I just purchased a 1990 420SEL in Columbus Ohio that needs some TLC. Does anyone have any suggestions for repairs other than a delaer? I need to have some engine work done and the sliding roof won't operate. Thanks.

 

Find a good local indepent Import shop that works on Mercedes/BMW/Porsche like cars. They should know what they are doing but a hell of a lot cheaper than the dealer. The sliding roof, should not be hard to fix. do the motor run? If so it might just be a broke cable. As far as engien work on those cars, make sure they know what they are doing and have experience on working on those type of engines. The engine is not too hard to work on due to relatively simple elctronics compared to the modern S-Class but still is not the place for sloppy work or your pockets will ache.
What area are you in, maybe someone here might be in the same area and can point to a good mechanic.

What type of things need to be done out of curisosity?

 

Dealer thinks the roof is a cable problem and the head cover gaskets need replaced as they are leaking oil. Those are the major things. There are a couple of minor things: idler arm and oil sending unit. I also have a leaky taillight.

I'm in Columbus, Ohio

 

the cable job should not be too expensive to do. And the head cover gasket (valve cover gasket) is pretty simple and straight forward but you dont want to rush if you do it yourself And it 's another thing that should not be expensive to replace. Idler arm is minor and minor money. Oil sending unit, I;m not too sure.

Leaky taillight probably means of course you just need a new seal on it. Tail light unit is dirt cheap is usually not a high priotirty issue but can become a wire issue you start to notice the good bulbs not working or erratic but you would have noticed that by now. A leak is easy fix.

Not too familiar with Ohio area, but big city means lots of choices so you should not feel backed into a corner when choosing a mechanic and price. Find a balance.

By the way, sometimes its cheaper to find and or order the part yourself if you are comfortable doing that.