SL/R231: Well.....bollocks!
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2023
Posts: 28
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SL400
Well.....bollocks!
I took my 2014 SL400 into my local independent dealer this morning to have an annoying rattle looked at. It's under warranty there, which is good as I think it might be the turbo waste gate actuators that are rattling. Dealership is very good, very thorough. They wanted the car for 3 days to do a full diagnoses and plan a fix.
After about 2 hours, I got a call from them. "That's very quick" I thought...but the bloke on the phone said "I am sorry to tell you that there has been an accident..."
Oh **** I thought, they have smashed it up while test driving it. But it turns out the car was on their forecourt and the dumpster collection driver clipped the nosecone while reversing. Oops.
So the car needs a full new nosecone. The waste collection company is being stand up about it and has promised full payment of all costs. MB UK has a nosecone in stock, so the dealer has it on order and it should be delivered to the bodyshop in the next couple of days to get paint matched (Obsidian Black).
The dealership is also going to tear down the front of the car to make sure there is no other damage and replace anything that needs it.
So that's all a ball ache. But on the positive side, the bottom of the nosecone had had some kerb damage. Not much, but enough to annoy me a little bit. It was really the only bit of the car that wasn't completely pristine .I was debating a new nosecone at come point, but they are expensive. And apparently quite hard work to fit.
So it looks like that will get done for free now. All in all, I don't know whether to be sad or happy...
After about 2 hours, I got a call from them. "That's very quick" I thought...but the bloke on the phone said "I am sorry to tell you that there has been an accident..."
Oh **** I thought, they have smashed it up while test driving it. But it turns out the car was on their forecourt and the dumpster collection driver clipped the nosecone while reversing. Oops.
So the car needs a full new nosecone. The waste collection company is being stand up about it and has promised full payment of all costs. MB UK has a nosecone in stock, so the dealer has it on order and it should be delivered to the bodyshop in the next couple of days to get paint matched (Obsidian Black).
The dealership is also going to tear down the front of the car to make sure there is no other damage and replace anything that needs it.
So that's all a ball ache. But on the positive side, the bottom of the nosecone had had some kerb damage. Not much, but enough to annoy me a little bit. It was really the only bit of the car that wasn't completely pristine .I was debating a new nosecone at come point, but they are expensive. And apparently quite hard work to fit.
So it looks like that will get done for free now. All in all, I don't know whether to be sad or happy...
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,641
Likes: 525
From: Hagerstown MD
2015 SL400; 2019 X5M40i
I had my front fascia resprayed shortly after purchase. The paint was damaged when the PPF was removed. The body shop did a great job matching the metallic white paint and also commented that several "clips" were missing and they replaced them.
I hope your job turns out well.
I hope your job turns out well.
Last edited by rmorin49; Dec 6, 2023 at 08:47 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,195
Likes: 4,422
From: Corona Del Mar, CA
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
To me, the huge deal is that the OP had (I believe) an all original paint car, but will now have a non-original paint front fascia. The fact of the matter is that non-factory applied paint does not behave the same as factory paint. A stone hitting a factory painted panel may leave a 1/16” chip. All things being equal, if that panel is aftermarket painted, the chip will probably be two to three times larger. Aftermarket applied paint also fades differently than factory paint. In the USA—I don’t know about other countries—a diminished value claim would be in order. On something like an R231 SL, we might be talking $3K to $5K. Anyway, that’s just my take. Wishing the OP the best of luck.
