SL/R230: Anyone having problems with their SL600?
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sl600
Anyone having problems with their SL600?
I seem to be having alot of problems with my sl600. Ranging from electronics to big oil leakages. Does anyone have my problem or is my car just a lemon. Its been in on out of the dealership for 30 days and they still cant lick the problems. Is anyone out there in a similar position. Please post as I feel alone in this frustrating situation.
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Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Houston, Texas
2004 MB SL600 & 2000 MB S500
I purchased a 2004 SL600 on Feb 28 of this year and have had no problems. This was my 7th Mercedes and I have had very good luck most all of them. Possibly you have a defective car. Have you asked the dealer for a replacement? Possibly you could write the Mercedes District Office if the dealer will not exchange the car.
68GT500KR
68GT500KR
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From: UK
SL55 AMG
Exchanging the car is not just a question of looking through their inventory as it would be with a Ford F150. But, clearly, problems like this on a car at this level are completely unacceptable and it's time to get heavy with both Mercedes and the Dealer Principal. They should at least compensate you for loss of use of the car.
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From: TEXAS, MONTANA
Bentley LWB, Silver Cloud III, 2002 G500,2004 LX470,73 Jag XKE, 2004 SL600, 2004LS430
I got my '04 SL600 in October. It has yet to need to go to the dealer for a single problem. 2500 miles so far.
It is a much better car than the two '03 SL 500's that I've had.
I agree with the "get heavy" advice. Get the name of the Zone Manager from your dealer. This is not acceptable! Also read the terms of your state's Lemon Law and document everything. Time, date, person you talked to or couldn't talk to etc etc. I would also ask for a loaner S, Cl, or SL class. Tell the owner of the dealership that his will suffice!
It is a much better car than the two '03 SL 500's that I've had.
I agree with the "get heavy" advice. Get the name of the Zone Manager from your dealer. This is not acceptable! Also read the terms of your state's Lemon Law and document everything. Time, date, person you talked to or couldn't talk to etc etc. I would also ask for a loaner S, Cl, or SL class. Tell the owner of the dealership that his will suffice!
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sl600
thanks guys. At this point I am so turned off by the whole thing that I am waiting for MBusa to review the case and hopefully I can return the car. My previous S class had a whole host of problems as well. Mainly, it is the wife who has been on my case, as this is my daily driver. I just hope that the SL65 doesnt have this problem..... For this car, these problems are just unacceptable. The car should not be back at the dealership being fixed for over 30 days. In fact, one technician told me that it has been really hard to figure out the problems for these cars as they are very complex and they are just beginning to get on that learning curve of training their personnel to know the cars. If that is the case, I am worried for everyone as how knowledgeable are the dealerships? If so, couldnt they just train the technicians a month before the car is released unto american shores so that these problems can be resolved? Afterall, europe gets the cars earlier. If so, why can us dealerships get trained to handle the problem?
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From: UK
SL55 AMG
Why do you think the SL65 will be any different? They are fundamentally the same car; if you go to the plant in Bremen, you see the SL350, 500, 600 and 55 AMG all being built on the same line and the only thing which differentiates them is that different parts are added at different stages but my guess is that 80% of the car is identical.
The SL65 may possibly be built on the line and then shipped elsewhere but if that is the case, it should only raise anxiety levels about problems with it.
The issue with the car is that it is far too complex to be fixed competently in the field. The most a field technician can be expected to do is to connect the computer, work through some diagnostics which may or may not accurately pin-point the failing component and then replace parts until it works. For problems which are not amenable to being solved by computer diagnostics, like rattles, noises, vibrations and so on, the technician is on their own and has to rely on an equivalent of Microsoft's Knowledge Base to provide hints and tips. These guys are just not up to the task of understanding the whole car in detail. No-one in Mercedes Benz understands the complete car ("I do air con but I don't do transmissions") so why should we expect field technicians to be able to?
Truth is, a car the complexity of the SL is the most complex thing - from a systems point of view - any consumer can buy for the money and supporting it in the field is a nightmare.
The SL65 may possibly be built on the line and then shipped elsewhere but if that is the case, it should only raise anxiety levels about problems with it.
The issue with the car is that it is far too complex to be fixed competently in the field. The most a field technician can be expected to do is to connect the computer, work through some diagnostics which may or may not accurately pin-point the failing component and then replace parts until it works. For problems which are not amenable to being solved by computer diagnostics, like rattles, noises, vibrations and so on, the technician is on their own and has to rely on an equivalent of Microsoft's Knowledge Base to provide hints and tips. These guys are just not up to the task of understanding the whole car in detail. No-one in Mercedes Benz understands the complete car ("I do air con but I don't do transmissions") so why should we expect field technicians to be able to?
Truth is, a car the complexity of the SL is the most complex thing - from a systems point of view - any consumer can buy for the money and supporting it in the field is a nightmare.
Last edited by blueSL; May 22, 2004 at 04:13 PM.
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sl600
got my vehicle back and they indicated to me that they will not take the vehicle back..... 
Under the law, you need 30 days to qualify it for as a lemon and my car was in for 29 days.... They told me that in fact it is less than that not counting the backorder of parts as all sl600 parts are special order only. so, anyone who is looking at the 600 better hope that they dont have as much trouble as me as they dont usually have the parts in stock.
Under the law, you need 30 days to qualify it for as a lemon and my car was in for 29 days.... They told me that in fact it is less than that not counting the backorder of parts as all sl600 parts are special order only. so, anyone who is looking at the 600 better hope that they dont have as much trouble as me as they dont usually have the parts in stock.
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From: UK
SL55 AMG
That attitude is all the reason you, and any of us here, need not to buy another Mercedes. DaimlerChrysler are in huge trouble, a rot which extends from the top all the way down through the dealerships.
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Boston
SL600, A8L W12, Continental GT, Range Rover SC
I’ll second that! I had many problems with my old SL55. Recently, my wife was driving our S500 and the instrument cluster went black, with the gauge needled all falling to zero. The fixed it by replacing all the instrumentation. Thank goodness the warrantee still has a little while to run. At least my SL600 is still running after its first 4000 miles. This last incident has convinced me that the next car should come from another manufacturer.
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sl600
food for thought guys. Right after I posted my previous post, my cd volume controller and steering wheel buttons now have an added function. Now when changing volume or cd or any type of function through the steering wheel, it now has the ability to trigger the horn! So if I want to increase the volume, off goes the horn. My mother's volvo never had this problem! I expect this from my lambo, but not this car!! Well, got to make my weekly trip to the dealership .....again...... 
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Northwest New Jersey USA
'03 BMW M5
Your post doesn't show what state you are in, but it sounds as though you are relying on the dealers word for what the lemon law in that state allows. (Apoligize if I have misinterpreted what you said.)
Does the lemon law in your state allow the dealer to "hide behind" waiting for parts to arrive? Might be worth a consultation with a lawyer to find out what the law really says and what your rights are. Information can be power and if the dealer is not correct or exactly correct then you will have a better case.
Also, it can be important to follow the escalation procedure EXACTLY as written in the Manual concerning on-going problems. In any event an experienced lawyer should be able lead you in the right direction. Also, if you have not done so yet take the time to prepare a comprehensive timeline as to what went wrong when and what happened to "fix" the problem. Document exactly what the dealer/service personnel said. Take the time to think back to each visit to the service department and write down to the best of your recollection just what transpired. The more facts you can document from the whole 30 days and then from now on will help your case.
Good Luck and let us know what happens (as someone else might also need to know).
Does the lemon law in your state allow the dealer to "hide behind" waiting for parts to arrive? Might be worth a consultation with a lawyer to find out what the law really says and what your rights are. Information can be power and if the dealer is not correct or exactly correct then you will have a better case.
Also, it can be important to follow the escalation procedure EXACTLY as written in the Manual concerning on-going problems. In any event an experienced lawyer should be able lead you in the right direction. Also, if you have not done so yet take the time to prepare a comprehensive timeline as to what went wrong when and what happened to "fix" the problem. Document exactly what the dealer/service personnel said. Take the time to think back to each visit to the service department and write down to the best of your recollection just what transpired. The more facts you can document from the whole 30 days and then from now on will help your case.
Good Luck and let us know what happens (as someone else might also need to know).
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From: Wichita
2005 SL600, 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite
Thread Starter
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sl600
I just wanted say that I have never been treated with such disrespect by Mb usa. The person I talked to : Ron Reynolds indicated to me that he will not be able to arrange for the vehicle return because it was not their problem if they normally backorder the parts and cause delays that became the 30 days of in service as required by the law and that this is up to interpretation. He goes on further that it is not his problem that the car is stuck at the dealership being repaired all the time and that I should just live with it. I was wondering if there is anyone that is higher up in MBUSA that I would be able to talk to because this guy is a ***** of a man that doesnt care about the reputation of mercedes and the people that support his job.
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Northwest New Jersey USA
'03 BMW M5
Might be time to consult a lawyer who handles lemon law cases. I would think there should be some in CA. It will at least let you know where you stand; and more importantly, how to handle things going forward. It can be worth the cost of a consultation fee.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Europe
R230
You are not the only one with the problems!
I have LOTS of problems with my SL500! During approx. 20 k miles it had to be serviced more than 60 times!!!! Tons of problems like SRS warning light on (more than 14 times till now), SBC failure, oil leakage from ABC system, power windows not working, keyless go problems, strange noises and vibrations from the transmission, horrible roof-noises, parktronic failure, fuel-gauge failure, driver's power seat failure, COMMAND failure (had to be replaced twice as the first one occured to have scratched monitor - apparently by the person who fitted it in the place of original one
) and many many more...
Once it was in the dealership for 23 days... what is even more interesting is that they have done over 450 miles for "tests"during those 23 days...
The roof was regulatd more than 5 times now and it still generates horrible noises...
There are also some problems with seals as the wind noise makes listening to the music literally impossible over 120 mph...
The case is in court now. MB Poland stat that they will not exchange my car. We will see..... what the f*** are they going to tell?? That this is the way it should be???
Best regards
Maciek
I have LOTS of problems with my SL500! During approx. 20 k miles it had to be serviced more than 60 times!!!! Tons of problems like SRS warning light on (more than 14 times till now), SBC failure, oil leakage from ABC system, power windows not working, keyless go problems, strange noises and vibrations from the transmission, horrible roof-noises, parktronic failure, fuel-gauge failure, driver's power seat failure, COMMAND failure (had to be replaced twice as the first one occured to have scratched monitor - apparently by the person who fitted it in the place of original one
) and many many more...Once it was in the dealership for 23 days... what is even more interesting is that they have done over 450 miles for "tests"during those 23 days...
The roof was regulatd more than 5 times now and it still generates horrible noises...
There are also some problems with seals as the wind noise makes listening to the music literally impossible over 120 mph...
The case is in court now. MB Poland stat that they will not exchange my car. We will see..... what the f*** are they going to tell?? That this is the way it should be???
Best regards
Maciek
Last edited by Sql; Jun 10, 2004 at 03:42 PM.
