Mercedes: Ignition, 1991 mercedes 190e, independent mechanic

Question
I was recently charged $468 to replace the ignition on my 1991 Mercedes 190E after the cylinder would not turn at all.  That seemed really high for this repair, especially considering the initial verbal quote was $50 labor and I had priced ignition cylinders for $120.  The mechanic had my car for approximately one week and still couldn't get the cylinder out of the housing.  He said I could order the ignition with the housing for $240 from the dealer in
Riverside, CA.  Since I could not be without a car any longer, I went with that option.  Is this the typical cost for this repair?

Answer
Beth,
The ignition lock is supposed to be removable from the front. By rotating the key in the number one position and using a probe to release the latch allowing the tumbler to be pull out of the lock body.
Because the key was unable to be rotated, they may have had to completely remove the lock to get at the tumblers.
Did the mechanic give you all the old parts back. It is possible that they replaced the whole lock mechanism, and that requires extensive  read 'expensive' work.

I just replaced the electrical part of the switch in my 420sel and the guy  had to drop the steering column to get the lock body out to install the rear of the lock assembly. Ishopped ebay for the replacement part. The dealer cost was over 100.00 the part on ebay was 20.00. The mechanic charges 200.00 and spend two days on doing the job.

In the future, I suggest that you have a detailed work order written out to be signed by you before work begins. Any additional items used and labor charges must have your written OK prior to being done.
Also, remember that the least amount made by a dealer is the new sales price.   The profit center is in the back end shop.

You may want locate a local Mercedes club to learn who the best independent mechanic in our area is. In general, I have found that the independent shop is more responsive to customer questions.
Good Luck
Rob