Well... it's obvious that MBUSA thinks that most of their technicians are not very proficient with cars... (as evidenced by the 2003 W211 COMAND debacle). I see why that belief comes about.

I guess if I have something modified on my car, and something BREAKS under WARRANTY, it shouldn't have broken in the first place, so Mercedes should be liable to fix it, even if I've modified some other part. Now, they should undertake this as long as the labor is within reason. Whether the technician has ever seen this before or not, it shouldn't be that difficult to put it back THE WAY IT WAS if he's even slightly observant.

Oh wait, I keep forgetting, we're talking about techs in the US. I guess this would be expected of techs elsewhere. But in the US, it's more likely that the Mercedes tech doesn't know anything about working on cars other than what he learned in his on-line textbook courses, and hasn't seen anything else.

Oh well.

-s-

 

Uh, I think Steve is much better priced than everyone else. Factory Comand = 2200, Steve=1500. You decide. As for the vehicle data card, it does make it kinda "official"

 

Saturn dude, let me tell you a story.

The signal lights of my car were not working properly and my brake bulbs constantly popped. While driving I dreaded to hear the "ping" sound whenever a bulb popped. I brought it to Mercedes Benz Silverstar in Northern Boulevard (New York) to repair the problem and they simply changed the bulb. A week later it popped again and I brought it back again complaining about it. They said that the bulb was not original. So my reaction was - you guys placed those bloody bulbs in my car and you claim they are not original? @!@#$#%@#$%.

Anyway, I also had a signal light problem. To fix it they said they needed to replace the entire wiring harness of my signal lights which would have cost me about $1,200 for the harness and $1,500 labor. So they asked me if my signal lights were that important to me then I should spend that much.

So I took a hike... and went to four different independent auto shops that specialized in european cars. I explained to them the problem and they said "We DON'T TOUCH MERCEDES ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, too complicated, bring it to the dealer."

So I waited months for Steve to come in and it took him 45 BLOODY SECONDS TO FIX IT and I paid him with a cup of coffee (from a Gas station Deli - tall cup with cream and sugar) . Now I have been driving safely since and have never had a bulb pop on me and my signal lights all work and still keep $2,700 inside my pocket.

Where the heck are you coming from with all these statements:?

By the way, my last Service Advisor in my dealership was the former receptionist of the dealership. They probably thought she was too good to be a receptionist and made her an SA. Although she was a hot woman (she even had a pierced tongue) she obviously did not last very long as an SA.

 

It has to be clear that Steve has provided a great service to the comunity. You insist on stuff being available locally, but that is far from correct. I wanted to buy a C240/6 with COMAND installed from factory. There was none to be found in the entire country. My only option was to order the car and wait 3 or 4 months - like that is something even tolerable after one has studied what car to buy and made the decision. So I HAD to buy a car without factory COMAND (which would have added 2200 to the price).

Next, I enquire with several dealerships about having a COMAND installed by them. They all say it is impossible. One says, even if it were possible it would cost you over $6k just for the unit, not including labor. I continue to inquire posibilities, and am almost resigned to put in an aftermarket navigation system (e.g., Pioneer or Kenwood). Suddenly Steve comes along and offers an Euro COMAND with installation for 1500. The guy does it perfectly. MB dealership is impressed. I just don't get where all the stuff you are talking about being available locally are.

Now, if Mercedes USA had done its homework right, it should have been able to offer COMAND as a dealer installed option, and the story would have gone: "I want to buy this car, can you put COMAND on it? Sure, it will be 2200 extra, and you'll have to come back this afternoon to pick up your car, the tech is busy right now and he won't have time to put it in until this afternoon." The way you speak makes it appear as though the above conversation could have actually taken place.

 

One thing I failed to notice from Saturn dude is why Steve ML came here in the first place.

As I understand Steve does not travel to here if nobody ask him to. Steve did not come over with all his items and tried to sell them with ads. He only comes by request and when there is enough jobs for him to justify the flight cost.

If you think traveling to other country to provide services is considered as con artist, you'd better go back to business school and pay attention to your books. Many business travel all over to provide the services the local requested. Are they all con artists too??

 

Yo Saturn,

I want you to find the following items for me in "the community"

Comand Harness Adapter
GPS antenna with modified connector to plug into the rear of comand
Electronic folding mirrors with switch
Distronic Parts
Parktronic parts for a c class
Convex Mirrors


The list can go on forever and the fact is that you can't find these items here. Look as hard as you want, all the junk yards, and ebay but you won't see them. He sells parts at a very reasonable price. He supports the mercedes community. He loves what he does. He gives excellent advice. He doesn't bull****. And that boy will fly over to your home to do installs. And you call him a con?

 

... uuummmm, in fact even if I ask him to come he does not come. I have to beg and tell him how nice and cold winters are in New York City and how nice it would be to work in a very cold and dark garage in the middle of nowhere ... then he arrives.

Of course, these environments are unlike places where MB technicians work. They have to work in difficult places with high ceilings and and wear blue uniforms and have heated cofee and $95 / hour labor costs and places where no mortals are allowed to go...

 

I usually don't get involved in these little word wars, but I thought that Saturn was way out of line. I like many on this site have had work done by Steve. He provides excellent service & quality workmanship. I have friends who work at the MB dealer who were astounded by what great work he performed & reasonable price. Saturn you should try be cautious insulting someone who is very proud of their workmanship. I don't know what you do for your occupation, but I am sure if someone called you a "hack" or "con-man" you would be just as quick to start defending yourself.
Keep up the great work Steve, I love my command!!!

 

I know man, I got ripped off! My comand is speaking in French to me, what the hell?

 

I wanted a command system retrofitted in my car and went straight to the dealer. The service advisor and the "lead" technician said it could not be done. Well, I FOUND Steve and he did the install fast and very professional. I had a technical problem with the unit and it was fixed without question and very promptly. Much better service than I recieved at my dealership. I went back and spoke with the General Manager about the situation and he was amazed at the work. They all came out to look at the car were amazed that it could be done and wthe quality. The General Manager just bought a CLK320 for his wife and inquired about having it retrofitted. You just sound bitter and angry.

 

Hmm
a person offers:
"VERY Extented service"
Parts to very low prices
And he Makes ~1$ an hour while preforming true miracles..
(eg. MF steering wheel & Cluster in a 96´w210)

In my book -that dont make him a con ..
just underpaid and overworked ..
(and maybe a litle stupid )

My advize .. book the wiz before he starts to charge what he is worth.

(did i just do something stupid ?)

 

I cut your post down to save repeating words.

First of all FDOK is a system applied to by dealers to legally modify your cars build record to add or delete options. Given that Steve, Scorchie and myself all have permission to register modifications with dealer partners (in their case across several continents).

This means that a mod done to the correct standard (as per WIS) will be accepted by Mercedes for registration with the clients official record, if that is what the client wants. But that is only at some point in time during warranty - if at all. After warranty it makes no difference at all to anyone.

As for Steve's prices and costs. I should like to introduce you to Australian parts prices.

COMAND $12,000 = $7,200 USD ---> need I say more.

Since I am routinely quoted a fraction of that by Steve. I cant see where the scam is. FDOK is a system that Steve can apply on special request to any or all of the jobs he does, thus making them official.

I simply think you are making comments with no real grasp of the Mercedes Benz policy and worldwide systems. I personally would think twice about taking any type of paid work from an internet user. Seldom does someone with a keyboard make as much sense as someone with a multi-million dollar car yard.

 

Just ask for TV tuner and BOSE ... thats enough to make most people run.

 

EPC has a COMAND cable harness that takes about 40 min to fit. If you bring them a list of part numbers and a printed form from WIS they suddenly regain the memory of how it is done.

Dealerships are there to sell cars ..... Steve is there to make them more like the one you should have bought.

 

"Steve is there to make them more like the one you should have bought"
So true so true.. in my case that is.. if i had the money

 

90% of the people I talk to are those for whom the 4 month wait to get a custom build is excessive and the prospect of buying a car in the showroom with the additional cost of mods poses no great barrier.

There are exponential numbers of variations to consider and a mod service is the ideal pathway to personal choice. I am eagerly spreading the idea around and showing that it is viable. Dealerships compete with more and more mods being done by inhouse mechanics to win sales.

Customers at the end of the day are the ones demanding mods. How can the customer be wrong ?

 

Hopefully as a fitting end to this thread, our protanist now goes into the R171 forum and recommends that people use an aftermarket SIRIUS antenna and splitter, and mount it in a non-approved location. This is something VEHEMENTLY DISCOURAGED by MBUSA, and I am shocked and surprised that someone who "lives by the book" would do something that is considered "WRONG" by MBUSA in several documents presented to dealerships.

For the record... I do not recommend using such an antenna, as I have pointed out in the past; the extra connectors and wiring used in excess of the stock antennas causes measurable signal loss (it's also in the specs for the connectors and spliiter). Again, when there's an OEM solution, then OEM is the way to go.

-s-

 

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT>


"Just saw this thread and wanted to chime in...
Go aftermarket with your antenna! Use a sirius micro antenna, and get a splitter. It will work perfectly. The rest of the kit is installed normally, but adding the splitter and antenna is easy. Put the antenna in the left grille in the hood. Its just for appearance, and is empty. The reception should be fine from there too.
I personally don't recommend painting the factory style antenna... the metallic paints seem to hurt reception in my area.
My dealer now offers these aftermarket antennas as an option on all sirius installations, and I do all of them myself. No problems, fault codes, or ugly antennas!"

 

Scorchie... if I am no longer on your ignore list, do me a favor and post that document. I searched in vain for it this morning on netstar.

I also don't see the connection between the two threads. Perhaps you read into something further than you should have. I beleive my statements were along the lines of modify your car all you want, just don't expect any of it to be covered by warranty. Also don't expect every single tech to be familiar with the mods you have made. I don't care if people mod thier cars, it IS thier car. The trouble starts when they have a problem with that modification and start blaming mercedes for it. I have made it perfectly clear that Mercedes does not cover modified parts. A lot of folks are under this misconception that the dealer will do whatever to fix your car under warranty. Within reason, fine... if it involves removing somebodys bolted in sub enclosure, then its not fine.
My dealer, along with most others, does offer aftermarket alternatives for certain things. There was a huge customer demand for satellite radio without the big antenna on the trunk. We do sell and install aftermarket antennas. We also make certain the customer acknowledges and fully understands that there will be absolutely no warranty of any kind on aftermarket parts or installations.

 

As I said before. FDOK is available to Steve, Scorchie (Dean) and all other Benz dealers to note vehicle changes. This system has always been in place.

If you intend to give advice then please do so on the basis of proper knowledge and understanding of Mercedes systems.

Mercedes reference: AN82.61-P-7474-04PB

Name: Retrofit antenna for global positioning system (GPS)

.

 

If I remember correctly, all the OP said in the begining was that his nav was not working due to the MB tech disconnected the antenna during the services and forgot to put it back. I am still lost how this turned into a warrantee and upgrade mods issues. At least I haven't came across anyone who did some upgrades done by Steve had any issue with MBUSA warrantee services.

 

There is no link between the OP and Steve other than the original question directed to him.

What is clear is one thing, that people who presume to know what is right and what is wrong should be challenged with facts. It matters not who it is but rather the wholesale condemnation of mods - as we all know that is Steve's main reputation in the USA and the idiotic attack was false and misleading.

 

... ...

greetingz,

 

I have retrofitted Bi-Xenons in my C320 sedan and have had a bulb replaced by the dealer when it died. The parts - being original MB parts carry a warranty that will be honoured by dealers.

 

Sorry in advance for my ignorance, but where can I find the WIS documents above? Thanks.