Curt's Newsletter
July 2006
No part of this newsletter may be reprinted elsewhere including internet websites without written permission from the author
Morning at On Track, Mercedes-Benz USA's unique training program. 12 very hot cars are lined up for the students to drive at Thunderhill Raceway in northern California
25 Years at Star Motor Cars
One more year without finding a real job. Sigh.
When I came here I was young and ambitious and dating a vivacious redhead several years younger than me. She hasn’t changed. I’ve turned into this grey haired guy people call “sir” way too often.
The Redhead
The following is slightly modified from what I said in July 2005. Sometimes there’s no reason to change.
When I started selling Mercedes I knew they were the best car in the world, and they wanted the best sales people in the world. Changes along the way have made me realize the current management of MBUSA doesn’t believe sales people are anything but a necessary evil. It’s still the best car in the world, but selling them is no longer the best job in the industry.
But I’m still doing it. I believe in the product. I’ve had too many customers come in after awful accidents and buy another. As far as I know, I haven’t lost a customer in a Mercedes accident in 25 years. It’s not for a lack of trying on some of their parts. Some have totaled more than one—spectacularly.
And I haven’t played musical dealerships. This is the only locally owned dealership in town. The others are part of a huge nationwide chain. You’ll never get to talk to the owner. Here you can. And he has been consistent. He expects us all to be absolutely truthful and honest. We are never allowed to mark up hot sellers to over sticker. We don’t bump people in line waiting for the next hot Mercedes because someone offered us more money. If a technician charges you for a part, it better be on the car. We don’t do “matrix” parts pricing, as people who have comparison shopped know. Parts are sold at Mercedes recommended prices, not 25-100% over.
Rules
I’ve stuck to several rules through all these years:
1. Treat people as you would like to be treated.
I know it’s not original. But it is the right thing to do.
2. I also learned that 90% of life is showing up. I think Woody Allen said that. So I show up a lot. Fortunately, the dog remembers me when I get home 13 hours after I left him.
3. Work hard.
4. Don’t lie. It’s too hard to remember what I said last week/month/10 minutes ago. But I can remember the truth. If you’re going to work at the same place for years and years you can’t lie to people. They know where you work. I’ve seen the “gypsy” car salesmen come and go. They would promise anything knowing they weren’t going to be there when it came time to make good on the promise. (When I go to buy a big ticket item I won’t buy from someone who hasn’t been there for several years.)
5. Don’t steal.
6. Know more about the product than the customer.
Experience also taught me that the secret of success in sales isn’t fast talking, it’s fast listening.
7. Listen to the customer.
If you listen, you might find out what the customer wants, what he doesn’t want, what he’s afraid of, and what he likes. Amazing. Customers will stand there and actually tell you what they want. Sometimes they’re surprised when I say, “you said...” I might talk a lot, but the way to solve problems is to listen.
8. Let the customer win.
I don’t want the buying process to be a contest. I want it to be a collaboration. Still, I want the customer to win. He wins a new car that’ll be a major factor in his life for several years. He wins a car that might be called upon to sacrifice itself to save his life. I have a long list of customers who have survived “non-survivable” accidents.
9. Never get greedy. It’s better to sell a lot of cars at good prices for the customer than a few home runs.
10. Pet the cats and dogs. Kiss the Redhead when you get home. Selling Mercedes is not what I am, it’s what I do so I can spend time with them. They, or I, could be gone tomorrow. Along the way Andromeda, Kahlua, Bear, Merlin, and Browning have gone on. But Arthur Pendragon, Emerald, and George S.Patton, Jr. keep us sane (and, in the case of the cats, humble).
28 Years of Saturdays
In my 28 years in the car biz, I’ve worked approximately 1400 Saturdays. That’s 3.83 extra years compared to a 5 day work week. Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be car salesmen.
25-Year Celebration
As expected, Star Motor Cars celebrated my 25th anniversary…by ignoring it.
One more thing I’ve learned:
No one on his deathbed ever said, “I should have worked more.”
WHAT’S NEW FOR 2007
GL-Class Sport Utility:
A totally new vehicle class – the first full-size sport utility from Mercedes-Benz
V8-powered GL450 (335 hp, 339 lb.-ft.) made spring 2006 debut
Luxurious seating for up to seven adults, with standard power folding 3rd row seats
S-Class Sedan:
Ninth-generation S-Class debuted with S550 (382 hp, 391 lb.-ft.) in February 2006
Two V12-powered models to follow – S600 (510 hp, 612 lb.-ft.) in spring and S65 AMG (604 hp, 738 lb.-ft.) in summer
SL-Class Coupe/Roadster:
Redesign includes more direct steering, deeper front air dam, new wheel designs, new 3-bar grille, clear taillights and new interior colors.
SL550 (382 hp, 391 lb.-ft) replaces 302-hp SL500 and joins SL55 AMG, SL600 and SL65 AMG
SL55 AMG power increased to 510 hp, 531 lb.-ft. of torque and SL600 to 510 hp, 612 lb.-ft
50th Anniversary Edition SL550 roadster offered earlier this year to honor the first 300SL roadster
E-Class Sedan and Wagon:
Redesign features new front bumper, lower air dam, grille, headlights and taillights
Enhancements to standard equipment include sunroof, 6 CD changer and harman/kardon sound system
Sport Model: 18” wheels, lowered sport suspension, dual-chrome exhaust outlets, birds-eye maple trim
All E-Class models get PRE-SAFE anticipatory safety system (from S-Class)
E550 (382 hp, 391 lb.-ft.) replaces the 302-hp E500, joining E350 and new AMG and diesel models
High-performance E63 AMG (507 hp, 465 lb.-ft.) replaces the 469-hp E55 AMG
Super-clean E320 BLUETEC (210 hp, 388 lb.-ft.) replaces 201-hp E320 CDI diesel
CLK-Class Coupe and Cabriolet:
High-performance CLK63 AMG Cabriolet (475 hp, 465 lb.-ft.) replaces the 362-hp CLK55 AMG
CLK550 (382 hp, 391 lb.-ft.) replaces the 302-hp CLK500, joins the CLK350
All-new Sports Appearance Package for CLK350
CLS-Class Four-Door Coupe:
A totally new class last year – the first-ever four-door coupe
All CLS-Class models are equipped with PRE-SAFE anticipatory safety system (from S-Class)
Enhancements to standard equipment include 6CD changer and harman/kardon sound system
CLS550 (382 hp, 391 lb.-ft) replaces the 302-hp CLS500
High-performance CLS63 AMG (507 hp, 465 lb.-ft.) replaces the 469-hp CLS55 AMG
R-Class Sports Tourer:
A totally new class last year – an entirely new way for six adults to travel
High-performance R63 AMG (507 hp, 465 lb.-ft.) joins 268-hp R350 and the 302-hp V8 R500
Powerful R320 CDI diesel (221 hp, 398 lb.-ft.) joins R-Class line in fall 2006
M-Class Sport Utility:
Second-generation 2006 M-Class introduced last year
ML63 AMG (503 hp, 465 lb.-ft.) joins 268-hp ML350 and the 302-hp ML500
Efficient ML320 CDI diesel (221 hp, 398 lb.-ft.) joins M-Class in fall 2006
C-Class Sedan:
New exclusive wheel designs for Sport and Luxury models
Sport sedans now have AMG rear spoiler, AMG dual tip exhaust and black birds-eye maple interior trim
C280 Luxury sedan now comes standard with dual power front seats and steering column with memory
C230 is now a flexible-fuel vehicle that can use E85 ethanol as well as gasoline
C55 AMG discontinued – 2007 line includes the C230, C280 and C350 models
SLK-Class Coupe/Roadster:
SLK280, SLK350 and SLK55 AMG models continue
Enhanced AMG Sport Package and new Appearance Package for SLK280 & SLK350
G-Class Sport Utility:
G500 and G55 AMG models continue
DVD navigation, bi-xenon headlights and seven-speed transmission now standard
Redesigned fog lamps and center console controls
Leather door handle grip and improved front seat cushioning
2006 MY CL-Class Coupe:
CL500 (302 hp, 339 lb.-ft.) enhanced with AMG Sport Package for 2006
CL600 (493 hp, 591 lb.-ft.) enhanced AMG styling complements higher levels of standard equipment
CL55 AMG ((493 hp, 516 lb.-ft.) new 19" multi-piece AMG wheels
CL65 AMG (604 hp, 738 lb.-ft.)
All-new 2007MY CL-Class coupe will arrive in late 2006
Cell Phones as Dangerous as Drunk Driving
A study from The University of Utah found that even talking hands-free was no less distracting than holding the phone, reports the BBC. Forty volunteers had their reactions tested in four separate circumstances when they drove without distractions, while using a handheld phone and a hands-free phone and while intoxicated. Motorists who talked on mobiles, both handheld and hands-free, were as impaired as drunk drivers and more likely to be involved in traffic accidents.
Professor David Strayer and his team of researchers believe having a phone conversation alters how drivers perceive and react to information. Even when the drivers using the phones were looking at objects they often failed to see them.
Professor Strayer said: "We suggest that talking on a cell phone creates a form of inattention blindness, muting driver's awareness of important information in the driving scene."
(Source: NewsMax.com Health Alerts, July 1, 2006)
On Track 2006
A very expensive line of cars awaits passengers for hot lapping at the end of a hot day
Without much warning we were told that a few of us qualified for Mercedes-Benz USA’s unique training program held at race tracks for the last 20 years (and I believe I was the only student there who had been there for year 1).
That was the good news. The bad news was that it was at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, California. Google “Willows, California,” and you will find… not much. Willows is tiny, (6,220 souls) without a decent magazine stand or good Mexican food (“good” is the key word). To make up for that it is in an inhospitable part of California. The weather was wonderful—for vultures. 110°F was predicted.
It got there.
The Training
We mostly drove. There was one class and one product knowledge quiz—with too many gimmicks to make it a valid test. The rest was driving. We drove, in one capacity or another:
C55 AMG, SLK55 AMG, E55 AMG, CLS55 AMG, SLR, S550, BMW750Li, Audi A8, Lexus GS430, Audi A6, BMW530i, E350, Go-Karts, and a C-Class fitted with outriggers to make it a “skid car”
At Speed
In the morning we drove some hot cars at speed on the track, the hottest being the SLRs
We drove the E55 AMG, CLS55 AMG, and SLR at speed with instructors in the passenger seat. The SLR was, as expected, awesome, with acceleration more appropriate for the deck of the USS Lexington and phenomenal braking with the huge carbon fiber brakes. Handling was such that I never got close to any limits. The CLS55 and E55 weren’t as fast but were a lot of fun. The worry of stuffing a half-million dollar car into a wall was lowered to the worry of stuffing a $90K car into a wall. I had probably the most fun with the E55. I had several laps by then (4 more than everyone else, another story), and the instructor wasn’t holding me back. I was holding 8-10 car lengths behind the E55 ahead. They call the racetrack Thunderhill. There is, as you would expect, a hill. It involves a blind crest. Over the crest the road turns right, but you can’t see that cresting. If you’re going fast the tires unload completely. I realized as I was climbing the hill that the E55 ahead was growing rapidly. Then, of course, it was out of sight. It was too late to brake, as all that would do would be to unsettle the car. So I crested the hill not knowing if I was going to land on the E55’s trunk or its bumper.
Fortunately it was a few inches behind the bumper, so I coasted around the corner and let him pull ahead.
Skid Car
The outriggers on the skid car can be raised or lowered to induce understeer, oversteer, or just squirreliness.
The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was using an outrigger on their skid control car to teach car control when I last attended in the nineties. With the outrigger front or rear tires can be unloaded or loaded, making the car drive like it was going really fast and/or handling really badly. The intention was to teach understeer, oversteer, and drifting. They took us one at a time. This is a good thing. Bondurant had 3 in a car. That is not a good idea.
Autocross
In addition to individual autocrosses, we had a team autocross. I ran last, having had the fastest individual time in our (slow) group. The last place man is responsible for stopping with the tires within the "stop box." Failure to do so gets one a penalty. This photo demonstrates how it's supposed to be done. The edge of the front tires was within 1" of the edge of the box but was "legal." If you stop before that, you weren't going as fast as possible through the timing line.
This year the autocross used C55s and SLK55s. First we did single laps for time with the C55. I was a second off the fastest time of the day till then. It was early. I knew a later car would be faster. It was. I was 2 seconds down at the end of the day. But I had the fastest time in my group (slow group). The next event was a group autocross where we all drove a SLK55 one after another for one time. Since I was fastest in the group I went last. The lady ahead of me left the handbrake on!
SLR Class
The SLR engine. The big 3 Pointed Star is the engine intake.
We had a technical class on the SLR. The SLR is built by McLaren using a hand built AMG engine designed from the ground up for it. The body and chassis is carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is 5 times stronger than steel and one-third the weight of aluminum but very hard to fabricate. Thus the nosepiece is $40,000. Formula One cars are all carbon fiber. It is very safe, strong, and stiff. The car has some phenomenal features. Though the engine is front-mid-engined, the car is close to a Formula One on the road. The brake rotors are huge carbon fiber discs that should last the life of the car. At $11,000 each, they should. The brakes, as mentioned above, made me keep looking for the parachute behind us. Every air duct has a purpose. The big 3-pointed star in front is the air intake for the engine, for example. Yes, the exhausts are behind the front wheels, and they’re not fake.
The newly announced 722 model won’t be coming to the US.
And Now for Something Completely Different
Go Karting at noon was a lot of fun, hot, but fun
Then, since it was getting really hot, they took us to another side of the track where we raced go-karts. Yes, go-karts. No, I don’t know what this has to do with learning to sell or service Mercedes.
t was 109°F, so they made us put on kart driving suits. If anyone tells you kart suits, not being fireproof like car racing suits, are not hot, please punch him squarely in the mouth. 109°F. Suit that doesn’t breathe over your clothes. Now put on a closed face helmet and do four minutes of qualifying.
That was fun. One guy thought it was bumper cars, but eventually I got a clear run and got the pole. Then there was a race of the 6 slowest qualifiers and another one among the 6 fastest. I was on the outside pole, or what I thought was the outside pole, thinking the spot on the right was the best. Bumper Car had that spot. We entered the first turn side by side. He pushed. I picked up a pylon on the front bumper, and he took the lead. The @%!!@*! pylon stayed with me for three laps. Finally, unencumbered, I cut inside on the fastest turn and took the lead. I drove like a man possessed because I knew if he got in range, he would punt me into the weeds. He never caught up, though. I was very glad when the flag fell four hours later, or so it felt in the heat. They had to pour me out of the car. I went to the shade, chug-a-lugged a bottle of water and poured one on my head, thinking I might live, and thinking, “Almost 61, I believe my Rolex is older than some of these kids.”
Then they called me back for a race among the fastest 3 from each race. Not wanting any more pylons, I took off when the starter started thinking about lifting the flag, catching Mr. Bumper Car flat-footed, and proceeded to run away from the field. (Proving once more old age and treachery defeats youth and skill—yes, that is cheating. What’s your point?). If I was happy when the flag fell the first time, I was ecstatic this time, or I would have been if I were still conscious. Getting out of the car was exciting. Lunch was next, which was better, allowing me to drown myself in bottled water.
Testing
After lunch we had a product knowledge contest—in teams. This resulted in my team winning a ride along certificate for the Richard Petty Driving Experience. The last time I won a Petty certificate I didn’t use it before it expires. This one is a $99 ride along while a real driver does some laps in a NASCAR type car. If you’re interested in this, contact me. I won’t be able to use it.
Comparison
We drove the S550, BMW750li, and Audi A8, accelerating from a standing start to a radar gun. The S550 was at 71, the BMW at 65, and the Audi at 60. Then we braked as hard as we could. Since we were not braking from the same speed, the stopping distances varied, but all were well below the 150 ft. marker. Then we went through a violent lane change, then a zigzag, then a slalom, and then a couple of turns on the track. The S550 leaned less than the others and rode better.
We started doing the same with the E350s competitors, but when it came time for us to drive E350s, the session was cut short for hot laps.
Hot Laps
Yes, the preferred car for hotlapping was the SLR
Then we had hot laps while the instructors flung the cars around the tracks. I got in one of the SLRs. The SLR is so fast that within one lap we had caught up to the trailing CLS55 AMG and had to coast for the second lap—coasting for an SLR is going flat out in a CLS55 AMG.
Getting home
At this point we've just crested the hill, and the road goes hard right. The camera flattens things out. It was a hill. Great course. Exciting. Better for training than an oval such as Texas Motor Speedway
Training ended at 5 pm. The drive to Sacramento International and getting rid of the Hertz Navigator and getting through security took till 8 pm. The plane left after midnight and arrived at Houston at 6 am. Not wanting to inflict myself on customers after that I took the day off.
Pre-Safe Brake
S-Class brakes automatically when faced with acute risk of accident
Stuttgart – The new PRE-SAFE® brake from Mercedes-Benz represents a further milestone in car safety. The only system of its kind in the world, it automatically brakes the car before an impending rear-end collision. As a result, the PRE-SAFE® brake, in collaboration with Brake Assist PLUS, is able to prevent the collision or significantly reduce the severity of the accident. This new type of safety technology once again underlines Mercedes-Benz’s leading role in the field of technology. The PRE-SAFE® brake will be available for the S-Class and the new luxury CL-Class Coupe from autumn 2006.
The new system complements Brake Assist PLUS (BAS PLUS), which was introduced last year. BAS PLUS provides visual and audible warnings if it detects that the vehicle is about to run into the vehicle in front and automatically calculates the brake force required in order to prevent the crash. This brake boosting force is available the moment the driver steps on the brake pedal.
The PRE-SAFE® brake goes a step further. If the driver does not react to the BAS PLUS warnings from the cockpit and there is a severe danger of an accident, the system triggers automatic partial braking and decelerates the S-Class at up to 0.4 g (approx. four m/s²). This is equivalent to around 40 percent of the maximum braking performance. Autonomous partial braking provides the driver with a further clear prompt to take action, on top of the visual and audible warnings. If he or she immediately goes on to activate the brake, maximum braking force will be available, and – depending on the given situation – it may be possible to prevent the accident at the last moment. If this is not possible, the PRE-SAFE® brake reduces the severity of the impact, which in turn reduces the risk of injury for the occupants of the car.
The PRE-SAFE® brake is an assistance system, which assists the driver at critical moments. Even during automatic partial braking, the driver retains responsibility for the vehicle and decisive action on his or her part can help prevent the vehicle from colliding with the car in front.
This new technology rounds off Mercedes-Benz’s unique PRE-SAFE® occupant protection system, which features as standard in the S-Class. The system is based on the principle of prevention and before an impending accident pre-emptively deploys protective measures in the interior, ensuring that the airbags and seat belts are able to operate to optimum effect in the event of a crash. In future many of these pre-emptive measures will be triggered when the PRE-SAFE® brake is activated.
Like Brake Assist PLUS, the new PRE-SAFE® brake uses cutting-edge radar technology to record the situation in front of the car and to recognize the threat of an accident. Behind the S-Class’s front bumper trim are two near-range radar sensors with a range of 30 meters and an effective angle of 80 degrees. The additional long-range radar in the radiator grille has a range of 150 meters.
PRE-SAFE® brake reduces severity of accident by 40 percent
Mercedes-Benz thoroughly tested the function and effectiveness of the new PRE-SAFE® brake both in field trials and in a simulator. Around 500 drivers took part in the field trials in Germany and in the USA, covering a total of around one million kilometers in the test cars.
Mercedes engineers carried out a series of tests over a period of several weeks using DaimlerChrysler Research’s simulator in Berlin. 70 drivers took part in these tests, which lasted half an hour. The scenario each time involved the participants being deliberately distracted by an accident on the opposite carriageway while the queue of traffic in front suddenly braked at the same instant. The results of the test, which reflects an everyday situation on the road, document the safety benefits offered by the S-Class’s cutting-edge assistance systems: thanks to the rapid reactions of the drivers, and support from BAS PLUS and the PRE-SAFE® brake, a total of 70 percent of these test drives remained accident-free. The tests therefore show that the likelihood of an accident can be significantly reduced by the S-Class systems.
In one third of the simulator tests the participants were unable to prevent a collision. Here automatic partial braking succeeded in reducing the severity of the accident by around 40 percent.
Just as with the airbag, belt tensioners, ESP® and other groundbreaking Mercedes inventions, there was a clear focus on real accident data during development of the PRE-SAFE® brake. In interaction with Brake Assist PLUS, the new technology is able to make an important contribution towards lowering the high number of rear-end collisions or reducing the severity of this kind of collision. In Germany over 17 percent of all serious traffic accidents fall into the category of rear-end collisions. In the USA every third accident involving fatalities and injuries is a rear-end collision.
Mercedes-Benz will be offering the PRE-SAFE® brake as an option for the S-Class and the new CL-Class Coupe in conjunction with DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control and Brake Assist PLUS from autumn 2006.
Miscellaneous Ravings
A Co-worker reports having drinks with the GM of another local Mercedes store. When asked how business was he replied that it was great since they fired all of their sales people and hired domestic salesman at lower commission rates. The new salesmen are happy to be going home at 7:30 PM instead of after 9, and the store’s happy with their new profits. This applies to both of their stores.
So when you ask a technical question to a salesman at that store, remember last month he was selling Fords. Next month…
I guess the last professional Mercedes salesmen in town work at Star Motor Cars.
Advice
Advice from a 100-year-old Halliburton retiree, who plays dominoes 4 hours a day, just renewed his driver’s license and still mows his own lawn. He says “get a little exercise, eat whatever you like, and there’s no use worrying about anything”.
Quotes
“If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we would all be millionaires.” Abigail Van Buren.
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4
Why People Live Longer than Dogs
(From an email)
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued,
"Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."