SLK: Nightmare for more than $40 K
he...@mindspring.com
out to be the biggest mistake I have ever made.
Between that time and now, I experienced the worst service I could
imagine and numerous mechanical troubles including some unrepairable
failures on the car. Aside from the poor service, or better yet
‘missing’ service, I am also upset because most of the problems that I
had with my car were ‘known’ by the dealership, but only admitted after
I began to notice them. I believe this is related to the fact that they
are still incapable of fixing the problems. Instead, they want to sell
me a new car to fix the problems! But why should I pay thousands of
dollars again to buy a new car without even getting a guarantee that the
problems I experienced won’t happen again?
Don’t let anybody make you believe that you have a quiet top on the SLK
because of the hard top. True, you do not have many wind noises as in
soft top convertibles, but worse, you hear annoying, irregular rattling
and bumping noises from the mechanical pieces in the hard top.
The many different noises started about 3 months after I bought the car.
In the beginning, I had a rough rubbing sound on the passenger side
where the top meets the windshield. Then, I had a cracking sound in the
head area of the driver seat combined with a rattling sound coming from
the trunk area. By tapping on a metal part in the trunk, you could
recreate the sound, but the garage was not able to permanently get rid
of this it. The same is with the cracking sound at the drivers’ head
area. This sound can mostly be heard when driving at low speeds (take
off) or during outside temperature changes. The Mercedes mechanics agree
that that sound is annoying, but after having it in the garage about 4
times for that problem, they couldn’t find the cause of the problem.
Their response was,: “Sorry, but this all we can do.”
Besides the sound problems with the top, I also had plenty of other
difficulties with the car.
During the summer, the top stopped working on a 100° F day. The
Mercedes Technician told me that it was too hot for the car, and he
replaced some relays. Also on an approximately 30° F winter day, the car
stalled. This time the Mercedes Technician blamed the cold weather.
So they updated software to fix the problem. After the car continued
to stall, they recommended to use medium grade gasoline instead of the
supreme grade that they had previously recommended.
The first time I used the cup holder, the plastic parts fell apart.
The colored ‘leather’ on the passenger door handle started to peel.
After washing the car or after some heavy rain, water seeped into the
trunk. The problem was that the drain on the side of the trunk was not
functioning properly. I pointed this out to the Mercedes Technicians,
and instead of making the drain work, they replaced the rubber sealing
because they claimed that they could not recreate the problem. The
problem continued, and if they would have washed the car as they
promised me many times, they would have seen why the water was not
draining. Therefore, it took a meeting with the service manager and a
Mercedes regional manager to address this (and other) problems.
The warning light for the cooling fluid unnecessarily goes on. This is
also a known problem that the Mercedes Technicians promised to replace
sometime in the near future.
I understand that things go wrong on a car, but the one thing that
really upset me was the lack of service that I expected from the
Mercedes dealership.
I am German myself, and since I am in the US, I am impressed of the
customer services. It doesn’t matter where you are and what you buy
Customer Service is great. Everything but Mercedes Service- I never
experienced anything worse than that.
The poor service began with the salespeople. I was actually sold on the
SLK before I went to the Mercedes dealer in Raleigh, NC, therefore
didn’t really require lots of ‘selling’. After giving the first sales
man my home phone number, he consistantly left an incessant number of
messages on my answering machine. Most of the messages were purely
cheap sales lines that you would not expect from a luxury car
dealership. For example, he told me once that he had found a car with
the color combinations that I was looking for. and all I had to do was
to stop by and get the car. This message of course was just a reason to
get me in the dealership, because the car he was talking about was a
show SLK and was not even for sale.
Nonetheless, as I mentioned before, I was really sold on the car, so I
made the down payment required to order the car in the color
combination that I wanted. After experiencing the “cheap car salesman
manners”, I asked the dealership for another salesman. At this point, I
guess I should have seen the ominous signs about the dealership,
especially when the manners of the second salesperson were just as bad
as the first. His first statement to me was that he was doing me a
favor by dealing with me and that he was not receiving a commission from
the sale of my car. I felt that this information should have been
kept between sales staff. He left messages on my answering machine
starting with the words: “Hey my German half brother” and asked strange
questions regarding my personal life. I felt that these things were
inappropriate for a salesperson and even asked him to stop treating me
like a ‘buddy’, to no avail. Nevertheless, I was still focused on
buying the ‘car of my dreams’ and hoped that the tacky sales people
would be in the past after I purchased it.
About 3 months after I received the car, I had my first experience with
the Service Department. I had some minor mechanical problems combined
with the first sound related problems. These guys were everything but
understandable for my needs.
If you try to call them 15 minutes before they close you will have a
hard time getting them on the phone- to have them call you back at this
time .. no way. Even the lady who answered the phone told me that they
close in 15 minutes and I can’t expect that my technical will call me
today.
After about four repairs in the garage, I requested that they pick up
the car as opposed to me dropping the car off. They aggreed and it
seemed that it was not a problem - at least not on the phone. Because I
was leaving for a business trip, we agreed that I leave the key in my
mailbox. They promised over the phone to pick up the car right away.
However, a day later, the car was still in my driveway and the key in
the mailbox. They claimed to just be ‘too busy’ that they completely
forgot to pick up the car. When they told me that the repair would take
longer than expected, I requested a loaner car from them. So, they
first delivered the loaner to my previous address! Of course, I thought
that they forgot to deliver a car as well, so I called again. They
finally delivered another loaner car to my current address. The loaner
car was a dirty Honda Accord with a severely dented hood and with half
eaten lollipops and used plastic knives inside.
The way people talk to you and treat you is everything but customer
oriented. The experience was like being in a Three Stooges episode.
Now that they finally admit that they can’t fix the problems, they want
to sell me another car. First the sales manager called me and wanted me
to test drive another SLK. He said that he would personally check the
car and have it cleaned and filled up. I agreed, but when I went to
look at the car, they did not have a car ready. The salesman I dealt
with at this time actually expected me, but it still took him about 10
minutes to find the proper paper work in his file overloaded desk.
Finally, he found a car for me to test drive. Of course, the first
thing I had to do was put some gas in it.
A few days later, the sales manager called me to make me an offer for
the new car. (Before I test drove the new car, he assured me that money
is secondary to him at this point and that he is just concerned that we
work out the problems with my car.) Now, he started throwing out some
numbers and whining that Mercedes had cut his commissions to 7% in
general. --More details that I have absolutely no interest in knowing.
However, because of the cut in commission, he explained that I should
pay thousands of dollars difference in order to cover his commission
losses for the second car and/ or depreciation for my car. He claimed
that he was still losing money on the deal. However, he refused to make
me this offer in writing!
.
The question is why should I pay thousands of dollars when no one can
guarantee that the car will perform as expected, and I am almost
guaranteed to receive shoddy service? Sounds like biggest mistake
number two.
Heiko Herrmann
Raleigh, NC
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
brad9876
>
> In article <8b3pb1$98m$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> he...@mindspring.com wrote:
> > In February 1999, I bought a new car; a Mercedes SLK 230. It has
> turned
> > out to be the biggest mistake I have ever made.
>
> brought to the table in the merger is painfully obvious...
You're going to blame this on Chrysler??????
They're building SLK's in Highland Park now?
There's no doubt in my mind that Daimler-Chrysler is a bad idea, but,
gee guy, the MERCEDES people are IN CHARGE!
BTW... I really enjoy your tech info posts... but I don't see your point
here.
thom...@concentric.net
overall lemon. I'm not saying that the SLK is the best car to roll off the
Mercedes line, but you have some serious, and fairly uncommon problems here.
My roof makes no noise at all, and the only creak or rattle in the car comes
from the drivers seat. (My dealership offered to replace the seat for free,
but I declined.) There is also a small rattle from under the dashboard, but
I haven't told the service about it yet. The roof mechanicals in the trunk
and on the windshield that you mentioned are completely fine, with not a
peep ever (I have 24,000 miles on the car), much less the 'cracking' sound
that you mentioned.
The coolant light does go on inexplicably, fairly often, service seems
puzzled about it as well. Its a nuisance, but I can live with it.
My roof has only refused to retract once, on the first try, then it went
down, and it never happened again. The car has NEVER stalled, NEVER leaked
(anywhere), and the interior is holding up very well, no peeling or
cracking. The cup holders work fine.
As for the dealership, I would without a doubt raise hell with the zone
manager, and if that doesn't rectify the situation, call the 1-800-FOR-MERC
number and explain it to their customer service in great detail, and get to
the that zone managers' higher ups.
My dealership has treated me with the utmost courtesy and respect, and has
been eager to satisfy my every need, from the second I walked into the
dealership to buy the car, and every time I bring the car in for service.
They give me the feeling that they are there to help me, and my visits are
always pleasant.
My car has not been trouble-free, but you have a very unfortunate and
unpleasant situation going there. I feel very bad for you, because normally
the SLK is a very enjoyable car. It sounds like you have a bad one though.
My final advice to you is to check your local lemon laws-- the dealership
may have to give you a replacement car for free. The SLK is not a bad car,
as frustrated as you are with it right now. Get rid of this one and take
another, I'm sure that it will be better.
Best of luck...
-Thomas J. Paladino Jr.
New York City
99 SLK230
88 Lotus Esprit Turbo
85 500 SEL
<he...@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:8b3pb1$98m$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> ..
Devo
turned
> out to be the biggest mistake I have ever made.
Based on your experience (and those of others), part of what Chrysler
brought to the table in the merger is painfully obvious...
--
"Nobody Lends Money to a Man with a Sense of Humor"
T. G. Lambach
too common. I agree that when one buys a premium brand product one has
the right, as a customer, to expect to be and to be well treated. But
I've noticed that I'm often treated better, and with more respect, in a
no status place like a coffee shop, auto parts store etc. than in some
prestige establishments. Odd, but it happens.
Twice I was in our local M-B showroom to buy a new car but was
"invisible" to the smarmy sales staff - and I'm not even homeless! So I
bought the cars from the San Francisco dealer after almost buying a
Lexus from a very interested and attentive Lexus salesperson.
You should have acted on your first impression - this is a schlock
dealer, the staff is stupid and rude - I shouldn't waste my time with
these A.H.s. That's exactly what they turned out to be, total A.H.s
nothing more or less.
My relative just traded-in her two year old Lexus for a new Lexus SUV.
She phoned the Kingsport TN dealer, told them what she wanted and about
her trade-in. The salesman drove 45 minutes to her home, showed her a
SUV, she picked another color and they negotiated, but didn't agree upon
the price. He left and phoned her during his return trip, improving the
price by about half the difference. She declined that offer. An hour
later the deal was done, including changing the tires on the new SUV to
another brand! The new car was delivered a few days later and now gets
picked up for service; a Lexus loaner is left for her use.
I've never received service like that from any M-B dealer in the twenty
years that I've owned three of these cars. Last year M-B sold 191,XXX
units in the US so they obviously don't need to treat us customers well
- we march in anyway. And the dealers are unable to handle the volume of
service business. Wow!
Enough of my tract, back to you car. States have "lemon laws" so I
suggest you call the NC Dept. of Consumer Affairs and learn your rights.
If you have a case put it in a letter to the schlock dealer and the M-B
Zone Manager. But if the leaks, creaks and rattles are not severe enough
problems to qualify the car as a "lemon" take it to another dealer and
have them fix the three worst problems. Dealers can't count above three
so the items on your to do list beyond three won't get fixed - or even
looked at - on that visit, save them for the next time.
You're also seeing why many owners hold on to their old cars and
patronize independent repair shops; it's not just to save money.
Thomas Lambach, '80 300SD, '97 E320
Devo
brad9876 <brad98...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > turned
> > > out to be the biggest mistake I have ever made.
> >
Chrysler
> > brought to the table in the merger is painfully obvious...
>
>
> They're building SLK's in Highland Park now?
>
> There's no doubt in my mind that Daimler-Chrysler is a bad idea, but,
> gee guy, the MERCEDES people are IN CHARGE!
>
> BTW... I really enjoy your tech info posts... but I don't see your
point
> here.
>
Actually, I suppose you're right. I'm not really blaming it on Chrysler
but on the Americanization of Daimler. Chrysler is just a symbol of our
(American) marketing mentality (i.e., sales, quality, and service are
not correlated). When I really think about it, they're probably better
than average. It's really a shame that the American dollar has become
so powerful on the world market that hallmark global manufacturers like
Daimler feel they must set tradition and reputation aside or perish.
And now, a flawless dismount from my soapbox...
--
"Nobody Lends Money to a Man with a Sense of Humor"
MCBRUE
really great! So you need to print off your posting on the newsgroup and send
it to the local paper, to the regional and national MB headquarters, and to
world headquarters if you can find the address. Then also complain to the NC
attorney general office as well as to the local better business bureau. And
tell lots of your friends about this jerk dealer!!!! You might even drive it
down here to Greenville SC for service, but make an appointment first - these
crummy new cars require even more service than the old ones, so service is very
busy.
Good Luck !
PS - just Amerikan service at its worst.
mcbrue under the bridge in the trailer down by the river
96 S420
White Fang
>The coolant light does go on inexplicably, fairly often, service seems puzzled
about it as well. Its a nuisance, but I can live with it.
I had that too (right after the car was serviced). I opened the "overflow" and
saw it wasn't topped off properly and then filled it with anti-freeze. Worked
perfectly ever since.
-wf
"Oh! The lazy fat people
Are a terrible sight to see.
And the lazy fat people will
Get the better of you and me...."
Pete Townshend '66
PNepo01
from the retractable roof, and i have the car serviced the only noise is the
seat head rest rubbing the back of the trunk. My service people have treated me
with utmost courtesey and honesty, no b'shit here, they follow up when
something needs to be done, and updates are performed when i have the car
serviced.
and its funny that someone mentioned snooty salesmen, and that is the reason i
bought mb, because the BMW salespeople ignored me and my wife while we were
looking at their cars. too bad for them, 4 MB cars later , I am still happy
with my MB
Peter
1999 slk230k
1998 ml320
Karl J. Bambas
last June. Once the price was negotiated, the dealership couldn't have been
nicer. Mercedes dealerships around here, and I visited five of them before
picking mine, are all great places to visit.
Service has been great, and the car has only had two problems in the 1st 17,000
miles: The turn signal arm had to be replaced as it wouldn't turn off, and a
micro switch in the trunk side panel was replaced when the top wouldn't go
down. There has never been any question about the warranty on these items. No
squeaks, rattles, or stalls. A problem with the washer system turned out to be
my misunderstanding.
No charge loaner cars have been provided when the car was in for service.
Top up, top down, or in between the car delivers ego stroking attention, and
driving fun.
thom...@concentric.net wrote:
--
In times of change, the learners will inherit the earth while the learned will
find themselves wonderfully equipped for a world that no longer exists. - Eric
Hoffer
brad9876
> Actually, I suppose you're right. I'm not really blaming it on Chrysler
> but on the Americanization of Daimler.
Yea, Mercedes did decide to become Americanized... but I doubt they'll
do a very good job of it.
> Chrysler is just a symbol of our
> (American) marketing mentality (i.e., sales, quality, and service are
> not correlated).
There is a market... a substantial one... perhaps the most important
one... for a decent car built to a price. That's what most American
cars have strived for since about the time of Henry Ford. Some have
done a pretty good job.
But seeing Mercedes people in control of the Chysler division, which has
this goal, just makes me sick. And seeing the efforts to move their own
products down market, and seeing how inadequate they are competitively
at under about $50,000... well, a downgraded Mercedes at $35000 can't
compete against a Honda upgraded to that price level.
> When I really think about it, they're probably better
> than average. It's really a shame that the American dollar has become
> so powerful on the world market that hallmark global manufacturers like
> Daimler feel they must set tradition and reputation aside or perish.
> And now, a flawless dismount from my soapbox...
Would Mercedes really have perished? Staying above $50,000, their
competitors are all companies with equal and equally unsolvable problems
of lack of economy of scale. They don't have to be as efficient as
companies selling lower priced cars.
And it's especially disconcerting the Mercedes doesn't appear to be
interested in platform sharing... or even parts sharing with their
acquired high volume make. Without that, what was the point?
It's a done deal... but I hope they split... somehow... for the good of
both.
brad9876
SNIP
Kinda funny. I was thinking about you when I read the original post in
this thread... almost posted that you had gotten decent service out of
yours, and that the original poster by chance must have ended up with
the worst one ever built.
It sounds like he got a total lemon.
BTW, as long as we're talking about lemons, I don't believe the *never
get a Monday or Friday car* routine. One of the best cars I ever owned
was set on the assembly line the day before Thanksgiving, and finished
the Monday after a 4 day weekend.
GT
So far they are successful - in the biggest economic boom, well, ever?
>
>Yea, Mercedes did decide to become Americanized... but I doubt they'll
>do a very good job of it.
>
You know, that is a good statement. The first Taurus (in about the
third year) finally became such a beast a sold well for years. Are
there other examples? Meanwhile, Americans have become enamormed with
Sport-Non-Utility vehicles, which are horrible cars that cost way too
much for what you get.
>
>There is a market... a substantial one... perhaps the most important
>one... for a decent car built to a price. That's what most American
>cars have strived for since about the time of Henry Ford. Some have
>done a pretty good job.
>
The C-class was never competitive, but that didn't really matter much.
Those that bought them loved them, but they were "honest" cars. It
had some traditional flavor of the brand.
How many Acura TLs and Lexus ES 300 are going to be sold in 2000 (as
this is the first year that the TL has really taken over the magazine
ratings). How is the new C-class going to attempt to compete?
>But seeing Mercedes people in control of the Chysler division, which has
>this goal, just makes me sick. And seeing the efforts to move their own
>products down market, and seeing how inadequate they are competitively
>at under about $50,000... well, a downgraded Mercedes at $35000 can't
>compete against a Honda upgraded to that price level.
>
Well, the competitors are disappearing. Jaguar? Following the same
path. Lexus? Has the power of Toyota behind it. Actually, Now that
you mention it, Lexus is screwing up by staying down market when they
should be moving up. Rolls, Bentley, who exactly is being successful?
Do you really think Mercedes could have survived with only the E, S,
SL, and G class vehicles? I don't. Even V*lv* disappeared. What an
era. Cars are better than ever before at the cost of becoming
homogenized. Bland bland bland.
>
>Would Mercedes really have perished? Staying above $50,000, their
>competitors are all companies with equal and equally unsolvable problems
>of lack of economy of scale. They don't have to be as efficient as
>companies selling lower priced cars.
>
This is the strangest thing of all. Killing Plymouth? OK, I realize
now that a brand never really dies and when the economy goes back into
the tank they can re-introduce the brand with great fanfare and get
market momentum. Happens all the time now. But letting Chrysler
develop a rear-wheel drive platform for $35,000 range? the oxymoron
SMART? A-class?
>And it's especially disconcerting the Mercedes doesn't appear to be
>interested in platform sharing... or even parts sharing with their
>acquired high volume make. Without that, what was the point?
>
What alliances would you rather see?
>It's a done deal... but I hope they split... somehow... for the good of
>both.
--
Gary Talda
Duck Soup
dealers in the San Diego area regarding their service departments and all
my letter to the national office got me was a boilerplate reply promising
that the regional service manager would look into it. That was two months
ago -- and not a word or follow-up from anyone. It's too bad -- they just
don't understand what service is all about...
MCBRUE <mcb...@aol.com> wrote in article
<20000319232658...@ng-cn1.aol.com>...
> WOW !!!! That dealership in NC makes ole Heavy Carl here in Greenville
look
> really great! So you need to print off your posting on the newsgroup and
send
> it to the local paper, to the regional and national MB headquarters, and
to
> world headquarters if you can find the address. Then also complain to the
NC
> attorney general office as well as to the local better business bureau.
<SNIP>
brad9876
> The C-class was never competitive, but that didn't really matter much.
> Those that bought them loved them, but they were "honest" cars. It
> had some traditional flavor of the brand.
Yes... and still successful despite Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti. For how
long?
> What alliances would you rather see?
One that has something to do with making vehicles rather than one where
the formerly separate companies now merely have the same bank account
number.
Devo
brad9876 <brad98...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Would Mercedes really have perished?
I believe they would have. There were a couple factors that developed
in the late eighties that spelled doom for the MB of the late 70s/early
80s that their executives had come to know and love (monetarily).
First, Reagan's deficit spending throttled back the runaway American
inflation of the Carter era and second, Germany reunified. The former
started the trend towards a stronger dollar in relation to the mark
that has yet to reverse itself, and the second went a long way toward
restructuring workforce benefits more liberally in Germany, thus
effectively spiraling the cost of labor. MB's first line of defense was
to build plants here to try to offset these cumulative effects, but it
was too little too late. Eventually, it came down to a choice: find a
cash-rich partner (like Chrysler with its 8 billion in cash) if they
wanted to keep production at the same rate, or back off on production
and wait out the storm. Unfortunately, they chose that former. By
definition, something had to give in order to make the deal worthwhile
to Chrysler, and the benefit to them comes at the cost of quality and
service to the customers. Maybe MB management thought they could
somehow salvage quality without giving up production, maybe they knew
better. It's a shame they didn't decide to bite the bullet, cut
production and stay independent - it may eventually end up costing them
their reputation.
--
"Nobody Lends Money to a Man with a Sense of Humor"
brad9876
>
> In article <38D6E3...@yahoo.com>,
> brad9876 <brad98...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Would Mercedes really have perished?
>
> I believe they would have. There were a couple factors that developed
> in the late eighties that spelled doom for the MB of the late 70s/early
> 80s that their executives had come to know and love (monetarily).
> First, Reagan's deficit spending throttled back the runaway American
> inflation of the Carter era and second, Germany reunified. The former
> started the trend towards a stronger dollar in relation to the mark
> that has yet to reverse itself,
But for Americans a stronger dollar means cheaper foreigh products.
> and the second went a long way toward
> restructuring workforce benefits more liberally in Germany, thus
> effectively spiraling the cost of labor.
Labor as been expensive in Germany for a long time... those 5 and 6 week
vacations, y'know....
> MB's first line of defense was
> to build plants here to try to offset these cumulative effects, but it
> was too little too late. Eventually, it came down to a choice: find a
> cash-rich partner (like Chrysler with its 8 billion in cash) if they
> wanted to keep production at the same rate, or back off on production
> and wait out the storm. Unfortunately, they chose that former. By
> definition, something had to give in order to make the deal worthwhile
> to Chrysler, and the benefit to them comes at the cost of quality and
> service to the customers.
What am I missing here? The Chrysler people are out. Mercedes people
call the shots. The benefit to Chrysler wasn't to the company, it was
to the execs who were paid extra to leave and to the stockholders who
thought Mercedes would help their holdings... which hasn't happened.
> Maybe MB management thought they could
> somehow salvage quality without giving up production, maybe they knew
> better. It's a shame they didn't decide to bite the bullet, cut
> production and stay independent - it may eventually end up costing them
> their reputation.
Y'know, there's a Chrysler reputation here too... not much of one... but
it is FOR something entirely different than the Mercedes reputation and
is important in the market Chrysler products compete in.
Maybe if things go sour historians will somehow blame Chrysler. But I
think it's more likely they'll look at the current C Class and SLK, and
brand them Mercedes equivalent of the Packard 120... the car that kept
Packard's volume up but ruined it's reputation as something special.
After all, a person who could afford a Buick could afford a 120.
How far off Buick is Mercedes now with the C? Heck, a big Buick looks
like more car to me than a C.
GT
Not that it matters much, but I personally would have preferred a
buyout of Saab or V*lv* rather than Chrysler. They match better as
compatible brands.
>
>One that has something to do with making vehicles rather than one where
>the formerly separate companies now merely have the same bank account
>number.
--
Gary Talda
Bill Ditmire
>brand them Mercedes equivalent of the Packard 120... the car that kept
>Packard's volume up but ruined it's reputation as something special.
Except in the U.S., Mercedes is recognized as a full-line automaker- from
taxicabs through Popemobiles.
Bill Ditmire
Ditmire Motorworks,Inc.
425 White Horse Pike
Absecon,NJ 08201
www.ditmire.com
609-641-3392
brad9876
>
> >current C Class and SLK, and
> >brand them Mercedes equivalent of the Packard 120... the car that kept
> >Packard's volume up but ruined it's reputation as something special.
>
> Except in the U.S., Mercedes is recognized as a full-line automaker- from
> taxicabs through Popemobiles.
And nothing all that special, having covered the high end and the fleet
end.
Still special in the US though... although it looks like they're trying
to cash that in for higher volume.
Ford has struggled for 50 years to make Mercury just a little special
and has usually failed... it's not been permanent, anyway. Volvo
pretendsd to be something special, Saab prays it is, and Jaguar has done
a decent job of pretending to be. All of the non Japanese Asian
companies (and a few of the Japanese ones) would almost kill for even a
little bit of *special*.
Mercedes and BMW have it. What's Mercedes plan? Apparantly, to become
the 21st century Packard.
GT
I'll also give Cadillac credit in the past two years for trying to
re-recognizing profit in that "special" and trying to recapture it.
I'd also say few Japanese makers have it - Lexus and ?. Not Infiniti,
Acura, Toyota, Mitsubishi. Subura has something special, but
definitely not like Merc or BMW. Honda, I say yes (with the S2000
wow), but this is personal preference. Mazda has been inconsistent.
Jaguar *assume* they are special by birthright. Whoops, that no
longer applies <g>.
>
>And nothing all that special, having covered the high end and the fleet
>end.
>
>Still special in the US though... although it looks like they're trying
>to cash that in for higher volume.
>
>Ford has struggled for 50 years to make Mercury just a little special
>and has usually failed... it's not been permanent, anyway. Volvo
>pretendsd to be something special, Saab prays it is, and Jaguar has done
>a decent job of pretending to be. All of the non Japanese Asian
>companies (and a few of the Japanese ones) would almost kill for even a
>little bit of *special*.
>
>Mercedes and BMW have it. What's Mercedes plan? Apparantly, to become
>the 21st century Packard.
--
Gary Talda
Zack Humphries
is a little subdued but it's (I assume) trying be more of a classic look and
look "like a Mercedes." Plus it has features that you can't find in Porsche
(Boxster) and BMW (Z3). Personally, I am tired of the Z3, ...and as for the
Boxster, I don't think, is really that good of a package for the money.
"GT" <I.don't.want.your.s...@compuserve.com> wrote in message
news:3rrids8hakce6837s...@4ax.com...
HAGEMANN-JENSEN JENS
In May of 1999 I decided it was time to buy a new car therefore I sold in my
old BMW E-34 2,5l, and bought a new Mercedes-Benz SLK 200. I went for the
SLK instead of the BMW Z3 mainly because of its looks and the vario-roof.
A few days after I bought the car I noticed a scratch in the paint on a part
of the roof, and after a week I noted, to my surprise, that the scratch was
getting larger and deeper. Not knowing what was causing this, I turned for
help on the Internet newsgroups, after only one day 4 Americans replied,
they had all experienced the same problem. They unanimously told me that
while driving with the roof in the trunk. The roof, if not properly
adjusted, could come in contact with the inner side of the trunk, and cause
the scratching.
In September I decided to confront the salesman from Mercedes-Benz Malmö
Ingvar Lundström with the problem. He was very kind and polite as always, as
he accepted his responsibility, and he offered me a repainting and a roof
adjustment, which I naturally accepted. But after approximately one month
the problem recurred but this time I caught it in time therefore there was
no need to repaint the part, a polishing was sufficient and the roof was
readjusted once more. At the same time new problems started to appear. The
rubber list, that surrounds the left window, began to crumble and tear,
because the left window was maladjusted, the rubber list was changed and the
window readjusted. The above-mentioned problem recurred after a few months,
and the same procedure was carried out. This time the new rubber list was
mounted very poorly, it was crooked and there was a gap of about 8 mm inside
the car.
The situation with my car was starting to irritate me therefore I sent a
letter to the salesman Ingvar Lundström whom had always been fair and
understanding. But I learned that Ingvar Lundström had retired, and had been
replaced by a younger man. I met with this young man and showed him the
poorly mounted rubber list and the color of the repainted part, which was
slightly off compared to the rest of the car. The young man couldn't see
either of the things although he gave it a try that lasted a good 5 seconds.
Nevertheless he agreed to change the rubber list and repaint the small part
again. When I returned one week later to pick up my car I was told that they
hadn't painted the car therefore I would have to return to have this job
completed. When I got home with my car I examined the rubber list and
quickly concluded that it hadn't been changed, someone had glued it together
to try to trick me into thinking that it had been changed. Because of this
and the defects I'll mention later I wrote a letter to Berend Schmidt, the
director of car sales at Mercedes-Benz Malmö telling him that I wanted
Mercedes-Benz Malmö to buy back my car, or compensate me for my troubles and
the many faults. Berend Schmidt forwarded my letter to the General Agency,
which makes such decisions. The General Agency totally dismissed my
allegation that the car was faulty, and furthermore claimed that the car was
in compliance with the standard of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, Heinz
Ehgertner and Frank Vad signed this letter. Anyway new problems kept
appearing as usual, and several repair attempts were always needed. Finally
when I detected corrosion in the roof I was granted one more year of
warranty, but on the roof only. I find this unsatisfactory.
Here are some of the defects other than the above mentioned:
1. The heat in the left rearview mirror didn't function. Fixed
2. The air-condition would suddenly go from cool to maximum heat without
turning the knob. Fixed
3. There is a loose connection behind the dashboard that makes one of the
controls go dark once in a while.
4. A cracked screw in the roof. Fixed
5. The turn signal sometimes stays on permanently.
6. The left window has been adjusted 3 times so far, because of water entry
and the wear and tear of the rubber list.
7. Water entry in both sides of the trunk, and in the top of the roof.
8. The roof gives away loud cracking noises while driving on uneven roads.
9. The lacquer on the roof has been worn away, leaving the surface exposed
for corrosion, which has already accured.
10. The part of the exhaust pipe that is visible from behind the car is
corroded.
Please mail me if you have any questions, or if you or someone you know, has
similar experiences with the SLK. I speak the following languages
Scandinavian, English, Spanish and German.
Jens Hagemann-Jensen
Föreningsgatan 6E
S-211 44 Malmö
Sweden
mail: hage...@telia.com
MCBRUE
interesting that you got a year extension on the warranty. And your
interactions with the original salesman certainly sound more professional than
most American dealerships. But the old "park it by the wall and tell them it is
fixed" (called a wall job) is certainly a familiar repair to some of us, but
not so frequent with Mercedes. It certainly looks like the SLK is not a good
vehicle for quality. And it does appear that the poor service of Chrysler is
getting into the Mercedes company world-wide - most unfortunate, I feel. This
is strange because Malmo has a really GREAT reputation for its medical research
in radiation therapy. Ah well ..... keep after them.
mcbrue under the bridge in the trailer down by the river with an american
language record tryin ta learn ta speak rite
96 S420
wambam
else. I mean this exact same story, posted once before a few months ago.
(????)
Bill
HAGEMANN-JENSEN JENS <hage...@telia.com> wrote in message
news:lG3D4.52$xA9.18...@newsa.telia.net...