All,

I'm interested to see if the faults I'm finding with my SLK are common or unique to me. I'm certain MBUSA receives the compiled warranty work from its dealers, but I'm confident we won't.

I've had the following warranty work performed since I've owned my SLK:

-Cupholder retaining tab spring broken
-2x shift linkage disconnect
-Instrument Cluster light out (left 1/2 of cluster)
-Fan switch light out
-CD Player not recognized/poor playing quality,constant skipping (was told the connection was poor)
-Interior door panels loose (both sides)

Great car, but these niggling little things are disappointing for the price paid and the image presented by the company.

DSLPWR

 

My dealer is replacing (under warranty) both of my door panels. It looks like they are just coming unglued. While I've had a few problems, none are on your list.

 

I've not been affected by those you listed. However, I have spotted (and suffered) a couple more that seem to be repeat offenders:


C-Pillar Rub.

An annoying little paint scratch on the c-pillar. This occurs when the roof is stowed in the trunk and the pillar rubs against the top of the wheel well. In my case the rubbed paint is clearly visible, in the trunk, on the top of the wheel well.

In fact, I was at the car wash on Sunday and another guy showed up in a yellow SLK that was almost as new as mine. We were checking out each others cars, and sure enough there was the C-Pillar rub on his car too.... very very common, I guess.


Windows not seated.

My driver side window does not sit underneath the weather proofing when closed. This allows water to enter the cabin when it rains or if I wash the car. I have learned to physically push the window so that it sits under the weather proofing. I know a couple of owners who have suffered this problem.


I have a couple of other smaller problems that I wonder if anyone has observed before:

* Occasionally the left headlight does not immediately ignite. This is accompanied by the "bulb" icon on the console.

* The interior vinyl seems to chip occasionally showing the black underneath.

If anyone has experience of these problems, I'd be interested to hear about them.

 

Previously owned a 99 SLK 230 Sports, had numerous problems far worse than yours:

1. Cig. lighter won't work and can't charge my carphone
=replaced under warranty

2. Problems w/ CD player not recognizing it and disable the function
=Dealer couldn't duplicate the problem, but when I restart the engine, it works fine again.

3. Loud rattling noise from back window and trunk
=Repair the problem 3 times and the dealer made it worse, so I just turn the music really loud.

4. Both door panels were loose.
=replaced under warranty.
5. Cup holder tab came off.
=Didn't even bother to mention this minor problem.

6. The retractable top won't fully retact to the trunk
=replaced under warranty

7. Water leakage from top pillar from both passenger and driver's side
=repeated problem and dealer never fix it after 8 attempts. They replaced with new rubber sealants 5 times. Took down the roof and reassembled with new parts. Still cannot fix the problem.

MBUSA ended up buying the car back and provided me w/ excellent services. Although I was pretty disappointed w/ the car, but their service was by far the best.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I neglected to mention that water comes in between the rear of the door windows and the front of the small triangle shaped rear windows. It happens especially when taking the car through a car wash rinse.

I have noticed no exterior marks on the C pillar, however, I have noticed some markings on the interior of the C pillar plastic cover from the metal hinges of the convertible top mechanism.

I have mentioned neither of these problems to the dealership.

As for the door windows not settling completely into the door, I was informed that, by design/space, the windows would go down to the point where 1/2" remained above the weatherstripping.

Driller, could you please post some of the issues you've had? I'm interested to know what else I should inquire about before my car goes out of warranty.

Thanks for the help everyone. I appreciate the feedback!

DSLPWR

 

In my case, the top of the window window does not seat under the weather stripping on the roof, when the roof is closed. Therefore, when the roof is closed and we get a heavy rainstorm (like last week), water seeps in between the roof and the window.

 

Here ya go!!

1. Rub points on c-pillar (buffed out and an adjustment made to the roof.

2. Replaced S/C (lubricant leaked into induction system after installing Wetterauer pulley kit which was later removed)

3. Replaced seals around drivers window twice (still has IMO too much wind noise but MB says it's normal).

4. While diagnosing loss of engine power (S/C cuttout) replaced intercooler, catalytic converter, muffler, several computer relays/air flaps, coolant temp sensor and several hoses. Replacing (for the second time) the MAS fixed the problem.

5. Replaced manual transmission (locked up a couple of times between shifts while passing....very scarrrrry).

6. Several adjustments to exhaust system to fix rattling sounds.

7. Replace interior door panels on both sides (sorry no pix as it is at the dealer ... still ... having them replaced.

8. Replaced fan blower motor (pretty bad smell when it went).

9. Replaced drive shaft with a foam core unit due to rattling in the driveline when it is slack between shifts and when feathering the engine (still rattles but much less). Also repalced rear-end centre bearing.

10. My fingers are getting cramped...

11. Replaced 2 headlight bulbs and seals on one headlight.

Boy....now you've got me depressed and I haven't even gone to work yet!!

 

..and by the way...you may be suprised to know that I am serioulsy considering the extended warranty.

On another note..I also love my car..go figure.

One of those love-hate things.

 

Driller,

Holy Tamoley. Sorry 'bout that. I certainly didn't intend to ruin your morning. If it's any consolation, I will pay much closer attention to my car to save money in the long run. Consider that your pain was not suffered in vain; lessons learned for others to overcome. Way to lead the charge! And thanks for posting what you've encountered. I appreciate it.

DSLPWR

 

1) The day of delivery the CD changer reports to the radio that “NO CD PLAYER” is installed. They replaced the changer unit, works fine. Salesman is an idiot.

2) A few days later the power driver’s seat stops working. As my wife and I are not exactly the same height this isn’t workable, particularly since it stopped in-between both settings of course. They said the cable was misrouted and it tore the connector off. They replaced the cable.

3) A short time later after reading about it on the net I checked and sure enough we had the C-pillar rub problem. Luckily we caught it early so they fixed the trunk and buffed out the spot nicely. However, they also dropped something on the driver’s doorsill. So another trip in was required to replace the doorsill. The AMG sill must be tinfoil as we already have small dents in both sides again.

4) I also complained about a lag in acceleration under moderate to light throttle as well as a significant delay in the manual shifting of the automatic. They couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I have since decided that the lag was a combination of driving it lightly during break-in, and the 1-2 shift at light throttle. The transmission is supposedly smart and learns how to shift for you, but I don’t know about that. Anyhow when accelerating lightly (when stuck behind other cars only of course :-) the 1-2 shift is early and at low RPM. It shifts slow to be nice and seems to have quite a lull in acceleration. Putting it into Winter mode actually solves this as it starts in 2nd gear and the first shift is over 20 MPH.

The manual shifting lag is another problem that I have yet to resolve. If you manually shift there is almost a second delay before the shift happens. When it shifts though it does shift fast (AMG Speedshift). It’s just the delay before it does it. Is this normal? They say it is. To me this is essentially useless as a manual then. I have a track date in November and I will find out how it effects things then.

5) I have recently noticed that the Anti-Rollback feature of the transmission no longer works. That is if you are on a hill you are supposed to be able to let go of the brake and it will hold. The once (and really only once) I tried this on one of the steepest streets in S.F. it worked perfect. But I must admit I wasn’t comfortable with my foot of the brake (neither was my wife). Anyhow since then I have noticed it doesn’t work anymore. I have yet to bring it in for this.

6) Lastly we also have difficulty squeezing the trunk latch sometimes. This seems intermittent but needs to be fixed.

Overall I am not at all pleased with the quality of the car in this respect. In the first month it was in the shop 3 (4 if you count the dead CD at delivery). Yet my Dodge Minivan NEVER made a trip to the dealer until the warranty was about to expire. I had 3 problems, but nothing required me to bring it in until I was concerned it was going to expire (3 years that is).

We have now had the car a little over a year, and we do LOVE it. Quality aside it’s a wonderful car. We only have about 6500 miles on it though. It’s a shame that most of our driving is very close trips. We love a longer drive. I am amazed how much stuff I can cram into that trunk (with the top up).

The seats squeak against the back as I’m tall and I think there is a little too much wind noise on the side windows.

I changed the oil once, I couldn’t stand to let it go for 10K Miles. Though now it’s been over a year and I thought the service indicator should say it needs to be changed. 1 Year or 10K miles.

 

Hardtop problem... too many times to remember!!!! finally got it fix, so far so good...working for 3 months now...

Winshield fluid canister, connector broke off.

Center councel replaced, the red paint was chipping all over...

passenger interior dooe handle, same problem as the center councel, red paint was chipping.

driver side seat belt replaced, it was making sound everytime I buckled up... very annoying!!!!

That's about it, owned it for 2 years.

 

For my '02 SLK32 AMG

1) Groaning from steering column in low-speed turns, dealer fixed wrong problem, problem went away by itself over 3 months.
2) C-pillar rub, reseated trunk liner, fixed
3) Garage door opener intermittant, replaced.
4) Felt/adhesive sticking out from door trim, replaced felt, fixed.
5) Cupholder spring tensioner broke, replaced cupholder, fixed.
6) Oil level check not working, programmed correct engine version into ECU, fixed.

For my '99 SLK230

1) Lots of rattles from hard top, never completely fixed.
2) Hard top inoperative, trunk opens but roof doesn't move, replaced microswitches, fixed.
3) Cupholder spring tensioner broke, replaced cupholder, fixed.
4) Heater dualvalve failed, replaced valve, fixed
5) Clear coat peeling from AMG wheel, never fixed.
6) Alarm went off for no reason several times one day, never fixed, but never happened again.

 

Well, I have a SLK 320, 2001 in LA. Right now about 22000 miles and coming just slightly under 2 years old. Here is the list. I really wish someone can compile all this, make all of us sign it and send it to the MBUSA or MB Germany so they can up their standard on QC and stop putting cheapies on models below the 500 series. Darn.

1. Trunk Latch sticky under heat, yes, hot sun. Misaligned, Adjusted and working like new.
2. ABS icon light came up. Bad sensor. Replaced twice over a period of 1.4 years. Perfect now.
3. Door handles on passenger door sticky. Adjusted and Perfect now.
4. Water leaking during car wash and unacceptable wind noise. Dealer discovered that the driver's side window was not seated correctly and adjusted that. Now my driver's side door looked like it has been glued back. I am chilling on this but so far so good. No complains unless under close inspection in the aesthetics department.
5. Fuel indicator trouble. Replaced under warranty. Perfect to this date.
6. Steering column creaky. Repaired under warranty, perfect now.
7. The latest problem, which has been repaired, was that my catalytic converter came loose and also broke up inside itself. Under acceleration, the car sounded like a kettle although there seems to be no loss in power...?!It was repaired now I am keeping a close watch on my pet 320.

On the other hand, I do not have chipping interiors, or C pillar rub. The paint chips but I try to put the replacement paint back as best as I can. The driver's seat cushion sank in a little and I heard that the seat lacks integrity as a product. Dealer knocked a 1.5" piece of metal and paint off the edge of my driver's door during one of the services. Since I accepted the car without realising it, I have to swallow this one.

That's it, a lengthy list to an otherwise joyful car to drive and own and clean. My 1996 Camry V6LE was perfect till the day I sold it to make room for this baby. Only fault: burnt out rear brake light. Wow, Toyota. They rule in the QC department.

 

1999 SLK 230, owned 9 months.
Brake light holder replaced.
Air Mass Sensor just replaced.
So far so good, other than minor roof leak in heavy rain.
I'll live with it for now.
MM

 

2001 SLK 320
14,500 miles

In my opinion, the interior trim pieces are way under par for Mercedes. The flaking of paint is unacceptable. One would think Mercedes would take extra consideration since this IS a convertable and the interior will see more sun than any other vehicle.

Past Warranty Issues
1. passenger interior door handle charcoal paint chipping, revealing black underneath; replaced by dealer

2. Dash piece surrounding E-Brake charcoal paint chipping, revealing black underneath; replaced by dealer

3. Driver seat moans while moving back and forward; driver seat rail replaced by dealer

4. After driver seat rail replacement, extra play in driver seat; driver seat rail replaced by dealer, AGAIN

5. Radio display became hard to read; radio replaced by dealer

6. C-pillar rub; interior trim piece ground down and felt put in its place by dealer

Currently in the dealer for:
1. Popping noises heard at idle from passenger front corner of vehicle

2. Driver side window squeaks going up and down

3. A/C fan flower motor makes noise at fan speed between "2" & "3"

 

1.) Groaning from top seals - lubed - Fixed
2.) Ruptured oil filler neck seal (slight leak) - replaced oil filler neck - Fixed
3.) Fuel Level sensors went bad (never read full) - Fixed
4.) Trunk Latch mis-alligned - adjusted & Fixed
5.) Creaking/slight movement in seat frame during spirited cornering - Seat frame replaced - Fixed

 

99 SLK 230

1. Squeaky driver's seat. Lubricated during B service, repaired.

01 SLK 320

1. Interior peeling. Replaced.
2. Fan control failure, caused dead battery (fan wont stop). Replaced.
3. Fan control bulb failure. Replaced.
4. C pillar Rub. Repaired, wet sanded, power polished.

03 SLK 32

1. Intercooler leak. Replaced Intercooler, O2 sensor, plugs, radiator.
2. Rough idle, white smoke in exhaust, see #1.
3. Supercharger Disengages (no power) random, or at 190km/h. Still happening.

If you want to follow all the crazy stuff that my SLK 32 has been experiencing, see all my service invoices here : http://www.virgeweb.com/rage2/mySLK32AMG/lonestar

Make sure you check out visit #3 page 2 for a hilarious response from Mercedes Benz Canada as to why my supercharger is cutting out! (My SLK 230 and 320 can do 240km/h and 250km/h without any problems).

 

The following is a list of issues, resolved and pending. All resolved issues were taken care of by MB under warranty. Those items listed as pending are on the list for my last, before the warranty expires, visit to the dealer. I have a 2000, Limited Edition, 5 speed manual.

- Alarm would not disarm. Alarm controller replaced by MB

- Very rough idle. Ballast resistor failed in primary ignition module. Replaced by MB, codes reset.

- The head light off-delay feature timing was changed by dealer at my request (30 sec to 60 sec). But firmware bug in the system caused the function to disappear entirely. Function could no longer be addressed by Star-Diagnose system. Headlight controller (part of multi-function controller, I believe) had to be "re-flashed" by regional rep sent out from MB (the dealer couldn't even do it).

- SRS and "Airbag Off" lights came one day. MB couldn't locate fault because all error codes were set. Airbag controller reset and codes cleared by MB.

- The gear shifter came out right out of the transmission linkage while driving!! Annoyingly, this happened when I was out at lunch with my boss. He mumbled something about paying me too much.

- The transmission linkage was repaired by MB, but it came out a second time within a month of the first incident.

- Finally, the linkage was rebuilt by MB, but it took two weeks to do because, according to the dealer, MB parts listing for the linkage is so convoluted, no one could figure out how to order the proper replacement parts. Wife kept saying she liked my new Buick (the loaner).

- Linkage has held for a year now, but a clicking has now developed in first gear - kind of like when one of my old Triumphs lost a gear tooth.

- I have had to disassemble & clean the radio head unit several times. This is because the cup holder designed to make sure every drop liquid that spills from a cup is channeled right into the radio fascia. I have done this job myself because, with my engineering background, it is much easier to do this than take it to the dealer (30 miles, waiting, etc). This is also important for me because, for me, if the stereo doesn't work, the car doesn't work.

- The seat developed a loud clicking when my weight shifted sideways. Dealer first lubed, then replaced seat rail, then, finally, the whole seat. That finally took care of it, but after 1.5 years it has started to click again.

- The squeaky wiper blades. Don't get me started on this one. See my previous post on this.

- ABS light came on. Unknown code reset by dealer.

Pending - Vibration between 65-75 MPH. This vibration has been present over two sets of tires and five balancings (by three different shops).

Pending - Clutch squeaks when pedal pressed and is almost inoperable in cold weather (below freezing).

Pending - Occasionally the steering feels like it is losing power boost.

Pending - Exhaust system leak/loud. New development.

Pending - Interior paint peeling (like everyone else's).

Pending - Clicking (above)

Pending - Seat (above)

That's it for now. My previous car was a Lexus, which, except for scheduled maintenance, never saw the dealer. And while the Benz is a blast to drive, I have to say I miss the Japanese car reliability. I'll miss it more in 1542 miles.

-FD

 

It’s been almost a year since my last post, and some traffic has been appearing so I figured it was time for an update.

A in May, with 10K miles on the car it was time for the first scheduled maintenance. So I also loaded up my list of issues and in the car went. Here’s what happened (some references to post from 10/26/02):

1) Regular maintenance, Schedule A
Done.

2) Shifting lag - see previous post #4. They found the transmission a quart low, and changed some switches on the shifter, and an engine crank sensor. The shifting lag is MUCH better, though in my opinion, not quite what it should be yet. It’s not clear to me that the items mentioned had anything to do with it and I think they reprogrammed or reset something on a computer. Either way it seems to now take about 1/2 to 3/4 of a second to shift, with only about .2 to .3 seconds of that being the actual shifting.
Mostly solved.

3) Hill Hold – see previous post #5. Along with the other transmission work they again did something to help solve the Hill Hold or anti-roll back feature. They claimed it still wasn’t perfect and didn’t hold all the time and they didn’t know what else to do to solve that. In my tests so far it has held *most* of the time. It’s not clear to me that it’s worth a damn if it doesn’t work all the time!
Somewhat solved?

4) Trunk Latch – see previous post #6. They did adjust the trunk latch and it is better, though I don’t know for sure they solved it entirely.
Mostly solved.

5) Trunk Noise. While looking into item #4 the service rep noticed that the trunk popped when it was opened as well. I had noticed this as well and wasn’t going to say anything about it. He said it wasn’t right and they would fix it, that was nice. I also pointed out that the trunk weather-stripping had a gouge in it, didn’t know how it happened but I was going to live with it. They found there was a blob of glue on the edge of the trunk was catching the seal. They cleaned it off, touched up the trunk interior black paint and replaced the weather-stripping as the blob was what gouged it.
Nicely done, and solved :-)

6) Oil Level Display. The oil level display that was supposed to work in the instrument cluster never did. I complained last time it was in, they didn’t do a thing and had no ideas, even though as I head read on this list and told them – they just needed to reprogram the instrument cluster computer. This time they did as I told them and it works fine now.
Finally solved.

7) Floor Mats. The little clips that hold the floor mats in place keep getting broken apart by the monkeys at the car wash (the one they recommend) and now some parts have been lost – they replaced them.
Done well – no big deal.

8) Brake Squeal. The brakes had started to squeal under light pressure. They said that using less than 30% braking will tend to put a glaze on them. Well damn, the car stops so well it’s hard (on the street in normal driving) to use more than 30% braking. You’ll get rear ended. I think they just needed to sand the pads and re-apply the anti-squeaking compound to the back of the pads. They replaced all four sets of pads, complimentary – this one time.
That’s nice, problem solved (for another 10K miles?)

9) Key FOB. The Mercedes emblem fell out of my wife’s key FOB and was lost. The same thing happened to mine about a week after I got it. I caught the part and glued it back in.
They replaced the emblem (I’m amazed they didn’t have to replace the whole FOB).

10) Top won’t close. During service they said the top wouldn’t close and they replaced some switch. I’d never had this problem, so who knows. They probably broke the switch while working on the glue.
Same as it was.

I think that was the extent of the repair list. The car was in over a week when it was supposed to only be a day (we did have a C240 loaner). They let slip that it cost Mercedes $5700 for the repair bill. That’s outrageous, particularly if it is at the discount rate the dealer charges them.

After we got it back I discovered that the cruise control no longer works. I also found a part left in the car which they say goes under the center console and they will put back in next time it’s in.

I have also noticed that the drivers rear view mirror is actually a little un-even or wavy. I don’t think this is normal and will ask about it.

Since the service the ESP/BAS light went on once. I called about it. I also mentioned that over the past 2 years the ABS light had come on 3 times, but never stayed after a restart and it wasn’t enough of an issue to go in for. He said the computer retains the trouble codes forever, but that doesn’t explain why they didn’t do anything about the ABS light problem that should have had a trouble code from before the last service.

They sent a roadside repairman out to replace the brake switch, that’s apparently common and what has usually happened. They thought that might fix the cruise control as well. The repairman hooked up the diagnostic computer and sure enough 3 or for of the 10-15 computers on the car’s network reported faults. All the same fault. The brake switch. He replaced it and it works fine, but the cruise control still doesn’t. I was in a hurry and he was late so he didn’t look at that issue anymore.

He did mention that they IBM laptop that he uses costs the dealership about $6000 a MONTH to rent. Sure it has some hardware to hook up to all the cars, but that’s a pretty steep licensing fee for the software!

So in summary, I am still very displeased with the overall reliability of the car. And I need to schedule another service.

-Alan

 

aga/Alan,

I am from San Jose too, I am just wondering which dealership did you have your services done?

Thanks

 

I forgot to mention in my previous post the multiple times I have had MB fix roof creaks, rattles and groans. Still creaking . .

And, BTW, the stereo is out again.

- FD