500E Best Mechanic/Engineer I have found...Pierre Hedary

[VT Blue]

With the suggestion by a couple of folks on this board, I took my car to Pierre Hedary in Titusville, FL, to sort out a few particular issues, and to have him look things over from stem to stern so that I could be proactive in maintaining it. Thanks to COVID, my '92 ended up spending March - May with him while I was locked-down in Vermont. I could not be happier that fate allowed that to happen.

Pierre attacked every issue with an encyclopedic mind that demonstrated how critical one's experience/institutional knowledge with these cars is in order to sort things out right the first time. I am 100% convinced the work would have been far more expensive -- and requiring re-work -- elsewhere simply because they would not have been able to get to the root-cause of an issue as quickly or as accurately, while also knowing the 'right' fix.

IMO, Pierre provides the best value for the buck that I have experienced with any car I've owned. And if you're like me, meaning not capable of doing your own wrenching (and I am not, as my lack of mechanical knowledge -- and patience -- are both a shortfall and a curse), finding someone like Pierre is a blessing.

I realize there are many on this board who are more than capable of doing their own maintenance -- I envy you guys more than you could imagine. But for those of us who are limited in what we can do, or find ourselves in a situation where we cannot figure out an issue, I highly suggest visiting Pierre. While his shop is in Florida, the majority of cars I saw during my visits were from out of state and as far away as Maine and California. One guys brings down his '84 diesel from Rhode Island every two years, and I am sure there are many others like him. I know I'll be doing the same.

So, thank you to those who mentioned/recommended Pierre. My car has never driven better under my 3'ish years of ownership, nor have I ever felt as good about its future.

Thx!

Bob

 

[LWB250]

I've known Pierre for decades, he's a fantastic guy and totally devoted to the maintenance and preservation of older Mercedes. I feel lucky to know him and be a recipient of his knowledge and enthusiasm for the marque. I wouldn't hesitate to take any of my cars to him, and would feel confident that I was getting the absolute best care available for a very reasonable cost.

You may not be aware of this, but Pierre travels extensively for his clients. There are lots of folks who think nothing of flying Pierre in for a few days to take care of their cars.

Dan

 

[gerryvz]

VT, can you give us some details about what Cousin Pierre did for you in helping maintain your car over the months he had it?

 

[VT Blue]

I've known Pierre for decades, he's a fantastic guy and totally devoted to the maintenance and preservation of older Mercedes. I feel lucky to know him and be a recipient of his knowledge and enthusiasm for the marque. I wouldn't hesitate to take any of my cars to him, and would feel confident that I was getting the absolute best care available for a very reasonable cost.

You may not be aware of this, but Pierre travels extensively for his clients. There are lots of folks who think nothing of flying Pierre in for a few days to take care of their cars.

Dan

Hi, Dan!

Your description and gratitude for Pierre are spot-on, and I feel the exact same way. And, yes, he is often on the road doing 'house-calls,' at a reasonable rate IMO, which is highly unusual and clearly demonstrative of his devotion to the marque and his customers. He's one in a trillion and I feel so fortunate to have heard of him in the first place, let alone have him work on my car. He also LOVES 500Es...feels they're in the pantheon of the top MBs of all-time, and that they're seriously under-rated/supported by the collector car world. Their time will come...

Bob

 

[VT Blue]

VT, can you give us some details about what Cousin Pierre did for you in helping maintain your car over the months he had it?

Hi, Gerry. Sure, I'll give you a slightly abridged list below...just remember, it's not that the car was awful when I got it off BaT, however, it did suffer from typical neglected maintenance issues, some of which was not adequately addressed by another shop (whose name I will not mention). I do not want to give anyone the impression that there were serious operational issues (only one, fuel system related), but at the same time it should be known that I wanted this car 'right' and it wasn't there. I'm a big believer in keeping things OEM wherever possible/it makes sense (and it doesn't always, of course)...I want this car to be as stock as possible. So at the risk of embarrassing myself...

Cooling
Vehicle was running a bit warm, both in traffic and at speed:
- Replaced fan clutch
- Replaced the fan resistor and re-soldered the lead to a low-speed circuit...this really helped.
- Replaced thermostat...drilled one and then a second small hole in it until he was satisfied with its results
- Replaced water pump (it was time...preventative as much as anything, IIRC)
- Replaced 30A strip fuse
- Replaced tensioner and serpentine belt

Suspension - Obvious needs here
- Replaced front struts, strut mounts, bump stops, lower balljoints
- Replaced front springs and spring pads
- Replaced rear axle spindle bushings
- Replaced accumulators and hydraulic strut rubber mounts and spent a good amount of time adjusting suspension ride height. One might think this is all about the parts but far from it...he worked to get it 'right' to his satisfaction, which is one of things about Pierre that sets him apart (see thermostat above, too).
- Replaced ends to hydraulic suspension control rods

Brakes -- Replaced pads, hoses and fluid, of course

Engine
- Replaced engine mounts...this had one of the biggest, most positive effects on the car. The old ones were well beyond any usefulness.
- Replaced oil pressure sender
- Took off the valve covers and oil pan, inspected all areas to ensure car had had oil changed regularly/there wasn't too much gunk. And there wasn't...it was pretty good in there. But, again, he did not have to take off the pan, clean it, inspect the pump, etc...he could have just changed the oil. I have a great feeling of confidence knowing that he has.
- Replaced the fuel pressure regulator to fix difficult hot starts...this issue had stymied others (if they indeed had even really tried to sort out), but he found the issue quickly and fixed it.

Transmission
- Fully inspected, mainly maintenance as it's strong, but double checked and installed a missing retainer for the transmission cooling pipe

And then other miscellaneous and minor issues and areas where his knowledgable eye saw things that weren't quite 'right' and/or could be made better. For example, the inside passenger-side mirror cover was apparently barely holding on. Pierre ordered a replacement part, then took it and the old one to a local fabric shop he uses, asked them to remove the gray interior strips from the old one to then be put it on the new one so there was not a piece of black plastic in its place but a perfect match instead. He went so far as to provide them with the correct MB glue to use for that application. He also sorted an issue with a lock actuator and the ignition that made the entire job more efficient/effective.

And, of course, he literally looked at practically every part from the front bumper to the rear, making sure there were not any potential issues or question marks.

The bottom-line is that this car now sings. I drove it along 95 for 2.5 hours after leaving Pierre's and had the BEST drive, even if it wasn't twisties. The car just pulled, was comfortable and ran the way intended/it should. I had a confidence in the car before, but nothing like I do now. It's gone from being a good example to a great one, though I have a highly biased opinion. Next will be paint (the clear coat is completely shot), but that's going to be a little ways off.

I hope this helps and does not impugn me for my lack of wrench-time. I just love W124s, especially the 500. It's a keeper and driver, not a garage queen by any stretch.

Bob

P.S. Thanks for moving this to the right area, Gerry.

 

[jhodg5ck]

Ah, that was your car, glad she has Come Together.. Pierre is top notch, I always look forward to chatting with him no matter the topic at hand. One of the Very few shops I will recommend in the US of A.

jono

 

[VT Blue]

Ah, that was your car, glad she has Come Together.. Pierre is top notch, I always look forward to chatting with him no matter the topic at hand. One of the Very few shops I will recommend in the US of A.

jono

Thank you. Yes, it's taken some time and a few $ but I am so pleased.

@gerryvz please see the bold above. I know you moved this to the "Southern US" section, however, one of the reasons I initially (not quite blindly) posted it where I did was for people anywhere to read it; plus, it's reflective of the business Pierre gets, the majority (I would bet) is from outside FL/southern states. But that's just a guess. If I read the same thing about someone in, say, Chicago or Phoenix, I probably would have driven to wherever that location is...I'm guessing there are others like me. You're the boss, though, so will not push.

Thx!

Bob

 

[1783pictures]

Pierre is THE MAN. My experience mirrors yours. How I wish Ihad the knowledge to wrench, but alas, that is not to be. I drove my 500 SEC down to him April of last year and stayed in town for three days. In that time he did so much work it still astounds me. Of course he wanted to do so much more, but he will get the chance next month when I drive back down. He is 11 hours from me and it will be worth the drive.

If you go back to April or May 2019 for his YouTube channel you will see a couple videos on my SEC. I plan on doing another video with him when I am down there.

 

[Harv]

Another plug for Pierre. I cold emailed him about an obscure pre-war Mercedes part and of course he had knowledge about it and give me a quick summary on it. Super nice guy. He earns every dollar he makes.

 

[LWB250]

Pierre and I have talked about an enthusiast magazine or something like that with articles covering various aspects of older Mercedes, sort of a written version of his videos. As the video thing is much easier to produce, I suspect our desire to do a magazine or something with articles contributed from folks like himself, Jono and others will probably never come to fruition. Every time we meet we talk about it...

Dan

 

[VT Blue]

Yes, I see where you're coming from, Dan.

You know who does a really good job with videos? Porsche Club of America. PCA has a nice library on YouTube and linked to their website. I agree entirely that videos are easiest...I also think they're more marketable than articles. However, if you and Pierre want articles posted somewhere, then MBCA or SCM seem like logical choices.

Just some quick ideas while I'm on a really long Zoom...I may regret/edit anything I just said later.

Thx!

Bob

 

[smilecenterlab]

pierre sounds amazing.i wish we had someone like him in San Francisco bay area.

 

[LWB250]

pierre sounds amazing.i wish we had someone like him in San Francisco bay area.

Take up a collection, pool some funds among owners, and fly him out for a week. Or - call him up and ask if he comes to the area to service any of his client's cars. I'm betting he does. To get him tagged on to the end or beginning of an existing trip could be well worth the expense. His hourly rates are not unrealistic for the quality of work that he does, and I assure you that when he's done there will be far more suggestions of additional work that you or others can do.

Pierre has a following that never ceases to amaze me. Some customers are people of means that many of us couldn't begin to grasp. Others are average folks like some of us.

I know he often frequents some of the big events like Monterey and Amelia Island (which is relatively close to home, too.) I don't know if he's there to service cars belonging to clients or just to enjoy the events, but it's quite possible it's a mix of business and pleasure.

Dan

 

[VT Blue]

Take up a collection, pool some funds among owners, and fly him out for a week. Or - call him up and ask if he comes to the area to service any of his client's cars.
Dan

Dan's suggestions are excellent.

And the value from his hourly rate...I've seen $200/hour in some parts of California for, granted, dealership labor. He's much, much less than that, even if you factor in flying him out or tacking him onto another visit he's making as Dan said.

It would be worth everyone's while, IMO.

Thx!

Bob

 

[gerryvz]

We should have a 500E GTG and fly Cousin Pierre in for it. Then as part of the gathering, he can create a comprehensive punch list for each attendee's car, along with prioritization and perhaps some HOW-TO for some jobs. Because I know that everyone would want to hear from Pierre that their cosmetically perfect E500E has $5-15K worth of deferred maintenance !!

 

[VT Blue]

Haha! Yeah, well...

The silver lining, though, Gerry? Is it would be $10-$20K with anyone else.

Bob

 

[TerryA]

Before you make all of these plans and work for Pierre. Maybe somebody should ask Pierre.

 

[LWB250]

Before you make all of these plans and work for Pierre. Maybe somebody should ask Pierre.

I think I suggested that a while back.....

Dan

 

[gerryvz]

Maybe we could do a GTG at Jono's and have Cousin Pierre come up from FL.

 

[VT Blue]

Maybe we could do a GTG at Jono's and have Cousin Pierre come up from FL.

Sorry, where’s Jono located?

 

[jhodg5ck]

Just a few minutes outside of the Atl.

 

[gerryvz]

 

[Blacklightning]

For the record, could you please give me Pierre Hedary's Contact Information in Titusville as well as his YouTube Channel info.

Cheers,

George Jr.

 

[VT Blue]

Sure, you can get him at the following:

P: 407-765-2867
E: mbownersforlife@bellsouth.net
W: Pierre Hedary and Company
Y: Mercedes Classics with Pierre Hedary

Best of luck.

Bob

 

[Blacklightning]

Thanks Bob for the info.

Cheers,

George Jr.

 

[IBNR]

Sure, you can get him at the following:

P: 407-765-2867
E: mbownersforlife@bellsouth.net
W: Pierre Hedary and Company
Y: Mercedes Classics with Pierre Hedary

Best of luck.

Bob

Bob, thank you for posting all this great info about your experience with Mr Hedary! My '94 E500 has sat nearly unused since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and that, combined with the fact that I never found anyone I could trust to work on it here in Orlando since I moved here in late 2016, means my car is in desperate need of real, professional attention. Based on your posts I contacted Pierre late last week, had a delightful telephone call with him yesterday afternoon (a Saturday no less!), and have an appointment to bring my car over to his Titusville shop (about 50 miles from my house) in a week's time for the same sort of test drive/evaluation you started with. My goal here is a bit different than yours as I'm at the beginning stages of prepping my car for sale, but I'm genuinely excited and frankly relieved to finally be on the path of working with someone who not only knows these cars inside and out but genuinely loves working on them and teaching people about them.

Thanks again!

 

[VT Blue]

Sure, you can get him at the following:

Bob, thank you for posting all this great info about your experience with Mr Hedary! My '94 E500 has sat nearly unused since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and that, combined with the fact that I never found anyone I could trust to work on it here in Orlando since I moved here in late 2016, means my car is in desperate need of real, professional attention. Based on your posts I contacted Pierre late last week, had a delightful telephone call with him yesterday afternoon (a Saturday no less!), and have an appointment to bring my car over to his Titusville shop (about 50 miles from my house) in a week's time for the same sort of test drive/evaluation you started with. My goal here is a bit different than yours as I'm at the beginning stages of prepping my car for sale, but I'm genuinely excited and frankly relieved to finally be on the path of working with someone who not only knows these cars inside and out but genuinely loves working on them and teaching people about them.

Thanks again!

That's great to hear, Mike. I have full faith and confidence in Pierre and hope everything with him and your car goes as well as it did for me.

Best of luck!

Bob

 

[maw1124]

This guy ought to be a national treasure… I’ve never met him but love his YouTube channel… supremely knowledgeable, experienced and humble, he reminds me of some other noted Mercedes techs of that era, whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting courtesy of this Board.

maw

 

[Duh_Vinci]

- Replaced thermostat...drilled one and then a second small hole in it until he was satisfied with its results

Cheers!

Never heard of this, do you happen to have any more information available by chance? Size, location?

Regards,
D

 

[jhodg5ck]

Park em on either side of the bubbler. I usually rip the bubbler out... especially down here. Additional bypasses have been a very helpful Thing for the last 20 years. Helps with bleeding the system too...so double win

 

[Duh_Vinci]

Park em on either side of the bubbler. I usually rip the bubbler out... especially down here. Additional bypasses have been a very helpful Thing for the last 20 years. Helps with bleeding the system too...so double win

Jono, drill right about where I crudely drew the red dots? I have the thermostat with built-in housing…

 

[jhodg5ck]

I put them all across the top... we'll say 7 or so mm to the left and right of the bubbler...

 

[Duh_Vinci]

I put them all across the top... we'll say 7 or so mm to the left and right of the bubbler...

Thanks for the tip, appreciate it! Diameter?

 

[VT Blue]

Cheers!

Never heard of this, do you happen to have any more information available by chance? Size, location?

Regards,
D

Jono will know. I’m afraid I do not know the answer.

 

[maw1124]

Quick question here… are there any “updated” radiators available, maybe something from later AMG models or aftermarket (because cooling is a thing)? Asking for a friend. (@gsxr or @jhodg5ck would know).

maw

 

[gerryvz]

No. For the E500E, you only have three options other than the factory part:

1. The cheap Behr radiator product line, which is not advisable to buy. Made in China.
2. The regular Behr radiator product line, which is made in South Africa (I just bought one last year for my car)
3. The Nissens product, which used to be made in Denmark and is now made elsewhere. Takes a slight bit of tweaking for the transmission cooler line on the bottom, but doable and fits/works fine. I had one prior -- not quite as robust in the transmission cooler hose fittings on the passenger side as the Behr #2.

Anything else is going to be a custom-made job. I believe the factory part is still Behr #2.

 

[VT Blue]

Quick question here… are there any “updated” radiators available, maybe something from later AMG models or aftermarket (because cooling is a thing)? Asking for a friend. (@gsxr or @jhodg5ck would know).

maw

All I can say is that after Pierre did his fixes as I’ve described, including what Jono’s kindly mentioned and detailed, I have had zero issues.

I should also note the car is located in SE Florida, driven year-round. This week’s been pretty hot and humid yet temp is rock-steady in the green.

 

[gsxr]

Gerry is correct. There are now two different Behr/Mahle radiators, the cheaper one is half price but made elsewhere. The good/original one is still made in South Africa / RSA and is branded "Premium Line". The part numbers have a different letter at the end to distinguish the two, and yes the OE/Genuine Mercedes radiator is the "Premium" version made in RSA.

RENNtech offered an all-aluminum radiator back in the 90's but today you would have to have something custom fabricated, I'm guessing it would be $1k-$2k? It's not possible to make the radiator any wider or taller, and there is very very little space to make it any thicker. One of my cars had the RT unit and IIRC it was 25% / 0.5" thicker, but this also meant the fan clutch could no longer be removed without first removing the radiator. I don't know how much real-world cooling capacity is added with ~20% larger core area.

 

[maw1124]

All I can say is that after Pierre did his fixes as I’ve described, including what Jono’s kindly mentioned and detailed, I have had zero issues.

I should also note the car is located in SE Florida, driven year-round. This week’s been pretty hot and humid yet temp is rock-steady in the green.

Yeah I’m in SW FL and I’ve never had a problem. The guys do really take after the fans though, so the car’s reputation for running hot is still firmly in tact, as I’m sure your garage can attest when you park the car after driving it. I almost want to leave the garage doors open.

maw

 

[56Ford]

Suspension - Obvious needs here
- Replaced front struts, strut mounts, bump stops, lower balljoints
- Replaced front springs and spring pads

@VT Blue, did Pierre consider the spring replacement as a standard part of the refresh or was there a problem with them? I ask as I am going to replace the H&R lowering springs I installed several months ago (along with all of the standard wear parts of the suspension) and am considering buying a new set of four stock springs to return to the original suspension. I do not have a specific problem with them other than their age (30 yrs, and this is for a C126) and thinking they must be tired if not exhausted. Any comments appreciated.

 

[gsxr]

Note that @VT Blue had this work performed on a 500E, not a C126. There may be differences in the reasons behind replacement.

124 coil springs have very little, if any, "sag" over many years of use. I would think the 126 would be the same but I'm not certain. That said, it's hard to go wrong with brand new ones.

 

[56Ford]

Note that @VT Blue had this work performed on a 500E, not a C126. There may be differences in the reasons behind replacement.

124 coil springs have very little, if any, "sag" over many years of use. I would think the 126 would be the same but I'm not certain. That said, it's hard to go wrong with brand new ones.

Yes I saw it was his 500E and assume the coils were very similar from model to model especially in the early 90's. Same was true with Bimmer coils in 60's and 70's and guessing a shared benefit of having steel from the Ruhr Valley close at hand. Good to know and thanks.

 

[VT Blue]

@VT Blue, did Pierre consider the spring replacement as a standard part of the refresh or was there a problem with them? I ask as I am going to replace the H&R lowering springs I installed several months ago (along with all of the standard wear parts of the suspension) and am considering buying a new set of four stock springs to return to the original suspension. I do not have a specific problem with them other than their age (30 yrs, and this is for a C126) and thinking they must be tired if not exhausted. Any comments appreciated.

Great question. While I do not want to say there was a particular problem with the springs, such as a cracked or broken coil, I will say that he and I both thought the ride/handling could/should be better, and we knew there were issues with everything from the accumulators to bushings and shocks.

At that point, rather than have a 'weak link' in the suspension, we elected to replace the springs. So, sure, one could call it a "refresh" though that was based on the fact that there was deferred maintenance and overall issues, not any one thing in particular.

Make sense?

Thx!

Bob

 

[56Ford]

Yes that makes perfectly good sense and ensured no regrets. Thanks

 

[jhodg5ck]

IME, the rear springs on 126/107/116 and 123's all seem to suffer with age. 124 not so much. I Suspect one of the benefits from the 5 link..idk.


That said, after 100k miles no spring is going to have the same properties it did when New


Jono