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I just tried out the BEST leather treatment ever. It's called Leatherique and is a two step process. Since my 92 is at the dealer I decided to try it on my new 05 LS. You wouldn't believe how soft the leather is now! On the downside, it is rather expensive ($55 for Two bottles Conditioner and Cleaner) and requires a warm day to have a full effect. I put a space heater inside of it and was very pleased with the results. It's even better than when I bought it in December. It is apparently used in Museums to keep the leather soft and supple.
I've been trying to find a way to preserve the leather on my new car, especially after how badly my leather seats in my 92 have aged. (Much of that is my fault, since I didn't know how to maintain a leather interior) I'm having the 92's seats redyed, but I'll try this treatment on it when I get it back.
ljflx,
So your wife likes the IS? Perhaps an opportunity to steal your LS back? I tried to bait my wife into taking my new Corolla. Strange enough, it actually worked! I think she just takes whatever is new. I think she's doing it to show me she can get away with it! Hopefully she won't take the 92 once I get it back.
One word about the Corolla, not the most comfortable car in the world, but 33 MPG..It cost only $28 to fill it, and I got 330 miles out of it. I was impressed with the fit and finish of the cabin. The tolerances look good enough for a Lexus let alone an economy car.
SV
Now, I couldn’t help but notice that nerdy Porsche enthusiast comment. I suppose every marque has its share of them but the real Porsche enthusiast tracks his car or drives it hard. The Porsche mantra is perfection on both road and track. As far as putting the enthusiast in the rear view mirror, I remind you of the Cayenne Turbo, a totally unnecessary brutish setup for an SUV, but one which demonstrates where the company’s heads are at.
BTW, it has been reported that Porsche announced today it plans to buy a 20% share of VW. I guess they’re serious about that relationship. I wonder if one will bring the other up, down or remain the same. Hopefully this will be good for both of them. I suppose there is a lot of national pride at work here which counters the MB/Chrysler gambit, and a move that will endear them to all Germans and their unions. Would be nice if American companies could do the same thing and slow the momentum of the Toyota steamroller. I don’t like lack of balance as exists with Microsoft.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/25/ap/business/mainD8CR6P9G0.shtml?CMP=OTC-RSSFeed&- source=RSS&attr=Business-APDigital_D8CR6P9G0
I was really referring to people that want them to build nothing but pure sportscars.
BTW - buying a piece of VW is a mistake - IMO.
Totally agree. The only VW group property currently not losing money is Audi. I'm not sure how the Passat is going to do, but the public response to the new Jetta with its wimpy 5-cyl seems to be a big "yawn" followed by "you copied the Corolla?"
Porsche needs to stay lean and mean, not get bogged down in VW's affairs.
On an related note, it seems to me that a lower risk/return ratio is highly desireable independent of company size, i.e., no one should swing for the fences.
Why are you down on Porsche buying 20% of VW? The synergies seem to be present.
Reason is that you make more "temporary" partnership/revenue share deals - say for a 3-5 year period. So you technically are lowering your development costs in exchange for a revenue share once the product hits the market. If you pull it off the outside suppliers/developers make more than they would have made if you had paid them up front - which you may not even have been able to do anyway. As well you don't hire a bunch of your own temporary employees to do development work - so you keep your normal costs in the company low and you don't have the problem later of laying off people (which isn't easy in Europe) when the project is done. But payment is tied to the product being a success rather than taking a huge potentially company breaking risk on your own . With a name like Porsche and with a strong Balance Sheet it won't be hard to find people who will sign up for a "pay tied to success" formula. They'd probably line up. Overall you have higher costs at the launch of the product than you'd have if you built it on your own (in exchange for the lower development cost risk) . But over time those revenue share deals drop off and then go away completely so that by years 4, 5 and particularly 6 you are making the bigger margins. Equity is enhanced immediately and then over time you get revenue growth and cost decrease (as the revenue shares go away). Becomes a great growth story after year 3 - driving your longer term equity higher and higher. Many small businesses are successful with formulas like this. I've used it several times in my own business over the past 3 years.
Down on VW deal because a company like Porsche doesn't need the baggage or beauracracy (large European businesses are far more beaurocratic and slower in process than large US businesses) and synergies take place for the bigger guy, not the smaller guy. VW name is not a healthy one right now while Porsche name is top shelf. Maybe there are details that make it right for Porsche but on the surface it's like taking a step backward. It also smells like a German "loyalty" type of theme. Finally If I was a Porsche shareholder I wouldn't be happy as it virtally elimimates a high share price driven by a future takeover. Remember that in the stock market a certain portion of the multiple on your earnings is tied to potentially being acquired. Certain large companies don't have that - GE,Microsoft, Toyota and many others because they are far too large and are technically viewed as acquirers and coudn't ever get acquired.
"A porsche spokesman was quoted as saying, "We are a German company and we have a certain responsibility for Germany and German industry." Analysts insist this is yet another attempt by a German company to prevent the movement to make German corporations more responsive to its shareholders from taking hold, something the analysts have been screaming about for years."
http://www.autoextremist.com/page6.shtml#table
4th article down.
VW is in deep trouble. It would take huge financial reserves (like Toyota's) to turn VW around.
Porsche is well established in the high performance world. The new Panamera (with coupe and convertible variants) seemed like a wise move to me.
I see very few benefits and many potential risks with this move.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050928/germany_daimlerchrysler.html?.v=11
The MB story in that link is real hard on them but it's right on the money based on the former MB owners I know.
"Engineered like no other car in the world" should still describe a Mercedes, particularly the S, CL, SL and AMG series.
Now they are building even their top series with a clear objective: a lower retail price. Mercedes will not be the same if they stay with this new process.
I do agree that Mercedes was perceived as top prestige and top quality 20 years ago. Now they are possibly high prestige but below average quality. Yet, I don't think that's an engineering issue per se, more of an added doo-dads, electronics issue. I don't know of Mercedes' owners complaining about engine or transmission durability - more along the lines of things like "the $%&# relay shorted out and I've taken it in 3 times". For some reason, they seem content to outsource all that and not force the suppliers to the highest level of quality.
Anyway.... I'd consider buying a C-class, but wouldn't move up to the E. If they phase it out or scale it back - then the only remaining buyers would have to be focused high-end; and possibly less likely to tolerate issues than the mid-range.
If companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Cisco, Oracle, and Dell took that approach, they'd either be at the back of the pack or out of business.....
In this Technology Age, the best companies are always pushing the envelope.
Should be fun to watch them build the same 'high quality, durable, incredibly engineered' vehicles with a whole lot smaller work force.
So... Microsoft taking 5+ years between operating systems instead of their usual 2-3 is them pushing the envelope and throwing caution to the wind? Hardly. With more and more heat from Linux and OSX, Microsoft is taking their time to make sure Vista is as polished out of the gate as absolutely possible. They will not rush it out now and then try to fix all of the broken features in the field.
Cisco has quite a sterling reputation in the networking world. I seriously doubt they would risk that image by putting out any product that had not been tested to death.
Dell got to the position they are in with a combination of brokering special deals from best buddy Intel, clever marketing, and by undercutting the competition on price thanks to Japanese style manufacturing efficiency. Not the products themselves. They make a windows box just like everyone else. I really dont see how they apply.
Increasing complexity without improving function is a regressive design philosophy.
What about multi-zone HVAC systems that cost an arm and a leg to fix. Is there any real benefit when most of the time there is only one person in the car? Moreover, when one wants to change the temp most people simply manually crank the temp up or down anyway. Do we really need/want four zone HVAC? Speaking of simple solutions, how about a Disco with a leather interior, no sunroofs to leak and a diesel? Same thing with the E Series Diesel. I'll bet there would be a market here in the US for a no NAV, stick shift version that could be a car guy's Last New Car. Speaking of interiors, most manufacurters charge $1100 for a sun roof. Every one gets one. Yet, in the Northeast, I just don' t see them being used. At all. Even the rear edge is rarely raised as a vent.
M
The dealer offering a 2 Yr warrenty with god only knows what restrictions..for $5,000 dollars is another big piece of the Puzzle..
Your own research into how reliable that model is (is not) Does not match up with your desire to keep the car long term.
The Price you paid for a relatively new model...(a good price) Cries out why such a good price.
Life is far too short to subject yourself to the frustration you know is coming...
If you are a Conservative sell the car to a LIBERAL...If you are a LIBERAL sell it to a Conservative...It will help ease the pain of selling a car you REALLY like...
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/briefs/0,1574,1728454,00.html
Merc1, we all respect your views and particularly your passion for MB. Please don't give up.
Hey I like that!
Well there isn't anything for me to "give up" on, its more like there really isn't anything of interest to discuss here at the moment. I'm reading the same boring stuff over and over, usually about a German brand so I decided that I'd wait for a new subject or direction before posting again. I would like to talk about something different or at least something we all (or at least most of us) can at least see somewhat eye to eye on.
Not to promote another mesg board (or put down Edmunds) but there are some sites out there that have a large international community of posters that make the discussions a little more lively and less one-sided.
M
http://www.automotive.com/features/90/auto-news/15587/index.html
BMW: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/10/03/144737.html
The industry as a whole had a real tough time selling SUVs in Sep, due to the gas price spike. Lexus held up ok I think. But I think recent rx400h sales are a bit underwhelming. Possibly still supply-constrained, I haven't followed it that closely.
If I were MB I'd be disappointed that the new ML was up only 21% yty in Sep. Plus the R doesn't seem to be jumping out of the gate.
The ML, CLS and SLK (new models) have been pulling all the weight so far this year. Its too early to tell whether or not the R is going to do anything since for Sept it was only on sale for the last two weeks of the month. The E seems to have regained its former sales lead on a month to month basis, but for the year its going to be a fight to the end with the 5-Series for year end honors it seems. I guess the initial shock of all the new competition (both external and internal in the CLS) has worn off.
As always the luxury brands will rally in the last few months, especially Dec when they all run their biggest promotions of the year.
Though the C-Class did manage a small increase last month, its the S-Class that will really start to turn things around starting in Feb. Then sometime next summer the E will get its mid-life facelift.
M