2016 Mar/Apr - 190SL Group

March/April 2016
“The Star Letter” of the Virginia Section, MBCA
Event Reminder
Mar 6 …….… Adopt-A-Street
Mar 26 …....... Bulbs & Brew
Apr 2 ………………..Cruise to
………………..Fredericksburg
Apr 9 … Driveway Mechanics
Adopt-A-Street, Sunday,
March 6, 2016
This will be our first 2016 cleaning up of the portion of Virginia Beach
Boulevard near the Mercedes-Benz dealership as part of the Adopt-AStreet Program sponsored by the City of Virginia Beach.
Windsor Brabson will lead the clean-up, meeting on Sunday, March 6,
2016 at 8:00 a.m. in the Charles Barker Mercedes-Benz Front Parking
Lot. The logistics of the cleanup and the equipment issue will be provided at the meeting.
Please contact Windsor L. Brabson at 408-3560 or wlbrab@gmail.com
with questions or to volunteer
In This Issue
Page 3...... Calendar of Events
Page 3-6 Event News/Reports
Page 7……………... Valentine
………………...Brunch Photos
Page 8 ………..…. High Gear
Page 10...................Masthead
Member News
Page 11................. Classifieds
Club Websites
National...........www.mbca.org
Virginia Section ......................
sections.mbca.org/virginia
Bulbs and Brew Tour Saturday March 26, 2016.
First ever Bulbs and Brew tour. We'll start the day off at the Hermitage
Museum & Gardens 7637 North Shore Road Norfolk, VA 23505 at 10
A.M. for those that would like to tour the gardens and then at 11 A.M.
we'll have a guided tour through the historic Hermitage Museum. The
Hermitage Museum & Gardens, formerly home to the Sloane family, is
an early 20th century Arts-and-Crafts estate located on the shore of the
Lafayette River in Norfolk, Virginia. The Hermitage features a nationally recognized art collection spanning 5,000 years, contemporary exhibition galleries, a Visual Arts Studio, and 12 acres of gardens and
grounds that offer art and culture to the community, as envisioned by the
Sloanes.
The Hermitage is a part of the prestigious Smithsonian Affiliations program. Smithsonian Affiliations was created to share the Smithsonian's
collections, exhibitions, scholarship, and programming beyond its own museums, in order to Continued on Page 3
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Mercedes Customer
Commitment Program
•Loanercarwhileyourvehicleisin
forservicemaintenanceorrepairs
•Preferentialschedulingforservice
andcollisionrepairs
•Expressmaintenanceforconvenience
•Carwashwhileinforservice
•24-hourroadsideassistance
•Overnightpartsdelivery
Mercedes-Benz Service Specials
Maintenance Special
Tire Specials
15 oFF
%
Authorized Four
Wheel Alignment
2000 oFF
$
Any scheduled maintenance
*Excludes Express Oil Change Service. Must have coupon.
April
Not valid with any other discounts. Expires
ExpiresAugust
June 30,
30,
2015.
31,2016
2015
(with authorized Mercedes-Benz
wheel weights)
1000 oFF
$
*Excludes Diagnostic Charges. Must have coupon.
2016
Not valid with any other discounts. Expires
Expires
June30,
30,
2015.
Expires April
August
31,
2015
Complete Detail
Our Service Department
is open 6 days a week.
Regularly $18995
169
Now only $
Four Wheel Tire Balancing
Gift certificates available. Call for details.
95 with coupon
Monday - Friday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
*Must have coupon. Not valid with any other discounts. Expires
ExpiresApril
June 30,
30,
2015.
August
31,
2015
2016
Mercedes-Benz Premier Express Service –
While You Wait
Get routine vehicle service maintenance while you wait, without having to make an appointment.*
Visit our website where you can shop our new car inventory anytime:
MBVaBeach.com
Certified Dealer for Sprinter
Service 757.499.3773 | Parts 757.499.3775
4949 Virginia Beach Boulevard Virginia Beach, VA 23462
*Actual time may vary based on certain external circumstances.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS - 2016
VIRGINIA SECTION, MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB AMERICA
Virginia Section Events
Jun 4-5 SummerFest at NCCAR Track
Contact: Don LaBar
Mar 6 Adopt-A-Street Clean-Up
Contact: Windsor Brabson
MBCA Region & National Events
Mar 26 Bulbs & Brew
Contact: Dwight Fnini
Aug 8 StarFest 2016, Uncasville, CT
Apr 2 Cruise to Fredericksburg
Contact: Jerry Schonfeld
Apr 9 Driveway Mechanics
Contact: Jim Villers
May 8 Mothers Day Brunch
Contact: Tom Dawson
May 15 Adopt-A-Street Clean-Up
Contact: Windsor Brabson
Continued from Page 1
broaden public knowledge of science, history, world culture, and the arts. The Hermitage is the only museum in
the Tidewater region to be accepted into this program. For more information go to
http://www.thehermitagemuseum.org/
At noon we'll rally up and take a short drive over to the O'Connor Brewing Company 211 W 24th St, Norfolk,
VA 23517 for some complimentary samples and a guided tour of the brewery. The O’Connor Brewing Co. is a
mighty yet humble craft brewery located in an “industrial section” of Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood/district. Featured Food Truck scheduled for the event: Thai Express. If Thai is not your thing, they also allow outside food
(picnic basket, pizza delivery, etc.).
Cost for the Hermitage House Tour is $12, Gardens and Grounds Tour $5, (House and Garden Combo Tour
$16).
Please contact me by sending text message to 757-303-0950 or an email to DwightFinnie@aol.com.
Please remember to support our advertisers they support our club and Das Stern Blatt
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Afternoon Tour Options: If interested, there are
other historical tours to Rising Sun Tavern, Hugh
Mercer Apothecary and the Mary Washington
House. Allow 45 minutes. Costumed interpretation.
Cost: $4.00 per person (10 person minimum), Regular rate: $5:00 per person.
Cruising Down a Country
Road to Fredericksburg Saturday, April 2, 2016
We’ll arrive at 11:30 a.m. in Fredericksburg for
lunch at the Bavarian Chef, http://
www.thebavarianchef.com/fredericksburg.html
Travel plans are to gather at Tysinger MercedesBenz 2712 Magruder Blvd , Hampton, VA 23666 at
8:30AM and leave at 9AM sharp. When leaving
Tysinger, make a left on Magruder Blvd and then
immediately turn right onto Hamton Parkway. Then
make a right at the first exit onto int 64 West. Leave
int64 at exit255B onto Jefferson Ave. Stay on Jefferson for about 5 miles and make a right onto rt.105
East. A few miles up make a left onto rt.17 North
and go over the Coleman Bridge ($2.00 toll). Just
after crossing the bridge stay on the right and pull
into the parking lot of Colonial Virginia Bank (1553
George Washington Memorial Parkway, Glouster
Point, VA) and wait for everyone to catch up. We
will also pick up our Yorktown and Williamsburg
members who skipped Tysinger. We will stay on
rt.17 North not exceeding the speed limits. As we
enter Tappahannock, there will be a Sheetz gas station on the right. (1804 Tappahannock Blvd, Tappahannock, VA). Pull into the parking lot for a rest stop
and for everyone to catch up. This will be about 1
and a half hours from the start. We will then continue
north on rt.17 to Fredericksburg. As we get close to
town, watch carefully for the right turn onto rt 17
Business. This road will become Caroline Ave. Our
lunch stop will be the Bavarian Chef Restaurant
which is in the Amtrak Station on the left. There is a
free parking lot on the right across from the station at
Caroline and Frederick St. For GPS the restaurant is
at 200 Lafayett Blvd, Fredericksburg,VA 224016067. Lunch is at 11:30AM. We will be 2 blocks
from the Visitor's Center at 706 Caroline St. After
lunch we have planned a 75 minute private trolly
tour of the area with a guide($16/person). We will be
picked up at the restaurant at 1:30PM and dropped
off at the visitor's center.
After lunch, we’ll tour historical Fredericksburg
from 1:00 p.m.-2:15 p.m. on Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg – 540-898-0737
www.fredericksburgtrolley.com. Board Trolley
Tours of Fredericksburg for a 75-minute trolley tour
to see some of Old Town Fredericksburg’s most historic sites and streets with a trained, licensed guide.
Learn about the many famous and interesting people
and events that have taken place since the city was
established in 1728. If you listen closely, you may
even pick up a few amusing and not-so-well known
facts about the people and places that you will see
along the way! The kind of things you won't learn
just walking around on your own. After your tour,
you will have a better idea of the local history and
the many attractions Fredericksburg has to offer.
You will also have a better idea of where you want to
start as you go back to visit the many living history
museums, homes and businesses of Fredericksburg
most famous residents. People like George Washington, Mary Washington, and James Monroe. Places
like the Rising Sun Tavern, Fredericksburg's only
proper tavern and the former home of Charles Washington, Dr. Hugh Mercer's apothecary shop, Kenmore Plantation and many more.
Cost: $16.00, minimum of 20 participants.
The Trolley will pick us up at the Bavarian Chef,
and drop us off at Visitor Center.If there are less than
20 participants, Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg has
a regular tour that leaves at 1:30 from the Visitor
Center. Tickets may be purchased in advance on
their website or the day of the tour at the Visitor
Center. Cost $18.00 per person.
There are also unique shopping experiences in Old
Continued on Page 5
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Town.
There is always plenty time for looking into other
problems or to just "kick-the-tires" . That is the way
these sessions work, it is really an open forum for
what ever drives in. Mechanic activities will start
around 9:30 a.m. We normally finish up by 1:00. For
those needing advice on a problem, or needing a bit
of encouragement to troubleshoot a problem, come to
this event.
When you have had enough, you are free to head
home on your own.
PLEASE contact me early for reservations. The trolly
has a max of 32.
Your contact for reservations and questions will be
Jerry Schonfeld, 757-488-7786 or by cell 757-567If you would like to put your project on the schedule
7600 or jerryschonfeld@yahoo.com. Also for quesor desire information contact Jim Villers at 757-481tions is Tom Dawson 757-434-1587 or
6398 or by email
at 190SLJim@cox.net.
Driveway
Pictures
- July 25, 2015
TDawson50@aol.com.
Upper Right - .Tony Botticello, Jack Piatak, Roy Wiley,
Bob Goodwin and Dwight Fini enjoy poking fun at Roy’s
Driveway Mechanics
450SE.
Valentines Day Brunch Report
Gathering - Saturday Apr 9
February 7, 2016
Lower Left - Bobby Ross and Jim Freeh change the distributer rotors and caps in Bobby’s SL500.
This will be the first Driveway Mechanic Gathering
What a wonderful morning at the Signature Grill. A
of the new year and the opportunity to get out and
a little
wind
but the sun
was
Upperchilly
Rightmorning
- Davidwith
Ostrom,
Tony
Botticello,
Jack
join fellow club members for coffee, donuts and a
bright
and
the
roads
were
clear
for
the
drive
past
Piatak, Charles Winsted and Dwight Fini work with thethe
little car work. It is now time to begin thinking about Virginia Beach Municipal Center to the Signature
fuel injection cleaner/tester that was demonstrated by Jim
your spring car projects that you can bring to the
Golf course. We were met by club members upon
Villers.
gathering and share with your fellow club members.
arrival and the group kept growing until the room was
Mercedes-Benz
& BMW Specialists
MERCEDES-BENZ PARTS
Complete Maintenance Facility
Custom Paint & Body Work
Professional Auto Detailing
Accepts All Insurance Claims
Towing Available
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OF
EXCELLENCE
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1999
2000
2003
2005
2004
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5
2007
2006
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RECOGNITION
AWARD
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the wonderful saturated fat.
During the Brunch, we were entertained by Frank
Cubillo, a terrific entertainer known as “Frank Sings
Frank” as he sung Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits and
other songs of the era. We were all captivated.
The Brunch Attendees with a 2016 Maybach
pleasantly filled. It was good to see our car club
friends again and to catch up on some of life's
events in front of the fire and the warm picture of
Arnold Palmer. Our hosts, Bobby & Pat Ross had
decorated the room with roses, festive balloons and
bags full of tissue paper and sprinkled hearts on the
table cloth.
The brunch concluded with a drawing of tickets for
door prizes. The door prizes were donated by Mercedes of Virginia Beach. We also had a 50/50 drawing with a twist; the two halves of the pot going to
different tickets. Of interest, both halves were won
by the Freeh family. Lots of good stuff.
It was a fun.
Please remember to support our
advertisers - they support our club
and Das Stern Blatt
When the brunch was ready, we filled our plates
with the normal fare of eggs, bacon, fruit, grits, and
a cooked to order omelet which had far too much of
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Valentine’s Day Brunch
February 7, 2016
Top-L Hosts Pat & Bobby Ross
Mid-L Great food
Mid-L Frank sings Sinatra
L-L Frank charms the women
Top-R The dining room
M-R Frank in the chorus line
Bottom-R Jim Freeh and his Daughter, double 50-50
winners
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Rivers Inn Drive-N-Dine May 20
Imperfections and idiosyncrasies are endearing. Would
we love Marylyn Monroe quite so much if she did not
have that damned mole, a gross solecism, on her flawless cheek? The English-speaking people adored King
George because of, not despite, his blasted sssstammer.
Would the Liberty Bell be our national icon without the
crack? I rest my case.
actually a feather in the cap of Mercedes-Benz the purveyor of fine motorcars. Intelligent well adjusted folks purchase Mercedes automobiles in droves. However, they
don’t join our club in commensurate numbers because
there is no impetus to gather together and commiserate.
This conundrum has preoccupied my thoughts for quite
some time. I now have arrived at a solution.
Well the same thing applies to motorcars. The largest
marque based organization in the country is the Porsche
Club of America. As everyone who has driven one well
and truly knows, Porsches have always been quirky.
Rear weight bias that surpasses Michelle Obama and a
swing axle made the 356s from Zuffenhausen positively
suicidal… and beloved. Try lifting off in a tight corner
while driving a 911 and you will get a feel for Porsche
heritage and a 360 degree view of the scenery. Porsche
aficionados are enamored of their funky cars. They only
moan and complain when the company brings out a perfectly sensible SUV or a practical four door saloon.
There are many superannuated, clapped-out vehicles on
the used car market which still wear the silver star. These
former luxury and sports vehicles surviving from a bygone
generation are mere shadows of their former selves. They
are rusted and misused, damaged and neglected. Long out
of warranty, characterized by outdated technology and yesteryear’s styling they have fallen into the hands of young
louts, dissolute eccentrics and chronic underachievers who
have not had the means to maintain then. While these fine
cars were built without planned obsolescence, careless
owners have inflicted a cruel toll. The presently tarted up,
bondo botched, erstwhile reliable beauties have become a
pitiable scourge.
Now anyone familiar with the enthusiast car scene knows
that the most fanatical crew are the devotees of English
cars. The sun has never set on the British automobile
devotee, despite the fact that most of Albion’s erstwhile
grand marques have gone the way of the raj and the stiff
upper lip. There are still MG and Triumph clubs. Even the
Bristol and the Armstrong Siddley continue to have a following. These thoroughly decent chaps gather not to extol the virtues of their chosen objects of affection. On the
contrary the anglophiles revel in droll stories of Lucas
electrical systems and the prince of darkness; of drinking
warm beer from Lucas refrigerators. These upper crusty
fans of Masoch and the Marquis de Sade exchange
twisted stories of exquisite pain and mechanical disaster
by the side of the road.
Given this unaccountable perversion in the human character, is it any wonder that we in the Mercedes-Benz
Club of America are occasionally plagued with modest
membership numbers and unimpressive event participation? When is the last time you shared an exciting tale of
having been stranded by your Mercedes? Have you ever
reveled in the psychotropic sensation of inhaling the
smoke of a burning wiring harness? How often have you
boasted of the design flaws which give your car character? Need I say more?
Here’s my plan for enlivening our club and multiplying its
membership. Owners of new Mercedes-Benz characterized
by flawless perfection should be encouraged to adopt a
fallen starship from the distant past as a humanitarian act
of charity. I am not talking about acquiring a concours,
trailer queen. I mean buying a used car lot nightmare with
sagging doors, bubbles in the paint and blue exhaust
smoke; a car which has been cruelly abused by the heedless rabble.
Now the new adoptive owners of the old stray thunkers will
have mechanical problems with which to contend. There
will be adventures with tow truck drivers and heart to heart
discussions with parts merchants. They will experience the
agony of the failure to start and the occasional ecstasy of
the solved electrical problem. In general, there will be the
need for a support group; for a shoulder on which to cry; for
a source of friendly counsel. Enter the Mercedes-Benz Club
of America.
This adoption program represents the last, best hope for
our gallant car club. We have sought in vane the compelling topic of conversation among the satisfied owners of
new and wonderful vehicles. Let us find our camaraderie in
the shared chagrin of the used car tinker.
So the bane of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America is
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2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 Sport Sedan
MSRP *$38,950
$399/mo for 36
months
* Based on approved credit, $4,553 due at signing, based on a 10,000 miles per year. Tax tags, license
fees not included.
MERCEDES-BENZ
TEAM
SALES
Keith McCullers
Dhruv Barot
Terron Grandy
FINANCE
Miles Burcher
Blake Tysinger
SERVICE
Kim Kelly
Tysinger Automotive Family
Celebrating over 90 years of service in Hampton Roasds
SALES 757-865-8000 SERVICE 757-251-2778
2712 MAGRUDER BLVD. HAMPTON, VA 23666
TYSINGER.COM
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Virginia Section MBCA Officers
MBCA Discount Car Rentals
PRESIDENT
Don LaBar
1274 Christian Court
Virginia Beach 23464
757 620-6772
dlabar3@verizon.net
VICE-PRESIDENT
Jerry Schonfeld
5000 Portsmouth Blvd
Portsmouth, VA 23701
757 488-7786
jerryschonfeld@yahoo.com
SECRETARY
Tom Dawson
The New Members List could
not be accessed from the
MBCA database because of a
technical error. Members not
welcomed in this issue, will be
included in the next Stern Blatt.
125 Brittany Ln
Suffolk, VA 23435
757-434-1587
TDawson50@aol.com
TREASURER
Dwight Finnie
302 Hope Ct
Newport News, VA 23602
757-303-0950
therednsx@aol.com
DIRECTORS
Bobby Ross
Don LaBar
Jim Villers
Pat Evans
757 291-8550
757-620-6772
757 481-6398
757 238-2824
COMMITTEES
Membership
Windsor Brabsom
757-408-3560 ramonamac1@verizon.net
Marketing
757-274-7423
Peter Spring
prspring@me.com
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Jim Villers
3133 Inlet Road
Virginia Beach 23454
757 481-6398
190SLJim@cox.net
Eastern Regional Director
James Roberts
205-529-0071
jertoothsaver@gmail.com
Welcome! It is always our
pleasure to meet new
members. We encourage you
to attend one of our Virginia
Section events.
Multiple Section Membership
Available
The MBCA National Business
Office is setup so that it is
possible for members to have
membership in an additional
section or sections.
The
membership cost is $15 per
additional section. Members
will receive newsletters from
additional sections and
membership in the additional
section(s) must run concurrent
with the member’s existing
membership expiration date.
To take advantage of this new
benefit contact the National
Business Office at the address
and phone number to the right.
Please remember to
support our advertisers they support our club
10
MBCA membership can save
you money on car rentals via
Avis and Hertz discounts. To
obtain your discount use
MBCA code T686500 for Avis
at (800) 331-1212 or MBCA
code CDP1230354 for Hertz at
(800 654-2200. Discounts and
special rates are available in
the U.S and Canada only.
Newsletter Ideas
Appreciated
Anyone having information or
articles that might be of interest
to the membership should
contact Jim Villers at 757 4816398 or by E-mail at
190SLJim@cox.net.
Membership questions?
Gift memberships?
Address change?
Want to join MBCA?
Renewing?
All the above and more can be
done at www.mbca.org
Don’t want to use the web?
Don’t have a computer?
Call 800-637-2360
Mailing address:
MBCA
1907 LeLaray Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Please do not send
address changes to
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Trading Post
Members are invited to submit Trading Post ads at no
charge. Photos are $25. All ads must be auto related.
Send all personal ads to Jim Villers.
Rita Stanley 1933 - 2015
Advertising in the Das Stern Blatt does not imply approval
or sanction of products or services by the Virginia
Section, MBCA, its members, or MBUSA.Das Stern Blatt
is the official newsletter of the Virginia Section of the
Mercedes-Benz Club America, Inc. Publication is bimonthly. Copyright © 2007 by the Virginia Section,
MBCA. Articles may be reprinted in newsletters for
members of MBCA, giving credit. Other use without
written permission is prohibited.
I couldn’t resist including this picture of our
“Snow Frog”. Picture taken from our deck after
the February snow. Editor
Virginia Section Discount Club
Ten Percent on Labor Only
Ten Percent on Parts & Labor
Mercedes-Benz of Virginia Beach
Discount on total parts andl abor charges.
parts and labor charges.
See our ad in this issue.
757 499-3771
Tysinger Mercedes-Benz – Hampton, Virginia
Discounts are limited to the first $250 of TOTAL
parts and labor charges. SENIOR CITIZENS RECEIVE
AN UNLIMITED 10% DISCOUNT.
See our ad in this issue.
757 865-8000
European Autowerks, Inc – Virginia Beach, Virginia
Discount limited to first $200 with MBCA card
Chuck Cesil & Gary Wheeler
757 490-7471
Auto Haus – Yorktown, Virginia
See our ad in this issue
757 898-7121
Ten Percent on Parts Only
Larry’s Import Center - Virginia Beach, Virginia
See our ad in this issue.
757 422-3295
Advertise Your Business Here in Das
For advertising questions and rates contact:
Marketing Director - Peter Spring 757-274-7423
Stern Blatt
pspring@me.com
Printing by House of Printing,Virginia Beach, 757 368-5200
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3133 Inlet Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
FIRST CLASS
Virginia Section, MBCA
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