the VVT disconnected to eradicate the noise. So, my questions to you savvy guys are:
1. Is this true, can I leave the VVT disconnected without potentially damaging my car?
2. If I put up with the noise and do not have the VVT disconnected or the issue resolved, will that eventually cause damage to my car?
3. Am I being ripped off by the indie who thinks (with some justification where motor mechanics are concerned) that I am just a dumb blonde?
Many thanks for reading this and for any advice you can give me on this VVT problem.