Mercedes Fire Hazard Recall

Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall on just over 300,000 vehicles in the US, and approximately 1 million vehicles total. There have been 51 fires reported worldwide due to a starter part malfunction. The fires are being caused by the current limiter in the starter overheating after repeated attempts to start an unresponsive vehicle.

The entire scale and reach of the recall is currently unknown. Owners can expect to be notified of the recall with all pertinent details this month, followed by a secondary notice informing owners when the remedy parts/services will be available. Once notified, owners of recalled vehicles will be able to have the proper maintenance implemented free of charge. Schedule a preemptive service appointment with us at our Mercedes store here, or receive updates/information from Mercedes' recall page.

Thanks for reading, dear drivers, and be safe!

2017 X-Class closer than expected?

       In October of 2016, Mercedes-Benz Van division presented their X-Class pickup concept to the world. We touched on the introduction in our November article: Picking up Luxury with the Mercedes X-Class explaining how the vehicle was “slated for release in late 2017, however, it is currently not going to be released in the States. The X-Class is going to start in the markets of Europe, Australia, South Africa and Latin America.”

Until Now.

       On Friday, Mercedes Vans boss Volker Mornhinweg indicated that his company is looking closely at US demand for mid-size trucks like the X-Class. Mornhinweg told reporters that the current X-Class production facility (in Argentina) won't have sufficient capacity to meet US demand. As a result, US trucks will need to be made domestically.

       X-class production stateside would mark Mercedes entry into what arguably the most competitive, territorial, and lucrative segment in the automotive market. In the US, the midsize pickup segment, where the X-Class would compete, is growing at more than 20% a year. "With the Mercedes-Benz pickup, we will close one of the last gaps in our portfolio," Dieter Zetsche, chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz, said in a statement. "Our target: We want to offer customers vehicles matching their specific needs. The X-Class will set new standards in a growing segment."

       While we wait for the X-Class to someday make its way to us here in the states, continue to enjoy the other fine Mercedes vehicles. You can check our Inventory here and contact us now to test drive and take home a Mercedes today.

Mercedes Pink Noise

Mercedes is making waves in the vehicle safety technology world. If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you know that they are tremendously loud. You may be surprised to learn that the airbag deployment is potentially the most harmful of the plethora of assaulting noises you’d hear. It’s estimated that 17% of people who are exposed to airbag deployment suffer from a degree of permanent hearing loss. Mercedes has developed a breakthrough technology - using pink noise - that makes the people inside a primary part of the safety system. This innovative system is the first to harness a natural reflex to condition the ear for the loud noise anticipated from a vehicle impact. 

 The stapedius muscle is the smallest in the body, located in the inner ear. When the stapedius muscle contracts, the connection between the ear drum and the inner ear is weakened. This means that some of the sound pressure is reflected in the ear drum rather than all of it being transmitted to the inner ear. Normally, you would need an emission of 100 decibels to contract this muscle, but you can achieve this protective muscle contraction at as low as 80 decibels by transmitting as many simultaneous frequencies as possible. This may sound intimidating, but the pink noise is inoffensive, comparable to the sound of a waterfall. If an impending collision is detected, the vehicle’s sound system plays pink noise- causing the stapedius muscle in the ears to contract- to protect your delicate inner ear.

Mercedes’ use of pink noise symbolizes a fundamental shift in the focus of safety engineering, geared more towards the people inside. One could certainly anticipate that this comprehensive system is likely the catalyst of a soon to be integral element of future vehicle safety systems.

Mercedes Recalls

Mercedes-Benz USA recently announced over 100,000 recalls related to the passenger front airbag inflator issue. The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

The recall includes model year 2012 C300 4Matic, C250, C350, , C63 AMG,  E350 E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, GLK350 and SLS AMG. Also included are 2009 C300 4Matic, C300, C350 and C63 AMG amd 2008 C300 4Matic, C300, and C350.

Additional recalls include:

-Nearly 48,000 SUVs in the U.S. to fix a sensor problem that could stop the front passenger air bag from inflating in a crash. The recall covers certain GL, GLE and GLS models from the 2016 and 2017 model years. Mercedes says in documents posted by U.S. safety regulators that a sensor in the front passenger seat may be calibrated incorrectly. It can classify passengers as child seats and deactivate the air bag.

-Nearly 1,000 2016-2017 S550 Coupe 4MATICs, S63 AMG Coupe 4MATICs, S65 AMG Coupes and S63 AMG Convertible 4Matics for faulty headlights. The low beam headlights on the affected vehicles may not be adjusted properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. If the low-beam headlights are out of adjustment, the driver's visibility may be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372 for more information. Contact us today to scheduleyour recall service work.

Best Premium Automaker is.....

                Mercedes-Benz has a goal, and they have been pushing towards that goal by focusing on making stylish high-tech cars loved by their consumers. That goal, to be the world’s largest premium carmaker, and they achieved that goal, four years earlier than they planned.

                The plan that Mercedes employed was a simple one. Give the people what they want. They introduced an elegant, sporty design and established itself as a pioneer in new technologies like autonomous driving.  These points have helped revive the Mercedes brand and take them to the front of the luxury car pack.   

                This feat is an achievement for the Mercedes parent group Daimler, especially after their messy split from Chrysler in 2007. And as close as 4 years ago Mercedes and Daimler faced restless shareholders, who were demanding answers as to why Mercedes had fallen behind other luxury brands like BMW and Audi.

"We had some deficits, cost and quality problems. Design was not top-notch. And with Chrysler we were no longer a pure premium carmaker.”

-Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche

                In 2016, Mercedes-Benz sold 2.08 million passenger cars, and BMW who has held the premium cars sales crown, has yet to release their numbers and they are next expected to overtake Mercedes. Mercedes set their goal of being  the best-selling luxury carmaker by 2020 at the company's 125th anniversary in 2011, a year when even Audi sales overtook those of Mercedes , pushing it into third place.

                 Daimler traditionalists were shocked by the volume target, fearing that selling too many vehicles may dilute the exclusivity of their cars and reduce the appeal of the Mercedes brand in the long run. But consumer electronics companies like Apple had already proven that the pull of their brand did not suffer with increased volume sales so long as they offered the best customer experience. Today, Mercedes -Benz follows its motto "the best or nothing" by thinking about whether customers would notice or benefit from a new technological innovation.

                Take at our inventory and contact us today to see why Mercedes is the best-selling premium automaker in the world now!

Mercedes "Night Edition"

               

                The New Year is right around the corner, and Mercedes is getting ready to launch their line of special editions. Mercedes will be branding the S-Class special editions as “Night Edition”.

                The “Night Edition” of the S-Class will first debut in in Europe in the spring of 2017 while they will hit the American Market in the late summer. The two-door special edition coupe will be available in three different models, the S 400 4MATIC, the S 500 and the S 500 4MATIC.

                So what makes the “Night Edition” so special? Well as the name implies, the “Night Edition”, has been given a black out treatment. There is a black finish on the distinctive radiator grille, on the side mirror housings and the side window sill panels. The “Night Edition” also gets blacked out 20-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels. The traditional AMG body styling come standard on the front and rear aprons, but is adorned with new “Night Edition” badges on the front wings and in the illuminated door sills. The “Night Edition” will also be available in a selenite grey magno, a matte finish with high-quality special effect pigments.

                The interior is also decked out with special “Night Edition” features, the AMG steering wheel is engraved with the “Night Edition” badge and wrapped in nappa leather. The seat upholstery is available in leather, nappa leather or AMG nappa leather the cabin can be further customised in black/black or optionally crystal grey/black, saddle brown/black or Bengal red/black, along with high-gloss pop...

                The engines for the “Night Edition” are something special in their own right, the S 400 4MATIC is powered by the 3.0-litre, V6 engine which puts out 367PS of power and 500Nm of torque. The other two variants - S 500 and S 500 4MATIC, are powered by the same engine. It is a 4.7-litre V8, which is tuned to pump out 455PS of power and 700Nm of torque. The only difference is the all-wheel drive system which is available in both the 4MATIC variants.

                While these Mercedes AMG “Night Edition” are not available until August you can start pre-ordering them on January 9^th. Contact us today to order yours.

The Hammer- The AMG E63 gets a rebirth

                In recent years, Mercedes has produced a line of AMG performance models that have been spectacular. And it all started with the 500E, affectionately known as the Hammer. The 500E was produced from 1991 to 1994 and kick-started the idea of a performance-tuned, factory-built version of Mercedes' midsize sedan.

               

                At the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, debuted the next in the line of their AMG family, the 2018 Mercedes-AMG E63. It is the first model to get this particular version of AMG's 4.0-liter V8, featuring a twin-scroll turbocharger in place of the single-scroll unit found in the AMG GT. The AMG E63 puts out a staggering 563 horsepower with 553 pounds-foot torque.

                The 2018 E63 is also the first AMG with its new nine-speed Speedshift MCT transmission, while its sport-tuned adaptive suspension now has air chambers at all four wheels. Another pioneering element is AMG's new 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system.  4Matic+ adds a new Race mode in the E63S that decouples the front axle completely. Besides its new, hooligan Race function, 4Matic+ also gains a fully variable torque split. Whereas the current 4Matic system defaults to a 33-percent front, 67-percent rear torque split, this can constantly vary itself based on traction and drive mode.

            The launch of the new 2018 E63 showed off the optional carbon-ceramic brakes, upgraded AMG performance seats, the exterior Night package that adds glass black trim to various areas that would normally be gloss silver or chrome, special yellow interior stitching and Designo matte black paint,

            The Mercedes AMG E63 will arrive in showrooms in the summer of 2017. Until then check out our other fine Mercedes vehicles and contact

us to schedule your test drive today.