Dear fellow listers:
My father-in-law has a ?98 C230, with 28,000 miles on it. The ?check engine? light came on and he brought it into the dealership to investigate.
$815.31 later, he got his car back.
This is what they did:
Check Engine Light - Tech (42 minutes) $218.70 Replaced mass air flow sensor
Parts ? Air Mass Sensor $549.05
MAO MB Environmental $5.00
Tax $42.56
Total $815.31
1) Is it likely that the air sensor was bad, especially with a very low mileage car of 28,000 miles? 2) Even if that were the case (unlikely, in my experience with Volvo and others I know with a Mercedes), isn?t there a much less expensive alternative? Example: I replaced the sensor in my Volvo with a universal version for $42.00 vs $250.00 for the Volvo dealer?s version. (works fine, by the way). 3) Why didn?t they tell him what they thought this would cost, instead of presenting him a bill, ala fait accompli?I need some ammunition to discuss this with the dealer, as I regard this as abuse. Anyone have any ideas?