meegle

Hi,

We just took delivery of a new SL550. We had originally inspected the vehicle when it first arrived on July 1st and even took pictures. When we went back to take delivery on the 3rd, we noticed a small chip (all the way down to the primer) on the passenger side door.
The salesman had promised us that they would make it perfect and that we wouldn't be able to tell.

I am concerned about re-sell as well as how the touch up will affect the rest of the door.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

meegle

The picture below shows the pass side door which after zooming in on the pass side door, we were not able to see any damage/chip on it.

Thanks again for any input.

StephenK

Personally I don't see the chip having any impact on your resale value. A deep chip will always be noticeable especially on a dark colored car. They all make promises, but you can always see where it was. Most people will never notice it, but you will know where it was.

PS I really like your color combination on your car. Enjoy.

Chris 45971

So long as the person doing to the touch up does it as it should be done (I imagine they will because it is strait through Mercedes), I don't think you will be able tell once the job is done. Have to wait until the job is done. If after the job is done there is still a problem, let them have it.

As far as chips go, you're going to have to get used to it. I got about 8 micro chips on the body. So small that they are hard to find even knowing where they are. There are probably even 8 more that I haven't found yet.

Nice car by the way!

meegle

Just got the car back a few hours ago. It looks like they did indeed do a pretty good job as I can't see any flaws with the door. I am pretty sure that it could probably be detected with a paint thickness detector.

Now I have an even bigger issue, someone at the dealer apparently drove too far up on a curb and proceeded to scrape the front lower valance in numerous spots! I showed this to my salesman and now have to bring it back in next week again.
This is really starting to get frustrating as we have only been able to drive the car less than 40 miles(1-day).


Thanks for the color combo compliments. It is storm red metallic with the stone interior.

lkirchner

That probably will not be the last time that happens. The wrench jockeys at the dealerships don't give a dam. It has happened twice with my SL55.

ROBS SL ROCKS

Paint chip detecter..are you kidding me?

ROBS SL ROCKS

I'm sorry....paint thickness detector...still

meegle

I agree, as I am starting to get the same feeling that this won't be the last incident with the dealership.

Have you or anyone else here opted for the Perma Plate package that the dealer offers?

I just find it hard to believe that a sealant applied only once would give 5 years of protection.

meegle

I have never seen it used but I have been told by numerous people including those at different dealers that they use that type of device to find out if a certain body part has been repainted.

Vik888

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

I do like your paint scheme. Do you mind posting more photos from all around as your color isn't very popular, but it looks GREAT.

vraa

Don't worry about the paint chip and once the car comes back after getting the front bumper fixed, stop worrying about that too. Trust me, it'll always be on your mind until you force yourself to just remember; it's just a car.

The R230 is an excellent vehicle, it's got the persona of two souls in one. Top down, and top up. IMO the best two door money can buy if you're not looking for a hardcore racer.

I love your color combo, it's absolutley magnificant and also your house is incredible. More pictures of the car and house please?


Perma plate is a joke, don't get it.

LovinMercedes

I've seen it at work...and it works.

vraa

If it's just a paint thickness machine, I have something around here that will work. Dad used to have a steel manufacturing shop.

But you need the base to be magnetic.

red00lght

I wouldn't accept the paint chip on a new car....especially now with the front end damage. When I went to trade in my CL500, everywhere I went they detected paint work along the rear quarter panel and the back. I never noticed it when I bought the car and asked how they found it.....and it was through one of those paint detectors. I'm guessing it was probably scratches from being on the lot during the hurricane that were repainted as they said there was no sign of an accident. That bodywork KILLED the resale value at three different places. This is a high-end car and people want it perfect.

By the way, that color does look stunning on that car.

meegle

I will take some more pictures tomorrow and post them at that time.

meegle

Ricky,

We appreciate the tip on the Perma plate. I applied a coat of liquid glass prior to taking the vehicle for a 400 mile round trip this weekend and the front end held up fine with no chips and the bugs came off rather easily.
Will take more pictures tomorrow and post them shortly after.

meegle

We wished that we didn't take delivery of the car after finding the chip but we were anxious to take it home. The dealership has already received our bank wire so I am not sure what actions to take next.
I have been told by several others that the re-paint has reduced the value 8-10k right off the bat so we have have to consult with our attorney about this matter.
They wanted us to bring the car back in Tuesday so that they could repair the gouges on the lower valance panel(sport pkg) but we may just hold off for now.
We have no faith on the car jockeys or pretty much anyone else at the dealer.

Thank you for your input.

vraa

I don't mean to be th spoiler or anything negative like that -- but personally I wouldn't pick a car over another car just because it's value has gone down.

I know a few will disagree, but I've always been raised to enjoy my possessions as what they are, not what they could be so many years down the line. I never found the entire aspect of a 'classic' car appealing to me. I'd take the car if it had a paint chip, or ten, as long as they were covered up and they weren't OUTSTANDING!

It's just a car, who cares if 20k$ got knocked off, are you reselling the car soon?

Sorry for the rant, we're looking to get a new car and my mom keeps asking about resale values. I WANT TO KEEP MY CAR FOREVER UNTIL IT DIES DAMNIT!

So Cal Sam

Sorry about your chip problems but just a gorgeous paint/interior combo. I agree with Ricky - get your problems fixed to an acceptable manner and go on with life - it is just a car and persumably if you can afford it you can deal with any depreciation hit that you will suffer anyway regardless of paint chips.

I just drove my beautiful car into the canyons above Malibu for a camping trip this weekend with the top down and felt just like a king. Thank your lucky stars you can afford one of the most beautiful and desireable cars on the road today and enjoy!!!

StephenK

The next time you take your car and someone else is going to drive it (dealer or Vallet), I would suggest raising the car to the highest level which is a simple push of a button, this may prevent damage from happening again to the bottom front of your car.

Germancar1

That chip is annoying because you'll always know its there, but this color is stunning. Real deep and lustrous.

M

rajah996

meegle,

Those types of accidents are bound to happen. Unfortunatly
for you, I see you are using Mercedes South at Millenia, so
it will be more common. I took my CLK 55 there, and they were
able to rip the antenna off the car while having it in for service.
When I complained about it, they replaced the antenna (the
car was returned to me with no antenna, and they thought I
would not notice?!?!) and also gave a full wax/detailing. My CLK
was deep red like yours, and had some scratches from the damage,
and they touched it up. It was not visible once they were done.My
best friend who also has a CLK 55 took it there for a complimentary
car wash, and while going thru the wash, some metal wire scratched
his passanger door. They went ahead and touched up the paint,
and did a full detail. His car was black, and it looked great when it
was done, very hard to see.

Let them repair the damages, and then be cautious in the future.
Dont worry about the value of the car, its not an "investment"
per say. Use and Enjoy the car with your wife on the wonderful
FL summer days.

meegle

Rajah,

Perhaps it's fortunate for everyone else that MB of South Orlando no longer gives their complimentary car washes on Saturday due to the water shortage.
I was detailing the vehicle prior to bringing it back to them on Tuesday to fix the front lower spoiler when I noticed that there was touch up paint on the bottom corner of the passenger side door. It actually looks pretty crude so I guess we have another problem on our hands.
My wife is starting to get extremely frustrated with them and I think she will be demanding the perma plate pkg. as well as other compensation.

We really wished that we had taken delivery back when the vehicle actually arrived instead of leaving it with them.

meegle

Ricky,

Here are a few more pictures.