New Member/ 2006 S65
03-19-2015, 12:28 PM
#26
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
Looks like I'm going to tell him to go ahead and do a trans service, and see if he sees any metal in the pan, check the trans mount, trans connecter plug and flex disc (car has a vibration in the 65-75 mph range).
Maw, you made a good point, and I did further reading on different threads and learned that it could be that when the fluid gets on the plug and heats up it causes the tcu to act funny. Also, I read up on clutch packs but wasn't clear on how to tell if they are going bad?
Maw, you made a good point, and I did further reading on different threads and learned that it could be that when the fluid gets on the plug and heats up it causes the tcu to act funny. Also, I read up on clutch packs but wasn't clear on how to tell if they are going bad?
Also check your records to make sure the coolant was flushed regularly. That car has major heat issues, and it's not gonna get any better down here in FL. Keep it running cool. What I've learned in these performance cars is that you cannot be too careful with fluids. Whatever MB says the interval should be, do it sooner.
I know, buying an AMG and not driving it hard is against the grain a bit. But it is an SClass after all, and I've done it for almost 6 years. There's really no reason to get on the car -- undoubtedly you run out of pavement between you and the next infinity before the thing really gets going.
Good luck,
maw
Last edited by maw1124; 03-19-2015 at 01:32 PM.
03-20-2015, 10:54 AM
#27
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Thread Starter
Good stuff. Please keep us posted.
Also check your records to make sure the coolant was flushed regularly. That car has major heat issues, and it's not gonna get any better down here in FL. Keep it running cool. What I've learned in these performance cars is that you cannot be too careful with fluids. Whatever MB says the interval should be, do it sooner.
I know, buying an AMG and not driving it hard is against the grain a bit. But it is an SClass after all, and I've done it for almost 6 years. There's really no reason to get on the car -- undoubtedly you run out of pavement between you and the next infinity before the thing really gets going.
Good luck,
maw
Also check your records to make sure the coolant was flushed regularly. That car has major heat issues, and it's not gonna get any better down here in FL. Keep it running cool. What I've learned in these performance cars is that you cannot be too careful with fluids. Whatever MB says the interval should be, do it sooner.
I know, buying an AMG and not driving it hard is against the grain a bit. But it is an SClass after all, and I've done it for almost 6 years. There's really no reason to get on the car -- undoubtedly you run out of pavement between you and the next infinity before the thing really gets going.
Good luck,
maw
Also, I need to look at the records again but if I'm not mistaken the last time the coolant was probably flushed was probably at the recommended interval. I was also reading up on intercooler pumps after my friend with his e55 brought it up and how the Bosch 010 is better etc and theres also a johnson pump.. going to look into this and a coolant flush as well. I also need to do an ABS flush.
And i agree with you with that. Since its my daily driver I drive it easy but my c63 is a different story
03-20-2015, 11:13 AM
#28
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Reversed off the driveway on the road, he put it in drive and immediately a shudder from the rear end. He suspected differential mounts or driveshaft flex discs. After some driving, the car wasn't shifting smooth, causing him to believe low fluid. Also he noted the downshifts were hard. We got back checked the fluid, it was actually a little higher than it should be.
I was also reading up on intercooler pumps after my friend with his e55 brought it up and how the Bosch 010 is better etc and theres also a johnson pump.. going to look into this and a coolant flush as well. I also need to do an ABS flush.
And i agree with you with that. Since its my daily driver I drive it easy but my c63 is a different story
I was also reading up on intercooler pumps after my friend with his e55 brought it up and how the Bosch 010 is better etc and theres also a johnson pump.. going to look into this and a coolant flush as well. I also need to do an ABS flush.
And i agree with you with that. Since its my daily driver I drive it easy but my c63 is a different story
It's definitely acting like fluid starvation. But I think that speaks to quality of fluid (burned and congealed) rather than quantity. I wouldn't be surprised if it's sludged a bit and therefore not getting to where it should be. Hopefully that makes sense. Word to the wise, do NOT put any trans cleaner fluid solvent in there. I have it on good authority (one of the best, most reputable MB trans rebuilders in the US) the MB internal seals do not like that stuff long term. I would just drain and refill it twice -- beats a new transmission, so I would want to completely rule out fluid.
Definitely upgrade the intercooler pump, no matter what. I upgraded mine to (aghast) a BMW pump which my guy says flows more than the CM30. It's eerily similar to the one RennTech is now selling for a bunch of money. There's a thread on that around here somewhere. I was told that was the best choice, the Johnson CM30 was second, and the upgraded MB pump was third. I don't know. I trusted my guy and went with the BMW pump -- he tunes and works on more of these than I do. I subsequently found out it's similarity to the RennTech pump. I think it was a Bosch design so we may be talking about the same thing.
Yes again -- I have an E46 M3 for "spirited" driving.
maw
Last edited by maw1124; 03-20-2015 at 11:22 AM.
03-21-2015, 11:20 PM
#29
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1999 ML430, 2007 SL55 (fully optioned including P30 package), 2006 S65, 2010 S65, 2016 S550
Hello everyone, new member here. I have a 2006 S65 which I purchased in Early December of 2014. Car is originally from the Chicagoland area, but it was garage kept and never driven in winters. A really clean car all around and i HAD to purchase it when I came across it, even though I was originally in the market for a w221 600. I drove about 1000 miles on it since i had it, so it is currently at 60k.
The car needed new front rotors and pads, the dealer had changed just the pads and left the rotors, resulting in a horrendous squealing noise and braking wasn't good. My good friend works at MB so he hooked me up with a good discount and I got the front pads and rotors done for $1900 w taxes (indy quoted $2500, MB original price around $3300).
Plans for the car: I plan on keeping it stock as it is my daily driver. Just need to get the front wheels balanced, need to order a new key as i only have one. I might add K&N filters but still haven't decided. I also was thinking about doing a resonator delete but still haven't decided yet. I ordered LED license plate lights to change out the yellows. Planning on getting the tints done in the spring time when the florida sun gets sharp. Overall a clean car that doesn't need anything at all!
Issues: Had some issues with the transmission earlier, where it would sometimes feel like it was slipping in gear when i was going uphill, and once after i went on a 60 mile trip, the presafe inactive message came on and the transmission was in drive but the car was acting as if its in neutral. Turned the car off and on, and put tin drive, it lurched forward and was driving rough. Dropped it off at MB (when i had my brakes done at the same time) they checked it out only had old random codes, fluids were fine, they said nothings wrong. When i got it back, after some research i ran the TCU reset procedure (hold accl in w car off wait 2 mins etc) and so far haven't had the issue again, except once i accidentally downshifted while the car was stopped into 1st, and i upshifted back to normal drive (all in "C" mode) car lurched, but drove fine and haven had any issues since for the past few weeks....
It won't let me upload any of my high quality SLR cam pics... so here are some iphone ones
The car needed new front rotors and pads, the dealer had changed just the pads and left the rotors, resulting in a horrendous squealing noise and braking wasn't good. My good friend works at MB so he hooked me up with a good discount and I got the front pads and rotors done for $1900 w taxes (indy quoted $2500, MB original price around $3300).
Plans for the car: I plan on keeping it stock as it is my daily driver. Just need to get the front wheels balanced, need to order a new key as i only have one. I might add K&N filters but still haven't decided. I also was thinking about doing a resonator delete but still haven't decided yet. I ordered LED license plate lights to change out the yellows. Planning on getting the tints done in the spring time when the florida sun gets sharp. Overall a clean car that doesn't need anything at all!
Issues: Had some issues with the transmission earlier, where it would sometimes feel like it was slipping in gear when i was going uphill, and once after i went on a 60 mile trip, the presafe inactive message came on and the transmission was in drive but the car was acting as if its in neutral. Turned the car off and on, and put tin drive, it lurched forward and was driving rough. Dropped it off at MB (when i had my brakes done at the same time) they checked it out only had old random codes, fluids were fine, they said nothings wrong. When i got it back, after some research i ran the TCU reset procedure (hold accl in w car off wait 2 mins etc) and so far haven't had the issue again, except once i accidentally downshifted while the car was stopped into 1st, and i upshifted back to normal drive (all in "C" mode) car lurched, but drove fine and haven had any issues since for the past few weeks....
It won't let me upload any of my high quality SLR cam pics... so here are some iphone ones
03-23-2015, 12:09 PM
#30
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Agreed on the flex discs -- known issue.
It's definitely acting like fluid starvation. But I think that speaks to quality of fluid (burned and congealed) rather than quantity. I wouldn't be surprised if it's sludged a bit and therefore not getting to where it should be. Hopefully that makes sense. Word to the wise, do NOT put any trans cleaner fluid solvent in there. I have it on good authority (one of the best, most reputable MB trans rebuilders in the US) the MB internal seals do not like that stuff long term. I would just drain and refill it twice -- beats a new transmission, so I would want to completely rule out fluid.
maw
It's definitely acting like fluid starvation. But I think that speaks to quality of fluid (burned and congealed) rather than quantity. I wouldn't be surprised if it's sludged a bit and therefore not getting to where it should be. Hopefully that makes sense. Word to the wise, do NOT put any trans cleaner fluid solvent in there. I have it on good authority (one of the best, most reputable MB trans rebuilders in the US) the MB internal seals do not like that stuff long term. I would just drain and refill it twice -- beats a new transmission, so I would want to completely rule out fluid.
maw
03-23-2015, 12:11 PM
#31
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Hope you like the new purchase, but remember when it is time for repairs these were $180K cars when new - when time to replace 24 plugs and wires, flush all fluids, etc. this adds up fast. I bought an 06 S65 last summer that I located in CA. Had an ABC line go out but the dealer fortunately paid for the repair as the line was leaking when I picked up the car. Since then no issues but the car now only has 12.4K miles. Drove it thru the winter thanks to an extra set of rims purchased from MBWF member. Installed Vredestein winter tires that worked perfectly thru the Chicago winter. Now considering either Continental DW or Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires for summer use. The DW's might be the better all around summer tire.
03-25-2015, 10:37 AM
#32
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Update; car still in the shop they have been busy. I was there yesterday to check the pump leak before giving them permission to pull the pan.
While the guy was busy, I was closely studying the bottom of the car, and then i noticed; there are no secondary cats or resonators where there seem to be heat shields for them. Then i looked deeper and saw an H-Pipe! that explains the cold starts... That gets me thinking if the car is tuned as the car was originally from the barrington suburb of chicago and there are many tuners out in the western suburbs... and if the increased torque from the tune could have resulted in transmission probs?
While the guy was busy, I was closely studying the bottom of the car, and then i noticed; there are no secondary cats or resonators where there seem to be heat shields for them. Then i looked deeper and saw an H-Pipe! that explains the cold starts... That gets me thinking if the car is tuned as the car was originally from the barrington suburb of chicago and there are many tuners out in the western suburbs... and if the increased torque from the tune could have resulted in transmission probs?
03-25-2015, 11:07 AM
#33
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maw
Last edited by maw1124; 03-25-2015 at 11:41 AM.
03-25-2015, 03:13 PM
#35
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The good news is the car is good for a few hundred thousand miles and you'll likely never need anything faster or more luxurious. So drive it and enjoy it, I say -- after you get it sorted out. Minus the LED bits all over the place, the new W222 cars look more like these than they do the W221s, so that keeps us looking a bit more current. Either way, I like the classic SClass lines of the W220 chassis cars (last of the Bruno Sacco era cars), and a well maintained one is a rare thing these days.
maw
Last edited by maw1124; 03-25-2015 at 03:19 PM.
03-25-2015, 11:19 PM
#36
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Thread Starter
Agreed. Convertibles first, then coupes, then sedans -- or so it has always been as a general matter. Convertibles and coupes may flip flop here and there, but sedans are always last, in terms of collectible value.
The good news is the car is good for a few hundred thousand miles and you'll likely never need anything faster or more luxurious. So drive it and enjoy it, I say -- after you get it sorted out. Minus the LED bits all over the place, the new W222 cars look more like these than they do the W221s, so that keeps us looking a bit more current. Either way, I like the classic SClass lines of the W220 chassis cars (last of the Bruno Sacco era cars), and a well maintained one is a rare thing these days.
maw
The good news is the car is good for a few hundred thousand miles and you'll likely never need anything faster or more luxurious. So drive it and enjoy it, I say -- after you get it sorted out. Minus the LED bits all over the place, the new W222 cars look more like these than they do the W221s, so that keeps us looking a bit more current. Either way, I like the classic SClass lines of the W220 chassis cars (last of the Bruno Sacco era cars), and a well maintained one is a rare thing these days.
maw
Last edited by akmatic63; 03-25-2015 at 11:23 PM.
03-26-2015, 12:38 AM
#37
MBWorld Fanatic!
`
W220 S65 AMG
THE MOTHERSHIP
You are a lucky man as owner of
one of these incredible creations
Sounds like you have it under control
Enjoy and treasure every moment
and every sound the Beast makes
Thank-You
`
W220 S65 AMG
THE MOTHERSHIP
You are a lucky man as owner of
one of these incredible creations
Sounds like you have it under control
Enjoy and treasure every moment
and every sound the Beast makes
Thank-You
`
04-01-2015, 10:32 AM
#39
Senior Member
Thread Starter
04-01-2015, 10:36 AM
#40
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Status Update; there was a ton of metal in the pan, front pump was leaking as well.
Decided to just go ahead pull the transmission and have it rebuilt (not a swap for a reman). Rebuild trans and a new torque converter/ Will get a 3 year 36k miles warranty on it the rebuild. While the car is going to be essentially sitting on the lift till monday, i asked him about radiator/intercooler flush and he offered half price for me to get it done. Still thinking about getting a bosh 010 pump for better circulation, but he said not to especially if I'm not driving the car hard.
On another note if i haven't stated already- flex discs, mounts, diff mounts, differentials are all good. Front tires have terrible dry rot/cracking so that needs to be done ASAP as well.
Maw, i called up renntech and they didn't have my vin in their records so i don't think they worked on it.
Decided to just go ahead pull the transmission and have it rebuilt (not a swap for a reman). Rebuild trans and a new torque converter/ Will get a 3 year 36k miles warranty on it the rebuild. While the car is going to be essentially sitting on the lift till monday, i asked him about radiator/intercooler flush and he offered half price for me to get it done. Still thinking about getting a bosh 010 pump for better circulation, but he said not to especially if I'm not driving the car hard.
On another note if i haven't stated already- flex discs, mounts, diff mounts, differentials are all good. Front tires have terrible dry rot/cracking so that needs to be done ASAP as well.
Maw, i called up renntech and they didn't have my vin in their records so i don't think they worked on it.
Last edited by akmatic63; 04-01-2015 at 10:40 AM.
04-01-2015, 11:23 AM
#41
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While the car is going to be essentially sitting on the lift till monday, i asked him about radiator/intercooler flush and he offered half price for me to get it done. Still thinking about getting a bosh 010 pump for better circulation, but he said not to especially if I'm not driving the car hard.
On another note if i haven't stated already- flex discs, mounts, diff mounts, differentials are all good. Front tires have terrible dry rot/cracking so that needs to be done ASAP as well.
On another note if i haven't stated already- flex discs, mounts, diff mounts, differentials are all good. Front tires have terrible dry rot/cracking so that needs to be done ASAP as well.
I'd get the pump. I don't drive mine hard much either, still I would have the aupercharger cut out after a run or two for heat reasons. Completely unacceptable. Most think AMG should have run a separate dedicated cooling circuit from the factory, but an updated pump seems the minimum that should be done.
So maybe upgrade the pump and gamble on the chassis rubber. But understand you're gambling with the labor costs of removing the trans again. Hope this helps and good luck.
Cheers,
maw
04-09-2015, 11:22 AM
#42
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Got the car back last night! Transmission drives smooth no hesitations, along with a new trans mount and flex disc and coolant flushes. I believe the tcm needs some time to adapt to the new transmission as the downshifts are a little rough and unrefined- wasn't as bad as it was but slowly starting to go away. Driven about 70 miles. My mechanic said that I might need a new tcm if it doesn't adapt because when the transmission was damaged it could corrupt the tcm and even though he reset it, it might not work properly?
04-09-2015, 08:42 PM
#43
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2006 S65 AMG V12BT
Do you think one of the tuning shops can do more with the TCM than the mechanic is able to? I don't know what hardware/software each uses but it might be something to look into before buying a new TCM.
04-13-2015, 10:59 AM
#44
Senior Member
Thread Starter
UPDATE;
After some 300 miles, transmission shifting perfectly car is driving like a new car! If i didn't mention this before- My original transmission was rebuilt along with a new torque converter, trans has a 3 year 36k mile warranty, and also did the flex disc and trans mount, and got a deal on coolant and IC flush since the car was taking up space in the shop lift.
Future work;
-Filters, ABC flush, ABS flush, air filters maybe performance (K&N or AFE)haven't decided yet, and need to get new front tires because of dry rot.
-after tranny, my Major concern is the turbos so I will start looking into proper maintenance procedures etc
-read up a lot on Coil packs and spark plug life on the m275 before i even got the car, so i am anticipating getting that done within the next year. On 2 occasions i got misfire on startup after driving the car all day in hot weather, but it went away after restarting.
Assumptions;
Being a chicago car with only 60k miles in 9 years I'm sure the car spent a lot of time sitting which could be why the trans pump might have went bad as well as the dry rot on the front tires (rears were brand new). my mechanic told me there was signs of the power steering pump leaking earlier but it had been fixed and isn't leaking now.
After some 300 miles, transmission shifting perfectly car is driving like a new car! If i didn't mention this before- My original transmission was rebuilt along with a new torque converter, trans has a 3 year 36k mile warranty, and also did the flex disc and trans mount, and got a deal on coolant and IC flush since the car was taking up space in the shop lift.
Future work;
-Filters, ABC flush, ABS flush, air filters maybe performance (K&N or AFE)haven't decided yet, and need to get new front tires because of dry rot.
-after tranny, my Major concern is the turbos so I will start looking into proper maintenance procedures etc
-read up a lot on Coil packs and spark plug life on the m275 before i even got the car, so i am anticipating getting that done within the next year. On 2 occasions i got misfire on startup after driving the car all day in hot weather, but it went away after restarting.
Assumptions;
Being a chicago car with only 60k miles in 9 years I'm sure the car spent a lot of time sitting which could be why the trans pump might have went bad as well as the dry rot on the front tires (rears were brand new). my mechanic told me there was signs of the power steering pump leaking earlier but it had been fixed and isn't leaking now.
04-13-2015, 11:56 AM
#45
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Good stuff. Looks like you're on top of it from here out. I don't see turbo issues with these cars as much as coil packs and oil consumption. I don't know what oil they spec, but here in FL you might go heavier to handle the heat and deal with consumption (maybe 15w50). So play around with that in your mind. Hopefully there are still some Texas owners here who can speak to that.
Cheers,
maw
Cheers,
maw
04-14-2015, 01:54 PM
#46
MBWorld Fanatic!
`
I agree with maw regarding the turbos
The rest is standard service / maint.
Stay on top of that and you will have
miles of driving / sound enjoyment
But - Please replace the front tyres a.s.a.p.
Thank-You
D.B.
`
I agree with maw regarding the turbos
The rest is standard service / maint.
Stay on top of that and you will have
miles of driving / sound enjoyment
But - Please replace the front tyres a.s.a.p.
Thank-You
D.B.
`
12-22-2015, 01:19 AM
#49
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Since its been a year since Ive had the s65, I thought I would stop by and give some updates!
I bought the car with 59k miles and it just rolled over to 70k last week. I even drove it to Tennessee over the summer from Orlando and back no issues. Kept some extra oil since these v12s like to burn oil!
I did the one year service/ oil change, and also had the brake fluid and ABC fluid flushed at MB. They even did the rodeo and said everything is in excellent condition.
The only real issue i had during ownership was that tranny problem early on, and I have driven some 6500 miles on the rebuilt transmission and its running perfect with no issues! I have also put in K&N filters. and i might have mentioned this earlier but I did the front brakes and rotors as well back in Feb. The car wheel also had a wobble so when i went to take car of that thinking it was a balancing issue, it turned out i had a bent rim. I called up alloy wheel repair who came to my office and fixed it out for the most part (he said 95% is the closest to perfect he could get it) for $100, but it doesn't wobble anymore and its good with me. I also replaced the front tires after I did that. When i first got the car I did have some random misfiring issues (most likely coil packs) but that only happened a few times and it never happened again so I'm not really going to worry about it till later on. My rear brakes are at yellow, but they have a terrible squeak, most likely from the PO changing just the brake pads and not the rotors. I will probably have this done around spring time.
I also plan on finding a solution for the AUX cable issue with the w220 (it doesn't have on, fiber optics, etc) I've been using a flex smart v3 bluetooth FM adapter and its working fine but it does get irritating at times having to switch to a clean FM station while driving. Most likely going to go for the denison unit.
I bought the car with 59k miles and it just rolled over to 70k last week. I even drove it to Tennessee over the summer from Orlando and back no issues. Kept some extra oil since these v12s like to burn oil!
I did the one year service/ oil change, and also had the brake fluid and ABC fluid flushed at MB. They even did the rodeo and said everything is in excellent condition.
The only real issue i had during ownership was that tranny problem early on, and I have driven some 6500 miles on the rebuilt transmission and its running perfect with no issues! I have also put in K&N filters. and i might have mentioned this earlier but I did the front brakes and rotors as well back in Feb. The car wheel also had a wobble so when i went to take car of that thinking it was a balancing issue, it turned out i had a bent rim. I called up alloy wheel repair who came to my office and fixed it out for the most part (he said 95% is the closest to perfect he could get it) for $100, but it doesn't wobble anymore and its good with me. I also replaced the front tires after I did that. When i first got the car I did have some random misfiring issues (most likely coil packs) but that only happened a few times and it never happened again so I'm not really going to worry about it till later on. My rear brakes are at yellow, but they have a terrible squeak, most likely from the PO changing just the brake pads and not the rotors. I will probably have this done around spring time.
I also plan on finding a solution for the AUX cable issue with the w220 (it doesn't have on, fiber optics, etc) I've been using a flex smart v3 bluetooth FM adapter and its working fine but it does get irritating at times having to switch to a clean FM station while driving. Most likely going to go for the denison unit.
12-23-2015, 09:48 AM
#50
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I also plan on finding a solution for the AUX cable issue with the w220 (it doesn't have on, fiber optics, etc) I've been using a flex smart v3 bluetooth FM adapter and its working fine but it does get irritating at times having to switch to a clean FM station while driving. Most likely going to go for the denison unit.
I know a lot of people like to play around with ICE in cars, but I haven't on mine, just because I haven't had to (and I've run more 8+ hour trips than almost anything in mine). I don't know if you realize it but you can take a blank DVD and burn MP3s on them. That's like 1000 songs each. I did a few of those early which (along with satellite radio) completely solved my music issue. Pop it in the front and hit shuffle. Left the stock head unit -- it is an SClass after all (though I haven't seen the Denison units). I did a Dynavin in my M3, and while it has more features than the 10year old stock deck (BT, Nav, Camera, Subwoofer control, etc.), the "guts" of the unit don't seem as hearty. Please keep us posted on the Dension experience -- it looks to be worthwhile.
Back to the S, while I might do a sound processor and amps in the trunk, and upgrade the cabin speakers just to clean up the sound -- I also might not. It's been fine with no need to muck around, adding AUX cables, worrying about impedance issues, etc.
For my money and time, clicking and dragging mp3 files from iTunes to a DVD on my MacBookPro was the easiest and best. Now, that looks antiquated compared to a thumb drive or iPod connection. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Cheers,
maw
Last edited by maw1124; 12-23-2015 at 09:52 AM.
