Just thought I'd alert everyone to a new indie shop with which I'm pretty impressed so far. It's American Pro Auto in Pawtucket (just North of Providence). Dan Qvarnstrom spent about seven years at the Mercedes dealer and is now launching out on his own. Labor rate is only $50 per hour!

I had my car in to replace the tranny pan, new front flex disc, replace the master cylinder, and a few odds and ends. Dan really seemed to knock himself out and go the extra mile...seems to have a commitment to customer satisfaction. A friend of mine with a 95 E300 also had a good experience there recently.

With other indie shops in the $65-90 range, American Pro is worth checking out. Oh, and Dan also seems good about letting you bring your own parts....another way to save money.

Phone is 401.996.5467.

I have a '99 E320 210 chassis and a '89 560SL 107 chassis. I recently got an estimate from the dealer, VITI in Tiverton, for an a/c compressor replacement. The dealer wanted to replace not only the a/c compressor and dryer bottle, but the suction hoses and condensor. I found the small shop down on 81 South that specializes in Mercedes in the local paper. What a find!!! Ray Mulveny, who is a trained Mercedes Technician and owner, gave me a great price and guaranteed the work. Come to find out, I didn't really need the suction hoses or condensor. Ray told me that you just had to make sure that you cleaned out the system well before replacing the condensor. Since then, Ray and I have become a trusted friend and has done more work on my Mercedes, always satisfying my needs at a reasonable price and gets the job done in just a few days. He is also one of the few guys that has the specialized equipment and software needed on the newer Benzs. He's an honest and genuine guy that you can trust and I would highly recommend. He can be found at 978 Crandall Road, Tiverton, RI. 401-625-1305.