tusabes

The coils and ignition inverter are such a common problem
On these v12 cars , that once you see a misfire its virtually certain it will need these parts . That's another $2500

Most warranties do not cover those parts either

Astro14

My USAA warranty covered coils and ABC components. Cost me $3,000 for the first two years of ownership (and I count the cost of that in my $5,000 figure as the dealer replaced a strut and oil level sensor while under warranty).

Naturally, the coil problem cropped up when I changed the plugs a year or two out of that warranty. But, as I said in another thread, Clark Rupp at http://www.v12icpack.com did a nice job repairing my coil for $300. I can't solder that kind of stuff, so had to farm that job out and I would recommend them highly. A whole coil rebuild is $700, using OE Temic parts and if I've got a coil problem in the future, that's how I intend to go.

Regardless of what car you end up keeping, get DAS/XENTRY. Cost me $500 for the cables, multiplexer and Dell hard drive. I already had a D630 from a former project. That set up has allowed me to troubleshoot an ABC problem (strut plunger sensor, fixed after rodeo) a PSE problem (trunk actuator) and the misfire/coil problem. I could not afford to own this car if I had to pay for the dealer to diagnose and repair it.

Jack_88

Does anyone know if this engine will go into a kind of limp mode when the coolant or oil gets too warm?

Jack_88

So, the dealer payed for the fan replacement and the shop says it's good to go, having several hours of runtime to check that it was as it's supposed to be. I still don't know how often or how bad it was overheating, so when speaking to the general manager at the dealer, I asked again if they would by the car back, considering I bought the car having been told that the problem was resolved before I bought it and was something innocuous. Since the problem has much more serious potential implications than I had been told before I bought it, I thought it was reasonable for a buyback. They refused, and also refused to provide any sort of engine warranty. I'm pretty put out thanks to this whole deal, I think I've been reasonable and patient, but I'm starting to feel like I'm being had for a fool. Anyone have experience with this kind of situation?

tusabes

You said it wasn't an as is sale - talk to a lemon law /auto attorney in the state of purchase to learn your exact rights and dealers responsibilities

They don't have to agree with your demands for a warranty or buyback if the law doesn't require them to. If they paid for the repair and the repair fixed the issue I would just enjoy the car .

Jack_88

I've been surfing around, and found it's actually something that falls under the consumer protection act. However, I also learned they can squiggle out of most claims if the sale is an as is sale, with the key phrase being "disclaim warranty of merchantability." Now, this dealer had a section labled "As-Is Sale" clearly not marked, but that key phrase was found under a different section that was marked, namely "Disclaimer and Waiver of Service Contract." So, I'm fairly certain this means my rights amount to bupkis.

Wish me luck. I did find an older SL600 thread where a couple owners had the same misfiring symptoms appear after the car had sat for a while. I'm hoping my misfires had to do with that, and the overheating was incidental.