Snoochy

I just bought an '04 E55 with 53,000 miles on it from the local MB dealer. While playing around tonight to see what SW version my comand system had, I entered Engineering and then Errors. There were about 50 errors in there and several were listed as happening at 64,784 miles, 72,874 miles and 89,981 miles.

Car is super clean and runs good...and obviously it could be a technical glitch, but I obviously started wondering if maybe these errors were correct and the odometer may have been....updated.

If you have any experience or input, please speak up.

Thanks.

MB_Forever

It could be that those figures are listed in Km not miles

Blacksport350

Could be in KM but 89,981 would be about 55,878 miles so that still wouldn't explain this issue as the car has less miles.

If you are worried about the odometer having altered, it is very hard to do and has probably not been done. If you pull a Carfax and check the dealer service records, you can usually figure out if something is whacky based on the last recorded mileage.

Timeless

From what I understand, it is not difficult to do for people with the knowledge. Definitely check into it more.

Yacht Master

+1

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

Uh oh, looks like someone's been snaked. Brutal.

Benz-O-Rama

Maybe the COMAND came from a different car?

I dunno, I'm reaching.

Big Carrot

I roll back the miles on all the cars I sell! They bring more money that way for some reason! OK, so I'm obviously kidding. I did know a shady used car dealer that went to prison for doing it though! Not something you want to mess around with! If you did end up gettting one that was rolled back, I would hammer some one!

ProV1

on many MBs, u can drive with the instrument cluster removed just fine. mileage won't accumulate. a IC from another MB works perfectly fine too.

considering how easy it is to remove a IC, this might be happening more often than one might think.

i have no clue why MB made it so easy to play with the IC, but hope you didnt get jacked..

CWW

I bought a used Lexus that had been rolled back from a scumbag in fort lauderdale named Jean-Luc, who has a used car business there. If that sounds familiar to anyone, PM me and I will give you the name of the company. He sells a lot of mercedes, porsche, etc. on Ebay. If you run into him, run away.

So anyway, it definitely happens. I would take pics of the screen shot showing the mileage you mentioned before you take it in to complain about it....that way nothing 'accidentally' gets deleted when the dealer asks to check it out.

Then I'd find a knowledgeable indy benz tech and ask whether there is any way that the situation you describe could have occurred without the mileage being screwed with. If he says no, then get a lawyer and make the dealer buy the car back from you.

SANDOVAL

I had a dealer friend in OC he their company is now one of the biggest 2nd hand high line dealers in the area. Anyway we were going to a Ducks game one evening while driving on the freeway the lights within the instrument cluster were out on his "S" series mercedes (this was in 1998). I said I think you have a blown fuse he said nah it's a missing fuse. When it's missing the OD is not accumulating miles. I said remind me not to buy another car from you again.

I would look into the problem.

IanSL55

OFF TOPIC: GO DUCKS GO!

ON TOPIC: Lots of shady dealers out there - I'd also look into it.

~ Ian

psk145

thats what I like to hear. Season ticket holder here.

Snoochy

Thanks for all the great input. I'll snap some shots of the Comand screen and the odometer so you guys can see what I'm talking about.

I guess the one thing that doesn't make sense, is if the Odometer was removed/disengaged/turned off, the Comand system wouldn't be able to fetch a mileage figure. There are forty-some incidents registering with no-milage too.

Also, the car was a certified MB pre-owned from an MB dealer. I assume when the vehicle went in for service, the dealer would have maybe noticed the odo not working.

In any case, I'll post the photos, but any detailed info on what to do next would be a big help. I know the owner of the dealership (can't say I love or trust him) and could just show him the data and tell him I need his full cooperation or else, but I'd rather be a bit more covert.

What's crazy is the car looked absolutely brand spanking new. I bought it by accident. A friend bought my old 1999 E320 (w210) and I was car-less. Went to buy a new E350 and wasn't excited. Drove the E55 (not fully realizing what it was) and fell in love. What's strange is that with 53K on it, it looked, smelled and felt newer than the new 2008 E350's. Not a scratch, ding, dent, leather roll, smudge, nothing. Only problem was the seats squeeked loudly (due to thrust not whoopie) and there was a fix for it.

I wasn't crazy about buying an AMG with 53K on it, but it looked like someone drove strictly indoors (malls, convention centers), wearing a clean-suit. My gut tells me there's more to the story....though I am 110% happy, as it runs great and looks great. Learning about the BEAST under the hood was like getting a 250lb cherry on your sundae. Nice.

CWW

Ya, don't be fooled by a detail job...There was a thread on here awhile back that really illustrated what a good detail guy can do. He turned a real POS into a decent looking car.

Remember: If you bought it used from the benz dealer, then they still had to buy it used from someone else... That's no guarantee the mileage wasn't screwed with by someone trying to get more for their trade-in.

Somewhere along the line it sounds like something hinky was going on with the mileage. Like I said, I would photograph the disparity in the mileage readings, then take it in to the dealer you bought it from and start *****ing.

enzom

Try to get a vehicle service report based on the VIN. If the car went in for service at a dealership at 67,000 miles, then that confirms that you have a problem.

In transferring the vehicle, someone has to sign an odometer disclosure statement in most states. Someone, somewhere engaged in a fraud. Presumably, you can trace back the various transfers and find out who the lying scum is.

If your dealer won't take the car back or pay you something (the difference in the marked value of your car and a car with 90k plus miles), you really have no options but to take him to court.

Snoochy

I did get a Carfax report when I bought it. Showed it serviced at the original dealer with 707 miles on it and next mileage was when my dealer bought it...52,650. Nothing in between. My dealer claimed they did service on the vehicle, but it doesn't show up on Carfax or Autocheck.

As for the detailing, believe me, I understand that. My old E320 (and even my GL) often looked ready for the junk yard and after a good detail look fantastic. When I said it looked brand new, I was referring to things like door seals, wind noise, misc. minor scratches, fading...anything. I use my vehicles, but I take great care of them and don't beat on them (OK...the GL450 a little) and there's a certain level of wear and tear and use that most cars, especially 4 year old 52K cars show. This baby was tight...

Here are some photos of what I'm talking about. I'm hoping someone is familiar with the Error section of the Comand system. I showed it to the most knowledgeable local person I could find (outside of the dealership) and he wanted to pull the Comand head unit and compare the number on the back with the vehicle VIN. He thought the Comand system may have come out of another car and the errors/data may be from the old vehicle. His reasoning was there were 50+ errors on it. Plus it has the 6 disc cd changer and so if the owner wanted to upgrade the stereo the obvious way to do it is put in another Comand system.

IanSL55

Ditto! 207/ Row S.

~ Ian

CWW

The only fly I see in that ointment is that, if the owner took the command out to swap in a custom head-unit, then he just woulda swapped it right back in when he sold the car. I don't think most people would sell the unit only to have to turn right around and buy another one, and that is not the kind of thing that you would misplace or lose along the way either.

And if, by chance, this was the same unit that had been out of the car and then re-installed, leading to the errors, then it would've had LESS mileage on it not MORE mileage.

Also, MBUSA's central records server reports to Carfax...so if the dealer serviced the car, it would be showing up when you pull the report. Starting to sound even more fishy there.

At this point, I'd go to a different dealer and have them pull the VMI. If it doesn't match up with what your dealer is telling you, then you have a problem. And definitely get your buddy to check the numbers on the command unit in the car, since there is still a possibility that could be the problem.

Keep us posted.

enzom

What color is the car and when did you buy it? Does the carfax report show that it was bought at an auction, or was there only one prior owner? If it was bought by the dealer at an auction, maybe someone with access to the Manheim sales could see if an 04 with 53k miles was sold recently. Or perhaps an 04 with 91k miles.

joeybenz106

There is a guy in long island that charges like 300 to roll the miles back. but if you got ur car from you dealer they have to stand behind the car and make things right. they should have looked over the whole car, checked codes, and everything eles

psk145

406 row A with my family.
Go Ducks! easy kill tonight!

back on topic: ummm......I dont really have anything useful to contribute, i just got excited to see another Ducks fan here.

hopefully something is just messed up with the command, and your new baby is what it should be

Snoochy

Sorry about the title...I'm feeling more like Sherlock Holmes than Mario Andretti today...

1. I did a search on Manheim Auto auction and nothing jumped out at me.

2. I wouldn't see how, but is there any danger in posting the carfax report here for you guys to look at. Maybe you'll see something I don't.

3. I pulled a carfax on my old car (99 E320), which I bought new from the dealership and had every scheduled service and many, many others. None of the service came up on Carfax. Unless I'm buying the wrong report, it doesn't look like they report.

Let me know about the posting the report here and I'll look into pulling the Comand Unit. FYI - The local guy who brought up pulling it said there would be a sticker on the back, but he's not an MB expert. Wouldn't the internal software track the serial number of the unit too? Maybe save some time in pulling it, plus the risk of breaking/sctratching the unit during removal/replacement?

DarkStar

The COMAND fits in pretty smoothly. You usually wouldn't be able to tell if it has been replaced from looking at the dash. Unless it was done by a butcher.

Tymah123

$300 maybe for a Toyota, I hear it costs upward of $1000 for and MB roll back because you have to swap the key and some module. Is that true?