BHPian androdev recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The white elephant is back on its feet (that's Bangalore CBD peak traffic for you!).

This is how the story unfolded. MB offered a 15% goodwill discount which I declined and asked the dealer to proceed with the repair at full cost. I felt the right thing to do would be decline that token discount to remind MB that it's not about money.

Anyways, I paid 5L advance to Sundaram and asked them to start the repair job. Meanwhile a lot of replies to this thread came in suggesting that I should consider an outside garage. I took the hint and told

Sundaram dealership to cancel the repair so I could get it done outside. They were very decent and promptly refunded the whole amount without any silly deductions like estimation fees and parking charges, etc.

Sundaram dealership has been really great - had MB given me a respectable goodwill offer, I would not have ventured outside.

I was a bit lost as I know very little beyond Sundaram after ten years of smooth pick-up/drop service. I received many references/contacts from helpful members on this forum - thank you so much guys! In the end, I decided to go with someone I know personally as I'm a bit socially challenged to build quick rapport with anyone (Exterior & Interior Detailing : Keystone Enterprises (Bangalore)) Mr Nirmal).

Though I have known him for long, I didn't have much service/repair experience except for some car-detailing and minor trim replacement jobs. I had zero knowledge of his ability to service the car and do a job of this nature but after speaking to him I felt confident I could trust him. I thought, in the worst case, I would do my own research and gather all the repair guides and videos and collaborate with him to get the job done to my satisfaction. I really wanted to avoid rich and famous garages that won't have time or willingness to discuss and take my feedback. Though they were never needed, my full research notes were ready :-)

Took notes on torque setting for each nut and bolt. Sample for control arms:

Obviously I don't have any other private garage experience to compare with, but it was a pleasure doing business doing with Nirmal and his team. I am a very painful/demanding customer like many of us here on the forum and for me to say things worked out well is a relatively rare thing.

Nirmal and his team tried to save me some money by ordering parts from China/Turkey - apparently very reputed and widely used. I requested them to return those parts and order only the reputed German OEM brands which they obliged without any attempt to convince me.

After inspection and considering the costs, decided to replace a lot of stuff:

Parts procurement, some were returned as per my request and different brand parts were ordered:

They spent a lot of time helping me source genuine OEM parts as I made it clear that I must approve every nut and bolt that goes into the repair. Some parts I bought over the counter from Sundaram dealership and the main Air struts I imported directly from the US. A lot of time was spent in waiting for parts, especially Bangalore airport customs clearance.

Airmatic struts, after a long delay at the customs clearance:

I have only ordered front struts as I wanted to do this in stages and I was not sure about customs clearance, parts quality and capabilities of the workshop. Apart from the time delay in procuring the parts, everything went smoothly and I have already ordered the rear struts.

Step by step update of the repair over whatsapp. I insisted on seeing the torque settings (as per MB official installation guide)

All new and shiny parts:

I paid 2.5L for all parts (top tier German OEM brands) plus labour excluding the front air-struts which I imported directly. Approx 1200 USD per strut + shipping of 200 USD + 50% approx in duties and other charges. 42% is the duty amount but I think I paid a few other miscellaneous charges. I went with Bilstein which is OE but there are many alternatives if one is interested in cheaper alternatives. It worked out to 1.5L approx per strut whereas MB India was charging 2.2L per strut.

The amount 5.5L is substantial but I got a ton of replacements done. All suspension parts, mounts and front struts, front and rear brake jobs and a few other stuff. I would have probably paid double of this amount at Sundaram. Sample part prices (dealer vs outside):

Engine Mount: 19K vs 7.5K

Front brake disk: 25K vs 15K

Hope to update on the rear struts soon.

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