david_101

well, the car is now back on the road after several warranty repairs were made in just one day at MB pompano.

just after getting the car a few months ago, i posted that it stalled at the bottom of an I-95 exit ramp in philly. i initially thought it was some catastrophic electrical failure because all cluster lights came on, and then figured it was a catastrophic "david failure" because i'd probably pressed the keyless go shifter button accidentally. since then, it stalled again a couple of times, most recently in boca, on glades eastbound, while maneuvering into the turning lane for airport road. i was pulling in at about 35 mph when the car died, taking with it the brake and steering power assists. it was quite a joy having to muscle it to a stop while keeping it off the grassy median.

the car also had been misfiring often, and suffered poor performance. the cause was supposed to be the ECM/U aka the engine control unit.

the ECM/U was changed on friday. according to SAs at different service centers, the faulty ECM/U was probably responsible for the stalls as well as the misfires.

performance is now noticably improved. i hope the stalls are now history.

just the other day, there began an odd crunchy sound coming from the front end during turns after dialing in to 50% or more. i was able to reproduce it for a service team leader within 1 minute of test at under 5 mph.

when my SA called at 5p to inform all the work was complete, she informed that there was a bulletin on the issue and that it had been repaired.

the list of work goes like this:
- change-over control unit
- low temp water circuit -- work on system, fill/bleed air
- engine control module -- all fuel inj systems repl (after test)
- switchover valve, one -- sec air injection system repl

again, there was one bulletin they told me about, and i think my SA mentioned a second one.

does anybody out there have a list of recent bulletins?

david_101

i should also note that performance was suspect from the day i took it on 95, driving from philly to lauderdale.

i posted about an odd harmonic and vibration that popped at 1750 RPM. i haven't noticed that in the short while since i got the car back last night. i'll listen closely tomorrow while on 95.

boy, this stuff really bugs me. COMAND was replaced, after malfunctioning from the day i picked up the car. the car was stalling and misfiring from the same day. does that sound like CPO service was properly conducted?

the only issue not definitively addressed is what seems to be excessive oil consumption. it's been drinking something like 1 quart every 2000 miles. the last time in to service, they performed an off-schedule oil service (at my cost!) and asked me to return in 1000 miles for measurement and inspection. i believed the test method was reasonable, while charging me to perform it was not reasonable. they had their reasons, but it didn't -- and doesn't -- sit right with me.

your thoughts?

david_101

the car's performing far better than it was. i still haven't noticed any problems at 1750 RPM. however, the steering is still somewhat "crunchy" near the locks. even the GF noticed it today. for her to notice an auto issue, it's got to be something indeed. ;-)

france2112

Sorry about all your trouble with your car. The 65 is an amazing vehicle. Hope you get all the issues resolve considering I'm sure you paid a pretty penny for it. I assume you bought it used as it is an 05. Did you pull up a report of previous repairs and issues before you bought it? The Mercedes computer is linked to all dealers in the country. They can put in the VIN and tell you all the problems the previous owner had. Food for thought the next time you buy a used Mercedes. Anyway good luck. I have a SL600 and always wished I had the SL65. I do love my car but the 65 is definitely the top of the food chain.

Jakpro1

Keep in mind that you are well into "MB Buyback Territory" now. Another major problem and I would start to bring up the issue. Keep us posted.

david_101

thanks for the suggestions, but i did every bit of the usual homework, and even knew the person who drove the car for 5k miles, and the SA who cared for it. one can do only so much. :-(

david_101

please explain.

i certainly will keep posting developments as they occur.

Juice it

This is why I would prefer to buy a low mile used car from the original owner over a dealer. If you find an honest first owner and look over all the services it had prior some of this should have shown up. The dealer has no idea what the car has been through and of coarse they will tell you they starmarked it. I don't think you have any lemon law rights on a used car but it sounds like your car has some issues. Since it is still under warranty, take it back and don't take it home until all the issues you have are resolved.

david_101

the car belonged to the dealer's owner, with whom i was already familiar. i had all service records and spoke directly with everybody who serviced it. there wasn't much more to do after deciding to stick with a CPO car.

bltserv

I think your biggest issue is the high oil consumption.
Thats a big red flag.
Sounds like the engine did not "break in" correctly.

Here in Cali the lemon law would not work on a used car.
Not sure about Florida.

Hope you can get that dealer to make things right.

david_101

my SA up north said it sounded as if there was a ring issue, and that they'd been using some procedure to resolve it in other cases.

france2112

Well it sounds like you did your homework. Just bad luck i guess. Did the owner have any problems at all? I'm sure they will make it right. Just be patience and persistant. Your car is top notch and should be treated as such. Be nice but firm!! Let us know how it turns out.

france2112

djamer

david,

I know someone w/ a 2005 SL55AMG who had alot of issues w/ his car. There are numberous service bulletins out there for SL class. Make sure your SA corrects all the potential defects.

david_101

i did my homework and then some. considering whose car it was, i wouldn't be surprised to learn that certain issues never made it to paper. but that's PURELY speculation without any basis in certain fact or knowledge.

i sure will continue to post as developments occur.

may i ask where in S FL you're located. i'm mostly in lauderdale by the water.

david_101

do you know whether the issues were satisfactorily resolved?

would you be able to post or provide a link for the TSBs?

djamer

david,

I sent you an email to your private account.

Amer

csumt76

Very interesting. I happen to be close friends with a technician at Autohaus Pompano and we were discussing last week a SL65 with some misfire problems. He was talking about bleeding the intercooler circuit and something about the ME control unit. Could it be the same vehicle? I am not sure who his SA is....

Btw, if you are driving down the road and press the KG start/stop button it will do nothing. While in motion, the system will disregard the stop message.

That "off schedule" oil service should be covered by warranty the first time the dealer performs an oil consumption test. At least that is the way it was the last time I did one. If consumption is within specs and you continue to complain, they will charge you. I remember some information about oil consumption on the TTV12 but I can't remember what exact cars/engines it applied to.

Any repairs made at the dealer will be documented. MBUSA is very strict on documentation for warranty/cp repairs. Its highly unlikely that a dealership is going to repair something under the table. That would have to be major screw up.. and they wouldn't want to have to pay for it anyway.

I have yet to replace a COMAND on an 05SL. There is a latest and greatest software flash out there though that is supposed to resolve a few quirky issues.

The procedure that the SA is speaking of about the rings was on the first run of 272 V6 engines. It was a procedure to drive the car and force the rings to seat in cases where maybe clients babied the cars too much..... if that didn't work then they were replacing the engines. That is hearsay though, I have not seen one replaced with my own eyes. Never seen such problem on a 65 engine. On the 65 engine I have seen the misfire codes, air intake temp. too high(intercooler circuit with air in it), and one seized turbocharger. Oddly that car had a Renntech badge on the trunk???

Mercedes did a great job of making a 600hp monster, enjoy it.. Most 600+hp cars on the street are hardly driveable and make much more noise without the creature comforts.

Had a silver SL65 with noise from the front suspension over bumps while turning. You had to get the car really hot first.. after around a 20 minute drive. Front ABC struts ended up resolving the problem, never saw that one again. Everyother option was exhausted before that point.

Was there a name of the technician on the repair order? Or a technician number? What is the name of the SA? I'm curious to see if my friend is the one who worked on your car. You can shoot me a PM if you want.

france2112

I live in Plantation.

david_101

thanks for the TSBs. (i should've recalled where to find them.) nearly every issue i've encountered was listed right there. david

david_101

thanks very much for that info. i'll send PM.

blazinginder

david...which dealer did you buy the car from / take it to for servicing

david_101

purchased from pennmark, and serviced at MB pompano.

i have to say that, aside from being pressured to pay for the oil consumption test service, i'm surprisingly pleased by the MB pompano service. it's definitely a positive change from the past.

OTOH, i'm seriously displeased by what seems to be carelessness, at best, of the group from which i've now gotten four cars.

does anybody know whether CPO cars are required to have all TSB inspections and/ or services performed prior to delivery?

djamer

david,

MBUSA when doing the CPO process must do all 'recall' work on the car and this is usually stated in the Carfax report. However, they are not legally entitled to do Technical Bulletins issued. I was told this by my Service Advisor when i bought my CL. Apparently, when i bought mine, there were number technical bulletins for the car which were not covered during CPO process. I personally had to show the bulletins to the dealership in order to get the fixes implemented.

david_101

so, although TSBs are issued by the manufacturer, dealers apparently do NOT have to perform the services to sell a car as CPO?

djamer

That is my understanding from the dealership here in VA. If anyone else can offer their experiences, please share.