Okay guys, strange opportunity came up. So my boss has a 2003 Mercedes S55 AMG (SC V-8, 50k on the odo) that he uses as his DD. He took it in for a tranny problem and they said he needed a bunch of other crap (on top of the $2500 for the shift asembly) and after reviewing the estimate ($65 wiper blade, plugs, valve cover gaskets that are not even leaking, $100.00 air filter, $60.00 cabin filter, etc) I told him it was BS because the car is running fine but now he has it stuck in his head that he needs the spark plugs done. I told him to forget since he will be trading the car soon but he wants them done, by me if I choose because he does not trust the dealer much.

Well, they wanted $750.00 to replace the 16 plugs. So I looked up the plugs online and they price out at $106.00. I popped open his hood this morning and the plug replacement looks pretty straight forward. He knows I'm a shade tree mechanic so he said he would feel better paying me to replace them. So I told him I would do it for $500.00 straight up. I usually don't offer up mechanical services because those days are over but **** $500.00 is $500.00.

I looked around online and didn't find anything strange but are you guys aware of any crazyness with benz' as far as spark plugs go? Any ideas on where I could get the part of teh service manual that deals with plugs on this engine? Thanks.

 

I don't know much about mercedes but if it's a v-8 how is there 16 plugs? 2 plugs per cylinder?

 

I would check out a benz forum, just to be safe. I know they charge stupid amounts of money to fix their stuff, but sometimes there is a very distinct method to their madness.

 

^good point

 

Yeah its two plugs per cylinder (supercharged V-8). It looks pretty straight up, I checked the MB forums but those guys don't seem to be hands on.

But I guess people that normally drive 100k cars don't really wrench much because they usually don't keep cars out of warranty. I just thought I might get lucky here with some tips.

 

well if it looks straight up then it prob is...you could always stop by an autoparts store and thumb through a service manual if they might have one or ask somebody there.... but hell if it's just changin spark plugs then can't be much of a jobs as long as everythig comes out easy and is easily accessible

 

honestly, not to sound grimey. but he's your boss. he makes more money than you. i would shut my mouth and just do what he wants you to do. take the money and do the work. he knows you're not a Benz tech, so he can't point the finger at you for misdiagnosing work. he asked you to do because you know him personally, that's all.

make that money so you can buy **** for your 8.

he's your boss, he makes more money than you...
he's your boss, he makes more money than you...
he's your boss, he makes more money than you...
he's your boss, he makes more money than you...
he's your boss, he makes more money than you...

 

I've worked on BMW's and a few Audi's but mostly Japanese or us.. Al I know is those German cars have a retarded amount of seals in very strange places. last this you want is seal leaking near the plugs then oil gets into the cylinder and you look like a jack ***. Should be a straight up thing though.

As long as you've worked on pistons before your golden.

 

Yah go strip one of those things out and see how that plays out.

F' that. Professionals don't do menial tasks for their bosses. Start acting like a professional.

Now, if you were just helping him do it, that's fine, but I wouldn't accept anything except a cold beverage, or six. Make him buy your favorite.

 

You should be able to find a certified MB tech on www.justanswer.com. It will cost about $10, but might be worth it. You will get an answer to your question before you have to pay anything. I used them for a non RX-8 issue and was happy with the tech. Saved hours of board reading.

 

Thanks for the input guys, I did some research and it turns out to be a pretty straight forward task that should'nt be any harder than swapping the plugs on my old Z28 (actually should be easier). I need to pick up a better set of torx heads to take all the plastic crap on the engine off and I should be golden.

Thanks for the life advise but although I am a professional, I am not rich. $500.00 for two hours work is worth it to me.

 

That's cool. I just figure that if you help your boss no charge you can end up solidifying your relationship. "Stand up guys" get "opportunities" that might not come their way, otherwise. Know what I mean? You could end up getting a $10,000 raise and promotion in a new position because he thinks of you first for the job, that $500 is going to look like chicken scratch. Don't expect anything, but conversations happen at higher levels, and it helps sometimes.

Give a little, get a little. We're all human. It's just the way it works.

 

when it comes to replacing spark plugs, most mercedes engines are pretty straight forward, try to do it on a VQ engine u will probably scream.

 

^I agree nyc..the VQ engines SUCK....