tiggerfink

The SL is such a beautiful car, but I do not know if I want another one. There is no car in that class that looks as elegant, classy, and beautiful as the SL.

My attorney told me I have a very good lemon law case. I will have three options under TN lemon law.

1. MBUSA replace with a new SL
2. MBUSA buys back my car minus mileage cost.
3. Get hush money and just keep the car.


My heart wants option 1, but I just do not know if I want to go through the aggravation again. So I will spend the weekend test-driving BMWs. BMWs used to be beautiful cars in the past, but I am trying to get over the plastic cladding on the new models. I will also be test-driving a Corvette this weekend.

Gunther

what is the defect in your car?

MBAMGPWR

Get another SL! The quality of just one car shouldn't make your decision on the entire brand. People just give up too easily when it comes to car brands & one bad lemon.

StephenK

Let them replace it with a new SL.

From an SL to a Corvette - PLEASE!

tiggerfink

Hemm,

SL500 was purchased and pickup on April 10, 2004.

Dealer Date In Date Out Days in shop Problem

Nashville April 28, 2004 April 28, 2004 1 Wind noise around driver and passenger side window and vibration
Nashville May 11, 2004 May 14, 2004 4 Wind noise around door windows and a stress crack in Windshield
Nashville June 23, 2004 June 25, 2004 3 Wind noise around door windows
Nashville July 16, 2004 July 20, 2004 5 Interior panels replaced
Memphis September 13, 2004 September 13, 2004 1 Replaced head rest
Memphis November 1, 2004 November 3, 2004 3 Center console repaired
Memphis December 13, 2004 December 15, 2004 3 Water leak in trunk
Memphis January 18, 2005 January 21, 2005 4 Replaced 3 wheels because paint was peeling
Memphis April 7, 2005 April 13, 2005 7 Water leak in trunk
Memphis May 16, 2005 May 26, 2005 11 Water leak in trunk
Memphis June 10, 2005 June 10, 2005 1 Water leak in trunk


43 Days in shop

I was told by dealer to write a certified letter to MBUSA and they will send out engineers to fix my water leak one more time. After that if I still continued to have problems MBUSA will discuss my options.

lorinserbenz

Get a NEW one! You are 100% correct, for the $ the SL is best in its class..

tiggerfink

Correct that I have a Lemon?

My SL500 was purchased and pick up on April 10, 2004. I called TN consumer affairs, and they said I need to talk to MBUSA first and then filled a complaint with the state of TN. So I called MBUSA this morning, and MBUSA said I need to work it out with the dealer. The dealer told me to send MBUSA a certified letter of my problems. Later today, I called TN consumer affairs and told them what happen. The state of TN will proceed with my complaint and correspond with MBUSA about my car.

So I am just going to let my lawyer handle it.

RadSteve

Wise man. Leave it to a professional; you can be sure MBUSA has professional advice in this regard.

mjr24

I highly doubt you will be getting a new car from them or much of anything.
I believe Tenn. law says the car must be in the shop for at least 30 days out of the first year you have the car, which yours was only in 25.
Second, I believe the problems must make the car substantially unreliable or unsafe to drive...and the problems you listed really do not. Wind noise, a water leak, interior panel repairs, paint on wheels is very minor and does not effect drivability at all. I am still surprised they have not been able to fix a water leak. Good luck to you though.

pilot20

The new Corvette is a terrific car and is far better than the SL at 2/3 the price of a base SL500. It has world class performance (0 - 60 in 3.7 sec) and makes even the SL65 look positively anemic by comparison. The SL is way past its prime and can no longer justify the premium prices MB charges for this POS.

Talk about "plasticky" interiors all you want, I have never heard of the Corvette accumulating 1 inch of standing water in the trunk unless you leave it open in a rainstorm. The SL (and their owners) have become the laughing stock of the industry.

You may consider yourself "sophisticated" for owning an SL over a Corvette but deeper analysis simply shows that many people have more money than brains.

I'm seriously considering trading in my 997 for a new Corvette.

Go for it.

tiggerfink

If you count from April 10 2004 to April 10, 2005 it is 28 days. But I took my car in on April 7, 2005 and got it out on April 13. Also the dealer could not schedule me in any earlier because they were full fixing other cars. So my attorney will count it as 31 days in the first year. Most juries will agree with this logic.

clkcadet

which bmw will you be test driving??

btw is the car fully fixed... maybe the hush money option might help, if the car isnt fully fixed maybe you can cut a deal if you swap for a brand new one (no extra $$ out of pocket of course) .... a lemon is just one out of many cars, unfortunately you got a bad one maybe the next will be the best car of your life!

or upgrade to an sl55!! havent heard too many problems there

Gunther

Pilot --I really don't care about the "industry" - so they can laugh all they like. I love my SL and have been nothing but happy with it since the day I got it. Maybe I got the odd one that was made well.

I wouldnt ride in a Corvette for anything. They are ugly, cheap and tacky. They are everything that Wal-Mart loves. It's middle America's answer to how do I act like I think I am someone but keep my payments downs (still have to pay for the trailer too). A car is more than an engine that will grind you down the road -- and beat you into the ground as it happens.

The Corvette is about as high-end as Paris Hilton.

Besides...why are you worrying about it? I have never seen you post anything but whiney and negative comments about MB. If you don't like them....don't buy them, but quit pissing on our parade.

Finally -- if you're SUCH the performance DUDE...scorching up the roads in your local cul-de-sac and neighborhood...why did you buy the smallest engine S-Class?

pilot20

The S class is my winter car. Thus 4 matic. I see no point in trying to burn rubber on ice and snow covered midwest roads. So the 500 just seemed like a waste to me and, of course, the AMG versions don't come in 4 matic.

But you knew that.

That's why I bought a Porsche for summer driving.

But, a smart guy like yourself, would have figured this out anyway.

Eventually.

Dr Do

"Besides...why are you worrying about it? I have never seen you post anything but whiney and negative comments about MB. If you don't like them....don't buy them, but quit pissing on our parade."

Well said. Pilot20 is perfect example of a troll. Nothing more, nothing less. Just same old negative comments over and over.

jettie1767

I disagree with you Pilot regarding the Corvette. Talk about POS, the Corvette is definitely one! I was one of the very first owners of the 1998 Corvette when it came out and what a POS it was. I owned it for 6 months and got rid of it. The first week after delivery, Chevy calls me and tells me, 'Don't drive the car coz we discovered that the rear tie rod can fail and cause a crash. Don't worry, we discovered it while testing. Please call us and we will flatbed your car back to the dealership for repairs.' The car sat at the dealer for 2 weeks. A month later, I get a recall notice to replace the fuel pump and twin fuel tanks. Two months later, cruise control stops working. Then, one hot summer day, I hit a pothole, all warning lights lit up! Dealer had to replace 2 PCM modules. Finally, the targa top started leaking at 6 months and the speakers were busted. I had them all fixed and traded in the car.

Do I want another Corvette? Hell no... It's nowhere near my SL55 and never will be.

pilot20

Curious what you paid for the Corvette. Maybe 40 K or so? A squeek in a 40 K car is an annoyance. When it happens in a 120 K car its inexcusable. I'll bet they fixed the targa top leak unlike a lot of people here who have been absolutely unable, in spite of repeated visits to the dealer, to have the trunk leaks repaired in their SL. What a joke that is.

So Mercedes is able to manufacture a better car at 120 K than GM does at 40 or 50 K. How impressive.

What a ringing endorsement that is.

RadSteve

Umm, my 1970 280SL is 35 years old and does not leak...anywhere. Not even oil. Not in the trunk. Not in the soft top or its compartment, and not the the hard top on. Perhaps they don't make them like this any more.

Gunther

They do make them like that RadSteve...my 560 was completely tight and so is my current SL; I have had NO leaking issues. I have had my 230 for 18 months now and it's been in the shop once - for its Service A.

Pilot20 is simply a malcontent and like his ilk, he derives his personal pleasure out of find what is bad in other things - but can never see the good. But that's the curse he must deal with in his life -- and those that put up with him.

If only there was an ignore feature on this so I could never see his whining and complaining anymore.

RadSteve

Glad to hear it Gunther! Still looking forward to my new one at the end of the month...its been a loooong 6 month wait.

tandan

just my two cents folks. only 500 mi. on my wife's new sl600, can't wait for the 1000mi. mark, b8ut i am lovin it. it is soooo solid and smooth. it is increedribly hard to keep my foot off the pedal. i go to the garage, turn o the light, and see that black beauty gleam (next to the yellow viper). iv'e got to stop this. haven't been like this since my 20's, but what the heck! i love it.

StephenK

That's Great, ENJOY IT!!!!!

theboogers

bought the first c5 in the area and sold with 3k miles on it. it was marginal for ride and a let down. kept 1992 sl that was much nicer until new r 230 came out. vette cannot be used in comparison. you drive your vette, i'll stick to sl's.

tiggerfink

I will be test-driving the 645. 3 people email and told me that their dealer purchased their car back with a 1% on mileage reduction. Those folks have great dealers. 2 of those folks had 2004 SL55s. My dealer said write MBUSA a certified letter stating you want your car replaced after MBUSA engineers get one more shot to fix the leak.

Mercedes are great cars when they are running, but most of my problems may because of Mercedes is not training the dealer properly. Driving to Nashville just to get your car fix is tiresome.

Gunther

Tigger...I wish you the best in getting that resolved.

I'm going to the BMW Experience at Turner Field today - so I'm looking
forward to driving a 6-Series and seeing what it can do....but I'd still have
a very hard time going back to a soft top.

Btw...Corvette?? Soft top AND manual - unless you want to pay the $1500 or so up charge to get the power top. Classy.