zindallas

Took my car to the dealer 2 weeks ago with the following list of problems (everything seemed to go wrong at once!):

Suspension warning light

HVAC not blowing - turned on but no airflow

Rear headrest not working - makes a loud sound like the air being let out of a balloon

Passenger window not going up all the way - goes up part way stops, you hit up again, maybe it goes up, maybe it stops, you never know

Alignment - 3rd time in past year it's off - ask them to check if suspension problem (maybe related to first item above)

Install rear-view mirror (OEM item bought on eBay - happy they agreed to install part not bought from them)

New wipers - got some very loud chatter coming from drivers side

I know, a long list of stuff, but I figured why not get it all fixed at once. Also, all the repair work is covered by an extended warranty - best money I ever spent! 5 year, 100K coverage and I've already had more claims than it cost me in the first year before this trip.

They keep giving me "it'll be ready in 2 days," no matter when I talk with them this is what they say. Last week they said they have a new '04 G500 that just got delivered and the guy who's working on my car is also working on this and he's had the G on the lift for 3 days ripping out the entire interior to fix some serious problems. Gives you a nice warm and fuzzy about Mercedes quality doesn't it? This on a vehicle they've been making for decades!

Then they tell me they have to special order a window regulator from Germany and it comes in last week. They said they'd get me done by Friday or today at the latest, but of course today they say the window motor is burned out and they have to order that part too. Guess what - "your car should be ready in 2 days!" Aaaaarrrrgggh!

A Toyota/Lexus/Acura is sounding awfully nice right now! Shoot, my backup car that just keeps on plugging and gets me to work everyday is a '94 Ford Bronco with 120K on the clock!

Thanks for letting me rant, I feel much better now....

Z

Peter Guenther

I would get away from the service writer and get to the manager, your salesperson, the general manager of the dealership, and the customer hot line at MB. Evidently you dont have as much priority, as the cars they are working on. I did not hear the word loaner in your discussion, I would demand one and have them call you when your car is ready. Also demand to meet with the local factory rep if things dont speed up. Dont put up with it!

MRNRL

Guess that is the price we have to pay for having a car that there are only a couple hundred or less sold in the USA.

zindallas

I understand if they're parts particular to the CL they'd be rare and hard to get, but it seems like window components would likely be the same you'd find in an S - maybe not.

Z

99bmw740il

actually they are the same regulator. There arnt alot of unique parts on the cl600. Maybe the side rear windows, and the rear seats- they are on the same assembly line as the regular s as they are both w140's- the dealer is bull****ing you. talk to the general manager or service manager.

dtkw

I think a FULLY loaded S500 is not much different from a S or CL600 except the engine and a few extra.

zindallas

Are loaners standard for dealer service? I thought they were primarily for warranty repairs. Maybe varies by dealer?

I'm planning to push for one if I can't get the car tomorrow. Not having a car for the holiday weekend stinks, and that would mean it's taking at least 3 weeks!

Z

Peter Guenther

My dealer provides loaners, it is probably in the price, on one occasion a service rep told me I could not have one because the car was not sold by them. After marching up to the general managers office, and reminding them about two others I did purchase, I got a car, I have not seen the trainee either. Repairs are also faster when they have to supply a car.

zindallas

Update - day 18

Good news and bad news.

On the good side - I finally got the car Wednesday night. They comped me on a lot of the labor - installed the mirror for free, free install on the wipers, did a complementary wheel balancing when they noticed some vibration in the test drive. So with the extended warranty , I only had to pay a little out of pocket.

The bad news is that while the service rep verbally acknowledged the hvac blower issue, she didn't capture it in the system, so it didn't get done. No heat this time of year really isn't an option so I just dropped it off again today!

I feel like a got the problems of an old Rolls or Jag, but am receiving the service of a Hyundai.

The real irony is that all this work is gonna get done just in time for me to put the car under cover and in my garage for the winter months!

Hope everyone had a nice Turkey Day!

Z

zindallas

On the loaner front - honestly I haven't pushed too hard for it. I bought the car used in Houston and haven't bought anything else from this dealer, but I have given them a ton of service work - $4K or so. I don't really need it since I have another car (truck actually) that I can drive, but I hadn't thought about the angle of getting them to hurry on my work as it means they get their loaner back quicker.

Do the rest of you get loaners when you drop off your car for non-warranty service?

Z

dlafever

There are two different sets of regulators for the front door (or only in the case of a coupe) 140s, one for the Sedans and one for the Coupes, p/ns are:

Coupe, early (up to A182625):

140 720 07 46 Left
140 720 08 46 Right

Coupe, late (from A182626):

140 720 23 46 Left
140 720 24 46 Right


Sedan, early (from A 331383):

140 720 03 46 Left
140 720 04 46 Right

Sedan, late (from A 331384):

140 720 29 46 Left
140 720 30 46 Right

But the rest of your plight is hard to take, I just do not get why some mechanics seem so inept when it comes to fixing things!

-D

zindallas

There are very few real mechanics - ones that can accurately diagnose a problem and then know the right approach to solve it.

The sad reality is that most "Mechanics" should be more rightly called "Part Swappers."

You can almost hear their minds working - "I don't have a clue what will fix this, but I'll just swap a part or two and hey, even if I'm wrong I'll have the customer pay for it anyway!"

If anyone knows of a real mechanic for MB in or near Richmond, VA I sure would appreciate it.

Z

dtkw

I know a great mechanic from Norway here, probably a day or two drive from you.