Ferrari Mailing List: Re: MB GL450Ferrari Digest, Vol 31, Issue 55

[Adam Green (flatcrank]

On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 8:00 PM, <BRIGANDBAR [at] aol.com> wrote:

> Adam:
>
> You certainly have researched these cars and I cannot take issue with
> anything that you write.
>
> The big question that remains in my mind (particularly in light of the fact
> that I own an older series, "real" G-Wagon is why did MB change/cheapen
> (IMNSHO)  the "G-Class" label by making this soccer-mom-mobile a part of
> the "G"
> series of  vehicles of great off-road vehicles? They could have just as
> easily
> trashed the  "M" class identification as it is, and was designed as, the
> mall-mom  conveyance.


>From the first mention of it, the GL surprised me in the simple fact of its
existence -- no other Euro maker is building an SUV that big and of course
VW/Audi/Porsche, BMW et al are going to their smallest (silliest) SUV
variants like the X3 and Q5.  And Mercedes followed suit with the GLK.

Still, I was pleased to have a credible "full size" alternative to buying
yet another Chev/Ford with a design perfect in only one engineering goal:
they self-destruct at exact mile and minute of the warranty coverage.

The G-Wagon deserves to stay on a tier above the GL and ML and I'm impressed
that MB continues to build the thing.  For me, it was never a good fit and
the nicer versions are as expensive as a Range Rover (both sharing very
similar qualities and weaknesses.)  My preference for the Rangie would see
me in another one, but the owner reports are just too grim too often and the
local dealer is just too loathsome to sign up for another "new car
experience."  No thanks.

My Porsches continue to reward me each in their own way and I still
contemplate the merits of the GL over the Cayenne.  With prices dropping and
offers getting sweeter each month, there's no compelling event to say "now's
the time."


> And as a casual aside:
>
> Oddly enough, I have just ordered and received a 4-Post BendPak lift.
> Unfortunately, as you might read in the more general car talk forum, last
> Friday  I
> managed to take a fall off of the back deck fracturing 4 bones of my right
> ankle in 6 different places (I was pretty groggy when the surgeon explained
> it
> to me before the emergency surgery but apparenty you can break one bone in
> more  than one place but I'll have to confirm that at our appointment
> tomorrow),
> and  badly sprained the other ankle, so I don't know how well it works.
> Three
> of us  went in on a multiple lift purchase after the full time mechanical
> engineer  spent his time analyzing comparable brands, etc. I personally
> bought the
> 9k  extra long, extra wide version, while the others bought different
> variants. All  of them are mounted on wheels for convenience. In my case,
> with 13'6"+
> interior  clearance in the new garage, a 6" thick reinforced concrete slab
> on
> perimeter  and one midline longitudinal footers, height is not an issue.


Coincidentally, with spring approaching, I'm keen to replace my low-rise
scissor lift with a movable four-poster to combine easy service, track
setup, wheel changes, etc. with the advantage of snugging a third car in the
garage attached to the house.  Which is the best vendor on the BendPak?


> fuel-injected engines, etc. Other than appropriate doses of Stabil, any and
> all
> suggestions are welcome.


Winterizing.  Always fun.  I, too have every conceivable form of modern day
engine in various seasonal machinery from jet skis and boats to snowmobile
and snowblower, two-stroke, four-stroke, gas, diesel, injected, carb, etc.

For the diesel, a half empty tank, one bottle of "anti-gel", fill up, drive
a 10-20 miles to get the conditioned fuel through the fuel filter and into
the injector rails.

For gas engines, I clean them thoroughly, fog and stabil.  For the Ducati, I
overfill the gearbox (to prevent rust) and remove the battery.  I also pick
it up on the yoke and rear frame to sag the suspension and slightly deflate
the tires.

For the cars, there's just so many different tweaks and different usage.
The Turbo gets some extra attention and it goes up on jack stands because it
gets driven maybe 1K miles and pretty much only on the track.  The GT3 gets
no love -- it works for a living. : )

Also for the cars, I clean everything with 303 and get everything out of the
leather with soffener.  I also dress door seals with either 303 (soft seals)
or clear silicon lube (hard seals, door hinges.)  Most of the cars go on
battery tenders.  The GT3 kills batteries, so that's just a cost of
operation and a fresh battery lasts a year (instead of three or five) but so
it goes.  The Aprilia dirt bike also came with a crap battery, so it got an
AGM lightweight battery that seems to stand up to the abuse and it gets a
thorough tear-down pretty frequently, so it doesn't really ever get
winterized.

Other cars each have their own foibles like the Rangie which doesn't like to
sit on its suspension and doesn't like to be on blocks, so I keep it active
all year -- it really is one of those cars that never fails if it's driven
"not too little, not too much, just enough" but that Goldilocks disposition
is not one of its more endearing characteristics.

The two strokes get extra oil in the fuel, then fogged.  The '07 Skidoo is
bulletproof, so it sat with zero "summer lay up" preparation (as did the
Honda snowblower) and both responded without hesitation when called upon in
December after six months of neglect.  This year, I'll pay attention to both
of them -- it was just a mis-timed vacation and then procrastination that
left them neglected for so long in '08.

Just like a wine cellar, none of these things is a "set and forget" there's
always something on the schedule of preventative maintenance.

Well, good luck with the hoof.  In the words of Monty Python, I counsel
"favoring the other leg."


Adam



>
>
> Dr. Steve
>
>
> In a message dated 2/24/2009 5:31:37 P.M. Central Standard Time,
> ferrari-request [at] ferrarilist.com writes:
>
> I wonder  if this is a practical joke by someone trying to draw me out into
> the open?  : )  Sadly, I confess to having an informed opinion on the GL.
> How  embarrassing!
>
>
> **************You're invited to Hollywood's biggest party: Get Oscars
> updates, red carpet pics and more at Moviefone.
> (http://movies.aol.com/oscars-academy-awards?ncid=emlcntusmovi00000001)
> _________________________________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
> http://lists.ferrarilist.com/mailman/options/ferrari/flatcrank%40gmail.com
>
> Sponsored by BooyahMedia.com
> and F1 Headlines
> http://www.F1Headlines.com/
>



-- 
Adam