Blitzen Benz Auto Repair

Just called these guys for a quote on lower ball joints for a2003 e-​class and they quoted me 2 hours of work per side @1 $$ per hour and mentioned removing the wheel spindle for this. In my humble option as a car enthusiast and Sunday oil change do it your selfer, think these guys are to go see some instructional videos in youtube to see how its done in 15 minutes per side. Not sure about them and will probably not be taking my car to them by a long shot.

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Its very unfortunate that I would have to write a review like this but I feel like I should warn others about the experience I had. I brought my 70’s mercedes to Blitzen Benz because I heard they were honest, fair, and super knowledgeable. I will say that Rafi was very knowledgable and was very helpful at first. I know its long but I want to give all the details I can so you know the full story.
I brought the car in because there was a charging issue with the alternator, the sunroof did not open or close, it needed an oil change, and the cooling fan was not turning on when it was supposed to. The car was dropped off and I called in the next day to see if there was any news. Rafi told me that a few cables had been lose with the alternator, that he tightened them up it was now working. He had not checked out the other things I asked, so I asked that he do so and let me know what it would cost to fix the problems he found. Everything good so far
I got a call back the next day that the alternator no longer was working and that I would likely have to replace the alternator. These cars are very finicky so I had no reason to doubt what he was telling me. I had asked him from the beginning to please notify me of any labor hours, charges, and parts before he were to invest any real time into the car. I have a budget for the vehicle and I need to make sure I can afford the repairs. Rafi explained that he had already spent 2 hours messing with the car and that if he were to replace the alternator, he would charge me for those diagnostic hours as well as the hours to install the alternator. All together with parts and labor the price was over $ 500. He explained that there was no pressure, if I wanted to do the repair he would do it, if not I would not be charged for any labor or diagnostic fees. That was very generous of him and i appreciated that he would do that for me. I said that at the moment I could not afford 500 $+ to replace the alternator so I would have to save up a bit and come back for him to do the work. Still everything was good.
This is where it goes downhill. The next day I asked Rafi to please check the other things that I had initially asked. He said he had already spent about 3 hours on my car and that he was not getting paid for anything other than the oil change AND that he no longer wanted to work on my car. I completely understand that he should be paid for his time and expertise but since he he was not charging me to diagnose the alternator problem, in his eyes I had now wasted his time. I said I would pay him for his diagnostic time for the other issues. After I told Rafi that I could not afford to replace the alternator, it was an automatic switch and I was no longer a worthwhile customer. Calls were not returned and I felt like they were doing me a favor by having my car there.
I picked the car up and paid for the oil change and the diagnostic of the fan and sunroof. I drove the car home and noticed a hissing sound coming from under the car. I pulled over, stuck my head under the car and saw the car dripping very quickly. I had planned to take a look at it the next day but decided to call Blitzen Benz to see if maybe the hissing was because the oil cap was not tightened or a seal had not been replaced. I drove the car from California to Miami, drove it around for another 4 months without this hissing or without the car dripping fluid as quickly as it was. When I called, the receptionist asked for my name and number so she could talk to one of the owners and call me back. I never received a call from them again. Ive called and left messages but no luck getting anyone on the phone. Since then there is a very large puddle underneath my Mercedes which is growing every day. The car had leaked a bit before but NOTHING like this. I started the car the other day and drive it around. The power steering was now squeaking and making noise so I’m not sure if the liquid is oil or power steering fluid. Please be aware that when I originally called I said that I wanted the car to be checked out and that if it was a mistake of theirs I would like it to be fixed but if it were something that they had not touched I would pay to have the problem fixed. If the car had been leaking fluid like that before I brought it in, i would have be notified by Blitzen benz of the severe leak.
My car is driven about once a week but now with the puddle underneath it I am nervous to even turn it on just in case it is Oil. Blizen Benz has been unresponsive to my request to make an appointment to have the car looked at to see if the oil or power steering was their fault or something that happened on the way home from their shop. I was completely respectful the whole time but now that I’m getting pushed aside and ignored because I didn’t get a part installed. Really a shame, there aren’t too many knowledgable Classic Mercedes Mechanics. The terrible service has now left my car stranded.

Military intelligence may be an oxymoron, but honest mechanic does not have to be.
Being a family of 80’s foreign models, it’s always a bit challenging to decide how much is worth putting into our tried and true but also somewhat tired vehicles, who to listen to and who to ignore.
A friend of mine recommended Blitzen Benz and I have been nowhere else since. Run by two brothers (Saro and Rafi, I think — I always tend to get their names mixed up).
Great quality work at very reasonably prices in a more than reasonable time span. They work on all car models, so doesn’t have to be a Mercedes as the name might lead you to imagine.
Hard to imagine two more transparent guys in the auto fixing business, who also happen to be very, very polite!