Santa’s loaded his SL with toys for good little boys and girls. Good Big boys and girls get SLs and other three pointed Stars

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Curt’s Newsletter

December 2005

© 2005.

No part of this newsletter may be reprinted elsewhere including internet websites without written permission from the author

Expect the GL450 to start arriving in April of next year.  Most of my customers have a Mercedes or two AND a BIG SUV, with seating for at least 7, perhaps even 9 (Suburbans).  The ML hasn’t been big enough to replace their  7-Seaters.  The GL IS!  It will hold 7 adults (or children.  I’ve discovered that there are SUVs out there without L.A.T.C.H.  system fittings for child safety seats.  Why? They’re not strong enough.  These ARE!)

The GL450 is big, 199” long, and tough and strong but rides extremely smoothly with the 4 wheel independent suspension, smoother yet with optional ADS

Very ML like interior at least from the B-Pillar forward.

And from the B to C Pillar it’s ML-Like, too, but it just keeps on going.  There’s another sunroof back there.  Three-zone Climate Control and Rear Seat Entertainment Packages will be available

A Trailer Hitch is an option, and for backing up both Parktronic and a back up camera system are options.  Other options include an off-road package with 3 locking differentials, ADS suspension (Adaptive Damping System, with height adjustment of up to 4”), Distronic.  The Premium 1 Package includes the “basics” for a truck of this class, Navigation, power rear hatch, etc.

ALL-NEW GL-CLASS

World Premiere of Seven-Seat Premium SUV Planned for Detroit Auto Show

MONTVALE, NJ – Mercedes-Benz is poised to enter yet another market with the all-new GL-Class, a seven-seat luxury sport-utility vehicle that will be produced in the company’s Alabama plant along with the M-Class and R-Class.  Already offering the broadest product portfolio in the automotive industry, Mercedes-Benz is launching its first large sport-utility.  The new GL-Class will make its world premiere at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit, open to the public January 14 – 22, 2006.

         The new GL450 will debut in the U.S. market with a 335-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 engine, a seven-speed automatic transmission and 4MATIC full-time four-wheel drive.  The GL will come with four-wheel independent suspension, and optional Airmatic suspension with ADS adaptive damping and adjustable ride height. 

Standard features such as DSR downhill speed regulation, hill-start assist, and a special off-road ABS algorithm also help the driver during off-road excursions.  An optional Off-Road Pro package includes a two-speed transfer case and locks for the center and rear differentials.  The package also includes modified air suspension that can increase ground clearance to 12 inches, which also raises its low-speed fording depth to more than 23 inches. 

Mercedes-Benz Safety in a Premium SUV

         The graceful body of the new GL-Class will feature steel unit-body construction that provides outstanding passive safety.  A high-strength occupant cell is protected by front and rear crumple zones that include new provisions to help reduce pedestrian and cyclist injuries.  The GL will come with two-stage front air bags for the driver and front passenger, side air bags in front and 2^nd-row seats, and curtain air bags that span all three rows of seats.

         The two seats in the third row can be stowed electrically at the push of a button, either separately or together, to provide a totally flat cargo floor.  The GL-Class is designed to accommodate up to seven passengers.  As a five-seater, the GL can carry 43.8 cubic feet of cargo, and with the second row seats stowed as well, there’s more than 80 cubic feet of cargo room.

The Mercedes-Benz Alabama Plant

         The Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama began production in 1997 with the first-generation    M-Class, and about $600 million has been invested since 2001 to expand the facility.  At its completion in May 2005, the plant’s annual production capacity stands at 160,000 vehicles, with a total investment of around $1 billion.

         Joining the M-Class and R-Class, the GL-Class is the third model line to be built in Tuscaloosa.

G-Class Continues

Stuttgart/Graz, Nov 11, 2005

DaimlerChrysler will continue to produce its “classic off-roader” in the coming years. On behalf of Mercedes-Benz, the company Magna Steyr has manufactured over 185,000 units of the legendary G-Class in Graz, Austria, since 1979. The car continues to be very popular among customers, and it has been part of the Mercedes product lineup for the past 26 years.

         The Mercedes-Benz E-Class 4MATIC, which Magna Steyr in Graz has also been building since 1996 will be manufactured instead at the DaimlerChrysler plant in Sindelfingen from early 2007. “By continuing to produce the G-Class in Graz and manufacturing all E-Class variants at our main plant in Sindelfingen from 2007, we have found a viable solution for both partners,” explains Dr. Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler Board of Management member and head of the Mercedes Car Group. “We are delighted that we can continue our successful and long-standing cooperation with Magna Steyr.”

         With its rugged technology and outstanding off-road capabilities, the G-Class has set standards from the very start. And it is equipped with the industry’s most effective drive and driving safety systems, combining permanent all-wheel drive with the 4ETS electronic traction system and three differential locks that are activated when needed.

         The vehicle’s striking shape, which has remained nearly unchanged over a period of almost three decades, has made the “G” a design classic with cult status. Together with its legendary ruggedness, the off-roader’s design has contributed most to its popularity. “Mercedes-Benz  wrote automotive history by always ensuring that the G-Class remained  state of-the-art over the past 26 years, and it will continue to offer its  customers the very latest technology in the future,” says Zetsche.

S550 Options:

Option Packages:

P1-Premium I – Active Ventilated Seats, front, electronic trunk closer

P2-Premium II—Premium I plus Parktronic and Keyless Go

P3-Premium III – Premium II plus Rear Camera Park Assist, Driving Dynamic Seats, front, Night View Assist

321-AMG Sport Package – 19” AMG wheels, sport trim

325-Rear Seat Package – Electronic rear seat seatback, Active ventilated seats, rear, Climate Control rear compartment

Individual Options:

R31-18” 5-spoke Alloy Wheels (std)

R47-19” Multi-spoke Alloy Wheels

R67-18” Chrome 5-spoke Alloy Wheels

220-Parktronic

233-Distronic Plus

289-Wood and leather steering wheel

297-Rear side window roller blinds

401-Active ventilated seats, front

413-Panoramic roof

432-Driving Dynamic Front Seats

442-Heated Steering Wheel

487-Active Body Control

536-Sirius Satellite Radio

889-Keyless Go.

         Ordering an S550 will be relatively easy with these semi-neat packages.  I’m all for more packages.  Well-contented packages make life easier for salesman, manager, and customer.

Avoiding Carjacking Tips

Fremontpolice.org•  Try to select safe times and locations to travel.

•  Keep your car properly maintained to avoid breakdowns.

•  Carry a cellular phone or ham radio for emergency communications.

•  Keep your car locked at all times. Don't leave windows rolled down far enough for people to reach inside.

•  Whenever possible, have someone escort you to your car. As you approach your car, check the entire area for suspicious persons. If you don't like what you see, turn around and go back.

•  Always check inside your car before you get in.

•  Park in well-lighted areas close to the mall or business entrance.

•  Avoid parking next to vans or high profile vehicles.

•  Have your keys ready as you approach your car to avoid wasting precious seconds while entering. Lock all doors immediately.

•  If a robber wants your car or other valuables, it is usually best to cooperate. Arguing or fighting may cause the robber to escalate to violence. 

•  Plan for the unexpected and practice mental and physical responses to such situations. Your life may depend on it.

Good News, Bad News

S-Class Enhancements:

The 2007 S550 debuts just after the first of the year.  Standard equipment has just been upgraded to include the Hands-Free Cell phone kit (excluding cradle and handset) and Voice Control system.

         This enhancement provides an extremely easy and cost-effective way for the customer to add full hands-free cell phone capability with the convenience and reception benefits of an integrated system with external antenna. (Remember the S550 has infrared rejecting glass, which blocks phone signals as well.)

         The Voice Control System is all new and significantly improved for the 2007 S-Class.  It provides an easy and intuitive method to control audio, telephone, and navigation functions by voice command with the additional safety benefits of being able to keep both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Old Phone Phase-out

         The Mercedes-Benz Analog, StarTAC, Timeport, and V60c/t/I Hands Free Communication Systems have reached end-of-life status.  Support for these programs will end by November 21, 2005.

         This action is required because of the TDMA to GSM network transition and E911 compliancy policies enforced by the major CDMA carriers.  Over most of the country, the associated handsets can no longer be activated even in case of repair.  Further, it is anticipated that Cingular will proactively start to disconnect customers still using these handsets as soon as early next year as the TDMA network is scrapped.

         V60x and V60s series handsets for CDMA carriers remain current and are not included in this action.  These handsets meet all requirements for Sprint, Alltel, and Verizon and can be activated in all parts of the country even for new number accounts.

Sirius Screw Up

         Initially we have been able to add Sirius Satellite radio to late model Mercedes at the dealership.  But after a certain serial number, this will no longer be possible on E-Class cars.  The factory stopped putting in the required wiring harness unless the item is ordered when the car is built.  The satellite radio units themselves are installed at the Vehicle Preparation Center in the US.  Unfortunately, in at least 2 cases, the wiring harness wasn’t there on cars that had orders for the satellite radio.

         My suggestion to managers is to treat the E-Class like we do the R and M-Class, which have required satellite radio installation at the factory from day one because of the fact the antenna is hidden in a panel in the roof of space age composite material.  (That’s why those vehicles look so clean!)  We’re ordering a lot of satellite radios on models for stock.  We will on E-class cars.  I expect the problem to spread.

         I’m not a happy camper on this, but, of course, there’s not much we can do about it.  It’s my opinion that the following should always be dealer installable, even if they’re done cheaper at the factory/port:

1.  Sirius Satellite Radio

2.  Hands Free Communication Systems (phones)

3.  Trailer hitches on R and ML-class vehicles.

4.  Navigation systems.

         As complicated as cars are now, this flexibility is needed.

         Satellite Radio, Bi-Xenon headlamps, and navigation are things I hope to never have to do without on future automobiles of my own.  I can’t see in the dark, hence Bi-Xenons.  I can no longer read a tiny map and drive simultaneously, thus navigation.  Satellite Radio means you never have to listen to a Mattress Mac commercial again on your car radio.  This alone makes it imperative.

That Was The Year That Was

         One more time, we approach the end of the year, and I’m thinking, “Okay, let’s get it over with.  It’s got to be better next year.”

         It IS time.

Business

         Mercedes started off strong bringing in the new CLS500 and 55 AMG in the spring.  Instant success!  This was the first Mercedes I’ve seen women in large numbers come in, order one like they want, and tell their husbands when they drive it home.  We got a rash of Jaguar trade-ins.  Except for Anglophiles, most Jaguars are bought by women or by men who want to make a woman (or women) happy.  Jaguar successfully tapped into automotive lust in a lot of women’s psyche.  But Jaguar doesn’t really make very good cars.  They’re getting better now that Ford has made the AC work and put in their engines with Jaguar valve covers.  But they’re still Jaguars, with accompanying resale, or lack thereof. 

         Apparently the designers of the CLS-class tapped into the same gene. But now they also get Mercedes-Benz safety, luxury, and durability.  The E500-based CLS500 started with one of the safest platforms in the history of the planet.  The previous E-class had the lowest fatality rate per million car miles of any, and this one is 40% stronger.  We’re selling them handily, and they’re not coming in with glitches.  I like that.

ML-Class

         Then came the new ML, an out-of-the-park grand slam homerun.  Not only is it way superior to the previous ML, it’s superior to every other SUV out there.  I’ve driven it back to back against its competition, some that’s more expensive, and it’s apparent.  They continue to sell quite well, and then we don’t see them again until it’s time for the 13,000 mile service.

SLK280

         The new SLK, introduced last fall, continues to go out with virtually no complaints.  I only say virtually because someone has to have had some kind of problem with them.  But nothing has been reported to me.  It was joined by the lower-priced SLK280 with a 228 hp. 3.0 liter V6.  It still goes 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds.  The 350 is faster.  The 55 AMG faster still.  “Speed costs money.  How fast do you want to go?”

E350

         The E350 came out this spring and proved another sweet platform for the great new engine.  When gas prices climbed, E320 CDI sales climbed with them.  That’s another no-problem car, as you would expect of a diesel Mercedes.  You probably wouldn’t expect 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds, but you’d get it.

C-Class

         This summer they put the new series engines in the 2006 C-Class, starting with a 200 hp. 2.5 liter V-6 in the C230 (no more “Kompressor”).  The C240 was replaced by the 228 hp C280, and the C320 replaced by the 268 hp. C350.  The C350 is, as expected, quite fast.  I note we can’t keep them in stock, but we have 2005 C320s still here.  Could it be power sells?  Naah.

Still to come

         Now we’re eagerly awaiting the new S550 and the GL450 and the 5.5 liter 382 hp. V8 in all 2007 applications that have the 5.0-liter engine now.  Next fall we’ll get the new V-6 diesel in MLs, Rs, GLs, and Es.

         But we’re always eagerly awaiting something.

Big Mac (with cheese)

I’ve been using Apple Computers since the Apple 2, Macs since the SE30.  I’ve had a G4 for a few years.  This year Mercedes-Benz Education and Training Department changed their online tests to require high speed internet and a high speed computer.  They didn’t tell anyone about the latter.  One problem with having a Mac is the highly paid computer expert hired by Star can’t even spell it if you spot him the M and the C.  He kept telling me he couldn’t put me on the company’s T1 line.  Then one day I asked him something, and he suddenly remembered how to make it work.  Then he disappeared for 3 weeks without telling me the secret, and I had to figure it out myself.  So I finally had the high speed internet.  The MB Education and Training Online Courses still wouldn’t work.  The highly paid computer expert at MB Education and Training also couldn’t spell Mac, and he could only tell me to get a PC.  He also got on a managerperson who kept screaming at me that I hadn’t taken any online training since December of ’04.  I kept explaining that I couldn’t get their @@$!$! online course to open up in my computer.  She threatened to call my dealer to tell him I hadn’t taken any tests this year.  I gave her his name and number.

         So I tried installing the latest version of Virtual PC.  If I needed a PC, I’d have a PC.  Nope, the computer is too slow for the program.  That was it.  I gave up and ordered the fastest MAC G5 I could afford, with extra memory and more graphics capability so I would have a lot more than I needed, thus making the computer last maybe another year longer.

         Since I was getting a computer, I splurged and got a bigger monitor (20”).  This enables setting up larger print in deference to my (lack of) eyesight.  Hidden in the system preferences was a slider to change the size of the cursor.  I made it about 3” on a side.

         So, those of you who complain about the MBUSA website needing the newest, hottest version of Explorer to work?  Get in line.  I just spent more than my first car cost just to take MBUSA Education and Training’s online tests.

         Apparently the old speed shop sign should be up in computer stores:

Speed costs money.  How fast do you want to go?

Miscellaneous Ravings

Buy A Hero’s Dinner Plan

         Whenever my wife and I are out to eat (more common now that our children are out of the house) I look for any servicemen or women in uniform, and surreptitiously pay for their dinners. It's really a selfish thing to do: I get to watch them shake their heads that "there must be a mistake, and must be for someone else!" I see spouses smile, look around, and sometimes cry; children give their miltary parent a big hug, and couples kiss. A lot of them are having  what may be their last good meal before returning to combat zones.   Very cheap gift to people willing to die for you and me.

         Let's spread this idea around as these men and women deserve it.

Kelly Hill

Internal Change

         The newsletter used to be written in Word then converted to Adobe PageMaker.  The printer had trouble with PageMaker, and I tried doing it in Word.  The last 2 have been finalized in Word.  No one’s said anything, so I guess I’ve gotten away with it.  Many things are a lot easier in Word.  I see better kerning in PageMaker, but it’s probably not a problem at your end.

Washington D. C. Nativity Scene

         The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in Washington, DC this Christmas season.

         This isn't for any religious reason, they simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's capitol.

There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

Time Bomb

         One of the most popular options on new Mercedes is the Sirius Satellite Radio.  Satellite Radio has revolutionized automotive radio, with clear, digital quality sound, many channels without commercials, and the same station from Miami to Seattle.

         But the most popular station on Sirius among my customers is channel 133, Fox News, with the sound feed from Fox  News TV.

         Somewhere along the way negotiations broke down, and Sirius is losing or giving up Fox News soon.  I’m facing a revolt.  Please complain to them, not me.

UK Letter

         Thanks for the info in the November Newsletter. You may recall I visited with you earlier this year about buying a car in the UK and you advised you would be unable to participate.

Well, our 1991 Jaguar that lives in Scotland was beginning to develop a case of "hanger queen", so last month we went in to the dealer in Perth-John R. Weir to buy a new 350E estate car, which is similar to the one you sold me about four years ago, we left with an order for a ML320 diesel. It will be delivered in late February. The salesman, Colin Jaggard was helpful but the ML320 sold itself.

         I appreciate your comments and advice and we are looking forward to touring the UK next year.

         Please pass on my comments to Steve Downey, who I don't see very often, thanks to a couple of great Mercedes automobiles that live in Houston!

Bob Palmer

David E. Davis’s Mercedes Quote:

         (For those of you not into car rags, David E. Davis is the guru of automotive editors and publishers.  Personally I’ve been reading his stuff and his magazines since 1962, and I started late.)

         “…One hears of daunting tales of electronic glitches and technological troubles with recent vintage M-B’s, but I’ve driven a dozen or so in every size and price class during the past three years and have yet to experience a problem…

         … It has occurred to me that inasmuch as my first car was a perfectly lovely Mercedes-Benz, maybe my last car ought to be its modern Mercedes counterpart.”

Corporal Starr’s Letter

         Last month I printed Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr’s, letter to his fiancé to be read in case he died in Iraq.  I assumed, incorrectly, that enough had been made of the letter and its misuse in the New York Times that people would know the context of my statement about “the scum who cut the letter up and used it to embarrass his memory.”

         Wrong.  Well, the New York Times used him as an example of soldiers fed up with the war and said this about his letter: Sifting through Corporal Starr's laptop computer after his death, his father found a letter to be delivered to the marine's girlfriend. ''I kind of predicted this,'' Corporal Starr wrote of his own death. ''A third time just seemed like I'm pushing my chances.''

         The entire letter tells a completely different story, a story about a very brave young man who knew and accepted the risks of fighting for his country. “I don't regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom. It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq, it's not to me. I'm here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. To do what they want with their lives. To me that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark."

         Corporal Starr, you’ll forever be a good example to young Marines.  When I get to Fiddler’s Green I’ll look you up, and I’ll salute you.

The Rich Zoo, all of my pets, The Redhead, George S. Patton, Jr., Emerald, and Arthur Pendragon:

George is a good lap dog when not chewing your arm off or jumping up and down to go out

Emerald is senior pet and takes no guff from her juniors

Arthur Pendragon is improving with age. Will snuggle for food or milk, but not Pounce cat treets.

Another Year With the Zoo

         Things didn’t start out well with the Rich Zoo.  John Moses Browning, our 16-year-old miniature pinscher died.  It was as traumatic as you would expect to lose your best friend of 16 years.  I still haven’t been back in the pool.  We quickly realized that we couldn’t live without another Min Pin, and we found George S. Patton, Jr. at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm.  George is the same breed, but he is not Browning.  For one thing, Browning was on the small side of Min Pin, peaking at 8 lb., and getting down to 6-1/2 in his old age.  George started out at 6-1/2 lb. when we brought him home.  Now he’s up to 15 lb.  Pretty soon I’ll stop calling him a Min Pin and just call him a Pin.  He went through a stocky phase and people thought he was a Rottweiler puppy.  But he’s grown out of it and looks appropriately like a Doberman with uncut ears who got left out in the rain.

George is about 3 feet off the ground at this point. He stays that way a lot

         Pinscher means biter.  Apt name.  He’s bitten through a few “indestructible” dog toys.  The “Dirty, Rotten Kitty” and “Big, Mean Kitty” were history almost immediately, with green foam stuffing all through the house.  For a while both of my arms were covered in bite marks.  He still wants to play by grabbing my arm and pulling every night, but I can usually get him to switch to a pull toy before I need the paramedics.  He also doesn’t quite sleep through the night, needing to go out at about 0450.  Then he has to play until we start getting up at 0530.

         When we do get up it’s his training time.  He demands to be trained in the tricks he knows–for the treats, of course.  Since one of them is “Leave it!” I’m more than happy he’s good at it.  I take about 124 pills every morning and often drop something small and white, the color of the floor and spend 5 minutes on hands and knees looking for it, but he has yet to test the effects of Nexxium or baby Aspirin on a 15 lb. Min Pin.  He’s also pretty good at sit-down-stay.  Now if he could just pick lottery numbers worth a darn.  He’s never gotten more than 2.

         He’s better about eating Arthur Pendragon’s food than Browning was, meaning he only eats it if left unattended all day or after the Redhead falls asleep.  Browning would scarf up a day’s supply in 20 seconds flat.  Much of the time we feed Arthur on a windowsill now as a result, but he still wants his food where it was placed when he was growing up.  It tastes better there.

         Arthur Pendragon is the junior Shaded Silver Persian, coming to us in 2003.  He’s not very big if you don’t count a coat of 4” long hair.  Had he been a girl kitty we could have called him Garbo, because mostly he meows “I vant to be alone.”  If I find him sitting in a windowsill I can get him to accept mild petting on his terms.  But anywhere else is off limits.  He hasn’t gotten addicted to Pounce, leaving me at a loss to get affection from him.  He will sit on the top of The Redhead’s recliner, but not mine.  It’s frustrating, but I’ve gotten used to it.

  Lately I’ve gotten my hopes up to addicting him to Kitty Greenies, a new cat treat he loves.

         Senior Shaded Silver Persian and senior pet is Emerald, who is over 10 years old and in good health.  She is addicted to Pounce cat treats, so I do get some snuggle from her.  She (and Arthur) purrs almost silently.  Most Shaded Silvers do, except for the Shaded Silver male who greeted me when I came home from Vietnam, Ishmael, one of the great tomcats of history.  Though George can run her to places he can’t go, she has taken more and more to standing on her hind legs and giving him several left-pawed rapid kitty karate chops.  It keeps him in his place.

         (Yes, I’ve had at least one Shaded Silver Persian all of the time since I returned from Vietnam to find a Shaded Silver couple, Ishmael and Abigail, waiting for me.  Getting one, Andromeda, from a divorce later cost about $40,000, but it was worth it.  She chose The Redhead.  I would have paid more.)

         None of them have gotten into too much trouble, and they’re all healthy. So it’s been a good year for them.  Of course, unless we start getting some sleep that might not be said about The Redhead and me much longer.

         The Rich Zoo and The Redhead and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, or Happy Hanukkah, or for you members of the ACLU, may you and Mr. Grinch have a happy day off with nothing to celebrate, and to all a wonderful new year. 

Curt Rich       December 2005

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