1st weekend of ownership - - - Hell!

[Merlin13]

Hi Guys,

I picked up my SL500 (R230 -2005), yesterday and havent even gotten around to posting a newbie message and pics before needing to call out the breakdown service!!!!!!

Your advice and thoughts would be very welcomed please.

The car is a one owner car, done 14,041 miles, last serviced june last year at 10,400 miles by Merc Hampstead. Mint condition. Bought from an independent dealer who sells Enzos, SLRs, Bentleys etc. She is a UK spec imported by the dealer for a client and therefore only has a 2 year warranty for some reason. She is now 26 months old.

The story so far.................I picked her up and drove her 60 miles to a friends workshop so that we could install an Origin Pogo, garage door opener and a couple of new rear tyres. All went well. I then drove her home and sat in horrendous traffic on the M25 with the roof down but enjoying playing with the toys and settings. As I got off the motorway I decided to open her up and floored it. The auto box redlined and changed up as and when it wanted. Normal I guess. Then a few miles from home I lost all drive! Had to turn off and then limp back in first and second only with apparently a rev limit of 3,000. I called out mobilife and they said she just needed to be reset on the dash which they did despite me being doubtful. All well so I thought.

Until this morning when a friend came over to see her and go for a spin. The garage floor was covered in about half a litre of clean viscose liquid. Doesnt seem like oil though. Checked in the oil cap and seemed ok. Went for a gentle ride and as soon as I put my foot down she shut down again. Came back, parked up and fluid started leaking out again. Not a single warning light or message on the dash for some reason.

I called the place I bought her from and they said take her to a Merc dealer to diagnose the problem and go back to them to discuss the way forward.

Your thoughts as to what the problem could be please?
No reference in the books to a limp home mode!
What recourse do I have to the dealer I got her from?
Is the fact that an imported car only has a 2 year warranty instead of a 3 year warranty legal? I haer that all members of the EU have to offer the same.

Any help or guidence you can give would be realy appreciated at this low point.

Many thanks
J

 

[television]

I have the same car as you but not as new, re the fluid on the floor, take a look at all 4 corners of the car underneath just under the suspension to see if anything is wet looking or dripping, also look on the insides of the wheels and tyres to see if anything has been running down them.

If all OK and dry then look underneath at the end of the dirt shield where the gear box sits and see if the underside of the gearbox is wet.

Suspension fluid is clear, and gearbox fluid is pinky looking. you can raise the car with the suspension button on the left of the shift lever, both LEDs on.

Let us know what you find

 

[glojo]

Hi J,
I would not touch it. You have bought the car from a dealer, therefore it is there problem, they must have sold this vehicle with some sort of warranty? If they want you to take it to your local main dealer then I would insist they do all the talking to the service department otherwise you might land up with a big bill.

Just my thoughts

John

 

[Merlin13]

Wow quick responses Guys thanks.

Television........the areas that you mentioned are clean and the dripping is coming from the floor plan inthe middle of the car at the front just behind the engine. Its not a pinky fluid. Much more like oil colour but a tad thinner.
Any ideas?

 

[recycled]

Imported cars have 2yr warranty.As you got it form a dealer you have at the very least 3months i think of warranty and if you have had it for a weekend you can still take it back under the sale of goods asct.
Do not let them give you any BS. they should deal with MB themselves

 

[television]

Wow quick responses Guys thanks.

Television........the areas that you mentioned are clean and the dripping is coming from the floor plan inthe middle of the car at the front just behind the engine. Its not a pinky fluid. Much more like oil colour but a tad thinner.
Any ideas?

Then it is the gearbox that has sprung a leak, hence the locking up, you will be better off asking them to collect the car as more damage could be done with driving the car, then they cannot blame you as you would have done the correct thing. gearbox leaks of this magnitude are not common, is it the 5 speed or 7 speed not that it makes much difference,.

They are great cars when they run, but hellishly expensive when they stop, getting help from MB is like getting blood out of a stone.

 

[BTB 500]

As stated, M-B have no responsibility for fixing the car ... it's out of warranty, and was sold by an independant dealer. So this is between you and the garage that supplied it, should not be anything to do with their warranty as the problem has occured so soon.

Anyway welcome to the Forum - sorry to hear of the problems, and hope you get it back on the road quickly.

 

[jaymanek]

Do not get involved... tell the dealer to stop messing about, get the car collected and sorted otherwise you want your money back.

I was thinking it may just have needed a reset until i read about the fluid... this is something more serious.

I dont even understand why you were changing tyres, if the dealer sold you a car with worn out tyres, it would be illegal!

 

[GrahamC230K]

Good luck, I agree with the advise to get the trader to collect and resolve. Do not get directly involved.

Jay - there is a big difference between legal tyres and tyres I would find acceptable to drive on.

 

[Dieselman]

As others have said it would be better to not drive the car as it sounds like it's leaking gearbox fluid.

I would get the dealer to have the car recovered to MB and to liase with the MB workshop directly, otherwise you could be liable for the bill from MB then have to recover the funds.

It is correct that the EU standard warranty is 24 months, UK cars then have a top up to 36 months.

Who is the trader that sold you the car?
Not TH is it, if so they are probably fully prepared to deal with any issues as they do sell a lot of high class cars.

Good luck with this.

 

[Merlin13]

The way forward is clear then guys! Thanks for your solid advice. I will have mobilfe take it to the dealers and have the sellers liase with them directly.

The tyres were legal and they were prepared to change them (at my cost) but as tyres are the only part of the car that keeps me on the road Im fussy and their tyre man couldnt get the boots that I wanted but my guy could. Whilst their we did all the other bits that an excited child with a new toys wants to do on day one lol.

Fingers crossed. I will keep you informed.

Once again, many thanks.

J

 

[television]

I think that the place where you bought it is a few doors up from MB in Hampstead road, I had look at 2 SL's in there before I bought mine last year, I could not get much info from them so I did not buy from there

Would you care to send me the VIN by PM or Email and I will check out what I can about the car

 

[recycled]

I can just see all the spammers queuing up

 

[television]

I can just see all the spammers queuing up

Can I ask why ?

 

[Gollom]

Can I ask why ?

There are "harvest" programmes that amass email addresses and sell them in to spammers. Genuine addresses are worth more - you will get flooded I promise.

Suggest you edit the post and remove the email address Malcom PM it to him

 

[merc180k]

Do not get involved... tell the dealer to stop messing about, get the car collected and sorted otherwise you want your money back.

I was thinking it may just have needed a reset until i read about the fluid... this is something more serious.

I dont even understand why you were changing tyres, if the dealer sold you a car with worn out tyres, it would be illegal!

I agree wih this advice. The dealer sold the car and you have protection as a consumer (so I discovered after a problem with my C180k and looking at my options after a week of ownership). You are legally entitled to your money back and to hand the car back - a hard choice as these cars are so much fun!

Re the tyres - I insisted that the dealer replaced 3 of mine prior to sale as they were almost below minimum - at his cost I might add. Worked on the principal of "If he wants a sale, the customer gets what he wants included in the price!!" i also blagged a free alloy refurb, but that's by the by!

Don't take any **** from them! And start thinking compensation for time and trouble.....!

 

[television]

Thank you, that has been done

 

[recycled]

That is why we pay more from a dealer.
For the extra peace of mind and security

 

[SG CL500]

This seems like a irrelevant point given it has been answered above - but just to serve as confirmation I have had the displeasure of seeing my ABC fluid twice now and it is a pretty low-viscocity oily liquid, different to as you describe (clear/viscuous). (& Television - both times it has been blackish, not as solidly dark as engine oil but opaque nevertheless - of course, I may have another problem then!).

Good luck with the dealer - hope you get it all sorted to your satisfaction. This is straight back to them under 'unfit for purpose'. I had similar fun, although I managed 3k mles/3months in mine before the fun began.

And welcome!

 

[television]

This seems like a irrelevant point given it has been answered above - but just to serve as confirmation I have had the displeasure of seeing my ABC fluid twice now and it is a pretty low-viscocity oily liquid, different to as you describe (clear/viscuous). (& Television - both times it has been blackish, not as solidly dark as engine oil but opaque nevertheless - of course, I may have another problem then!).

Good luck with the dealer - hope you get it all sorted to your satisfaction. This is straight back to them under 'unfit for purpose'. I had similar fun, although I managed 3k mles/3months in mine before the fun began.

And welcome!

You should not mention ABC fluid here, for I am not a happy man having 2 struts go within 20k miles