MBCA|KC - der Benz Newsletter April/May 2016

Mercedes-Benz Club of AmericaKansas City Section

April May 2016

April First Saturday Breakfast - Paintless Dent Repair Demo withRussell Simmons

Our speaker for the Apri l FirstSaturday Breakfast was RussellSimmons, owner of Simmon'sPaintless Dent Repair. Russell cameto talk to us about his work, and to doa demonstation so that our memberscould see how it is done. Russell hasover twenty years of experienceworking on Paintless Dent Repair(PDR) and has developed several ofthe tools used in the practice. Histechniques can be used on a variety ofdents large and small . Russell shareda story about a customer who hadsaved for two years, taking the bus towork to buy her car. Not long afterpurchasing her own car, it was backedinto in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Unableto afford the cost of a traditional bodyshop repair, Russell was asked to see

what he could do. Russell showed before and afterpictures, where he was able to pul l a large dent out of theside of the car, leaving it looking as if it had neverhappened.

After speaking inside briefly, the group moved outsidewhere Peggy Bevan's car was brought into the garage andRussell "setup shop" and explained the process as heworked on a small dent on the passenger side door.Russell showed various tools he uses, and also talkedabout how they are made, and the types of steel used toform the tools. The tools need to be rigid enough torehape the sheet metal, but flexible enough to work in tightspaces.

Above, Russell works with a tool inside the door to push out the dent al ittle at a time. Right, Russell careful ly taps the edge of the dent backdown.

Questions? Call your section president at 91 3.579.631 8 or the National Business Office at 1 .800.637.2360 M-F, 8am-5pm MT. Or visit www.mbca.org

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Questions? Call your section president at 91 3.579.631 8 or the National Business Office at 1 .800.637.2360 M-F, 8am-5pm MT. Or visit www.mbca.orgQuestions? Call your section president at 91 3.579.631 8 or the National Business Office at 1 .800.637.2360 M-F, 8am-5pm MT. Or visit www.mbca.org

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It seems like no sooner thanmy snow blower was putaway that it was time to getthe lawnmower ready for theseason. Is it me, or didSpring come virtual lyovernight? Not that I 'mcomplaining. Putting away acompletely unused snowblower along with the snowshovel a couple of weeks ago made me realize that as far asmidwestern winters go, we got off easy this time. So, lets countour blessings as we stab the accelerator and hurtle headlong intothe 201 6 driving season!

By now the top is down on my 560SL and I imagine that a lot ofother roadsters and convertibles are now basking in the sun thatis staying a little longer each day and has recently beenaugmented by Daylight Savings Time. I hope everyoneremembers to do a spring check-up. You don't have to take thecar to the shop to check the most basic yet vital things: tirepressures often get a l ittle off over the winter months. As long asyou're checking the air pressure, take a look at the tread wear.Time for new tires? Checking the fluid levels should be a monthlyor even weekly routine depending on the car, but with the nicerweather there is no excuse for not staying on top of this.Windshield a l ittle streaked? Maybe its time to throw on a newset of wiper blades. Having just replaced a windshield on myML320, it made me notice just how bad the wiper blades hadbecome over the winter.

Maybe you're due for an oil change. Check the little sticker in theupper corner of the windshield if that's where the mechanic putsone or check your log book: keep true to the intervals thatMercedes-Benz recommends for your particular model. In thecase of garage queens that don't rack up the ful l interval of milesthat a daily driver does, change that oi l once a year. Oil canabsorb moisture, even sitting in a garage.

Once you've got your spring check-up completed, focus onbringing some new driving ideas to one of our monthly breakfastmeetings. We are in dire need of folks to plan First SundayDrives for June & beyond, and we are always looking for new anddifferent things to do. Your officers and board members can only

do so much, and we are counting on you to bring yourideas to the table and help implement them.

We are working on yet another Defensive Driving and

First Saturday Breakfast -

Apri l 1

Starfest 201 6 Ad 2

President's Message 3

MBKC Ad 4

Upcoming Spaßnacht

locations 5

Art of the Machine 5

Aristocrat Motors Ad 6

Eveland Bros. Ad 7

For Sale 7

CoreFirst Ad 8

Allow Wheel Repair Ad 8

High Performance Cars 9

Uplift Ad 1 0

Butler C&D Ad 1 0

My First Benz 1 0

New Members 11

Calendar of Events 1 2

President's MessageIn This Issue:

https://www.facebook.com/kcmbcaContinues on Page 5

Star Magazine collection from1 982 to date. Perfect condition.Best offer. Located in Columbia,MO, Harold Schmidt, 573-449-4480, [email protected].

For Sale:


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Auto-Cross event for later this year detai ls to fol low soon. The annualOktoberfest All-German Car Show wil l be October 2nd this year. Wewil l sti l l continue to do our regular Spaßnacht nights and the previouslymentioned First Sunday Drives, but I know that some of you havesome really cool ideas for places to go or things to do that we just havenot thought of. So please lend a hand and help keep the Kansas CitySection on the leading edge.

Have a safe summer of motoring and we'l l see you soon! !

Kevin Arburn

201 6 MBCA Kansas City SectionOfficers and Board of Directors

Spaßnacht

June 20, 201 6

Jess & Jim's51 7 E. 1 35th St.Kansas City, MO

July 1 8, 201 6

Granite City Brewery8461 Prairie View Rd.Kansas City, MO

Officers Phone E-mailKevin Arburn, President (91 3) 648-7675 [email protected] Harns, Vice President (81 6) 81 2-9495 [email protected] Moody, Secretary (91 3) 685-8573 [email protected] Harns, Treasurer (81 6) 81 2-9495 [email protected]

Board of DirectorsBob Del Popolo (91 3) 888-261 7 [email protected] Poduch (91 3) 327-1 632 [email protected] Carlson (91 3) 897-0260 [email protected] Smith (91 3) 268-8984 [email protected] Harns (81 6) 81 2-9495 [email protected] Ryan (91 3) 543-1 252 [email protected] Clark Mell ina [email protected] Foster [email protected] Brubaker [email protected]

Newsletter EditorMark Moody (91 3) 685-8573 [email protected] Ryan (91 3) 268-1 252 [email protected] DirectorBob Del Popolo (91 3) 888-261 7 [email protected] Regional DirectorJason Burton (31 2) 224-1 787 [email protected]

Spaßnacht: No agenda,

just good food and good

company!

Got a favorite restaurant?Suggest it as a Spaßnacht

destination!

April 1 8, 201 6

Chappell's323 Armour Road

North Kansas City, MO

May 1 6, 201 6

Q391 000 W. 39th St.Kansas City, MO

President's Message Continued

Save The Date!

Art of the Machine - Sunday June 5th

Join us for our annual display of cars at the City Market. The CityMarket prefers that al l club members arrive at 1 0:00 a.m. as a groupand remain in the Market unti l 2:00 pm. for safety reasons. Cars wil lenter and exit through the back gate at 3rd and Walnut and displaytheir vehicles in the third covered pavil ion, located on the north side ofthe Market. The City Market Farmers’ Market continues to grow so itmight be possible that some farmer market vendors wil l need to use aportion of the 3rd pavil ion.


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Have you had a chance to visit our newestadvertiser in Der Benz? Kansas City Auto Gifts& Accessories is a fun place to see the hugeinventory of die-cast and other car models andto pick up some wall art, custom floor mats,auto-decor or even some of your favorite cardetai l ing supplies. My new favorite is theChemical Guys leather cleaner and leathercréme. Owner Rob Howard has been involvedin automotive pursuits most of his adult l ife andopening this store seemed like a logical

extension of his love for things automotive. Plus,no one was really doing this in the GreaterKansas City Area. Stop by and say hi to Rob.He's real ly personable and can help you pick outjust the right gift for that car freak or model carcollector in your l ife. They are located in thatshopping center on the northwest corner of 87thStreet & Quivira in Lenexa. Just west of I -35:1 201 0 W 87th St. Check out their web site:http: //www.kcautoacc.com/

New Advertiser - KC Auto Gifts and AccesoriesKevin Arburn

Logo Items for Sale!

We sti l l have some MBCA – Kansas City tote bagsand trunk organizers for sale: $20 each. We wil l tryto bring some to each monthly breakfast meeting –while they last – or if you want to reserve one sendan email to [email protected] or call or text Kevin@ 91 3-579-631 8 and leave a message.


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Each time I stop by Aristocrat Motors for whateverreason, I always wander over into the Mercedesshow room to lust after the new AMG-GT. I knowthat I am just one lottery ticket away from myhigh-performance dream car. : ) Looking back onmy experiences with Mercedes-Benz, from thefirst 240D to my current stable of an '03 ML320and '87 560SL, I started to final ly real ize thecommon theme with not only my cars, but friendscars and virtual ly al l Mercedes-Benz vehicles:They are ALL high-performance cars.

The simple truth is that al l Mercedes perform at ahigh level. The little '78 240D that my momowned and I inherited was as rel iable as rain andalways started, sipped diesel fuel and had a veryshort repair l ist. My ML320 is a replacement for aChevy Silverado pickup truck that l iteral ly ate mealive on parts replacement and had the unerringtendency to not start at the worse possible times.Sure, I 've had some repairs with the ML, but it isnow thirteen years old and approaching 200,000miles. Sorry, but American cars just do not lastthat long in everyday driving situations. My 1 987560SL is the only car, foreign or domestic, that has NEVER leaked, dripped, seeped or otherwiseoozed any automotive fluids. THAT folks, is a quality build.

The stories go on and on - not just mine but from thousands of Mercedes owners world-wide.Quality, rel iabi l ity and probably the most important - SAFETY - are the hallmarks of the brand. Evenif your Mercedes-Benz is not tagged with an AMG badge, trust me: it is sti l l a high-performance car.

High Performace Carsby Kevin Arburn

Save The Date!

First Sunday Drive - Sunday May 1 st

For May, our First Sunday Drive wil l take us toPowell Gardens near Lone Jack, MO. We wil l take aback roads route there, offering some scenic andenjoyable driving to get there. After we arrive, youwil l be able to park and strol l l the grounds and enjoyall the May flowers that these Apri l showers wil lbring. Be sure to wear your walking shoes, thegardens are extensive. Afterwords, join us for a biteto eat before heading home.

We wil l meet in the US Bank parking lot 11 9th St &Roe, accross from Town Center Plaza. Arrive t thebank just ahead of noon for a noon departure.


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KCMBCA Supports Uplift

Uplift, an al lvolunteerorganizationprovidesmany basicnecessitiesto thehomeless inKansas City. Uplift does not receive anysupport from government or other agencies,instead they rely solely on donations from thecommunity. To find out more about how youcan help, visit their website at www.uplift.org.

Winter Urgent Needs:Men’s and women’s coats,

sweatshirts, hoodies, blankets,gloves, stocking hats, thermal

underwear.

Uplift Organization1 51 6 Prospect Ave.Kansas City, MO 641 2781 6-241 -0060

5747 KesslerMerriam, Kansas 66203Tel: (91 3) 262-91 09Fax: (91 3) 262-2828

Web: www.butlerbody.com

Butler's C & D Body Shop

My first Mercedes was a genuine hand-me-down. My mother had traded in the family Buickafter dad passed away, for a car she describedon the phone as a “l ittle four-cyl inder economycar”. I remember feeling a l ittle sad - thinkingthat she really shouldn't have to sacrifice theluxury of the Buick to save a few bucks. Shedidn't. On that same phone call I asked justwhat kind of car she got. The answer gave me avision of my inheritance vaporizing before myeyes: “Mercedes Benz”. Those two words andthe word “economy” seemed mutually exclusiveto me, but. . . it was her money and she wasentitled to a major extravagance at this point inher l ife. This was 1 978, and I had a lot to learnabout Mercedes Benz.

The 1 978 240D was perfect for her. I t wasclassy enough to make all of her friends envious,

slow enough to avoid most traffic tickets, and itreal ly did sip diesel fuel compared to the nearsingle-digit MPG of the traded-in gas-hog BuickElectra. In the mid-1 980's she did end up havingone pretty serious accident involving the backend of a stationary city bus on an icy winter day,but even though she was injured in the crash (noairbags and one BIG steering wheel) sheinsisted on having the car rebuilt so that shecould hand it off to me when the time came.Bless her heart.

When that time did come in 2007, the l ittle 240had a whopping 65,000 miles on it; hardly aproper break-in time for a Mercedes diesel.While the engine and drive train were in greatshape, the body was another story. Thecobbled-together, non-Mercedes body shop jobafter the accident eventual ly let the rust come

My First Benzby Kevin Arburn


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Willkommen New Members !

We look forward to meeting you soon at one of our events.

Nancy Davis, Leawood, KSTim Gelvin, Leawood, KS

James Grimm, Leawood, KSPatrick Kyle, Kansas City, MO

sweeping in: the rocker panels were history andall four fenders were showing signs of rust-through. We didn't discuss all of the welds onthe floor panels underneath. The interior,however, was perfect. Even with these flaws,

my son summed it up the best: “Who cares? It'ssti l l a Benz.”

After changing the oil a couple of times andgetting the injection timing re-set, the 240D wasa decent driver. I t was OK around town, buthighway speeds required patience and carefulplanning. The paint had oxidized so bad thatwaxing did l ittle good, but with some serioushand polishing I was able to get the finish to anacceptable shine. [This was before I became anobsessive-compulsive detai ler] I drove the carregularly for several months – unti l I found the560SL that I 'd wanted since whenever. With thepurchase of the 560 came a severe lack of

garage space, so we decided the familyheirloom had to go.

I t took less than two hours to sell the l ittle diesel.The local market for the car was terrible, so I

posted the detai ls in theMBCA.org web forums in thediesel section, and within thehour I got an enthusiastic emailfrom a teacher in Amaril lo, TX. Iwas asking $2,000, which wasover double what the car wouldhave brought local ly. His emailwas surreal: “I f I send you acashier's check for $2,000, wil lyou hold the car unti l I can fly upthere go pick it up?” Gee. . . Isuppose. No haggling, just aful l price payment. I t turned outthat the young man from Texashad a 300D that badly needed anew motor drive train, as well assome interior refurbishing andour rusty but low mileageMercedes was a perfect match

for his needs. A trusted mechanic told me thatdue to the hack job by the body shop, the carreally should not be driven extensively andshould probably be parted out. Fine withme. . . the buyer's check had cleared.

Two weeks later I took the final drive in the 240Dwhen we delivered it to the Terminal A lot at KCI .We met the buyer's plane, and before he beganthe long drive back to Amaril lo, I tried to go overal l of the car's faults and peculiarities once again– even though I had sent him dozens ofphotographs of the car – and, I 'm not making thisup - I 'l l never forget his response: “Who cares?It's sti l l a Benz.”

Jul ia Peters, Leawood, KSRichard Robb, Olathe, KS

Clark Rogers, Prairie Vil lage, KS

FIRST CLASS MAILU. S. POSTAGE

PAIDKANSAS CITY, MOPERMIT NO. 2498

Mercedes-Benz Club of AmericaKansas City Section

9403 Hayes Dr.Overland Park, KS 6621 2

Upcoming Club EventsDetails on upcoming events, including breakfast speakers and drive destinations

Be sure to check our website, www.kcmbca.org for the latest information

Apr 2

Spaßnacht 6:30PM - Chappell 's, 323 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO

Breakfast meeting - Guest Speaker Russell Simmons

Apr 1 8

May 1 First Sunday Drive - Powell Gardens (See page 9 for detai ls)

May 7 Breakfast meeting - Guest Speaker Tom Strongman

May 1 6 Spaßnacht 6:30PM - Q39, 1 000 W. 39th St. , Kansas City, MO

June 4 Breakfast meeting - Guest Speaker TBA

June 5 Art of the Machine - City Market 1 0am to 2pm

June 20 Spaßnacht 6:30PM - Jess & Jim's, 51 7 E. 1 35th St. , Kansas City, MO

July 2 Breakfast meeting - Guest Speaker TBA

July 3 First Sunday Drive - Topeka, KS

July 1 8 Spaßnacht 6:30PM - Granite City Brewery, 8461 NW Prairie View Rd. , Kansas City, MO

April

May

June

July

Are YouGetting ourEmail?

Make sure you get al lthe latest information.Sign up on our websiteat www.kcmbca.org. Oruse your smart phoneand the QR code below.

Breakfast is at 9AM the firstSaturday of each month. We meetat the Newport Gri l le located at5501 W. 1 35th St. , Overland Park.

Documents

MBCA|KC - der Benz Newsletter April/May 2016