Dealer Loses License to Sell Mercedes Cars

The Department of Motor Vehicles is revoking the Mercedes-Benz dealership license of Terry York Imports in Encino for failing to provide state investigators with records on the automobiles, a DMV attorney said Thursday.

The dealership voluntarily surrendered its license to sell Mercedes-Benz cars in December, but the DMV sought an official revocation, said Alan Mateer, the DMV’s chief counsel.

The state’s action does not keep York from selling Rolls-Royces, Jaguars, Toyotas and Chevrolets.

Terry York Imports is considered a “gray-market” seller of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The term is applied to non-franchise dealers in the United States who import cars. Gray-market cars are manufactured for European, not American, buyers, but sales are legal in this country as long as the vehicles are brought up to federal and state standards.

In March, an administrative law judge recommended that owner Terry York’s license be revoked because he did not allow investigators to see all his records. DMV Director A. A. Pierce recently authorized the revocation, which is scheduled to take effect April 23.

Sheldon Cohen, York’s attorney, said his client would appeal the revocation in Superior Court. Cohen said state statutes do not give the DMV authority to examine a dealer’s records.

“It’s nothing more than a good-faith legal disagreement,” Cohen said.