Not all Mercedes Benz dealerships are equal when it comes to repairing an older model Mercedes Benz. Before you take your older car in, ask whether the dealership has someone who is particularly good with the older models be it a diesel or a gasoline model.

As an owner of a 1985 Mercedes Benz 300SD diesel, I would have thought that finding a good mechanic or technician at any authorized Mercedes Benz dealer was a given. I learned that this is not always true.

My Mercedes Benz has been always maintained at authorized MB dealers in the Washington DC area. Lately though it started to lose power and at times I could hardly get it up a hill going across the Chain Bridge and into Virginia. Furthermore, on the beltway, it had no passing power. Now mind you, this car is hardly broken in. It just passed the 100,000 miles barrier.

A Mercedes Benz dealership at another location tried their best to diagnose and fix the problem. However, after two unsuccessful tries, I needed a solution. So, I called American Service Center in Arlington Virginia. They are one of the older dealerships in the Washington DC area and just work on Mercedes Benz cars.

I called American Service Center's Service Lane Manager, Todd
Aleshire and explained my problem. I asked him if he had any mechanics who were especially good at working with older Mercedes Benz diesels. He mentioned a technician by the name of Marvin Wetzel and I set up an appointment with Dan Moreau, the Assistant Service Manager, for the following week.

A day after I brought the car in for service, Marvin called me at 6:00 pm. He had some good news and bad news. The good news was that he found the problem with my car. Turns out that the fuel filter had not been changed in a long time and that the car engine was just starving for fuel. Marvin said that he was challenged by my car. He knows diesels very well since he owns several. He said he could not believe how dirty the fuel filter was.

Of course, I had assumed that these things were changed and a part of routine service. But that's not exactly true. The bad news of course was how much it was going to cost to fix the other problems he found. We won't get into that or my third job that will pay for it.

An alternative to a dealership especially if you love your Mercedes Benz and want to work on it yourself is to join the Mercedes Benz Club of America. They have chapters in most major cities. The club is an excellent source of technical help, a great place to find a Mercedes and hosts social events. To get an idea of what each club provides, take a look at the Greater Washington DC Section of the Mercedes Benz Club of America.

Conclusion
Just as with doctors, lawyers, contractors, etc., it pays to find someone who you can trust with your car. My advice if you own an older model Mercedes Benz or other near vintage car, is to call the service manager and request the name of the technician who specializes on your particular model. Then request an appointment with that team. Once you find a good technician, stay with them.

Marvin and Dan of American Service Center came through for me and in return I will have my 1985 300SD serviced with them from now on.