No more SL600 - Now what?

3599 Views 26 Replies 12 Participants Last post by LovinSL600, Mar 11, 2005

LovinSL600

Discussion Starter · Feb 26, 2005

I got up this morning and decided I just don't want my SL600.

I can't deal with all the little things that go wrong. I can't deal with how they screw up fixing them and I can't deal with Mercedes Benz never having any part in stock so every time it takes weeks or months to get things accomplished.

So, I am now stuck with what to buy. Price is not a factor, I just want something with a lot of electronics, plush interior and can be used as a daily driver.

Yes, yes I know my SL600 could be the best but I can't believe their is not another car out there with these characteristics.

What about the Continental GT?

Have any suggestions? I am just not feeling Mercedes Benz anymore. [

!]

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brown klister

· #2 · Feb 26, 2005

LovinSL600 - 2/26/2005 10:47 AM
So, I am now stuck with what to buy. Price is not a factor, I just want something with a lot of electronics, plush interior and can be used as a daily driver. [!]

I am not sure if it is a good idea to want "...a lot of electronics" if what you want is a reliable car. [?] I thought it was just one or two problems with your SL600 and they were fixed weren't they?

Mercedes itself has admitted a BIG part of their reliability headaches came from the stupid electronics. IMO, you want a car that has LESS electronics and has systems that have been well-tested in the field.

I tested a couple of Jaguar XK8 convertibles and they actually drove better than the SL and the seats were very comfortable. I wasn't keen on the ragtop because we have major snow in Ontario, Canada and I wanted a 4-season car. But you live in CA so a ragtop should be less of an issue. They also have the supercharged XKR version which is 390 HP and looks very nice and aggressive [8D]. The dealer only had one and it was the owner's car. The Jags drove very nicely and that model has been out for some years. It also has a classic shape in keeping with its clientele and I think this is the car you want to take your woman out in. The only question in my mind is how committed Ford is to sustaining this marque.

http://www.jaguarusa.com/us/en/vehicles/xk/overview/models.htm

There is also the Aston Martin Vanquish S mentioned earlier. I walked up to one downtown and saw the owner drive it around. It is incredibly beautiful - blows the Continental GT away without any doubt. The GT is actually quite ugly in a Rolls way. But not the Vanquish, it has perfect proportions and form. And it's a V12 with 520 HP and normally-aspirated. I understand it is like $50,000 more than the DB9 but it should not cause a problem for you. The DB9 pales a lot when put next to the Vanquish. I have no idea about reliability though. Of course, it's not a roadster. Here's a link to it in case you haven't already looked:

http://www.astonmartin.com/thecars/v12vanquishs

My impression of the Bentley is that it is really a rebadged VW W12 Phaeton in 2-door format. That's not necessarily bad but I think The Jaguar and Aston Martin designs are clearly more original and unique. I mean, do you want to pay that much for VW technology? VW does not have a good reliability and durability reputation. I had a new VW Scirocco when I first started out working. By recent industry accounts, I would never buy another VW again. They simply do not build cars to last - BMW emphatically does. And the GT is a new, untested designed.

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tiggerfink

· #3 · Feb 26, 2005

Hang in there. My friend had to wait for two weeks on his part for his BMW. It has been 4 days and I am waiting on a part from Germany on my SLK 320. The Japanese cars had the same problems with parts in the 80s. If you do not want to wait on parts, buy American.

I never saw a Continental GT so if it broke down in my area, you will definitely will have to wait for parts.

wirelesscoyote

· #4 · Feb 26, 2005

I would suggest Contiental GT also, I know how you feel about these problems. Maybe another suggestion for you would be a Ferrari 612. Or Jaguar XKR is also a good choice

cxt32

· #5 · Feb 26, 2005

In my opinion you are making a big mistake, but the next thing I would choose would be the Vanquish S. But I don't know about the practicality in the US.

wirelesscoyote

· #6 · Feb 27, 2005

No I wouldn't suggest the Vanquish, it has a shit gearbox. The gearbox is slow, and stupid. They don't have the shifter at the middle, and from neutral shifting to reverse, there is a big lag.

scottcardwell

· #7 · Feb 27, 2005

I also agree that you are making a mistake, but trust me I can't blame you. I just relized....hey wait a second...my mercedes went in for a new rear fog light that was out..hmm why the (well i don't want to see what i really said but) did it go in in the first place then? Sigh it was in for a day....for a bulb change and new whipers THAT WAS IT?! 1 DAY FOR WHAT? NEW WHIPERS? I am sick and tired of mercedes this IS my last mercedes as much as I love the SL I can't stand their service anymore its complete bull. Loving..please don't let go of your as much as Mercedes suck in service don't let go of it..its such a great car. But neverthless if you do let go of it. We have 2 Jaguars, Xk8's 99' and 97' now they are in PERFECT condition except for a few lights out in the interior which when I have more time I will replace. It hasn't had 1 problem in the many years we've had them. AMAZING service whenever we needed it. And the style is just gorgeous they were coming out with the road car and they asked if we wanted to purchase it we said yes and were very interested but, back in the UK they abandoned it at the last second before production.

anywho straight to the point

1) mercedes service sucks

2) don't let go of your sl600 its so sexy

3) if you do let go of it which i hope u don't get a jaguar and if thats not your style get a vanquish.

also just curious how old are ya loving? and what kinda job do ya have if ya don't mind me asking. Cheers,

I'm 18.

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SL600TOM

· #8 · Feb 27, 2005

HI LOVIN, YOU ARE SCARING ME. I AM ABOUT TO ORDER 2006 SL600. I THINK THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE WITH DEALER AND NOT THE CAR. MY DEALER IN HAGERSTOWN MARYLAND IS GREAT. HE PRIDES HIMSELF ON SERVICE. I LIVE 40 MILES AWAY AND THEY WILL PICK UP YOUR CAR AND BRING IT BACK OR GIVE YOU A LONER. THE ONLY TROUBLE I HAVE HAD WITH MY 2003 SL500 IS TWO NEW REAR BATTERIES. FIRST REPLACEMENT BATTERY WAS FROM NAPLES FLORIDA DEALER WHERE MY SECOND HOME IS. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WAS A RECYCLE BATTERY NOT A NEW ONE. THE SECOND ONE CAME FROM MY MARYLAND DEALER AND IT WAS NEW. THE NAPLES DEALER IS PROBABLY LIKE YOURS. NOT WORTH A S---.

ANYWAY MY BROTHER HAS A 2005 BENTLEY GT. IT IS BEAUTIFUL CAR AND RIDES WELL. CANT GET DISTRONIC,OR VENTILATED SEATS, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE THE SL HAS.IT IS A LITTLE HARD TO SEE OUT OF REAR WINDOW.THE SEATS ARE HIGHER THAN SL. I UNDERSTAND A CONVERIBLE WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON BUT WITH SOFT TOP.I LIKE SL BETTER.

ALSO I WENT TO ASTON MARTIN DEALER LAST WEEK AND SAT IN DB9. COOL CAR BUT SEATS SEEM TO BE HARD. COCKPIT SEEMS TIGHTER THAN SL. IN THIS CAR YOU PAY FOR THE HAND BUILDING. THE VANQUISH LOOKS THE SAME BUT YOU PAY FOR V12 EXTRA HP. ALSO REAR WINDOW VIEW IS SMALL.
HOPE THIS HELPS TOM

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LovinSL600

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 27, 2005

SL600TOM - 2/27/2005 6:02 AM

HI LOVIN, YOU ARE SCARING ME. I AM ABOUT TO ORDER 2006 SL600. I THINK THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE WITH DEALER AND NOT THE CAR. MY DEALER IN HAGERSTOWN MARYLAND IS GREAT. HE PRIDES HIMSELF ON SERVICE. I LIVE 40 MILES AWAY AND THEY WILL PICK UP YOUR CAR AND BRING IT BACK OR GIVE YOU A LONER. THE ONLY TROUBLE I HAVE HAD WITH MY 2003 SL500 IS TWO NEW REAR BATTERIES. FIRST REPLACEMENT BATTERY WAS FROM NAPLES FLORIDA DEALER WHERE MY SECOND HOME IS. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WAS A RECYCLE BATTERY NOT A NEW ONE. THE SECOND ONE CAME FROM MY MARYLAND DEALER AND IT WAS NEW. THE NAPLES DEALER IS PROBABLY LIKE YOURS. NOT WORTH A S---.

ANYWAY MY BROTHER HAS A 2005 BENTLEY GT. IT IS BEAUTIFUL CAR AND RIDES WELL. CANT GET DISTRONIC,OR VENTILATED SEATS, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE THE SL HAS.IT IS A LITTLE HARD TO SEE OUT OF REAR WINDOW.THE SEATS ARE HIGHER THAN SL. I UNDERSTAND A CONVERIBLE WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON BUT WITH SOFT TOP.I LIKE SL BETTER.

ALSO I WENT TO ASTON MARTIN DEALER LAST WEEK AND SAT IN DB9. COOL CAR BUT SEATS SEEM TO BE HARD. COCKPIT SEEMS TIGHTER THAN SL. IN THIS CAR YOU PAY FOR THE HAND BUILDING. THE VANQUISH LOOKS THE SAME BUT YOU PAY FOR V12 EXTRA HP. ALSO REAR WINDOW VIEW IS SMALL.
HOPE THIS HELPS TOM

I really think the SL600 is a great car and I am not sure what is comparable, if any car. I also believe that my dealer hasn't helped the situation but here are some items that were wrong when my car was delivered straight off the boat from Germany.

In other words, directly caused by the factory.

1. The number 1 and 7 pistons were misfiring making the car not driveable. The cause was a 3 year old fuel pump known of have problems when there was already a third generation pump available for 3 months. The second generation pump had been out for two years yet I still had the first generation pump. As you know this pump did not pump enough fuel to my engine so the 1 and 7 pistons in the front of the engine were misfiring.

2. The driver's side rear quarter window would have difficulty going up and down and get stuck.

3. The two front windows were not properly aligned and one was 1/4 inch higher than the other. The alignment to the rear window was also off.

4. The COMAND unit was damaged.

5. They send charcoal floor mats for a black interior.

6. I am not sure yet but I think my ambient noise feature is not working on the COMAND unit.

7. There were other little nits but I won't bore you with the details.

For $172,000 I would have expected they might have caught some of these items and fixed them before the car left Germany.

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brown klister

· #10 · Feb 27, 2005

Lovin, I sympathize with your plight. You have good reasons to want some peace and satisfaction from a big expense.

The pump problem was a factory issue - MB should not have allowed a defunct part to be used in a new premium car. Someone at head office needs to be sorted out.

The windows, floor mats, COMAND problems seem to be the fault of your dealer. These cars are supposed to be carefully checked out and prepped by a specific mechanic at the dealer before they will allow it to be presented to the owner. That guy should have found the problems before you got your car. Either he screwed up or someone else at the dealership overrode the mechanic and let you take the car even though the problems were there. They let you down and they let MB down.

I think you may need to talk to the owner of the dealership or with the MB manager in charge of the dealer if lower level staff have not taken responsibility for the problems. Your car was not properly prepped before you got it. Unfortunately, I think the pump problem would likely not have been fixable until it gave out because it was a factory decision.

I don't know whom you've already spoken to at your dealer but I think you have to give him an ultimatum, get it all sorted out promptly and provide you with a decent loaner for the time being - maybe a CLK 500 or something. Otherwise, speak to the big boss and ask him to put himself in your position. Just work up the chain.

Good luck. This approach has worked for me every time - just make sure you word all of your complaints in a fair and firm way in a letter. Letters work way better then verbal agreements.

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mark11

· #11 · Feb 27, 2005

Ok, ok, ... take a deep breath Lovin and hopefully you will be listening to the voice of reason here. First of all, let me say that I know exactly how you feel right now. It is the same feeling I had when I noticed that MB had taken out a few features that I really liked. I was so mad about these things that even the tiniest little problems started to annoy me. I just wanted to give the car back to them! At one point I called MB and told them that I would make a public statement about there lack of concern for my problem, by hoisting the car up 50 feet in the air and letting it fall to the concrete into a million pieces while the news chanel filmed it. I was just so digusted that I was finding fault with every thing about this car, especially considering the price etc... All in all, I had this immage of owning a Mercedes, one of the "best built cars in the world", which I had equated to mean "perfect". And this Loving is where my thought process went astray. You see my friend, the car is in fact "not perfect", and can never be! For one, it was built on the planet earth by human beings like you and me. That means that as much as we demand perfection, it simply can never be, ever. Nothing on this planet made by man is perfect. The problem is that those of us who drive MBs have selected them because we actually admire the fact that somebody has at least attempted to come close for us. So, believe it or not, but the MB is still one of the finest engineered cars in the world dude! Unfortunately and fortunately we live in an age of lightening fast changes in technology, but high end car designs are planned well into the future. There are going to be hits and misses along the way. A good dealer can take a lot of the unpleasentness out of what you are currently going through right now. I'm not sure your dealer is doing every thing they can to make this better for you. Perhaps you can go to another dealer, but purhasing another high end vehicle will result in other high end problems. Again Lovin, humans are building these cars, from Fords to Ferrarris, humans are making this stuff. Lovin, if you think your experiencing delays now in parts deliveries etc., then just go ahead and buy an Aston Martin and you'll really go off the deep end!! So Lovin, I'm sorry to say, but just like me, you need to change your vision of what this car actually is and is not. It "is" one of the finest built automobiles in the world. It "is" loaded with more electronics than just about any other high end vehicle at this price. It "is" by far one of the best looking, fastest, and yet smoothest riding vehicles on the planet!!! What a combo!! Now I'll tell you what it is not. First it is "not" $200,000, even with every extra MB has to offer!!! It is "not" a tempermental race car in road car clothes that requires the Earnhart racing team to maintain. And...it is "not" built by some allien perfect race outside the solar system for shipping to the U.S. for Mark11 and Lovin!!! Dude when ever I have a problem with my car and someone asks me if I'm pissed, upset or disgusted, I just shrug my shoulders and say with a smile, "hey what do you want for $170,000"? "Nothins' perfect"! Then, I take them and me for the ride of their life! Now that's just about perfect!! Lovin, bottom line is that once your car is runnig well, it will likely continue to do so, and your enjoyment will ease your pain and heal the wounds. Then one day you'll be toolin' down the highway at super smooth, super sonic speed, gettin' all the looks and then, just then, you'll pat your dash board with pride and say to your self "I love this car"!! Hang in there dude!!!

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tiggerfink

· #12 · Feb 27, 2005

brown klister - 2/27/2005 10:49 AM

Lovin, I sympathize with your plight. You have good reasons to want some peace and satisfaction from a big expense.

The pump problem was a factory issue - MB should not have allowed a defunct part to be used in a new premium car. Someone at head office needs to be sorted out.

The windows, floor mats, COMAND problems seem to be the fault of your dealer. These cars are supposed to be carefully checked out and prepped by a specific mechanic at the dealer before they will allow it to be presented to the owner. That guy should have found the problems before you got your car. Either he screwed up or someone else at the dealership overrode the mechanic and let you take the car even though the problems were there. They let you down and they let MB down.

I think you may need to talk to the owner of the dealership or with the MB manager in charge of the dealer if lower level staff have not taken responsibility for the problems. Your car was not properly prepped before you got it. Unfortunately, I think the pump problem would likely not have been fixable until it gave out because it was a factory decision.

I don't know whom you've already spoken to at your dealer but I think you have to give him an ultimatum, get it all sorted out promptly and provide you with a decent loaner for the time being - maybe a CLK 500 or something. Otherwise, speak to the big boss and ask him to put himself in your position. Just work up the chain.

Good luck. This approach has worked for me every time - just make sure you word all of your complaints in a fair and firm way in a letter. Letters work way better then verbal agreements.

How many things wrong is consider a lemon?

Send a letter about your problems to MBCA. They need them for the next meeting with the big dogs at MBUSA. MBCA will send all letters to MBUSA. For some reason Mercedes is denying all problems. If you send it to MBCA, they will be able to keep a tally of problems. Also MBCA is looking into getting a Ombudsman to help out other MBCA members with their problems with their Mercedes car.

Send to: [email protected]

LovinSL600

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 27, 2005

mark11 - 2/27/2005 9:04 AM

Ok, ok, ... take a deep breath Lovin and hopefully you will be listening to the voice of reason here. First of all, let me say that I know exactly how you feel right now. It is the same feeling I had when I noticed that MB had taken out a few features that I really liked. I was so mad about these things that even the tiniest little problems started to annoy me. I just wanted to give the car back to them! At one point I called MB and told them that I would make a public statement about there lack of concern for my problem, by hoisting the car up 50 feet in the air and letting it fall to the concrete into a million pieces while the news chanel filmed it. I was just so digusted that I was finding fault with every thing about this car, especially considering the price etc... All in all, I had this immage of owning a Mercedes, one of the "best built cars in the world", which I had equated to mean "perfect". And this Loving is where my thought process went astray. You see my friend, the car is in fact "not perfect", and can never be! For one, it was built on the planet earth by human beings like you and me. That means that as much as we demand perfection, it simply can never be, ever. Nothing on this planet made by man is perfect. The problem is that those of us who drive MBs have selected them because we actually admire the fact that somebody has at least attempted to come close for us. So, believe it or not, but the MB is still one of the finest engineered cars in the world dude! Unfortunately and fortunately we live in an age of lightening fast changes in technology, but high end car designs are planned well into the future. There are going to be hits and misses along the way. A good dealer can take a lot of the unpleasentness out of what you are currently going through right now. I'm not sure your dealer is doing every thing they can to make this better for you. Perhaps you can go to another dealer, but purhasing another high end vehicle will result in other high end problems. Again Lovin, humans are building these cars, from Fords to Ferrarris, humans are making this stuff. Lovin, if you think your experiencing delays now in parts deliveries etc., then just go ahead and buy an Aston Martin and you'll really go off the deep end!! So Lovin, I'm sorry to say, but just like me, you need to change your vision of what this car actually is and is not. It "is" one of the finest built automobiles in the world. It "is" loaded with more electronics than just about any other high end vehicle at this price. It "is" by far one of the best looking, fastest, and yet smoothest riding vehicles on the planet!!! What a combo!! Now I'll tell you what it is not. First it is "not" $200,000, even with every extra MB has to offer!!! It is "not" a tempermental race car in road car clothes that requires the Earnhart racing team to maintain. And...it is "not" built by some allien perfect race outside the solar system for shipping to the U.S. for Mark11 and Lovin!!! Dude when ever I have a problem with my car and someone asks me if I'm pissed, upset or disgusted, I just shrug my shoulders and say with a smile, "hey what do you want for $170,000"? "Nothins' perfect"! Then, I take them and me for the ride of their life! Now that's just about perfect!! Lovin, bottom line is that once your car is runnig well, it will likely continue to do so, and your enjoyment will ease your pain and heal the wounds. Then one day you'll be toolin' down the highway at super smooth, super sonic speed, gettin' all the looks and then, just then, you'll pat your dash board with pride and say to your self "I love this car"!! Hang in there dude!!!

Incredible post. Thank you.

mark11

· #14 · Feb 27, 2005

Drive on Lovin, drive on...

Chucky300

· #15 · Feb 28, 2005

OY -
hehe

I think the people that suggest you hang in there are correct. However, I dont want it to ever be felt that we as the consumer are expecting too much. While it is understood that perfection is not possible, at least for the money spent, MB could get rid of SOME of the little things that tend to annoy us.... In all honesty, there is no reason for them to ship the incorrect floor mats.... I mean, that doesnt take ANY brains, technobabble, etc.... In addition, the parts departments at ALL dealerships should be well stocked...again, that has nothing to do with perfection, just the courtesy of dealerships.... Either you have the part, or not, it means placing an order for a part that they are running low on. That goes for EVERY business.... If you are in fashion design, and you see you are running lower on shoulder pads and lining fabric, you dont wait till you are completely out, you place your reorder so business will NEVER be interupted. Its just how it should be and doesnt mean PERFECTION is not possible.
As for looking for another car, I understand your annoyance and I think you should give it a lot of thought before you make ANY decision. As for the suggestion to the Aston Martin, how many Aston dealerships are there in this country? Do you think they have every part in stock?.... I would guess Mercedes has 10X the amount of dealerships (or more).... If anything, I'd go with a Porsche 911 (997) as you'd be getting terrfic performance that an SL600 buyer would want/demand, while also getting practicality, decent service, and as crazy as this sounds, good MPG

I know MB quality has gone down the tubes. My friend has a 1989 300SEL and its fine. Totally fine. I have a 2002 S500 and I'd bet you my service records file is thicker than my friends 1989. Thats a real shame because they rested on their reputation way too long. I hope the new S class will bring MB back to the era where the cars were respected by everyone, not cuz they are being driven by wealthy ppl, but because they will be known for their amazing quality and their regal aura (which I'm sorry to say, was lost around the W140-W220 transition)

Lovin, hang in there, its not going to be forever. At some point, all the kinks, issues, problems will be fixed to some degree that the level of enjoyment you will feel will surely outweigh all, or at least most of your dissappointments.

Best Regards,
Bradley

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cxt32

· #16 · Feb 28, 2005

There is no way of getting past the fact that big engines = big bills. If you want perfection in reliability, get a 1 Litre Nissan hatchback.

scottcardwell

· #17 · Mar 1, 2005

I'm going an invitation only showing of the new jaguar prototype, the lightweight coupe. It should be in production in 2 years.

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame.php?file=car.php&carnum=2197

Storm

· #18 · Mar 1, 2005

Vanquish S is crap, Go for a DB9 (cheaper and better), the only remedy for a knackered SL600[xx(]

LovinSL600

Discussion Starter · #19 · Mar 1, 2005

Storm. - 2/28/2005 2:27 AM

Vanquish S is crap, Go for a DB9 (cheaper and better), the only remedy for a knackered SL600[xx(]

Storm, can I talk you into a Continental GT answer?

cxt32

· #20 · Mar 2, 2005

In the USA the GT seems to be the 'in' thing, so maybe you should consider that. But over here, I just laugh when I see one.

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