Are MB Warranty and CS having a laugh?!

[MattCart]

I have a (just) 2-year old C220 CDI Bluefficiency Sport Estate (Manual). It had done 13K miles when I bought it (Feb 2012) and 27K miles when I had it serviced (Feb 2013). After a long trip and noticing an unfamiliar, burning type smell, I took it to local MB (and servicing) garage for diagnostic. They say clutch assembly and flywheel knackered and new needed.

Warranty and CS departments have rejected claim - they say misuse/abuse or 'external influence' caused damage. I have had an independent assessor's report which says no evidence of misuse/'riding' clutch/overloading BUT no evidence of manufacturing fault either.

Is that it?! Do I really have to pay £2K repair costs, knowing I have treated car very well AND do I expect it to happen every 27K miles? Can anyone assist or advise on own experiences? Thanks.

 

[toby1]

In the wrong section really, but I don't think we have many/any manual 204 owners on here.

 

[Frontstep]

Simple, commence proceedings in the Small Claims Court it will focus MB's minds.
You are well within the limits of the MCOL (Money Claim On Line) system, so your financial exposure would be low.
Or pay it,or argue it further.
I hazard a guess you won't be the only one with your problem.

 

[Benz17]

HI,

someone had exactly the same scenario as you, all be it on a new A class, if my memory serves me right, eventually the dealership supported his case with MBUK, and did not have to pay the bill.

This case i am referring to was as recent as last week. do a search and it will come up.

 

[rpe2]

Not a good start for newish manual cars in 2013

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=107383&highlight=clutch

 

[Benz17]

Yep Richard that was the one

 

[coventryslk]

I have a (just) 2-year old C220 CDI Bluefficiency Sport Estate (Manual). It had done 13K miles when I bought it (Feb 2012) and 27K miles when I had it serviced (Feb 2013). After a long trip and noticing an unfamiliar, burning type smell, I took it to local MB (and servicing) garage for diagnostic. They say clutch assembly and flywheel knackered and new needed.

Warranty and CS departments have rejected claim - they say misuse/abuse or 'external influence' caused damage. I have had an independent assessor's report which says no evidence of misuse/'riding' clutch/overloading BUT no evidence of manufacturing fault either.

Is that it?! Do I really have to pay £2K repair costs, knowing I have treated car very well AND do I expect it to happen every 27K miles? Can anyone assist or advise on own experiences? Thanks.

£2k?

more like £700-£900! there is place in Coventry called Clutch Clinic and very good, somewhere similar where you live should be helpful

 

[television]

We have had 2 cars with a manual box where MB rejected it, something wrong on these set ups for sure.

 

[leodmac]

Hi I have had two manual Mercedes. The first in 1993 was an early new C180. I drove this car 216,000 miles all on same clutch gearbox and exhaust with no problem..the second was a 2005 C270cdi estate. The gearbox caused me problems.it jumped out of gear in first..it was modified/rebuilt under warranty but they said the damage "blue ing" of the clutch was not covered..I eventually found someone at MB Milton Keynes who authorised the warranty repair but what a struggle..I traded in the car at 72,000 miles for a BMW...which i traded in for my CLS500. Things have changed now that the recession is biting and no one gives any leeway on warranty...good luck with your fight.

 

[The Pan Man]

You are well within the limits of the MCOL (Money Claim On Line) system.

Not with MB but I found this sevice to be useless a complete waste of time.

 

[hawk20]

I have a (just) 2-year old C220 CDI Bluefficiency Sport Estate (Manual). It had done 13K miles when I bought it (Feb 2012) and 27K miles when I had it serviced (Feb 2013). After a long trip and noticing an unfamiliar, burning type smell, I took it to local MB (and servicing) garage for diagnostic. They say clutch assembly and flywheel knackered and new needed.

Warranty and CS departments have rejected claim - they say misuse/abuse or 'external influence' caused damage. I have had an independent assessor's report which says no evidence of misuse/'riding' clutch/overloading BUT no evidence of manufacturing fault either.

Is that it?! Do I really have to pay £2K repair costs, knowing I have treated car very well AND do I expect it to happen every 27K miles? Can anyone assist or advise on own experiences? Thanks.

Loads of C's and E's do mega miles without clutch problems so unlikely to repeat itself.

Trouble you have is being secondhand and over two years old there is no way you can be sure the previous owner did not ride the clutch excessively. And if the independent report says no evidence of a manufacturing defect, this looks a hard case to win. But keep trying -you may be lucky.

 

[television]

Loads of C's and E's do mega miles without clutch problems so unlikely to repeat itself.

Trouble you have is being secondhand and over two years old there is no way you can be sure the previous owner did not ride the clutch excessively. And if the independent report says no evidence of a manufacturing defect, this looks a hard case to win. But keep trying -you may be lucky.

We had one recently where it went after a few hundred miles and MB rejected the claim, the OP won in the end, but it should not been the fight it was to get it done.

 

[rich599]

In the wrong section really, but I don't think we have many/any manual 204 owners on here.

I have a 204 manual with 163k still on same clutch

 

[stevie250]

HI,

someone had exactly the same scenario as you, all be it on a new A class, if my memory serves me right, eventually the dealership supported his case with MBUK, and did not have to pay the bill.

This case i am referring to was as recent as last week. do a search and it will come up.

This was covered on the Welsh consumer affairs programme this week.

The programme is called The Ferret.

Steve

 

[hawk20]

You can't fairly compare a case on a new car with the OP who bought secondhand. Nobody knows hopw badly the previous owner may have treated the car. Independent expert has said no evidence of a manufacturing defect. Hard case to win IMO.

 

[television]

You can't fairly compare a case on a new car with the OP who bought secondhand. Nobody knows hopw badly the previous owner may have treated the car. Independent expert has said no evidence of a manufacturing defect. Hard case to win IMO.

The big problem here is this is what MB said about the almost new one.

 

[robertjrt]

Simple, commence proceedings in the Small Claims Court it will focus MB's minds.
You are well within the limits of the MCOL (Money Claim On Line) system, so your financial exposure would be low.
Or pay it,or argue it further.
I hazard a guess you won't be the only one with your problem.

Be careful taking MB to the Small Claims Court as if MB contest the claim and you lose you will be liable for MB costs, about £7,500 in my experience.

 

[Rory]

Trouble with small claims cases is the outcome is very random. Also the Op has to take action against the supplying dealer and they're not likely to rollover beforehand like a large company would.

The only thing I can think to do is to contact the help-desk of a magazine like What Car and see if they'll take an interest. Although they seem to get nowhere with even the featured cases and presumeably there are many others that we never hear about.

 

[chester]

I have had a manual c220 for two yrs and it has from day one suffered from a type of judder on pulling away in first gear. Merc have had the car 4 times , twice they said no problem 3rd for some strange reason they fitted new injectors and the 4th time the fella working on the car said he couldnt find a problem. That was untill i told him to come out on the road with me in it.
I drove the car in busy traffic so had to use 1st a lot and it happend quite a few times, he drove it back and same thing.
His conclusion was to rev the nuts of it basically as he had not a clue why it was happening.
There is it seems a problem with the manual set up they dont want to address,
Bought me an E coupe yesterday Auto.

 

[MattCart]

Be careful taking MB to the Small Claims Court as if MB contest the claim and you lose you will be liable for MB costs, about £7,500 in my experience.

Can I ask a little more about your experience on that please? I thought that even a defeated claim in the small claims court will only attract costs if the winner can prove to the Judge that the claim was unreasonable, vexatious or wholly misconceived? Thanks