so, i acquired this 2006 CPO'ed CL500. 19,675 miles. virtually pristine.

but it had some odd deficiencies. for instance...

1. the OPERATOR'S MANUAL stated that it had passenger side mirror "turn-down" function. as a standard feature. but i discovered that if it did, that the function in this vehicle did not work. the selling dealer[an autonation dealer, M-B houston north] said that the function could not be rendered functional because it was an "option" not fitted to this vehicle.

writing to ernst lieb, ceo MBUSA, the response was that this feature had never been fitted to any of the 215 cars and that MBUSA efforts to get Stuttgart to issue a bulletin to this effect went ignored[i.e., no warranty claim could be honored in this matter].

after writinga second time to Ernst Lieb, who assigned a regional tech rep to this vehicle, i have a functional passenger side "turn-down" mirror.

2. this CL500 was fitted with a HOMELINK mirror system which M-B claimed could operate "rolling code" garage doors.

i could not get the HOMELINK system in this vehicle to communicate with my garage doors.

i found this very odd as my 1997 s500coupe[C140 chassis] has a 2003 vintage HOMELINK mirror that has no problem operating my Overhead Door actuators.

and of course, none of my Overhead Door key chain remotes have any problem operating these actuators.

After a conversation with my OVERHEAD DOOR distributor, and HOMELINK, i concluded that M-B altered the specs for their mirrors so that the operating frequency of OVERHEAD DOOR actuators was excluded.

MBUSA has outfitted my CL500 with a new mirror. a new antenna. still, my actuator will not recognize it, will not "train" it. for some reason, MBUSA does not want to recognize my assessment of the cause for this defect.

my conclusion, based on my conversations with Homelink and Overhead Door, is that sometime after the 2003 model year, M-B caused Johnson Controls[manufacturer of Homelink mirrors] to truncate the operating frequencies. Though the M-B manual says that the range is 288-399mHz, i think that the post-2003 mirrors do not broadcast a 390mHz frequency[the standard Overhead Door frequency].

as of last week, representatives of MBUSA wanted to dispute my assessment. After last Wednesday, 3 June 2009, the two MBUSA reps have come closer to accepting my assessment. During the course of their efforts to make their HOMELINK mirror work, they erased all the training for my other remotes. So, in their presence, i "re-trained" them. within seonds.

this is completely unlike the situation with this HOMELINK mirror in this 2006 CL500. which refuses to be "trained".

the MBUSA rep left it with me this way, he would acquire the circuit board from a 2003 vintage rolling code mirror and install it in the mirror in my 2006 CL500.

anyone out there encounter this situation? have knowledge of this situation?

if so, tell me how it was corrected.

the Overhead Door dealer, who sold me my phantom system in 2000, tells me that all of their M-B owners report the same problems with their post-2003 HOMELINK MIRRORS. AND THAT TO THE BEST OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE, MBUSA HAS FAILED TO CORRECT THAT DEFICIENCY.

any thoughts on this strange defect?

ciao.

so, i acquired this 2006 CPO'ed CL500. 19,675 miles. virtually pristine.

but it had some odd deficiencies. for instance...

1. the OPERATOR'S MANUAL stated that it had passenger side mirror "turn-down" function. as a standard feature. but i discovered that if it did, that the function in this vehicle did not work. the selling dealer[an autonation dealer, M-B houston north] said that the function could not be rendered functional because it was an "option" not fitted to this vehicle.

writing to ernst lieb, ceo MBUSA, the response was that this feature had never been fitted to any of the 215 cars and that MBUSA efforts to get Stuttgart to issue a bulletin to this effect went ignored[i.e., no warranty claim could be honored in this matter].

after writinga second time to Ernst Lieb, who assigned a regional tech rep to this vehicle, i have a functional passenger side "turn-down" mirror.

2. this CL500 was fitted with a HOMELINK mirror system which M-B claimed could operate "rolling code" garage doors.

i could not get the HOMELINK system in this vehicle to communicate with my garage doors.

i found this very odd as my 1997 s500coupe[C140 chassis] has a 2003 vintage HOMELINK mirror that has no problem operating my Overhead Door actuators.

and of course, none of my Overhead Door key chain remotes have any problem operating these actuators.

After a conversation with my OVERHEAD DOOR distributor, and HOMELINK, i concluded that M-B altered the specs for their mirrors so that the operating frequency of OVERHEAD DOOR actuators was excluded.

MBUSA has outfitted my CL500 with a new mirror. a new antenna. still, my actuator will not recognize it, will not "train" it. for some reason, MBUSA does not want to recognize my assessment of the cause for this defect.

my conclusion, based on my conversations with Homelink and Overhead Door, is that sometime after the 2003 model year, M-B caused Johnson Controls[manufacturer of Homelink mirrors] to truncate the operating frequencies. Though the M-B manual says that the range is 288-399mHz, i think that the post-2003 mirrors do not broadcast a 390mHz frequency[the standard Overhead Door frequency].

as of last week, representatives of MBUSA wanted to dispute my assessment. After last Wednesday, 3 June 2009, the two MBUSA reps have come closer to accepting my assessment. During the course of their efforts to make their HOMELINK mirror work, they erased all the training for my other remotes. So, in their presence, i "re-trained" them. within seonds.

this is completely unlike the situation with this HOMELINK mirror in this 2006 CL500. which refuses to be "trained".

the MBUSA rep left it with me this way, he would acquire the circuit board from a 2003 vintage rolling code mirror and install it in the mirror in my 2006 CL500.

anyone out there encounter this situation? have knowledge of this situation?

if so, tell me how it was corrected.

the Overhead Door dealer, who sold me my phantom system in 2000, tells me that all of their M-B owners report the same problems with their post-2003 HOMELINK MIRRORS. AND THAT TO THE BEST OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE, MBUSA HAS FAILED TO CORRECT THAT DEFICIENCY.

any thoughts on this strange defect?

ciao.