Recently I priced a set of brake calipers for my 1984 Mercedes 500SEL
and was surprised to learn that "Just Brakes" wanted over $300.00 a
piece for them. Shpping around on the internet, I found the same
calipers for $150.00. It would seem that "Just Brakes" charges for the
convenience of being able to supply the calipers "the same day".
No longer is there a competitive market out there, but those who
would rather milk the customer for every dime they can possibly
squeeze out of them, if they are willing to pay extra due to "incon-
venience". The great engineering of Mercedes gets no respect from
prolish bloodsuckers in the aftermarket. I also needed an idle
controller,
for which the Mercedes dealer wanted $300.00, and an additional $90
to install. "Installing" required "unplugging" the old unit and
"plugging in"
the new unit. What a waste of money. Needless to say, the same idle
controller sells for $150.00 on the internet and a repair manual would
probably be around $50.00. By waiting, I could have saved $190.00.
The problem is, I needed the car the next day to drive to my new
job, without incident. Oh my.