Originally Posted by
NWGACarGuy
I was hoping that by now someone would check-in with a similar finding in the shifter mechanism of their Crossfire, or offer some insider knowledge or explanation about the apparently non-standard "bushngs" and mechanism fabrication that I had uncovered. Lacking that, and not a lot of apparent interest in this topic, I think I will dispense with this sad saga and merely finish by saying that the "bushings" are junk and have no business in the application for which they were used. The fabrication of the mechanism was about as crude and poorly designed and executed a piece of automotive engineering as I have ever seen. I am deeply disappointed to have found such junk in the manufacture of my Crossfire. I am right in the middle of a throttle body/stealth airbox upgrade, and have just installed a Needswings Oil Catch Can. The car looks beautiful. Occasionally it even runs and drives pretty darn good. When I finish putting it back together, I will sell it for whatever I can get for it and be glad to be rid of it, which with full disclosure of its sordid history will probably not be much. I guess it was bound to happen. I have bought, improved, maintained, driven and sold over 30 different cars, and I have never been as badly swindled and fooled as I have by this one. I am happy for those of you who love your Crossfires. I just wish I did too.
The quality of vehicles today are horrible, given that, engineers do not put the customer first. They are driven by the bottom line, and Mercedes Benz is not immune to the fact that todays consumers are trapped by worldwide competition and cheaply designed vehicles made to drive customers to take their cars to dealership shops (in which after the messy divorce between Chrysler and Mercedes Benz was so widely known after buying the Crossfire, it just doesn't practically exist).
We members take all the bad with the good while we find ways to keep our XF's on the road and running. Independent European car shops are the fallback when we cannot do the work ourselves (since MB wants NOTHING to do with the Crossfire). It is a bas-tard child that Chrysler wants in their service bays (only to take a chunk out of the owners pocket, it seems). While there is a very small number of dealerships that may still have the specialized tools and diagnostic equipment, we (members) are still finding ppl who think the dealership is the place to go for their car.
I may be wrong about who designed the manual shift mechanism (I do not own one nor have I seen whether or not there is a MB number stuck or stamped on the assembly), I believe the drive train is all MB. So, it isn't the car nameplate that made the cheap bushings, it is the economics of the business models of products being made that seem to start breaking down after the factory warranty. I am glad you have vented, there isn't a member here that finds the fact MB made the car and doesn't claim it's heritage. Seems to me MB shuns it because it is a red headed stepchild, may never be in a MB dealership shop unless it is done on the side (a friend, dealership needing the $, and so on).
Good luck with your car, when you are tired of it someone may buy it (either trade or sell yourself).
GrapiteGhost.
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