Thanks to MB for standing behind this car. I had it towed to the nearest MB dealership, Foreign Motors West, in Natick, MA.

The dealer's MB rep authorized the repair at no cost to me "as a courtesy" despite the car being out of warranty because of the low miles (85K).

I don't care what they call it, I'm just glad they fixed it and installed new spring perches on both sides, reinforced with backing plates.

First response from the MB body shop person was that since I didn't buy the car through their dealership, they wouldn't talk to me about warranty service, instead giving me an 800 number for MB service that didn't work. I reached a person at MBUSA who told me that the local dealer's MB person was authorized to commit MB to warranty work at his own discretion, regardless of where the customer bought it. He also gave me the name of that person at Foreign Motors West. By the time I reached him, I'd already received another call from the body shop telling me it would be fixed at no cost to me.

Moral of the story: If you get a no when you think you should get a yes, keep trying.

Jerry Murphy
Boston, MA