lkirchner

I'll second both of the annoyances; cowl shake, rattles and runflats that are horrible on the car. You will also find that the power is OK but not great. The transmission is sluggish in my opinion. The paint on the car is very soft and susceptible to acid rain etching. I owned a 2004 and traded it with 1,750 miles on it. I was not pleased with the car.

The Klasse will help to keep the wheels cleaner and the detailer will make them easier to clean. However you are still going to have to dry them. For a month or so I think you will have to wash them in between. Other than that your only solution to not having to care for the wheels is to leave the car in the garage!!!!!

:chairshot::chairshot::chairshot: I had the same problem with my departed SC 430 and it was never resolved. The SC does have quite a bit of cowl shake as reported in many tests of the car. My advise: turn up the radio. On the other hand I am now driving a SL55 AMG and do not have any roof rattle problems. The car when the top is down feels much more sturdy than the SC did. I think this is an inherent problem with the SC. ← Say it ain't so, Lou! Did your roof rattle in one specific place in one of the braces, and was any attempt made to repair it? I've been in two other SC430's, and although I agree with you that they both had a fair amount of cowl shake, neither had a highly isolated persistent rattle. Both had relatively minor squeaks coming from a variety of places, but nothing that would drive you nuts like I have. Thanks for your feedback and any additional information appreciated. ← Mine rattled at both A pillars (the pillars where the winshield is). It also had a rattle at the Passenger side hinge on the roof panel. The one that drove me the most bonkers was the passenger seat. The only cure for this was to firmly hit the back of the seat back with my fist. This was all on a car that had 1,750 miles on it when I traded it.

:chairshot: :chairshot: :chairshot: I had the same problem with my departed SC 430 and it was never resolved. The SC does have quite a bit of cowl shake as reported in many tests of the car. My advise: turn up the radio. On the other hand I am now driving a SL55 AMG and do not have any roof rattle problems. The car when the top is down feels much more sturdy than the SC did. I think this is an inherent problem with the SC.

Here is a list of Mercedes that I own or have owned as well as other cars that I have owned. Call me car crazy Mercedes That I Have Owned ( Not in order of purchase) Family Model Year W198 300 SL Gullwing 1956 W188 300 SC Roadster 1957 W188 300 SL Roadster 1962 W115 220 1968 W111 280SE 3.5 Coupe 1971 W113 280 SL 1971 W115 220 D 1972 W108 280 SEL 4.5 1973 W116 450 SEL 6.9 1977 W124 300 CE 1988 W126 560 SEL 1991 W201 190 E 2.6 1992 W210 E320 1996 W210 E430 1998 W208 CLK 55AMG 2002 W220 S55AMG 2003 W215 CL 55AMG 2003 W209 CLK 500 2004 R230 SL55AMG 2005 Other cars that I have owned Corvette 365 HP 1964 Corvette 375 HP Fuel Injected 1965 Corvette L88 427 CI 1967 Jaguar XKE 1968 Jaguar Mark X 1966 Corvette 1971 BMW 2002 Tii 1973 Mini Innocenti 1973 BMW 530i 1976 Buick Skyhawk 1976 Datsun (Not sure of model) 1982 Ford Taurus 1986 Ford Taurus 1989 Ford Taurus SHO 1992 Chrysler LHS 1994 Oldsmobile Aurora 1995 Mazda Miata 1990 Honda Prelude 1992 Honda Passport 1995 Toyota 4 Runner 2002 Lexus SC430 2004 Lexus LS 430 2004 2 cars were very similar; beautiful to look at in my garage but was afraid to drive them because problems kept creeping in the more I used them;----The Jaguar XKE and-------The Lexus SC430

Here is a list of Mercedes that I own or have owned as well as other cars that I have owned. Call me car crazy Mercedes That I Have Owned ( Not in order of purchase) Family Model Year W198 300 SL Gullwing 1956 W188 300 SC Roadster 1957 W188 300 SL Roadster 1962 W115 220 1968 W111 280SE 3.5 Coupe 1971 W113 280 SL 1971 W115 220 D 1972 W108 280 SEL 4.5 1973 W116 450 SEL 6.9 1977 W124 300 CE 1988 W126 560 SEL 1991 W201 190 E 2.6 1992 W210 E320 1996 W210 E430 1998 W208 CLK 55AMG 2002 W220 S55AMG 2003 W215 CL 55AMG 2003 W209 CLK 500 2004 R230 SL55AMG 2005 Other cars that I have owned Corvette 365 HP 1964 Corvette 375 HP Fuel Injected 1965 Corvette L88 427 CI 1967 Jaguar XKE 1968 Jaguar Mark X 1966 Corvette 1971 BMW 2002 Tii 1973 Mini Innocenti 1973 BMW 530i 1976 Buick Skyhawk 1976 Datsun (Not sure of model) 1982 Ford Taurus 1986 Ford Taurus 1989 Ford Taurus SHO 1992 Chrysler LHS 1994 Oldsmobile Aurora 1995 Mazda Miata 1990 Honda Prelude 1992 Honda Passport 1995 Toyota 4 Runner 2002 Lexus SC430 2004 Lexus LS 430 2004

:P The same thing was done to my car when they replaced the seat. You have to move the seat all the way forward and then all the way back or vice versa, put the seat where you want it and then set the memory as normal. It is somewhere in your owner's manual. Lou K

LOL, no way its a thicker gauge. ← Have you personally checked it? I have both Marques in my garage and the MB is much more solid feeling and I have to believe a person who works on auto sheet metal daily as to the real evaluation.

:cries: It is definetly a thinner gage./ I had a paintless dent repair person remove dents on my LS 430, SC430 and my Mercedes CL. His comment was that it was amazing how thin the metal was on the Lexi in comparison to the MB's. You can also tell the difference if you tap on the doors of the 2 brands. THINNER on the Lexi.

:chairshot: Lexus of Sacramento is staffed by Larry, Curly and Moe plus their relatives. My experience was so bad with an '04 SC430 that I traded the car after 9 months and 1,750 miles on it. The experiencve was so bad that I will never buy another Lexus as long as they continue in business in the Sacramento area. Lou K

Yes I have. That is what I meant by Menzerna on steroids. I also used it on my wifes LS and compared it to the FP. The gloss is so much more brilliant than the regular Menzerna

I installed one on my wife's LS 430 from www.exoticwooddash.com. It is not a perfect match but it does look very nice. I have had it on for about 9 months and it still looks great. I would steer clear on the e-bay stuff because you really don't know what you will get. I had another kit from a different manufacturer and it was absolutely terrible. So be careful on what you buy.

:chairshot: I don't want to make this a career but the black Lexus that I own is clear coated. In addition on my silver MB's the primer is black, whereas on my black cars it is white. That makes little or no sense to me but who am I to question??? I will have to agree with you that even though the Lexus paint is soft it does polish out easily. That is not what I can say about the Ceramiclear paint. On the Lexus I can get rid of the clear coat scratches with a Porter Cable and "regular" Menzerna. On the ceramiclear I need to use a rotary, the most aggressive cutting pad and the new Menzerna polishes that are on steriods. In addition the key to a good finish is to properly maintain it ALL THE TIME. I really love those people who regularly take their cars through the car wash and then ask what they need to do once a year to get the scratches and swirls out. Answer: stop the car washes and use a little elbow grease. Finally, the key to keeping the chips away is a clear bra. I have it on all of my cars and being as anal as I am, I am very pleased with the results. Don't take offense to my previous message, since it was not meant to offend. I find the people on this forum to be the most friendly and least hostile of any that I frequent,

:chairshot: Lexus paint is soft and not at all durable. I would take exception to the fact that it is some of the better paint on the market. In comparison to the paint on my MB's it is pure crap. In addition the black on the new Lexus autos is in fact clear coated. I own one and when you take a polishing compound to it there is no black residue; the true test of single stage vs. clear coat paint. By the way they do make primers in a color rathe than white.

:chairshot: I did and am sorry I did it. Problems and quality issues galore. Horrible dealership experience. Have an LS430 and it is a better car. As far as power it is underpowered for a semi-sports car. Feels like it has a boat anchor attached to it.

:cries: I had an SC430 and experienced pitting. When I took it to the dealer they determined it was acid rain damage. The car was in the rain less than 10 times and never allowed to dry in the sun. Their explanation was that the paint is very soft and fragile. One of the many reasons I dumped it in less than a year.

Rather unimaginative "lkirchner.

Yes, I am an obsessive detailer and have been since I was a teenager (more years back than I would like to admit). I am continually amazed at the new products that are constantly being released; polymer sealants, polishes such as Menzerna, micro fiber towels, etc. It has come a long way from Simoniz and baby diapers. Lou K

I recently purchased a 2005 SL 55 in black. The car was on the showroom floor and naturally had the fine scratches where looky loo's had to man handle the car. I can attest that the ceramiclear paint is a real bear with which to work. It took me 1 1/2 hours using Menzerna Intensive Polish, followed by Menzerna Final Polish and finally Meg's #16 to work out small scratches on the trunk lid. This was all done using a dual action buffer. I hope the advantages to the hard clear coat are worth the effort to correct minor blemishes. Lou K

The bird stain is probably not a stain. The poo is very corrosive and if you do not remove it immediately, it will etch the paint. Try to buff it out with a polishing compound. If that doesn't work, the spot will probably have to be wet sanded with 2000 git sand paper and then buffed to restore the shine. Lou K

More pics at dawn on a gloomy Sacramento day. ← ← ← ← ←

More pics at dawn on a gloomy Sacramento day. ← ← ← ←

More pics at dawn on a gloomy Sacramento day. ← ← ←