Lorinser CLK

David_101,
Was that you on Glades Rd this Friday (5\19) around 11:30 am? I am pretty sure that was you. Can't miss that car! I love the color. It looks great. Good luck with it.

david_101

yup, sure was. please tell me i didn't cut you off! ;-)

was i heading west or east?

next time, make yourself known.

david_101

as long as i'm logged on...

upon cold start today, there was an instrument cluster notice: "add 1 quart of engine oil at next gas fill," or some such instruction.

so, i called autohaus to inquire. the scheduler suggested that i check the oil myself. although i probably could muddle through, i'd be just as likely to burn off my fingerprints. then where would i be when TSA wants to ID me at airports, right?

anyway, the scheduler laughed and told me to bring it in. i did. without even hooking it up, they said it was a known erroneous fault and not to worry about it unless it continues to pop

on another note, a few times now, one corner of the car will sink then rise again spontaneously when height adjustment is set at two red lights. very odd.

do any of you have thoughts about these occurences?

JR.

David,

Welcome to the world of computers, electronics and MB..
.
as with humans, i have found that late model MB's have MANY idiosyncrasies..
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hopefully, you'll get used to them.
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one of the reasons that i wouldn't own a late model MB without a warranty..
.
JR

david_101

all too true.

good thing this one's got plenty of warranty!

Lorinser CLK

You were heading west, on the corner of Glades and Butts Rd. I was in a MB Loaner car, my car is in service. Next time I will "try to catch you"!!

david_101

you'll catch me easily. there's hardly a time i do more than 55 in that 45 zone. between the accidents and police stops, it's hardly worth it. are you in that area much?

were you heading west also? i recall seeing a sand color C loaner beside me. one can hardly miss seeing another car on that stretch of glades, with the arteries narrowed by construction forcing one to avoid swervers and line-huggers.

Lorinser CLK

I work just off of Glades Rd and was heading to lunch. I also live in Boca. I was heading west on Glades and making a left onto Butts Rd. I was in a silver C loaner.

david_101

i'd meant to ask previously whether your car was in for regular service, and which center you prefer.

Toog4me

David,

I think you should change the name of this thread to...

"Everyday I find a new problem with my SL."


Lol.

david_101

how does one change the thread title?

i imagine that people on this board are attentive to everything about their cars. i post to learn what others have experienced, and whether my car is operating within normal limits.

by my third CLK, i'd learned the idiosyncrasies of the model and therefore those issues that needed service. my current 55 is a pleasure to drive because there's nothing about it that concerns me any more. every tick has a tock, and those that don't receive service. now that i brought it up, i haven't heard a thing from my SA about the service i left it up north to receive.

it's a funny thing... this SL65 isn't entirely a pleasure to drive just yet. i'm still unfamiliar with much of its nature, so i concentrate on the sounds and dynamics in turns to learn ABC, and while stopping to learn the odd sensations of SBC, and with the top down to get a feel for the body flex. at highway speeds, it's fairly easy to feel the difference between wind buffeting at the different height settings. it's always easy to notice the attention the car gets from others, which sometimes is bothersome. some drivers pull up beside and pace, obviously looking to play. others want to chat, but not about cars.

none of this is a complaint. it's all just observational.

well, i certainly hope i won't have to go through three 65s to figure out this model. besides, if i ever got to number three, the 69 probably would be a reality and i'd have another preoccupation with whcih to befuddle myself.

Juice it

Man, that sounds like an awful lot of work. Testing body flex,ABC,SBC. Are you an engineer? That car should be pleasurable from day one. You are making it too hard. I can see if something is really wrong but I think some of these "issues"aren't really issues at all. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

david_101

well jeff,

i don't disagree. but attending to details is what enabled me to get this car...and its predeceessors and sibs.

there's a parallel in flying. before i began flying lessons, a seasoned flyer told me that if i thought flying was just fun, then i should do the world a service by not flying. he explained that one has to concentrate during pre-flight inspection, taxiing, flight, landing and post-flight. i understood best after i began lessons.

during an abe & louie dinner several weeks ago, an instructor told me that he reads the manual on every new plane he flies. once a flyer gets to know the plane, it becomes a much easier proposition.

i'm no engineer, but do i pay attention to cars' details because i want to have an idea what to expect when i find myself in a situation outside the normal limits of my driving style.

life definitely is short, and growing shorter. understanding seems to enrich my life.

Lorinser CLK

This is a very sore subject for me. The car is at Autohaus in Pompano for the third time for the same problem. It's leaking oil from the oil pan. Last time they had the car for 3 weeks. So far this time it has been a week. I have had nothing but bad luck with this dealer.

By the way, I noticed you go to the same dealer for service. Who is your SA? Hopefully, you have had better luck than me.

david_101

i really couldn't have recommended them for anything before meeting anja, a very pleasant, but intense SA. she definitely wants a perfect eval score, and seems to do everything possible to earn that score.

how long after getting the car did the troubles begin?

Lorinser CLK

Actually, Anja will be taking over this week because Kevin, who is my SA, is on vacation now. He is actually the third person I have dealt with since I have been going there. This last time I went directly to the service manager and he is overseeing the process and assigned it to Kevin.

I bought the car with approx 4k miles and noticed the problem then. It was a very slow leak. There were maybe a couple of drops of oil in my garage per week. The funny thing is that after every attempted repair the leak got worst.

Interesting thing about the evals, I never got a call after my last two visits. Hmmm

vixapphire

i'll second that. i always read every one of my cars' manuals first thing when i buy one. it makes the car more fun when you can decipher something cryptic or unearth cool hidden features -- improves the credibility of the whole "bragging rights" thing too... i have a recording studio with a ton of gear in it, including a boatload of synthesizers that get some great sounds out of the box, but beneath the surface are ridiculously capable and complex. without reading the manual, you'd be using about 15% of the gear's capabilities. thus, on the muzo forums around the web, you'll often see people respond to dumb questions with "RTFM". hint: it doesn't mean "rolling on the floor, mopping"!

david_101

i'm with you, and believe precisely the same. but you said it very much better than i did.

your posting tag is truly a jimmy page quote?

david_101

i'm sorry to hear about your autohaus disappointments. but as i wrote previously, before anja i could find NOTHING to recommend that place. i also knew others who felt similarly. a guy with whom i used to have morning coffee shared his service experiences, then called his SA in front of me. by the end of the call, he was shouting SCREW YOU as loud as he could while in SBUX. i felt really badly for the fellow, who was a retired lawyer in his late 60s.

regarding the post-service follow-up, i received a form letter, a handwritten letter and a call on my mobile phone.

idid you purchase the car CPO and/ or from autohaus?

Lorinser CLK

I purchased the car from a private party. This made it very difficult just to get a loaner from them. Their policy is to only give loaners to people who purchased their cars from Autohaus.

david_101

that policy might change now that it's an autonation store.

i must bring my car in for the oil issue. the cluster notice returned twice yesterday. sure would be a coincidence if i had an oil leak as well. ;-(

david_101

is your CLK55 pewter?

david_101

the add oil cluster notice should remain off for a while. turned out the level was low, nothing more.

so, between the COMAND needing replacement and the oil level beinglow, i'm beginning to wonder whether my now marginally favorite dealer actually did the CPO inspection and service at all.

couple that with their near inability to get and deliver a tag, and i'm pretty displeased. the temporary tag expires in a day or two. the plate is now due to arrive tomorrow. getting to this point required getting the group manager involved. i really don't know what sort of flies are clogging their ointment. really too bad because i liked almost everyone there. i'm in the market for at least one more MB this year. now i'm uncertain i'll purchase from them. shame...

Lorinser CLK

Yes, here is a link with some pictures. By the way, a week and a half and still no word on the car.

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk55-amg-clk63-amg-w208-w209/148488-04-clk55-pics-dcr-wheels-lowered.html

david_101

i asked around and i think your car might not be the only one with that sort of leak. it might be a car-specific issue and not a service center issue. i know that's little solace, but it's all i've got for now.