lorinserbenz

Well I guess someone is trying to tell me I should have bought something else..

My second SL500 arrived and it was free of paint defects.. I was happy until I used the radio...
If I press more than one button in succession the radio reboots .....
the tech said the car has a bad gateway..<sigh>

I thought all the claims of MB's quality control being bad were just BS.. boy was I was wrong..

vkapoormd

Man, you must have some bad luck....what are the chances? what is your dealer going to do for you now-does he expect you to keep the car; maybe it's just a bump in the road and things will smooth out. Good luck...

StephenK

Several people have had problems with the command unit. I have a new one coming, supposed to be here on the 17th. I had problems with the radio too, I could change stations, but the dash display would not change even though the station actually did change. Also sometimes the volume would get stuck and unable to be changed until the car was shut off and restarted. I also had the command turn itself off on a couple of occasions. The service people said there was some software upgrades, and the new command should fix these problems.

lorinserbenz

What sucks is my other car was perfect except for the fender..
It sooo frustrating that a 90K car has issues with 20 miles...

pilot20

After a 6 year love affair (with the car) I traded in the SL for a 911. I wanted a new 500 or 55 but was put off by the poor quality of materials that 100 - 125 K buys you with MB.

In retrospect I wish I had traded it in long ago. The 911 is way more fun to drive.

Overclocked412

In my opinion you just cant compare a SL, in particularly the R230's to a 911.

pilot20

These two cars are very different. Not only have I grown dissatisfied with MB quality control (and excuses) but also with their brute force approach to performance. Take an overweight car, put the largest displacement engine you can shoehorn into the engine compartment and call it a sports car? The 500 does not even come close to handling like one. The 911 is much more fun to drive. The 500 feels like it weighs a ton (precisely two) notwithstanding its reasonable performance. The 500 is much more luxurious but that doesn't make up for its lack of sportiness in my opinion.

Switiching to the 997 has been a most enlightening experience. No more SLs for me!

(BTW I'll keep my winter car, the S430 4 matic, as it performs as advertised. It's comfortable ,safe and full of useful technology. And it doesn't pretend to be something it isn't; namely fun to drive.)

tiggerfink

I really never thought of the SL500 as a sports car, to me it is a comfortable cruiser with a hard top convertiable.

LovinMercedes

Mercedes Benz calls the car a "Roadster." Why is the technical definition of a Roadster?

Tony FL

So Pilot20, where do you want me to start with Porsche's quality? I have had 15 Porsches since 1995. My last 3 Porsches were terrible. I had a 2001 996 Turbo that was in the shop quite a few times, a 2004 GT3 that had problems Porsche couldn't even figure out how to fix and had to buy back as a Lemon and a 2005 997 that had problems right from the delivery day. I finally got fed up when my dealer tried to screw me on trading it in for a 997S. I traded it in on a a new SL55 and couldn't be happier. It is a different type of car than the 997 but it's a welcome change for me.
I don't know where you heard that quality is better at Porsche but they have more than their share of problems too.

PA55AMG

Ageed...Wait till he learns about...RMS!!

LovinMercedes

What is a "bad gateway?" Is this the Command unit? If so, why not take the good one out of the previous car?

If it is not the Command unit what do they do to fix it?

pilot20

Anecdotes may influence ones buying decisions but the truth is they are of little import in the long run. MB quality has reached a new low water mark and it sounds like some people are desperately trying to justify their purchase in spite of quality surveys which are below those of Hyundai. It amazes me reading these posts to see people complaining of poorly fitting roof panels on a 130 K car and it just gets brushed off as a manufacturing variance. The 500, which costs 95 K base has plastic covering the A pillar. The sun visor and vanity mirror would be an embarrasment in a Honda Civic. They have decontented the SL (and raised the price!) to an astonishing extent.

My loyalty has to be earned. I'm no longer going to be giving my money to a car company that treats its customers like idiots.

lorinserbenz

I think the gateway is where the car processes all the information from the comand.
The dash lights also went out will I was driving the car and there is a very annoying ticking sound that sounds like its coming from the trunck.
This one goes back today... I am not accepting it...

LovinMercedes

I can't believe this. What is wrong with this company.

Good luck.

Tony FL

Are you really comparing the SL interior to the Porsche's? Nothing is cheaper looking than the plastic-looking dash on a 911. I had more squeeks and rattles and loose fitting interior pieces in my 996 Turbo that I thought I was in a Neon. Is the Porsche still one of the best cars in the world to drive? Hell yeah! The GT3 was definitely the most fun car I've owned(when it wasn't in the shop). From my experience Porsche is not one of the most problem free cars though.

carlosfernandez

It would be fun to drive but as many of my fellow members says, the interior of the Porsche look like the volkswagen to me IMPO. Also the lack of technologycal advance make porsche like a car to drive only in racetracks and not in the long trips and IMPO porsche it's not a daily driveable car, as I say it's my personal opinion.

PA55AMG

Fine, go away...

LovinMercedes

What we are dealing here is emotions and peoples feelings at any given time. Believe me I know.

While at the present time I absolutely love my 2005 SL600 and emotionally I would never get any other car. The other part of the brain has to be thinking that yes it is a great car BUT, there is no question the cars reliabilty and their customer satisfaction ratings have plummeted to the floor and are at a new all-time low.

You are both right.

carlosfernandez

Your words made sence but we are talking about the reliablity of the porsche's that is not so distance of the MB, acording to the experience of the fellow members and the comments of my friends.

pilot20

This, however, is not consistent with JD Powers rankings which, in various, categories rank Porsche between 1st (premium sports car category) and 2rd (overall behind Lexus, three years running). And MB is ranked, what, 10th? So, granted, that a machine as complex as a car may occasionally have reliability problems and that no manufucturer is immune from making lemons (even Lexus). But that doesn't mean that these overall rankings are meaningless. If so that would justify someone buying the most awful piece of crap vehicle and justifying their purchase by pointing to reliability problems that even the top tier manufacturers have. That is simply mindlessless.

Being a shill for MB is definately not the way to goad them into improving their vehicles. I would think that someone shelling out 100 K or more for a vehicle would have higher standards than this. Otherwise it seems to me these people have more money than brains.

jwc

Wow, thanks for this post. I was actually thinking about purchasing an SL500 but I wasn't sure about the reliability of the car...geez....BMW anyone? =)

WIldcat465

I've had very few problems with my SL600 and would buy another one. The fun factor and "pimpinality" of the car far outweigh the few quality problems I've experienced.

Also, Keep in mind that an SL500 is a completely different car than a 600. I'd rather have a CPO 600 over a new 500 and considering the depreciation that comes with the V12s, they may be priced about the same. 500s are nice, but I had mine only 2 months before I dumped it.

MBs do have their technical failings (just ask me about my CL); however, I can't find anything out there that offers the same balance of performance, price, convenience and style.