Cracking Climate Control Console on 2014 CLS

[Louise Oliver]

Hi, has anyone else experience cracks forming from the edge of the display between the dials on the climate control console? (See pics)


There are cracks on the right, middle and rear, which on close inspection are propagating from the outside edges of the clear material that sits in front of the lit display.


There was one very small defect in the top right when I purchased the car 11 months ago from a Mercedes main dealer. I had assumed at the time it had been knocked and that as it was relatively small I could ignore it.

Over the summer (in particular after Easter 2017) more and more cracks appeared.

The surface is smooth to the touch and there is no evidence of any impacts from an external source. The switch gear adjacent to the cracks is in perfect condition, which is highly improbable if there had been a blow from something hard. The number and spread of cracks along the whole length of the panel would again make it unlikely to be from an external source.


My assumption is that that there are small defects in the edges of the plastic either when it was manufactured or assembled and that thermal contraction and expansion is stressing the plastic causing cracks to form at these defects and to propagate.

Despite my Mercedes Extended Warranty, as you would expect from Mercedes, as soon as the car leaves the forecourt you’re on your own, they do not believe it is a manufacturing defect and are not willing to replace it.

I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this problem, or had in the past had any experience of bringing Mercedes round to their way of thinking in these kind of disputes?

Thanks, Louise

 

[alexanderfoti]

I would agree with your assumption. Either that, or it has reacted with an air fresher, but unlikely considering its location.

MB are crap with things like this, I would pay to replace it or live with it. MB warranty is often not worth anything unless you threaten/carry out legal action, this is dependent dealers of course!

 

[alexanderfoti]

The part is not too expensive, maybe you can do a deal with the dealer, you supply the part and they fit it?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-17-M...065867?hash=item5d72357a4b:g:MggAAOSwOMdZQv-u

 

[Submariner1]

Hi Louise
I dont have a climate control knob like that.
But my lighting control is very similar

Its utterly perfect, ( like a new rolex ... with keyless go nothing hard goes near it ) any marks in the photo are reflections and maybe my paw marks .
My point being mine is an old car mid 2009. Yours is 2014!
And mine has just over 40,000 miles on the clock!
I'm Assuming yours has a lot less.

If you say the surface in Completely unblemished, get tough. Note this element is key! Or they could say you hit it, and damaged it.

As your warranty came with the car ... you did pay for it inadvertently.
And that trim looks horrible. I would clean it of all dust specs etc. And rephotograph it.

I would first try another dealer, if no joy; then get a quoted, printed estimate to supply and fit and go back to the first dealer and tell him to replace it or you will file a complaint at trading standards. And could you have the cost of the warranty back as they are not honouring it.

Yes its a small part, and you might find its only £25 .... but you might find its 4 hours labour to take half the dashboard out, just to get at it.
As they say time to get tough.

Very sorry for you ... as this pettyness kinda spoils the "ownership experience"
Never forget .. if the part costs you £25 it costs them £5 tops and they are charging out mechanics at £5,866 a week excl. VAT based on £146 per hour , and not paying them anywhere near £1,000. So they do have plenty of wiggle room.
Never lose your temper, always be polite and just ask if you could see the Dealer Principle. ( MD in MB speak. )

Do not waste the phone call to Mercedes Customer Care ... never heard of anybody getting anywhere with them.

BTW its worth getting tough ... because then they know you wont take any cr@p! And they dont try it on again.
Believe me it works!

 

[Submariner1]

BTW Chubby

Says we may look sweet but ...
"Never back down"
"Let the fur fly"

 

[rf065]

My assumption is that that there are small defects in the edges of the plastic either when it was manufactured or assembled and that thermal contraction and expansion is stressing the plastic causing cracks to form at these defects and to propagate.

If you can get some kind of industry expert to back up your claims and is willing to go to court, if you can afford it, you might win your case but it will not be worth it for something of relatively little value. Your chance of getting Mercedes to pay for it was when you first noticed it when buying the car. I'd ask politely if they'll do anything but be prepared to put it down to experience if they won't budge.

Russ

 

[Louise Oliver]

Hi, thank you all for your information and support.
I emailed my sales representative at Mercedes regarding why I wasn't happy with their initial response and today they have agreed to pay for the replacement part and work to fit it in full.

This is a great result and I'm attaching the content of my email below, which I hope will help other users who also experience Mercedes refusing to pay for a parts failure.

Thanks Louise

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dear xxxxxx.


On the 10th of August 2017 I brought my Mercedes Benz CLS to your showrooms as I was unhappy with cracks that had appeared on the facia, between the dials of the climate control unit on the dashboard.

Whilst there, I spoke to yourself and XXXX: XXXX took some photographs with regards to having the control unit replaced under the Warrantee I had taken out with Mercedes when I purchased the car in September 2016.

For clarification the car 'Number plate' was registered in the UK for the first time as a new car in 2014 and has done circa 22,000 miles.


On Friday the 11th XXXX left a message on my mobile phone to say that the item was not covered by the standard Mercedes Warrantee or extended warrantee.


Regarding the warrantee(s), I have taken advice and would request that a qualified member of staff from Mercedes or the Warrantee providers, please sends me a copy of the relevant pages in the warrantee (scanned PDF), highlighting the exact section and phrases in the warrantee that excludes this part, with a written explanation for their reasoning as to why.



In the mean time I am working with qualified professionals to establish the nature and cause of the cracks in the control unit.


I have attached some pictures and would wish to highlight to you our initial findings. We believe the evidence provides a compelling argument that the defects seen are the result of a manufacturing/material failure and not due to normal wear and tear, or accidental damage by the owner.


1. The cracks are occurring across the whole width of the unit, to reproduce this manually would require multiple events which is a highly improbable. This must also be taken into the context of the rest of the dashboard and interior of the car which is immaculate.

2. The cracks propagated from the edges of the panel which is symptomatic of stress fracturing.

3. There is no damage or marks to any of the adjacent switch gear near the propagation points of any of the cracks. It is highly improbable that this would be possible for a single crack resulting from external forces; it would be almost inconceivable for multiple cracks with separate loci, to share this feature.

4. The surface of the panel does not have any surface pitting, or chipping that would be symptomatic of a concussive external force. As mentioned previously the cracks originate from the edges of the panel and are propagating through the material.


At this point in time there are several possibilities to the exact cause of the cracks and I would have thought that as manufacturer of high quality automobiles you would be very interesting in understanding the causes, so you can mitigate them in the future.


I am still awaiting all the feedback and have not yet sought written affidavits from my experts, however I can give you an overview of the most probable causes.


1. Incorrect assembly of the part resulting in stress being present in the material.

2. Damage to the material, most probably caused prior to or during assembly, which formed the loci for the cracks observed today.

3. Weakening of the material, due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation whilst the panel is in the car.

4. Stressing of the material due to thermal expansion and contraction, whilst the panel is in the car.

5. The material was fundamentally defective and did not meet its material specification.

6. A combination of the factors above.


Clearly some have implications for just my car, some may impact an isolated batch(s), others have the potential to impact any similar unit fitted to a Mercedes Benz.


What I wish is for Mercedes, or the warrantee holders (if this is a separate company), to pay for the replacement and fitting of the defective part.


I would also ask that your technical experts consider this part failure, by fully understanding why this has happened, it may be possible to reduce the probability of this happening again in the future.


I look forward to your reply.


Kind regards,

 

[Submariner1]

Hi, thank you all for your information and support.
I emailed my sales representative at Mercedes regarding why I wasn't happy with their initial response and today they have agreed to pay for the replacement part and work to fit it in full.

This is a great result and I'm attaching the content of my email below, which I hope will help other users who also experience Mercedes refusing to pay for a parts failure.

Thanks Louise

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dear xxxxxx.


On the 10th of August 2017 I brought my Mercedes Benz CLS to your showrooms as I was unhappy with cracks that had appeared on the facia, between the dials of the climate control unit on the dashboard.

Whilst there, I spoke to yourself and XXXX: XXXX took some photographs with regards to having the control unit replaced under the Warrantee I had taken out with Mercedes when I purchased the car in September 2016.

For clarification the car 'Number plate' was registered in the UK for the first time as a new car in 2014 and has done circa 22,000 miles.


On Friday the 11th XXXX left a message on my mobile phone to say that the item was not covered by the standard Mercedes Warrantee or extended warrantee.


Regarding the warrantee(s), I have taken advice and would request that a qualified member of staff from Mercedes or the Warrantee providers, please sends me a copy of the relevant pages in the warrantee (scanned PDF), highlighting the exact section and phrases in the warrantee that excludes this part, with a written explanation for their reasoning as to why.



In the mean time I am working with qualified professionals to establish the nature and cause of the cracks in the control unit.


I have attached some pictures and would wish to highlight to you our initial findings. We believe the evidence provides a compelling argument that the defects seen are the result of a manufacturing/material failure and not due to normal wear and tear, or accidental damage by the owner.


1. The cracks are occurring across the whole width of the unit, to reproduce this manually would require multiple events which is a highly improbable. This must also be taken into the context of the rest of the dashboard and interior of the car which is immaculate.

2. The cracks propagated from the edges of the panel which is symptomatic of stress fracturing.

3. There is no damage or marks to any of the adjacent switch gear near the propagation points of any of the cracks. It is highly improbable that this would be possible for a single crack resulting from external forces; it would be almost inconceivable for multiple cracks with separate loci, to share this feature.

4. The surface of the panel does not have any surface pitting, or chipping that would be symptomatic of a concussive external force. As mentioned previously the cracks originate from the edges of the panel and are propagating through the material.


At this point in time there are several possibilities to the exact cause of the cracks and I would have thought that as manufacturer of high quality automobiles you would be very interesting in understanding the causes, so you can mitigate them in the future.


I am still awaiting all the feedback and have not yet sought written affidavits from my experts, however I can give you an overview of the most probable causes.


1. Incorrect assembly of the part resulting in stress being present in the material.

2. Damage to the material, most probably caused prior to or during assembly, which formed the loci for the cracks observed today.

3. Weakening of the material, due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation whilst the panel is in the car.

4. Stressing of the material due to thermal expansion and contraction, whilst the panel is in the car.

5. The material was fundamentally defective and did not meet its material specification.

6. A combination of the factors above.


Clearly some have implications for just my car, some may impact an isolated batch(s), others have the potential to impact any similar unit fitted to a Mercedes Benz.


What I wish is for Mercedes, or the warrantee holders (if this is a separate company), to pay for the replacement and fitting of the defective part.


I would also ask that your technical experts consider this part failure, by fully understanding why this has happened, it may be possible to reduce the probability of this happening again in the future.


I look forward to your reply.


Kind regards,

Chubby says

" Nice letter,
If a nice gentle pat with a paw doesnt work, best to sink the claw in ... these sales nerds always wilt. "

 

[mikestrivens]

Good result.

 

[peterws1957]

Great letter Louise - you had it all covered and there was clearly no escape route for Mb! What I find disappointing is the default position of "we ain't paying" that Mb takes on these issues when they clearly know they are at fault. Short term-ism in the extreme, but I doubt whether their tactics or those of other suppliers will ever change. Very recently had a very well known issue (got to Watchdog last year) on a Vauxhall - their customer service adopted the head in sand approach but Vauxhall very quickly changed their mind and the work was done foc - a £2k job!