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I probably left California 20-25 times, but only after I traveled there for work. If I walked into MB of Beverly Hills, they would call security with a Jed Clampet alert. They would throw me out the back door.
People who buy these cars new have them serviced at the MB dealership, home of the $300 oil change. These cars tend to be low mileage garage queens. People who buy them used early in the life cycle of the car tend to buy extended MB warranties. They have them serviced at the dealer. When the car no longer qualifies for an extended warranty, the value plummets like a wounded duck.
For years I have heard variations of "the most expensive car you will ever own is a cheap mercedes benz.'
For the man who can wrench a little, this car is a smoking deal. I have replaced brakes. Top of the line Akebono pads were about $200, but OEM supplier brand Pagid are under $100. There are 12 pads total. This is for SERIOUS supercar level brakes. Front brake rotors are 14.2"x1.3". They look like frickin manhole covers. Front calipers are 8 piston; backs are 4 piston.
The voltage regulator for the Alternator is $51. The OEM bosch alternator is $256 brand new, but a reman is $85. No big deal.
All of these SL55's will need motor mounts, transmission service (drop the pan, clean it, replace the filter, fluid and the electrical connection plug), supercharger bearing replacement, and an ABC fluid flush and filter. Maybe $300-400 total in parts.
At that point you have a legitimate supercharged 493 Hp 4400 lb. luxo-supercar. Speed limited at 156 mph, capable of over 200. 4.3 seconds 0-60, under 13 sec quarter mile, 10 seconds to 0-100. All acceleration is traction limited. Turn off the traction control and you can spin tires at 60 mph.
All this for ten cents on the dollar. Mine cost 135k new. I paid 14k for it with 80000 miles. It is (was) immaculate.
I probably left California 20-25 times, but only after I traveled there for work. If I walked into MB of Beverly Hills, they would call security with a Jed Clampet alert. They would throw me out the back door.
People who buy these cars new have them serviced at the MB dealership, home of the $300 oil change. These cars tend to be low mileage garage queens. People who buy them used early in the life cycle of the car tend to buy extended MB warranties. They have them serviced at the dealer. When the car no longer qualifies for an extended warranty, the value plummets like a wounded duck.
For years I have heard variations of "the most expensive car you will ever own is a cheap mercedes benz.'
For the man who can wrench a little, this car is a smoking deal. I have replaced brakes. Top of the line Akebono pads were about $200, but OEM supplier brand Pagid are under $100. There are 12 pads total. This is for SERIOUS supercar level brakes. Front brake rotors are 14.2"x1.3". They look like frickin manhole covers. Front calipers are 8 piston; backs are 4 piston.
The voltage regulator for the Alternator is $51. The OEM bosch alternator is $256 brand new, but a reman is $85. No big deal.
All of these SL55's will need motor mounts, transmission service (drop the pan, clean it, replace the filter, fluid and the electrical connection plug), supercharger bearing replacement, and an ABC fluid flush and filter. Maybe $300-400 total in parts.
At that point you have a legitimate supercharged 493 Hp 4400 lb. luxo-supercar. Speed limited at 156 mph, capable of over 200. 4.3 seconds 0-60, under 13 sec quarter mile, 10 seconds to 0-100. All acceleration is traction limited. Turn off the traction control and you can spin tires at 60 mph.
All this for ten cents on the dollar. Mine cost 135k new. I paid 14k for it with 80000 miles. It is (was) immaculate.
I have no desire to own an out of warranty, modern German car, but you certainly make a strong case
So I followed up with AAA yesterday afternoon, 4/6. The rep I was connected to had to get my wife to authorize me to communicate regarding the claim. I knew I was in the correct spot at this point.
She had all the notes from the initial call that fateful night, 4/3. AAA had an expectation that the tow company would have already made everything right. Since I had no contact since the morning I spoke to the VP of Safety on 4/4, AAA has escalated the case to the vendor relation rep who handles all details from this towing service, including whether or not the towing service continues contract for AAA. AAA rep advised that once this escalation occurs, I should have no further contact with the towing company.
Today, the towing company called my wife (big, big mistake) in a panic to tell her that she should not talk to anyone at AAA regarding the claim. She gave them my phone number, but they haven't called me.
At this point I feel pretty sure that someone is going to pay me for the damage.
I have no desire to own an out of warranty, modern German car, but you certainly make a strong case
I have a scanner that reads codes with specific software for MB. It cost about $160. It will tell you if anything is wrong and exactly what is wrong. For example, my car has a defective occupancy sensor on the passenger seat. The scanner tells me the connector plug has incorrect resistance. I need an afternoon to remove the passenger seat, clean the contacts and replace the seat. The scan tool tells me that level of detail. It's pretty easy to fix stuff if you can turn a wrench.
My Porsche buddy has a Star Diagnostic computer for MB. It's the exact system used in dealerships. Just about the only thing his Star can do that my scan tool can't is reprogram or disable systems within the car. For example, my scan tool tells me the speed limiter is set at 156. His Star system can reset the limiter to 189mph or remove it altogether.
Speaking of the speed limiter:
In February I did a solo road trip to visit my elderly parents in Oklahoma and take care of a few things for them. I took the SL.
There is a stretch of US Hiway 69 between McAlester OK and Eufala OK that has no exits. It has wide shoulders for the inside and outside lanes. There is a continuous concrete center barrier with no divides. It is 21 miles with no possibility of a speeding ticket.
I did the entire length going North toward my parents home at the speed limiter. With the A/C on. Listening to music. It was pretty freaking cool.
On the return trip, I did it with the top down, 156mph. It was awesome.
So I followed up with AAA yesterday afternoon, 4/6. The rep I was connected to had to get my wife to authorize me to communicate regarding the claim. I knew I was in the correct spot at this point.
She had all the notes from the initial call that fateful night, 4/3. AAA had an expectation that the tow company would have already made everything right. Since I had no contact since the morning I spoke to the VP of Safety on 4/4, AAA has escalated the case to the vendor relation rep who handles all details from this towing service, including whether or not the towing service continues contract for AAA. AAA rep advised that once this escalation occurs, I should have no further contact with the towing company.
Today, the towing company called my wife (big, big mistake) in a panic to tell her that she should not talk to anyone at AAA regarding the claim. She gave them my phone number, but they haven't called me.
At this point I feel pretty sure that someone is going to pay me for the damage.
has anyone from the original tow company apologized yet? i'd make sure that is the first thing i say in regards to my demands.
As a person who since 1999 has had to wage the battle almost yearly of damage to my FC caused by douchebags, you have my complete sympathy in this situation. At least you have AAA behind you when dealing with the tow company because my experience says that many (absolutely not most...I trust my towing to ONE company ONLY who has delivered perfect service over 20 years...Thames Towing) tow companies they will take absolutely no responsibility until there is a lawsuit filed. They'll keep brushing you off, or if they do agree to cover damages they'll try and send you over to their pet body shop where some monkey with a spray can will fill it with Bondo and cover it up.
But...
Originally Posted by jackhild59
self-actualized business woman,
You're going to have to tell me what this means. I tried Googling "self-actualized" and all I got was references to Oprah.
personally i won't own a MB or BMW again, even if they have hit rock bottom value. some engineering is just a joke.
well ok, maybe a BMW 850...
i think i agree, German cars are pretty much out. the current BMW's are like a grenade with the pin pulled... they say you need to 'keep up with maintenance' but precisely where on the maintenance schedule does it tell you to replace the battery after the car left its own headlights on? oh btw, the battery is $550 (its made from pandas), and it takes 2 hours of labor to install, because you need to reprogram the 'smart battery controller'. which is smart enough to need an hour of programming when the battery is dead, but not smart enough to save the battery if the car leaves its own headlights on, which it apparently does.
Audi, the last audi dad had, got a CEL at 10k, which they reflashed. at 20k the CEL came back. step 2 was to remove the engine, take it apart and clean it. which they did, under warranty. however when it needs this again in 20k miles it will be customer pay, and when dad got his car back mileage went from 35mpg to 25mpg. my 1958 Tr3 had a 50,000 mile interval before you had to pull the head to clean it.
Mercedes; my yoga teacher picked up a 2009 E3xx, and the launch sequence involves a motor unlocking the steering column, which then seems to allow the rest of the car turning on. motor is bad, and is $1500. car is paperweight. her old 200,000+ Lexus would just start by turning a key.
Porsche: dad had a Boxster. it spent its summers at the dealership with them trying to figure out how to get the rotational motion of the ignition key into rotational motion of the engine. also there were problems getting the headlights to work, the windows to go up and down, plus there is a looming Spector of the LGBT bearing failure. we all liked it, but it was the least reliable car he's ever owned, and he had a 1981 Buick diesel
I have a scanner that reads codes with specific software for MB. It cost about $160. It will tell you if anything is wrong and exactly what is wrong. For example, my car has a defective occupancy sensor on the passenger seat. The scanner tells me the connector plug has incorrect resistance. I need an afternoon to remove the passenger seat, clean the contacts and replace the seat. The scan tool tells me that level of detail. It's pretty easy to fix stuff if you can turn a wrench.
My Porsche buddy has a Star Diagnostic computer for MB. It's the exact system used in dealerships. Just about the only thing his Star can do that my scan tool can't is reprogram or disable systems within the car. For example, my scan tool tells me the speed limiter is set at 156. His Star system can reset the limiter to 189mph or remove it altogether.
Speaking of the speed limiter:
In February I did a solo road trip to visit my elderly parents in Oklahoma and take care of a few things for them. I took the SL.
There is a stretch of US Hiway 69 between McAlester OK and Eufala OK that has no exits. It has wide shoulders for the inside and outside lanes. There is a continuous concrete center barrier with no divides. It is 21 miles with no possibility of a speeding ticket.
I did the entire length going North toward my parents home at the speed limiter. With the A/C on. Listening to music. It was pretty freaking cool.
On the return trip, I did it with the top down, 156mph. It was awesome.
It's not for everyone, I guess.
What is the name/model of your scanner? For that price, I'm guessing it's limited to only certain MBs. Sounds like a seriously powerful tool if it covers the model(s) you own and work on.
What is the name/model of your scanner? For that price, I'm guessing it's limited to only certain MBs. Sounds like a seriously powerful tool if it covers the model(s) you own and work on.
iCarSoft Mercedes/Smart MB II
I got it on amazon for 160. Works for every mercedes model from about 2000 on.
As a person who since 1999 has had to wage the battle almost yearly of damage to my FC caused by douchebags, you have my complete sympathy in this situation. At least you have AAA behind you when dealing with the tow company because my experience says that many (absolutely not most...I trust my towing to ONE company ONLY who has delivered perfect service over 20 years...Thames Towing) tow companies they will take absolutely no responsibility until there is a lawsuit filed. They'll keep brushing you off, or if they do agree to cover damages they'll try and send you over to their pet body shop where some monkey with a spray can will fill it with Bondo and cover it up.
But...
The only body shop I deal with is Sewell Lexus in Dallas. They do top notch work, impeccable paint shop, won't use anything but factory parts.
The Sewell organization is legendary for quality and service.
Originally Posted by Aaron Cake
You're going to have to tell me what this means. I tried Googling "self-actualized" and all I got was references to Oprah.
Well it's been awhile and a few things have transpired.
I heard nothing from AAA for a couple of weeks since they assured me someone will call to handle my claim. So...
I consulted with an automotive industry legend with whom I correspond occasionally. He had previously turned me on to Sewell Lexus in Dallas as having the best body shop in Dallas/FT Worth, specifically the best painters.
He told me to fix my car with Sewell, then sue AAA and the tow company in small claims court. I would win and they would pay.
The *very* next day, Friday May 5, AAA called! I now have a person assigned to my case. I have a phone number and email. She assured me they would take care of the issue.
Monday May 8, I received a letter from AAA dated May 5. The letter misstates the conversation, states I am working with the towing company, says they are not responsible, how sorry they are about my bad experience, how much they value my business etc.
04-07-17, 08:16 AM
If I walked into MB of Beverly Hills, they would call security with a Jed Clampet alert. They would throw me out the back door.
