Manny: It makes sense that the supercharger bearings would be sealed in the unit but are you saying that when installed it is isolated from the engine oil supply? What would cause it to fail? Something was smoking from what appeared to be the front of the engine compartment. What was causing the smoke? What are the symptoms of a failed supercharger?

MrCJames: Frankly, I did not think there would be a catastrophic failure of the supercharger at 97,000 miles. I assume this was a fluke kind of thing. Otherwise, the car has operated flawlessly and I might add, inexpensively. Nothing other than routine maintenance until this occurred. Hope the next one last another 100,000 miles.

BenzOnline: This occurred without any warning. The ASR light and another light came on, the car started to smoke and it was driven (by my wife) another 1/2 mile to my home. Towed to the dealership. Car again runs flawlessly. It also appears to have more power than before.