I bought my CL600 last September, mint cond, 2001 brilliant silver ash interior, AMG double spoke wheels, with about 20K miles on it. It is a Starmark automobile. I love it.
After leaving it recently for about 10 days while on vacation, I returned to notice the drivers side fender very low--resting on the tire. After initially freaking, I pressed the ABC switch, and the car instantly popped up to the correct height. Drove it around a little, and all seemed well. To be sure, I called MB of West Chester and they suggested I bring it in for a look. I assumed it was under warranty, as I have only driven it less than 2000 miles. Also, the NAV sys was rejecting discs, but after 3-4 tries, it would eventually accept them. Thought I'd get that checked out as well. Also --minor grip--the leather cup holder door was locking up, but looked ok from the outside.
First thing , they replaced the NAV system (under warranty). This took about a week to find a replacement, which seemed odd to me. Second, they decided to flush my ABC and replace the filter. They did the ABC part without a call to me for authorization, and told me it'd be around $600. First I assumed it would be under warranty, but was told it wasn't--that it was a maintenance item!? I got nowhere, until I told them I didn't authorize the work, at which point they said they'd cover it. Hmph. FINALLY I get the call to pick up my car. Decide before I drive away to pull aside while in their lot to check it out. NAV still doing the same thing. Now I'm pissed. Also, the cup holder door (leather panel) is NOTICEBLY nicked/scratched along the outside. I circle around, drop the car off again. Service manager says highly unlikely they nicked up the cup holder panel. (this was uncool to me, as I know my car inside and out--don't we all--, and this was obviously something I would have noticed, especially because it needed attention). He suggested they could have it touched up, but later decided that they would replace the panel, with no charge to me. BTW, originally I tried to have the cup holder door repaired, I was told that the sticking door was ALSO a maintenance item and wouldn't be covered? Is that right?
Looks like my car will be in the shop for close to 1.5 weeks, maybe more.
Is this unusual, or just plain crappy service? Also, is the ABC issue something to be more concerned about? Is it really something to be "maintained", if so, how? Wouldn't you think after a week/replacing the entire NAV that they'd realize it still doesn't work and not give it back to me like that?
I bought my CL500 in December 2005. Fortunately it came with a warranty as the car has constantly been struggling with the ABC system. The left rear is what sinks. I've taken in it many times but they've never been able to quite figure it out.
I think your dealer is giving you crappy service. The dealer I go to is really cool and I have no complaints there. They've been really good about replacing plastic trim and other nuisances without charge. I never get any attitude and it's actually a pleasure going there even though the car hasn't been so kind.
The first time I took it in for the ABC problem the service manager said they needed to flush the ABC fluid and replace the filter. They would cover the flushing of the ABC fluid and all labor but the filter was a maintenance item and it cost me $42 for that. I said it was okay to do thinking the problem would not repeat itself. Well, here I am more than a year later and I'm still living with the problem. However, now when I take it in I don't pay for anything as the dealer is well aware that it's a problem they haven't been able to diagnose properly.
In September last year, I thought the dealer finally figured out the problem when they replaced the front and rear valve blocks. The car ran without any issues for about 5 months but then it sunk again in the left rear in February. I took it in and they flushed the fluid and replaced the filter (without charge this time) and then bled the ABC system and it's been about 3 weeks now and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Just the other day the car had a ABC error warning on the instrument cluster which said "Visit Workshop". I checked the car on all four sides and it was level. I took it in and the service manager told me that they found nothing wrong with the system but when the car was repaired last time the mechanic did not reset the alarm codes and that is the reason why the message popped up. Let's see...............
I was reading the owner's manual the other day and ironically it said that the ABC system doesn't require any normal service. That's really strange considering it's the main reason why my car keeps going back to the dealer.
My warranty expires in May and I'm hoping this last incident with the ABC will be my last but I'm not too sure that will be the case. My advice to you is to keep a very close eye on the ABC issue and try to get it resolved as quickly as possible before your warranty expires because it is very expensive to repair and the way your dealer seems to be treating you they may not support you after your warranty expires. If you can, try and find a different dealer, maybe they will treat you better.
usually with the ABC, they do the flush first because usually what happens is dirt will clog the valve blocks, causing one side to lean. if flushing doesnt resolve it, replacing the front or rear valve block does. Me persoanlly, I would have flushed it and installed a new valve block.
Get a UV pen and mark the navigation. For a few dollars you can get a blacklight from a hobby store and be able to see if there is a new unit installed.
Starmark covers all defects of operation. It does not cover wear and tear which should have been rectified before the car was placed under starmark.
The rules of starmark are that the dealer pays for the first few months and then Mercedes pays after that. This stops dealers from selling faulty cars and having Mercedes pick up the tab.
So what they are doing is passing the blame to you hoping that you will bail them out.
If the car was brand new .... none of your complaints would be at your cost. Then with starmark the same must apply. It must be trouble free ownership.
The dealer is running a scam hoping to get out of spending money. What you must do is take your car to some other dealer and get them to process the warranty at the cost of the sales yard. When Mercedes gets the claim they will just forward the cost to the dealer (who should have done the work prior to sale).
The car obviously has a history of having a droopy nose (very common) and the error logs inside the OBD system would have shown that. Given that it is a known fault there is no excuse.
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Thank you Chet. I agree with you 100% that I should have the dealer service these issues while the car is still under warranty, although so far it hasn't covered everything.
I purchased the car from MB of Wilmington, DE, but it is being serviced by MB of West Chester PA, which is closer to my home. When West Chester decided that the ABC was a "maintenance" item, they suggested I try to pass it along to Wilmington, (who weren't helpful at all). So two dealers being uncool IMHO.
Frankly, I don't understand how MB's policy of fixing a known issue on a car under these circumstances can be "interpreted" in so many different ways, i.e. from dealer to dealer. Your dealer fixes it, my two won't under warranty.
Also of concern for me is that assuming this is an ongoing problem (ABC), next time will I be charged an arm and a leg to rectify, based on their maintenance excuse? I only got through this time on a technicality.
Thank you for your help Miroj. My dealer's service dept. called back regarding the NAV with a possible solution: They have ordered a disc from MB which is designed to correct the problem of NAV rejecting route Cd's. It must reprogram it with a bug fix of some sort? Hopefully this will solve the problem.
Looks like my car will be at the dealer 2+ weeks to flush and change filter (ABC), fix a cup holder and fix NAV. Seems like a loooooooooong time to me.
Thank you Chet. I agree with you 100% that I should have the dealer service these issues while the car is still under warranty, although so far it hasn't covered everything.
I purchased the car from MB of Wilmington, DE, but it is being serviced by MB of West Chester PA, which is closer to my home. When West Chester decided that the ABC was a "maintenance" item, they suggested I try to pass it along to Wilmington, (who weren't helpful at all). So two dealers being uncool IMHO.
Frankly, I don't understand how MB's policy of fixing a known issue on a car under these circumstances can be "interpreted" in so many different ways, i.e. from dealer to dealer. Your dealer fixes it, my two won't under warranty.
Also of concern for me is that assuming this is an ongoing problem (ABC), next time will I be charged an arm and a leg to rectify, based on their maintenance excuse? I only got through this time on a technicality.
Steve
Steve,
I know it can be difficult dealing with dealerships and believe me, I understand your grief. A lot of people are feeling the same pain. I consider myself lucky that I've got a good dealership that is working with me here. I'm on the west coast in California. All I can say is don't let them push you around. As long as the car is under warranty they are obligated to fix it. They may push back but you gotta be firm with them.
Documents you received with the car should be able to clarify what is covered under the warranty and what is not. Especially, if it's a certified preowned warranty from Mercedes it should cover almost everything. I'm totally surprised that the dealership who sold you this car is treating you like this. Play their game. If they say it's a maintenance item (i.e. ABC system) then fine pay for it once but if it happens again then they can't use that argument again. Just keep all your maintenance records. In your case, since they have already flushed the fluid and replaced the filter you already got that covered. Anything else that happens related to the ABC should be covered under warranty. If it's any consolation, once they fix the ABC issue I don't think you'll have to worry about it for a while. But this car is very expensive to maintain (especially the CL600) so if you have any doubts about it's reliability I would recommend getting rid of it and buying something more reliable. You'll probably sell the car easier while it's still under warranty. In fact, my take on it from what I've read in these forums is that the CL600 has many problems with oil leaks. I think it may be due to the V12.
BTW, I think read somewhere that the CL600 had a recall for the ABC hydraulic hoses or something like that. Make sure the car has had those replaced and the recall campaign is complete. You can go to edmunds.com and do a search under used car research to find what recalls are there for your model year.
Thank you for your help Miroj. My dealer's service dept. called back regarding the NAV with a possible solution: They have ordered a disc from MB which is designed to correct the problem of NAV rejecting route Cd's. It must reprogram it with a bug fix of some sort? Hopefully this will solve the problem.
Looks like my car will be at the dealer 2+ weeks to flush and change filter (ABC), fix a cup holder and fix NAV. Seems like a loooooooooong time to me.
Steve
Software doesnt fix the ejection. It is a physical fault in a CD player that says "what is this disc .... put in something I can read ".
The technicians in this location are greehorns. Anyone who was with the dealership since 2000 will know that there is a generic leak in the ABC and a worn out head unit.
Only thing that would make me suspect otherwise regarding the head unit is they replaced it in order to fix the problem. Soon as I got back in the car, the problem crept up again. Are we sure these machines aren't built by NASA?
Last edited by Brilliant Silver : 03-31-2007 at 07:39 AM.
I know it can be difficult dealing with dealerships and believe me, I understand your grief. A lot of people are feeling the same pain. I consider myself lucky that I've got a good dealership that is working with me here. I'm on the west coast in California. All I can say is don't let them push you around. As long as the car is under warranty they are obligated to fix it. They may push back but you gotta be firm with them.
Documents you received with the car should be able to clarify what is covered under the warranty and what is not. Especially, if it's a certified preowned warranty from Mercedes it should cover almost everything. I'm totally surprised that the dealership who sold you this car is treating you like this. Play their game. If they say it's a maintenance item (i.e. ABC system) then fine pay for it once but if it happens again then they can't use that argument again. Just keep all your maintenance records. In your case, since they have already flushed the fluid and replaced the filter you already got that covered. Anything else that happens related to the ABC should be covered under warranty. If it's any consolation, once they fix the ABC issue I don't think you'll have to worry about it for a while. But this car is very expensive to maintain (especially the CL600) so if you have any doubts about it's reliability I would recommend getting rid of it and buying something more reliable. You'll probably sell the car easier while it's still under warranty. In fact, my take on it from what I've read in these forums is that the CL600 has many problems with oil leaks. I think it may be due to the V12.
BTW, I think read somewhere that the CL600 had a recall for the ABC hydraulic hoses or something like that. Make sure the car has had those replaced and the recall campaign is complete. You can go to edmunds.com and do a search under used car research to find what recalls are there for your model year.
-Chet
Hey Chet:
I have no problem paying for maintenance on this car. I DO have a problem paying for maintenance that should be covered under warranty, or a dealer playing the pass-the-blame-game, as my time is too valuable to untangle that sort of mess. When buying a car of this caliber, I expect the level/ease of service to reflect the car. That being said, they do seem now to be trying their best to resolve everything.
Sell the car? No way...not yet.
Interesting you mention a possible recall for ABC leaks. I will look into that. If a car is a Starmark vehicle, are MB dealers required to perform all recall servicing before they offer it for sale? I hope so.
CL600 issues/ ABC and NAV 
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