I will never bitch again
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 718
Likes: 1
From: Riviera Beach FL
I will never bitch again
About working on my C5.
The evaporator started leaking on my wife's AC system. The car is a 13 year old Mercedes with 135,000 miles.The two quotes I got were between 1/3 to 1/2 the value of the car. The local dealer said " we do not do that repair on that car, it is not worth our time". I check out the MB forums. Not much help there, just a bunch of horror stories. I do have the authorized MB CD repair manual but it is a piece of crap compared to the GM paper manual. I order the evaporator
, expansion valve, dryer, and o-rings for less than $ 200 delivered.
Over two weekends totaling 27 hours, using a half a box of bandaids, a large bottle of pain reliever, two cases of water, and every swear word ever spoken by man kind it is done. I have never seen a car engineered with so little regard to performing repairs. I just hope that I did not miss one of the 30 some odd of the electrical conections and that all of the 26 vacuum line connections are tight.
Gm has designed a car that is relative easy to repair. With a manual and the excellent information on the forums it is almost a pleasure to work on.
Thanks for putting up with my rant.
The evaporator started leaking on my wife's AC system. The car is a 13 year old Mercedes with 135,000 miles.The two quotes I got were between 1/3 to 1/2 the value of the car. The local dealer said " we do not do that repair on that car, it is not worth our time". I check out the MB forums. Not much help there, just a bunch of horror stories. I do have the authorized MB CD repair manual but it is a piece of crap compared to the GM paper manual. I order the evaporator
, expansion valve, dryer, and o-rings for less than $ 200 delivered.
Over two weekends totaling 27 hours, using a half a box of bandaids, a large bottle of pain reliever, two cases of water, and every swear word ever spoken by man kind it is done. I have never seen a car engineered with so little regard to performing repairs. I just hope that I did not miss one of the 30 some odd of the electrical conections and that all of the 26 vacuum line connections are tight.
Gm has designed a car that is relative easy to repair. With a manual and the excellent information on the forums it is almost a pleasure to work on.
Thanks for putting up with my rant.
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
From: Powder Springs GA
Didn't happen to be a W124 did it? My wife's did the same thing, the independent wanted $2200 to do it. We sold it.
One thing that keeps me buying domestic's, typically less costly to work on. The 'Vette is downright simple in most aspects.
One thing that keeps me buying domestic's, typically less costly to work on. The 'Vette is downright simple in most aspects.
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,590
Likes: 1
From: Littleton Colorado
I’m with ya, I replaced the water pump on my Dodge ram this summer. I can't believe how big of a PIA that was compared to working on the Vette. The thing has all kinds of room under that hood, but yet they cram stuff together at odd places and old school gaskets that double the time, electrical connections that are like puzzles...
Every time I work on, or think about how the Vette is put together I'm amazed at how much engineering when into it. Well planned and elegantly done.
Every time I work on, or think about how the Vette is put together I'm amazed at how much engineering when into it. Well planned and elegantly done.
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Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 46,764
Likes: 5
From: Boynton Beach Florida
St. Jude Donor '07-'12, '20
Doug, while I can sympathize with your project. 
I must admit I find your post quit humorous. 
Gosh that was funny. Look at the bright side, you had something PRODUCTIVE to do for 27 hours.
Kept the bandaid company, drug company, and the water company in business for another few hours.
You done good sir.
I must admit I find your post quit humorous. Gosh that was funny. Look at the bright side, you had something PRODUCTIVE to do for 27 hours.
Kept the bandaid company, drug company, and the water company in business for another few hours.
You done good sir.
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 718
Likes: 1
From: Riviera Beach FL
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Good deal that you got it fixed. Sometimes you just want to slap the engineers up side the head for designing cars the way they do. 
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 718
Likes: 1
From: Riviera Beach FL
Racer
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 442
Likes: 14
From: Bowling Green KY
Doug, I hope you replaced the heater core while you were in there. If not, at least if that starts leaking, you'll know how to take it apart again. If you didn't wind up with a handful of extra screws, you must have done a great job.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
People are surprised (and in disbelief) when I tell them how easy to work on my vettes are due to the simplicity, modularity of the design, the great engineering and the wealth of information available. As much as I loved my '90 300ZX, I despised working on it - total PITA. 
Congrats on the successful repair.