Napleton's Autowerks

Reason for Visit: Service

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Napleton's Autowerks:
I recently had my SLK 55 in for Service A. Aside from the price gougeing I noticed a very BIG problem when I returned home. They OVERFILLED my oil. I had to siphon out about 1.5 quarts to get the level down to normal 8.5 liters. Yes, the engine warning did come on and tell me to reduce the oil level. Yes, this could be a very significant problem. Read the post copied below from one of the MB forums. This was written by a certified MB technician referring to someone else's overfilled oil level:

There is a considerable risk of severe engine damage to the point of requiring a new unit.

I see no need for them to hook it up to the SDS, it really sounds like they do not know what they are doing.

You never let an engine drop below the min and never fill it above the max, i have seen the M113 engine after an overfill and both the main bearing seals had failed allowing oil to flow not only into the torque converter destroying it but also out from the front of the engine onto the pulley it in turn flung oil all over the engine bay, inside the engine the crank was badly damaged, the bearings had been destroyed from the aerated oil being forced into them and let me tell you air is not a good lubricant, it gets into the piston bores and puts massive pressure on the piston rings eventually ending up in the combustion chambers as its ejected out via the exhaust valves it coats your cats in gunk destroying them just for good measure.

The above is not meant to scare you Don mate and with the low miles added to your car i would expect you to get away unharmed but i think it should serve as a warning to anybody else in a similar situation if the car tells you the oil has been overfilled you stop right away and DO NOT even start the car again until excess oil has been drained.

The engine costs about £30k GBP and damage due to incorrect service is not covered under the Mercedes warranty, it is likely that the dealer at fault would pay however.

That does not take into account the cost to fix the tranny if the seals failed.

Don't use that dealer again Don and keep an eye on the cars oil level and MPG for the next few thousand miles, also keep on watch for strange smells, poor transmission performance and loss of engine performance.

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Reason for Visit: Service

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Napleton's Autowerks:
After making my new car purchase, I had illuminated door sills and the iPOD integration kit installed in my SLK 55. Cary, the MB Service Manager and Jeff the technician did an excellent job and the parts work flawlessly. I really appreciated being allowed into the shop to check on the work in progress. So far, the car has 900 miles on it and I haven't had a single problem.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Napleton's Autowerks:
It's 2007 and I'm updating this review... I buy a lot of imports and deal with Napleton's regularly whether I want to or not. I have to say, they have really improved. I know which salesmen to trust (and at least one NOT to!). For what it's worth the management seems to have cleaned up a lot since my last review. One of them, Ron, really has been helpful. For service, Cary picks and chooses how friendly & helpful he's going to be in any given situation. But he has now been around for a while and that means something in that position. In sum it seems to be that, like any car lot, they are first and foremost out for themselves. Still, if you do your research ahead of time and know what people to go to (ask other buyers), it might be worth saving the drive elsewhere. I've raised my rating significantly.

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Basically, the only reason this dealership survives is because it's the only one in the immediate Rockford vicinity. Additionally, they are fortunate to have a substantial customer base that just signs the check without the need or desire to shop around. For the average customer, Napleton's simply does not follow through with their promises on a consistant basis. As a whole, they are outright dishonest. I think a couple of the salespeople are decent, hardworking folks. But the management and several of the salesmen spoil the bunch. Same for service - they have at least one well qualified mechanic but the Mercedes service advisor seems shady too. Once again, although he's friendly, he does not seem to care about customers or their cars. I've started taking my car all the way to the suburbs.

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