Shark

I ordered an SLK55 from a dealer here in New Jersey about a month ago, and before I ordered the car the salesman told me it would be built in late January and that I should expect it to arrive in March. Now he is telling me that the dealership has not received a confirmed scheduled production date from Mercedes Benz, and he claims he knows nothing about being able to look the date up on the Netstar system (although I recall seeing him sign on to the Netstar system to get the specifics on options and paint colors when I ordered the car). From reading past posts I'm under the impression that he should be able to now tell me the scheduled production date of the car. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he is not lying to me and simply is not aware that he can look up the date on the Netstar system. Should he now be able to get the scheduled production date off Netstar, and if yes, any suggestions regarding what to tell him to convince him the date is (or should be) available to him? Thanks in advance for your help.

cubby2000

I live in bergen county nj,dealer is Prestige .i got my car about 10 days ago and he gave me a date in Oct. and said the car woul be ready in Dec.. He was right on the money. Do you know what number you are? I was #3 and I got the third car the dealer was allocated, one a month sterting in Oct.. I checked and my car was made in Nov. so he should know. Hope this helps.
zoom:

Shark

Thanks, Cubby. My dealer is Ray Catena in Edison. The salesman told me they are allocated 2 SLK55's per month (he told me they are the second highest volume MB dealer in the country), and that mine would be the dealer's second SLK55 to be produced in January. Given that, as well as the past posts I've seen here, I'm under the impression that by now he should be able to look on the Netstar system and tell me the exact week (I believe I read that Mercedes terms the production weeks "decades", is that correct?)that my car is scheduled to be assembled. Can anyone confirm that, and suggest how I might pressure the salesperson to get this info? I'm uncomfortable with how vague the salesman's answers are, and I don't want to wait until March (the anticpated delivery date of the car), and then be told it's going to be several more months.

scorchie

He could be telling the truth, or he could be lying. If you have been assigned to a production slot (usually if it is within the next 2 months or so), then the exact decade of build should be available, as well as when it will ship, when it will arrive at port, etc. Once at port, the shipping times are a little more ambiguous, but any dealer with any sort of experience knows how long it will take from the port. Around the end of the year, operations are sped up and people start getting their cars "early" because they want them to be in the current book year.

If you haven't been assigned a production slot, then nothing is known, except the dealership may know why you haven't been assigned a production slot, and may not be telling you why.

-s-

Deuce

I wanted to order and SLK 55 AMG with all the options I wanted. The dealship told me that they can't do that because AMG is a Limited Production car. They have to be allowqated, which means AMG decides how many a dealership can get and AMG picks the options and colors. Lucky for me I got black exterior with two tone black and ask interior with Lighting Package, Premium Package, Heating Package, Entertainment Package with Nav Upgrade. AMG will put all the good options in the car and give it to the dealer. When a dealer is saying that he can order you one that means he can allowqate it for you. By doing this he his putting a request form, and if AMG has one just the way you want it, then the car will be yours. Unless the SLK 55 AMG is given to a different dealership. One dealership can't take an AMG from another dealership unless it has an AMG to switch with it. These are AMG allowqated rules. AMG will not make a car the way you want it, but if you are as lucky as I was then you will get that car with a few more goodies. Plus when he allowqates a car he can not tell you when the car will arrive. It can take 3 to 7 months for the SLK 55 AMG. Unless he has been allowqated by AMG and has been told that he can have an AMG and then they(AMG) will tell him (dealership) when the car is arriving.

No one argue with me on these rules because I went through this process all ready and now I have my SLK 55 AMG.

Yellow R1

Err, no.

Anyone can order an SLK how they want it equipped. I don't know where you are getting your information, but that is not how it works here in the US pal.

Just an fyi, I ordered my SLK55 exactly how I wanted it last May. Its no different than any other car - you order what you want & its built (unless there is already one equipped as you have ordered it & it has not been allocated (not "allowqated")) to another customer. This ordering process is called "build to order" - its nothing new.

-Matt

dosers

riiiight.That's complete bollocks of course.
That's not how it works in Germany either. There is no such thing as 'no allowquation' for AMG. AMG is build to order like any other Mercedes. Heck, the SLR is build to order. Anyway.... :-)