Xeron

My buddy just purchased a 05 E55. He explained to the dealer in great detail not to place the satellite antenna on the rear trunk, rather, instead to place it under the rear window internally. Well, he returned and despite explaining in writing and verbally where to place the antenna, it's on the rear trunk. To compensate for the error, they ofered him approximatly 4k in products and services and They've offered to replace the trunk lid and/or fix the holes on the current lid.. What is his best option cosmetically to repair the trunk? and Where is the best place to place the satellite antenna aside from the trunk lid?

thearle

Unfortately, replacing the trunk lid is the only best way to eliminate that large hole. Because of the trunk's flat contour, any patchwork would definitely show immediately or over time.

However, painting a new or reworked surface (in this case the trunk lid), requires a "blend" to the adjacent panels (in this case the rear quarter panels) with clear. Making it worse, the rear quarters extend as one physical piece towards the A pillar on the front windshield... so painting has to go all the way there (if a reputable shop is to do it).

Cheap shops will force blend at the narrowest point on the C-pillar by the rear windshield. It may look good now, but it will be very obvious over time again.

Two things of concern - one is the fact that the car came with NANOPAINT, a totally different paint process in a robotic and sterile environment. Just the "robotic and sterile" part alone means that there are no dust specks anywhere and the paint is perfectly sprayed in an even fashion at any point of the surface. No HUMAN or refinishing shop can match that... only the factory and using a brand new part. You can research what NANOPAINT means to the car in this forum.

Second, the car's value will be depreciated. Any enthusiast, trade-in officer, or potential buyer that's on the up-and-up can tell that the car had been repainted (and may suggest to assume major collision since you will be painting more than 33% of the entire vehicle). It may not be that much of a concern but that may cost up to $10k to the final value at trade-in or sale - depending on the quality and condition of the paint at the time.

I can imagine of only 3 options:

a) Ask for a entirely new vehicle from the dealer.
b) Live with the ugly antenna on the trunk.
c) Get the trunk fixed but ask the dealer to further compensate for diminished value on the vehicle.

If that was me, I will demand for a new car.... Just me.

Luthor

Depressing.

darylhuff

We weren't happy with the placement of the antenna either. If you really want to remove it, don't let them paint the trunk. Demand a brand new trunk lid without a hole in it. As the poster above points out, you will never get another paint job like the factory paint job.

Luthor

I have been told unofficially that Mercedes has developed a new, smaller antenna that is designed to be painted. Supposedly it ships pre-painted from the factory in a few basic colors -- or unpainted, but primed, for use if your car is a metalic color. According to my information, the new antenna is currently available only through VPC installation, but MBUSA also plans to offer it through dealers later this year. The part number is not yet specified, but I've been told that it is planned to include retrofit hardware to allow installation on cars that previously had "the wart".

All of this could be wrong. Officially, an MBUSA rep told me today that she could say only that they are aware that customers would like a new antenna. I'll post again when/if I actually see it.

Luthor

Apparently MBUSA won't release the new antenna to dealerships until the current inventory of old antennas has been sold to customers. This means that, for now, nobody taking delivery of a dealer-installed satellite radio can get the new antenna -- even though cars with factory-installed satellite radios are already getting the new antenna on arrival at the port.

Nobody knows when the old inventory will be exhausted (though I am sure that MBUSA has made an estimate). As a result, the dealership could not rectify the error by giving the buyer one of the new antennas. So they stepped up to the plate and took back the car. IMO, the dealership did everything possible to fix the error. That's what makes a great Mercedes-Benz dealer!

Here's a photo of an E55 with the old antenna on the trunk lid. Has anyone seen the new antenna?

FloridaE55

Hi Folks,

This thread is very interesting! I just ordered a MY 06 E55 with factory-installed Sirius. I could still change my order if the factory-option would be a problem. What other opportunities do dealers have to install the satellite receiver? Rear-window? Any pics of these other dealer-installed ways?

Thanks!

DRCrowder

click link in my sig to see photo's of my car(pic 5, above radio antenna) and the sat antenna placement. If you want details on how give a shout

FloridaE55

Thank you, DRCrowder,

IMO, this is a much nicer placement-solution than factory installed. Who mounted that? Was this done by your dealer?

Thank you once again!

laj_e55

I will need to take pics, but my dealer did a great install.
the antenna is inside the rear deck of the back window.
the reception is fine. i did not want my trunk drilled.