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2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  etyu 
#1 ·
Well, all of Eddy's posts on how to remove the engine cover and airbox were to no avail. I picked up my car after the gasket replacement, and the subsequent loose vacuum hose (which I'm sure got loose after they worked on the gaskets), and some SRS harness replacement, and I removed the engine cover to see how well they cleaned the engine after the oil leak - and what do you know, the clip on the right side is broken off. And I have a dent in the fender - they park those cars pretty close to each other inside the dealership when they are ready for pickup - I'm sure somebody picking up their car hit my fender with their door. I'm beginning to think my car is cursed...
 
#2 ·
Man, that sucks martin! I was really happy on my last trip to the dealers, my car was parked next to a tree on one side and an SL65 on the other. Figured the '65 owner would actually care, and not risk his door on my lowly SLK. :p

I'd go have a nice, polite chat with my SA - stuff like that shouldn't happen.
 
#4 ·
I don't know WTF (pardon my language) is going on with these dealers in Michigan. When I first bought my car (CPO), the heated seat wasn't working so I took it to a dealer I no longer go to, and while they were removing the seat, they dropped it on the sill and B-pillar, tore through the factory labels and put a big gash next to the sill cover. Didn't bother to tell me, just patched the scratches with some purple anti-corrosive paint and sent me on my way. When I complained, they owned up to it and sent it to a paint shop. At the same time, they were supposed to adjust my quarter glass. They gave it to some young punk who made three attempts to fix it.

First, they called me to the dealership, telling me my car would be ready. I spent an hour waiting until the closing time, only to find out the guy was unable to adjust the driver-side door glass in time, so they weren't able to release the car to me. Fine, I waited till Monday, same thing, at 5:30 PM, the service manager comes to me, and tells me they can't adjust the quarter glass. I talk to the mechanic and he tells me he doesn't know what's going on, there is "nothin' but two bolts to adjust" and everytime he does, it gets out of whack again (the two bolts were the the clamp bolts that hold the glass). I am pissed by this time so I go online and I find a TSB on Billsden.org, describing a lot more than just two bolts to adjust (angle, height stop etc). I call the dealer the next day and they tell me there's probably something wrong with my roof and they were ready to send it to a body shop to work on it, but not before they would "consult a dealer in Chicago" to see what the problem could be. I wait another two days, no call from the dealership, and now I'm really mad. So I drive over on Wednesday, determined to pick it up, whether it's ready or not. I show up around five, a half-hour before closing, and the SA is clearly surprised to see me: "Did I call you earlier? They're just wrapping it up." No, you DID NOT CALL me, can I talk to the mechanic? I go over to see the technician, it's the same young guy who was working on my car before. I'm polite with him, ask him what the problem was, because I want him to open up. He goes, 'Yeah there's a lot of adjustments, angle, this and that." I say, thanks, storm over to the service desk and just unload on the manager. He's trying to tell it's not that simple, there's a lot to adjust and I interrupt him, " I know, I've read the TSB, here's a copy of it for your next customer!" The quarter glass got out of alignment within about a week and I called the MB customer service and they hooked me up with with my current dealership where they just replaced the whole quarter glass mechanism and I haven't had a problem since, until now (with the dent and broken clip, not the glass).

Oh, and I forgot to mention the previous dealership's work on my old SLK230 - they cracked the engine cover, and right after my warranty expired, they found $2,800's worth of repairs, including a leaky differential (at 34,000 miles). Funny thing, I never noticed any fluid on my garage floor until AFTER they fixed it! Then, I found a puddle of yellowish differential fluid on my floor, and had to take it back. They blamed it on the "extreme cold" at the time, which caused it not to seal properly. So, here's my story, tell me if this is normal, 'cause I'm about ready to get a Honda! :biglaugh:
 
#5 ·
Can't tell you it's normal - I've owned four MB's, all on different continents. First was in France, and other than the fact that my french sucks, the dealership was great. Fortunately my SA's english was better than my french! Very minor problems with it, and they took care of them all. Second was another W203 C - my first "CPO'd" car. About 10 months into owning it, the a/c system died, and other than taking a while to get the parts, no fuss, no muss, and never had any other problems worth mentioning - the A/C repair cost was like $6k euros when they were done, I signed the invoice to say I was happy to have MB pay it, and spend $10euros on a keychain. :)

Current W203 Coupe was a CPO purchase here in London (MB Bromley actually). Found a couple of minor problems when I picked it up (missing lug key, A/C acting weird - bit o'paronia there on my part I think). They told me to take it home, and that they'd be over on Monday morning to drop off a loaner (E350 - I was quite happy with that!). Replace the A/C control and dropped it off at work and picked up the loaner. Called me about 45 minutes later to tell me that they had forgotten to give me the lug key, and that the guy was now hopeless mired in 5pm London traffic, was it ok if they dropped it by my house the next morning. I've had it in for a couple of scheduled services, I always get treated great, and I've always had a loaner. As an FYI, avoid the B's - they are a plastic POS! :)

SLK was purchased in the states, again CPO'd. I noticed a "crimp" in the window roof seal, and they told me to take it home, they'd have to order one from Germany, and it would probably be a couple of days. Missing key for the antenna - discovered when I was lurking around here thinking about R170 antenni - dropped off at the parents the following day. Scheduled service has always been done while I was traveling, with my mom dropping the car off, grabing a loaner, and chatting with the salesguys she taught in 3rd grade. No problems with the car so far, other than the fact the Louisiana road debris and my driving are killing the lower air dam!

So far, maybe I've been really lucky, but knock on wood it will continue. The C's were influenced by brand loyality and good impressions. The SLK was a "want one" for ever that never worked out living in a "one car" country - so I call it a mid life crisis, and have a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel. The parents love having it at the house, because it pretty much guarentees all my time stateside now starts and finishes with a visit to see them!

Sorry for the rant/long post - it's late, and I'm stuck covering "far east" hours from London due to our **** economy! :p
 
#6 ·
Thanks UK-C200 (don't know your name, sorry).

Well, it seems you've had much better experience with your service then me. A dealer dropping off a part at my house?? Never heard of it, but I would not expect it either, to be honest.

I forgot to mention that the whole ordeal with the heated seat and and quarter glass took over two weeks. First they kept my car for a week, while waiting for the heater pad (and fixing the quarter glass). They called me a week later that the heater would not be arriving from Germany until later in the month, so I picked up my car, noticed the torn up sill, took it back and decided to get it all fixed once they get the heater pad. Then, they had to take my car to the paint shop and try to fix the glass again which took another week. I did get a loaner the second time , but man!!! A heater pad and a quarter glass adjustment - over two weeks!
 
#8 ·
I know, I try to do it it too, but the cover is something I wouldn't normally check at the dealer, and the dent didn't break the paint so I didn't notice it until I got home. The way I park my car, I notice the reflection in the paint as soon as I enter my garage. I called my insurance right away, and they said they would wave the deductible. I don't mean to be a PITA, but this is my baby. I drive a Jeep Liberty daily, clean it about once every six months, it has a cracked windshield and is full of empty Red Bull cans - but the Benz I care about meticulously.
 
#9 ·
Sorry to hear about the bad experience Martin. The dealer should make it up by having the door ding fixed by a qualified paintless dent removal technician (usually outsourced).

The clip on the front piece of the airfilter box assembly is irritating. I used a foam weatherstrip on mine (after trimming down the leftover plastic to make it flush).





Link to broken clips: http://www.slkworld.com/amgs/4227-bo-hoo-hoo-i-broke-clips.html
 
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