Test Drive Gone Wrong...
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 942
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From: Charlotte, NC
'16 528i MSport
Test Drive Gone Wrong...
So I went to Ray Catena Infiniti to drop my car off for service and right next door is Benz. My dad calls me and tells me he is there and tells me to come with him on a test-drive of the S550. I was super-excited! So my dad gets into the driver seat and I get into the back seat and we're off with our salesguy. We head over to the service center and as we're pulling up the hill for the exit, the car starts to die, literally. Half-up the hill, my dad is insanely scared as he begins to say that he has no power steering and can't see as the headlights switched off. The sales guy is scared as well and as in complete shock and tells my father to press the gas, yet it doesn;t move and it almost seems as if we will be moving backwards!. We stop the car, put it in park and switch it off.
Meanwhile, we've got a line of people behind us honking their horns. After a few minutes, we re-start the car and its all normal. Not to mention, my father is even more turned off with Benz now. The salesguy told us it was a freak occurrence and that our vehicle or any other S550 he has sold has not done that ever...
Anyone else ever experience this with their car?...
Meanwhile, we've got a line of people behind us honking their horns. After a few minutes, we re-start the car and its all normal. Not to mention, my father is even more turned off with Benz now. The salesguy told us it was a freak occurrence and that our vehicle or any other S550 he has sold has not done that ever...
Anyone else ever experience this with their car?...
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 5,143
Likes: 1
From: South Orange County, CA
4 wheels
So I went to Ray Catena Infiniti to drop my car off for service and right next door is Benz. My dad calls me and tells me he is there and tells me to come with him on a test-drive of the S550. I was super-excited! So my dad gets into the driver seat and I get into the back seat and we're off with our salesguy. We head over to the service center and as we're pulling up the hill for the exit, the car starts to die, literally. Half-up the hill, my dad is insanely scared as he begins to say that he has no power steering and can't see as the headlights switched off. The sales guy is scared as well and as in complete shock and tells my father to press the gas, yet it doesn;t move and it almost seems as if we will be moving backwards!. We stop the car, put it in park and switch it off.
Meanwhile, we've got a line of people behind us honking their horns. After a few minutes, we re-start the car and its all normal. Not to mention, my father is even more turned off with Benz now. The salesguy told us it was a freak occurrence and that our vehicle or any other S550 he has sold has not done that ever...
Anyone else ever experience this with their car?...
Meanwhile, we've got a line of people behind us honking their horns. After a few minutes, we re-start the car and its all normal. Not to mention, my father is even more turned off with Benz now. The salesguy told us it was a freak occurrence and that our vehicle or any other S550 he has sold has not done that ever...
Anyone else ever experience this with their car?...
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 15,901
Likes: 4,632
From: North Scottsdale, AZ
'71 Pinto
This has to be a first! Any of those guys at Infinity give you the “stink eye”? In Italian it’s called the malocchio (evil eye)! 
Excellent bargaining point though.
Excellent bargaining point though.
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,259
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From: Chicago
Cee Fiddy Five
sounds like something went wrong
Tell your dad to try again. There really hasn't been that many major problems with the 221 as far as I can tell (gauging this sub-forum from time to time).
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Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 942
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From: Charlotte, NC
'16 528i MSport
The Infiniti is mine and I've had a few problems with it but the service center continually tries to resolve it, but to no avail (rattles, mainly).
I believe this situtation has turned my father away from an S550, so unfortunate, and we will be looking to the LS460L much more heavily in the coming months.
I believe this situtation has turned my father away from an S550, so unfortunate, and we will be looking to the LS460L much more heavily in the coming months.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,027
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R35 GT-R, EvoX
Its happened to my father's SL55 twice while on i95 and it happened to me once in my CLK500. Mercedes didn't really know what the problem was. They changed the pump on the SL55 and after it happened again, they changed the supercharger. When it happened to mine they said it was an electronic glitch.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,860
Likes: 3
From: Jacksonville Florida
209/W210 Estate /W211 modded by MBENZNL
What about the New 2007 W221 Neiman Markup Edition that Burned to the Ground at Fletcher Jones in Newport Beach on the PDI Test Drive..I have several friends that work there..It was a Mess..The Fire Department took a Ax to the trunk and windows..Oh and it was a sold car....
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 277
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From: Ohio
2008 C300W4 Sport, 2006 Honda CBR600F4i
maybe they didnt prep the car right, sometimes dealers take all the tape off the vehicle but forget to prep them the right way, make sure all the computers and cars are working properly. I know before my dealer puts their cars out they prep them and road test them.
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6
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From: Costa Mesa, Calif.
What about the New 2007 W221 Neiman Markup Edition that Burned to the Ground at Fletcher Jones in Newport Beach on the PDI Test Drive..I have several friends that work there..It was a Mess..The Fire Department took a Ax to the trunk and windows..Oh and it was a sold car....
Huge burning fire on the 73 hwy, so sad. Investigators claim the alternator caught fire.
-Sammy
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Merce-rati
that was because the idiot locked the wheel while doing donuts, ive seen many cars kill powersteering like that, including a ford gt
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: SoCal OC
S, GL, Escalade ESV, my shoes
Friend of my sister-in-law was test driving a W211 (from Fletcher Jones too !!), try to hit the brake, guess what, the car keep going as if nothing happen. Luckly that she's on the up hill, so the car eventually come to stop. Restart the car, all run normal as if it never happen. Scare the hell out of the saleman as well.
Regardless of how they try to spin "this doesn't happen often", that's the last time she drives a Benz. She end up buying an ES330, probably a boring car, but the brake sure work.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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I visit a lot of forums. Cannot say I've read about this sort of problem before, with any car. I've also never had something like this happen in the 450+ cars I've driven in the past seven years.
Mercedes better do whatever it takes to eliminate this sort of problem, otherwise word of mouth will hurt.
Mercedes better do whatever it takes to eliminate this sort of problem, otherwise word of mouth will hurt.
