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Over the last week I have noticed some smokey looking vapor and maybe a slight burning smell arising from under my hood. It is not thick and actually I can only see it if the light hits it correctly. I don't know if it is actually something burning or if I am imagining things. I just got work done (new rotors and brake pads and sensors) and the guy didn't say anything about it. I also opened the hood and didn't see anything smoking. Advice? Car: C280 2000
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Jul 28, 2013 03:39
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Tremek posted:Don't buy that either! I'd much rather have a 318ti than a C230. The C230 is like the Sunfire coupe of Mercedes whereas the 318ti is only like the Citation of BMW. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Jul 28, 2013 |
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Jul 28, 2013 04:16
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Seat Safety Switch posted:I'd much rather have a 318ti than a C230. The C230 is like the Sunfire coupe of Mercedes whereas the 318ti is only like the Citation of BMW. I know this isn't Mercedes talk but yeah, I'm trying to talk her out of it. She really misses the RX-7 we had and wants another manual RWD hatch. I keep telling her for her budget she can get something a lot better; so we'll see. Devyl fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Jul 28, 2013 |
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Jul 28, 2013 04:37
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Seat Safety Switch posted:I'd much rather have a 318ti than a C230. The C230 is like the Sunfire coupe of Mercedes whereas the 318ti is only like the Citation of BMW. Was the sunfire really so bad as to be compared unfavorably to the loving Citation? 
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Jul 28, 2013 04:38
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FIRST TIME posted:Was the sunfire really so bad as to be compared unfavorably to the loving Citation? Originally I said Malibu but there's nothing like the Citation in the modern Chevy lineup (and the Malibu is a bigger car). I think of the Chevette as the Sunfire equivalent and the Citation slots in just above. It's not the worst thing on the planet but it's still not acceptable. The Sunfire, immediately before they killed it, was definitely some kind of war crime.
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Jul 28, 2013 05:03
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It looks like the 2014 S-class is going to be the world's first commercially produced self-driving car (it also has a number of other fun high-tech features, such as all-LED lighting): http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/161832-2014-mercedes-s-class-review-the-best-most-technologically-advanced-car-you-will-ever-drive Well, self-driving on highways and in bumper-to-bumper traffic. And you can't take your hands off the wheel for more than 15 seconds at a time. I doubt many people reading this could ever afford $100k and change for a car, though this thread has me wondering what it'd be like to take care of a car this advanced once it's depreciated to less than 10% of its original MSRP. At least you wouldn't have to worry about changing light bulbs. And if you just want a self-driving car, we will of course see more refined versions of this technology in way less expensive cars within the next decade.
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Jul 28, 2013 14:03
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Stopped by the local MB dealership to see if they had anything cool. Not very many AMGs on the lot this time unfortunately, mostly just new 2014 E350s. In the showroom was a new SL63 and this thing: C63 Edition 507. Sticker $92K but I'd take this over pretty much all other Benzes out right now, it's gorgeous.
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Jul 28, 2013 15:34
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Cyrezar posted:Stopped by the local MB dealership to see if they had anything cool. Not very many AMGs on the lot this time unfortunately, mostly just new 2014 E350s. In the showroom was a new SL63 and this thing: And it sounds absolutely glorious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdtVN_eRN9Q
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Jul 28, 2013 16:09
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Seat Safety Switch posted:You're not gonna like this answer. C230? It's a shame those are such unreliable cars, as I think they look great.
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Jul 28, 2013 22:20
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Just added a 2012 GLK 350 to the stable along side the C32. So many stars in my garage you'd think it's a galaxy.
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Jul 29, 2013 00:13
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CharlesM posted:It's a shame those are such unreliable cars, as I think they look great. It's not so much that they're unreliable, just that they're expensive to maintain and the cost to maintain it isn't offset by the joy of driving it. (It's severely underpowered and handles like rear end.) Cyrezar posted:Stopped by the local MB dealership to see if they had anything cool. Not very many AMGs on the lot this time unfortunately, mostly just new 2014 E350s. In the showroom was a new SL63 and this thing: Yeah, I'll have one of those. (In my dreams)
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Jul 29, 2013 06:44
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2000 Mercedes ML 320. Buddies car will start then immediately die. Maybe a fuel pump? its giving start error on the dash.
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Jul 30, 2013 14:25
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Ugh jesus loving christ. So I took the 2005 C230 Kompressor to the dealership because it felt like it was losing power. They came back and told me the supercharger was bad and needed to be replaced and handed me an invoice for 1700 bucks. Now I've been doing some research online and i see that a lot of times the actual supercharger isn't bad, that it's the snout that goes bad a lot of the times. I've seen snout rebuild kits for like 120 bucks. Would I be better off doing something like that or send it to a shop to have the entire thing rebuilt for $650 bucks or so I've seen online.
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Aug 7, 2013 17:02
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CharlesM posted:It's a shame those are such unreliable cars, as I think they look great. I didn't really have any reliability issues with mine except for a couple of electrics. I didn't like the way the car looked when I bought it but it quickly grew on me. It had more body roll than I like, but the acceleration was an adequate high 7.x to 60. What i liked about the car was the mid-high 30s freeway fuel economy, scads of usable cargo space and the big pano glass roof. The 318 I drove when I was shopping felt really underpowered and didn't have as much space ( I could throw my bikes in the back of the Merc, which was significant to me).
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Aug 7, 2013 18:10
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Whoops double post
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Aug 7, 2013 18:13
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OptimusMatrix posted:Ugh jesus loving christ. So I took the 2005 C230 Kompressor to the dealership because it felt like it was losing power. They came back and told me the supercharger was bad and needed to be replaced and handed me an invoice for 1700 bucks. Now I've been doing some research online and i see that a lot of times the actual supercharger isn't bad, that it's the snout that goes bad a lot of the times. I've seen snout rebuild kits for like 120 bucks. Would I be better off doing something like that or send it to a shop to have the entire thing rebuilt for $650 bucks or so I've seen online. I've never done a supercharger rebuild, but doesn't that take a very serious press to put the bearings back in? Obligatory: Your C230 is a pile of poo poo and should be sold immediately because it will get worse from here.
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Aug 7, 2013 18:22
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Why can I not remove the ignition cylinder on my car? I'm sticking the wires in and everything.
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Aug 7, 2013 23:45
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What about a used supercharger? A low milage will have plenty of life left.
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Aug 8, 2013 00:17
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Unfortunately Mercedes are really nice cars. I really wanted one when I didn't know much about them. Used ones are going really cheap. But now I know, buy brand new or don't buy at all. I had a friend who had to pay $5k to fix a leak in sun roof.
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Aug 8, 2013 01:09
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5k to fix a sunroof? I sure hope there was a couple of kilos of coke in the trunk with this transaction.
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Aug 8, 2013 01:41
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SliceOfPie posted:I had a friend who had to pay $5k to fix a leak in sun roof. I cannot see how this happened. However, if it did, your friend should have solved this with $5 worth of silicon sealant. Sunroof becomes roof. Profit: $4,995
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Aug 8, 2013 16:34
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Who knows, they probably replaced the headliner and maybe even wiring harnesses up there--I can't imagine that would be cheap, especially at a dealer.
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Aug 8, 2013 16:46
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Can some of you good people please explain to me how terrible a decision buying this 1980 300TD would be? I've sent the seller a couple emails and it sounds like the car has started recently, though for the first time in years. Since I can't go see it in person for a couple of weeks I've asked for more pictures, specifically of the rust, and further information about how it was serviced when it was regularly being used. Should I walk away now?
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Aug 12, 2013 22:35
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Don't do it! if you're set on getting a 300TD, nab a 82-85 model. The climate control alone on that 80 is going to cause you so much of a headache. Not worth it at that price.
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Aug 12, 2013 22:45
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So I finally finished my w116 300sd manual trans conversion project. It's definitely a lot more fun to mob around town now. It was a lot easier than it ought to have been. The manual w123 240D driveshaft happened to fit unmodified. Pedal cluster and shifter bolted right in. Only two things that had to be modified at all were the shift linkages needed to be shortened, and the w123 transmission mount crossmember had to have some extra holes drilled in it.
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Aug 13, 2013 21:38
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BrokenKnucklez posted:What about a used supercharger? A low milage will have plenty of life left. That's what I ended up going with. Found one with 60k miles for 500 bucks.
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Aug 15, 2013 09:30
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I went to see this over the weekend: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/4000367996.html - I had seen this car on cl a couple months back but have some money now. The previous owner (from the previous cl post) cut a lot of corners. Painted but didn't fix dents or deal with rust and sunk money into a flowmaster, so it sets off car alarms, while the shift linkage has issues and brakes need attention. My 240D has more character for it's own good but it is relatively safe to drive, as opposed to that thing. This guy paid too much so he is trying to make back some money so no sale with my offer.  At least I now know exactly what I want, now a matter of waiting for it to pop up/finding it. EvilMoFo fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Aug 20, 2013 |
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Aug 19, 2013 19:43
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Did some stuff over the past few weeks for the E55. Plastidipped the grille and badges with anthracite (metallic) and I think it looks good:    So cosmetics aside, I want it to go faster. I live in Colorado and I'm at over 6,000 feet and the drag strip (Bandimere) is at 5800, and then when you add in density altitude of 8,000 to 9000 feet during race season - we don't make NEARLY as much power as the rest of you lowlanders. Like, 25% less than sea level. E55s that break into the 11s easily at sea level? Yeah, more like high 12s or low 13s here. Same goes for virtually everything. New Camaro SS are lucky to run low to mid 14s, a 4.6 mod motor Mustang runs in the 15s, a C6 Vette MIGHT break into the 13s, stock GTRs in the mid 12s - you get the picture. Bandimere has a number of different series to compete in each year, and while I race with friends in Club Clash (where anything from 10.50 to 13.99 is considered 'Top Street' and 13.99+ is 'Hot Rod') I also want to run in a different series called King Street, which is 12.75 seconds or faster. So first things first are addressing a few of the E55's shortcomings - namely cooling and the cooling path for the supercharger that is on the same circuit as the motor. To that end I had my local speed shop (whose team I race with at Club Clash) install a Eurocharged heat exchanger and a dad's coolant trunk tank, while also splitting the cooling system:    There's also a 2,000 gph pump inside the tank, so that plus the pump up front means a LOT of coolant moving through. At the track I could see that both peak temps were lower, idle temps above ambient were lower, and that recovery was MUCH better. This will help all future power mods, along with unlock some unrealized potential when we were circulating 180+ degree coolant through the supercharger. Bottom line is IATs are down a lot. While we were at it I also wanted to make a little more power elsewhere, so the same shop installed a smaller supercharger pulley, idler pulley set, and a belt wrap kit:   Net effect of all this: I dipped into the 12s last Friday night with 8500+ DA and had very consistent runs overall. At sea level this car would likely be in high to mid 11s. Still a bit to go though to get to King Street. More to come...
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Sep 11, 2013 03:32
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Very cool. Haven't taken my E55 to the strip yet but I have felt the difference in power after a few hard pulls when the supercharger just gives up and disengages. What kind/size of pulley did you use? And what kind of tires did you run with?
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Sep 11, 2013 22:21
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So rather than masking the badge, you can just mask the area around it and peel the excess off of the paint? That's pretty cool.
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Sep 11, 2013 22:24
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Cyrezar posted:Very cool. Haven't taken my E55 to the strip yet but I have felt the difference in power after a few hard pulls when the supercharger just gives up and disengages. Yeah, the pulley disengaging due to high IATs is disconcerting to say the least - feels like the car is about to throw a CEL at you, but it's just dumping timing and fuel and using the bypass in a heavy-handed attempt to keep from going kaboom... Even romping on it I haven't had the faintest inclination that it's going to engage the bypass with the new heat exchanger and trunk tank. Peak IATs on the track in 85 degree 40% humidity weather were 155f, and I'm pretty sure the bypass kicks in at like 190 degree IATs or possibly higher, which it's unfortunately very capable of reaching while stock. The mbworld guys dug this up recently:  ... which indicates that the car is already pulling timing at 95, 113, and 149 degrees in three different stages. Pretty low thresholds. If it's cool ambient temp with low humidity next week it's going to be interesting to see just how much faster the car can go when it's not getting raped by IATs. The pulley is from the mbworld vendor shardul, and is supposedly equivalent to a 180mm crank pulley but I'm somewhat doubtful (as is the rest of the community) that the SC pulley is as effective as the crank pulley. The tires are Mickey Thompson ET Street II drag radials, which I have been driving around on for the past month and a half because  and because wife's Cayenne had its coolant pipes go last month and that project (with Joewagon's copious assistance) became the priority. Last Club Clash this year is next week, so I will pull them off afterwards.IOwnCalculus posted:So rather than masking the badge, you can just mask the area around it and peel the excess off of the paint? That's pretty cool. Yup, super easy to work with. Any overspray outside the tape you get on the car can come off with light wipes from a microfiber towel, and then the peeling off of the layer around the badge itself often just happens with removing the masking tape; there's a natural break between the badge and the body of the car where the plastidip will be weak, so as you peel (horizontal to the surface of the car - don't peel out towards you or it can rip the plastidip OFF the badge) it will pull apart without cutting, etc. Neat stuff. Wheels are next for me, and then maybe the tiny sliver of chrome that wraps the entire drat car and is impossible to mask appropriately. 
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Sep 11, 2013 23:04
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Tremek posted:Yeah, the pulley disengaging due to high IATs is disconcerting to say the least - feels like the car is about to throw a CEL at you, but it's just dumping timing and fuel and using the bypass in a heavy-handed attempt to keep from going kaboom... Even romping on it I haven't had the faintest inclination that it's going to engage the bypass with the new heat exchanger and trunk tank. Peak IATs on the track in 85 degree 40% humidity weather were 155f, and I'm pretty sure the bypass kicks in at like 190 degree IATs or possibly higher, which it's unfortunately very capable of reaching while stock. My heat exchanger pump was dead when I bought the car. The ECU would cut off the supercharger after two 0-60 pulls in 65 degree weather. The PLM H/E and Meziere pump was a good upgrade. The only time since then that the compressor's been turned off is when the idler pulley disintegrated, and I live in Alabama. Shardul hadn't come out with his pulley when I upgraded, does it snatch when the clutch locks up? It's a fairly irritating phenomenon with my 180mm.
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Sep 12, 2013 00:51
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I have a dumb question. There's a Mercedes, 1969 280s near me for sale. Really cheap, 300. They claim the engine is stuck and can't be barred over. It has been sitting for 9 years or so. What are the chances the starter might be stuck or something else besides a motor that is totally hosed? And if it is... how hard would it be to stuff something else in?
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Sep 12, 2013 03:33
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wallaka posted:My heat exchanger pump was dead when I bought the car. The ECU would cut off the supercharger after two 0-60 pulls in 65 degree weather. Scary re: dead pump. I also installed the Bosch 010 pump as I didn't trust the pump that came with the car, which turned out to be the original. With my stock pulley every time the clutch engaged I did get the belt chirp + a bit of jerkiness. Now the chirp is gone - seems like the belt + the belt wrap kit is pretty snug. With that said when the car is cold and in S mode it's very jerky at low throttle, but I can't tell if that's the tune, the pulley, or a combination or both. Just throwing it into C solves for the problem in the meantime. I put the idler pulley set on for exactly that reason re: reports of disintegrating pulleys - figure it's preventative maintenance. Do you have headers or any other mods beyond the 180mm pulley? I'm trying to figure out my next steps (figure if I should be thinking about injectors, looped fuel rail, etc...) to support headers, throttle body, etc. Swapping the rear gears from the super tall 2.62 to either 3.06 or 3.23 will help the car get out of the hole faster without having to touch the motor. Tremek fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Sep 12, 2013 |
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Sep 12, 2013 03:57
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 quote:2002 quote:SLK quote:351,000 miles 
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Sep 12, 2013 05:16
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Speaking of high mileage bad ideas...  This seems like the best worst idea.
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Sep 12, 2013 05:40
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IOwnCalculus posted:Speaking of high mileage bad ideas... I would look for a lower mileage example. Prepare for maintenance not unlike a car payment for a bit and then you're probably good to go for a while. I would predict stuff like Airmatic shocks all around, fuel pump/system, maybe a transmission. It's going to be $6-8k past the purchase price to get that thing good to go for a while and even then it's just going to have other random failures due to high mileage. That and it's an '04 - '05 and '06 are the preferable years.
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Sep 12, 2013 06:48
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Why do the speedometers only go to 160? I thought AMG put higher clocks in everything, even with the limiter.
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Sep 12, 2013 13:01
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Das Volk posted:Why do the speedometers only go to 160? I thought AMG put higher clocks in everything, even with the limiter. I think all the newer ones go to 200, but it was a mix in the earlier years. The previous generation of my car goes to 180, but mine goes to 200.
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Sep 12, 2013 13:51
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Stealth Like posted:I think all the newer ones go to 200, but it was a mix in the earlier years. The previous generation of my car goes to 180, but mine goes to 200. '03-04 E55s went to 160 and the '05-06 (minor) refresh cars have a 200 mph speedo. If you run across an early car with the 200 mph speedo, it has probably had the instrument cluster replaced at some point.
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Sep 12, 2013 15:38
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