Flaking trim surface - How do I complain?

[briandm]

There is always the No Goodwill or Warranty at the customer service desk. It should now be escalated by your dealer to higher management. Most people will go away when told 'sorry not our fault'. This is how big business operates... Social media is also a good leverage tool as it gets people talking, and spreads much further than just the few people you happen to meet.
As for the console itself it does seem to be missing the 'plasticiser' under coating that is necessary to soften the plastic and grip the outer paint coat. It would be a relatively easy job to sand back the edges and recoat the area with the proper coloured paint. not forgetting to first use the proper plasticiser undercoating.

Thanks again for your expert help. Interesting comments about the missing 'plasticiser' under the coating. I've been having a look to see how I can remove the console. It looks like it should just lever off somehow but I'm a bit scared scared to force it as I might cause some damage. I'm now thinking I might try and source a second hand one (or maybe follow up the suggestion to see if MB Grangemouth can offer a discount as suggested elsewhere on the thread).
'Appeal to higher management' might work but I'm really not minded to go cap-in-hand to the garage as I'm really peed off with them and MB customer services. Although it will cost me money I think at this stage I'm more likely to sort it out myself, if I can find a way of removing the console. It will cost me ~£90 but at least I won't have had to deal with MB again.
I know it won't make any difference but I've cancelled my service contract. When they asked why I was cancelling it I had the minor satisfaction of replying 'no goodwill'! The poor lass on the phone must have been wondering what I was on about but I told her it wasn't her fault.

 

[LostKiwi]

I'd almost be tempted to pull that piece of trim out and respray it gloss black (but then I've never been a fan of that kind of 'soft touch' plastic coating.

 

[davemercedes]

This problem is utterly ridiculous and MBs abrupt and unproven response is inexcusable. Looking at your images, the air vent console and point of damage etc is almost exactly the same as the fitting in my S203 (C Estate) which coincidentally had its tenth birthday in March this year, despite which I have absolutely no similar issues. Let's be honest, the plastic material is not designed for very rough treatment but it should clearly withstand normal usage and cleaning with a damp cloth/cockpit spray/"Pledge" type furniture polish - all of which have been used at various times inside my car.

 

[briandm]

I've decided to send an email to the aftersales manager at the garage, Mercedes Benz of Teesside. Let's see what they have to say. TBH I'm not really too bothered, I've gone past caring what they think.

Having had no joy on Monday (I’m not blaming Callum, he was only the messenger) I followed up with MB Customer Services who advised there was to be no goodwill. I’ve sought advice from the MB owners forum http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threads/flaking-trim-surface-how-do-i-complain.163149/. The posting is worth reading in it’s entirety, if only to understand the full background and level of support from other owners who feel I’ve been let down by MB. I have now referred the case to the Motor Ombudsman but am going to sort it out myself due to no goodwill forthcoming from MB. I now have no goodwill towards MB and have cancelled my service contract and will not be buying another MB when my PCP runs out in March 2018. Who really knows what caused the coating to become detached? I certainly don’t, but I genuinely feel it was not due to rough handling or other actions on my part, I’d have liked the component to be removed and sent away for examination. To tell a customer that it was due to ‘external influences’, without any explanation of what those external influences are, is shocking customer service. Especially when the customer is then told there is no goodwill! All for <£100 when I must have spent ~£200k on new cars since 1988.

Regards,
briandm
Loyal MB new car buyer from MB Teesside since 1988, starting with Croft and Blackburn, but not any longer

 

[Dave779]

My brother had corrosion on his wifes Aston Martin drivers door and car 5 years old, he e-mailed the ceo direct and within the hour he had a call from the local dealer to bring it in. They must have done the whole door as it looks like new now. Worth an e-mail !

 

[Submariner1]

I just looked at those photos ... and it looks like there are 2 long scuff / scratches
Are you sure they didnt start the peeling?

Maybe its just the way the photo came out.

I am sorry for you because in a high wear area , fair enough the scratch may breach the finish but it shouldnt peel off
But sadly its the fate of these new cheap surface finishes.

 

[briandm]

Thanks again for this feedback. TBH I don't know what caused the initial problem. When I first saw it I didn't even think there had been any distress caused to the surface, I only saw the peeling, there were no scratches, scuffs or rubs apparent to me. If there had been a scratch I'd have thought that the damage would have been limited to that i.e the surface would have been scratched but none of the surrounding area would have peeled off. I'd have liked MB to engage in such a discussion but obviously they haven't. If there had been a clear scratch and no peeling it would have been very obvious that the damage had been caused by 'external influences' which I would have accepted and not made a warranty claim. The fact that it's peeled away makes me feel like it's a manufacturing problem. I'm fastidious about my car and if something is wrong I get it fixed. Over the years this has included scuffed bumpers, kerbed wheels etc (and once some damaged trim). The point that MB seem to be missing is that I'm not trying to blag a warranty claim. I genuinely don't know how this happened but feel that it is poor quality coating but MB won't even consider this. So frustrating!

I've got another couple of things I'm going to try out to see if the rest of the surface area, away from the affected area, is similarly flaky. I think you're correct though, this surface finish is not great.

Thanks for all your help everybody.

 

[briandm]

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!



As the centre console will need replacing I thought I'd experiment and see what the surface bonding was like in other areas. Got a really sharp knife and decided to scratch the surface in two places. See attached photo which I've marked up with two lines. Note that these are not the actual scratched lines but my clumsy effort at a photoshop!

When I scratched the surface along the blue line it was as hard as diamond. I really had to press on quite hard with the point of the knife to break the surface and even then the scratch was very clean with no puckering or flaking at the edges. The resulting scratch was very fine, like a hairline and didn't even penetrate beyond the top coating

When I scratched the surface along the red line the surface was quite different and much softer. This was about 4 mm from the edge of the console and I took care not to encroach into the area where the coating become detached. The knife point broke the surface much easier and the resultant scratch was wider and with puckered edges.

The surface coating in the blue zone behaved as I expected i.e very resistant to scratching such that it took quite an effort to make a scratch. The surface coating in the red one did not behave as expected and was much less scratch resistant. My conclusion is that the surface coating is much softer and less well adhered in the red line area than in the blue line area as as such is not fit for purpose. The outer edge is a place where detachment could start and easily spread.

Your must all be sick of this subject so that's me finished for now. I'll update the post if/when I get any feedback from MB or the Motor Ombudsman.

Thanks again for all your help, advice and support.

 

[L John]

All for <£100 when I must have spent ~£200k on new cars since 1988.

Regards,
briandm
Loyal MB new car buyer from MB Teesside since 1988, starting with Croft and Blackburn, but not any longer

A tiny bit of good will goes a long way, it pays back many times in continued loyalty and recommendation.
Quite honestly I would have expected some good will with a one off buyer, more so with a loyal customer that has repeated purchases.
Without them demonstrating how it's your fault do they really think you will be back when you're looking for another car?
As others have said, companies don't care, each brands gets new buyers and looses old ones so it balances out.
If a brand looks after it's customers at the same time as making good profits they reach a higher rung on the ladder.
Unfortunately they leave that option to cheaper brands such as Skoda.
Once they were laughed at but now they're the ones laughing as they take buyers from other brands and have many repeat customer purchases.
Maybe people expect more from a premium brand and don't get it, likewise people expect less from the likes of Skoda but the company exceeds their expectations.
Imagine a Mercedes driver switching to Skoda 20 years ago, not a chance, now, every chance.

 

[briandm]

Without them demonstrating how it's your fault do they really think you will be back when you're looking for another car?

Exactly!! After my little surface scratching experiment I've now convinced myself even more that the surface area which flaked is of a poorer standard and level of adhesion than the rest of component. Such a shame MB don't think that way and insist on the cause being external influences and there being no goodwill.

 

[phils]

Goodwill can certainly make a huge difference, even for little things.

Years ago, after buying a 2 year old VW Vento, I noticed after a couple of months that the little illumination insert on the passenger side air vent (think they had fibre optic illumination on the dashboard "controls?) was missing.

I searched the floor but couldn't find it so I asked the dealer if they could order a replacement.

Got a call a week later to say the part was in but when I got there, the parts guy brought out a rather large package. It turned out you could only get the complete air vent "assembly", which was pretty costly.

The dealer principle (who'd sold me the car) walked past just as I was expressing my surprise. On hearing the tale, he asked the parts guy if the insert comes out easily, which it did. He promptly gave it to me and said "there you go - job done". "Send it back saying there's a bit missing". They didn't even charge me and I went on to but several more cars from them.

 

[briandm]

This time last Sunday I was a contented MB owner of 29 years standing, cleaning and vacuuming my car ready for it to go into the dealers for a warranty replacement of the auxiliary battery.
Then I saw the flaky surface on the rear air vent on the centre console.
Fast forward a week and I'm still a 29 year owner but not very contented. In fact I've become an obsessive maniac butchering my beloved car with sharp knives, never off the MB owners forum for help/advice (thank you everyone), telling anyone who will listen about no goodwill.
What a crazy week. Can hardly believe it. I'm normally a very calm person but this has definitely got me enraged. So frustrating.

In the absence of any response from MB I'm going to get a replacement part and try and fit it myself. That's if it's not too difficult.
Anyone any idea or instructions on what's involved? Hopefully just a few clips to prise loose? I've googled it myself but haven't been able to find anything. 2015 E220 VIN WDD2120012B1554239.

Thanks again

 

[Jkh112]

I had something very similar on various parts of the dash and buttons on a e39 5 series BMW I owned many years ago. The rubberised coating was peeling away from the shiny plastic underneath but BMW said it was because of damage, implying that the buttons shouldn't have been touched.
It was a common fault on the cars back then and I followed the advice on an owners forum and used nail
polish remover to carefully remove the remains of the rubberised coating and then learned to live with a hardwearing shiny surface finish instead of the delicate Matt finish.
Good luck getting something out of MB.

 

[briandm]

Air vent removed http://workshop-manuals.com/mercedes...ar_air_nozzle/ and replacement ordered from MB Grangemouth . Just needed to spring loose the top clips as described with a couple of nails (pop rivets) then rotate it forward until the bottom two locating lugs came out of their slots and lift out. Once you know how to do it it took all of 2 minutes. Doesn't look like it will be too difficult to fit the new one. I can practice with the old one to get the knack of it.

Now that the old one is removed there's nothing new to see really. The coating has peeled away from the top edge. Once you get a break in the surface it peels away quite easily.

Looking forward to the new one coming and getting it fitted for the weekend

 

[LostKiwi]

Well done!

 

[davemercedes]

Well done!

+1 !

 

[ernieh]

A couple of years ago, I had the same part replaced by MB Edinburgh 7 or 8 months after buying the 204 Estate from them due to broken fins in one of the air vents. We don't normally use the back of the car too much and hadn't noticed it prior to my grand-daughter pointing it out. Clearly, there would have been a high chance of accidental damage But MB never even raised the possibility. They also replaced the steering wheel trim as the metal foil coating was coming adrift and I had cut my hand on it.

Incidentally, I've seen the dame problem on a Ford Focus, but on the front console...you could scrape it off with your finger nail on a 4 year old car.

Ernie

 

[briandm]

Just had an email from MB ........... advising a refund of £229.43 from my service plan
On others cars I've had I've sometimes needed the final service and at other times it hasn't been due when the car has gone back. I've checked ASSYST and the service is not due until after the PCP return date so it won't need doing.
A minor victory!

 

[briandm]

After careful thought I sent an email to the UK CEO, Gary Savage. Just had a response from MB Customer Services. They have opened an investigation case into my complaint. I have responded that "Irrespective of the outcome (warranty/goodwill/nothing) I would like some feedback on the customer engagement process" and raised some key points with them.
Watch this space, I'll keep you all informed

Mercedes-Benz Model: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Chassis No: WDD2120012B155423

In response to your email correspondence to Mr Savage, I would like to
acknowledge receipt and assure you that we will look into this.

I have therefore opened an investigation case to look into your concerns
further. This process can take up to five working days and I ask for your
patience during this time.

I will contact you again as soon as I am in a position to advise you
further.

Yours sincerely

Kathryn Martindale
Customer Service UK

 

[briandm]

Response from Customer Services and my response back to them. Warranty claim refused. Damage due to external influences but not able to identify and share what external influence they believe has actually caused the surface to flake. Technically naive and arrogant.


Dear Kathryn,

I am very disappointed with the outcome of your review. I fully understand
that there are many ways that external influences can have caused the
coating on the vent to flake ..... but based on my ownership of the vehicle
I can categorically state that I am not aware of any influences that could
have caused the damage. I don't actually know what caused it but in lieu of
an actual cause being identified the default position is to blame me for an
unspecified external influence. I find your failure to identify and share
what external influence you believe has actually caused the surface to flake
is technically naive and arrogant. What you're actually saying is you can't
tell me what caused it .... but it's nothing to do with Mercedes Benz and
must be something I've done! I was naively expecting that you might wish to
further inspect the component to try and ascertain the root cause of the
problem but that was not the case. I'm so disappointed with Mercedes Benz.

The matter has been referred to the Motor Ombudsman.

Yours sincerely,

briandm



7th August 2017

Ref: KM-1-11986899847

Dear briandm

Mercedes-Benz Model: E-Class E 220 BlueTEC BlueEFFICIENCY E
Chassis No: WDD2120012B155423


Thank you for your email correspondence, sent for the attention Mr Savage,
regarding the surface damage present on the centre console rear vent trim.

I appreciate you have found the coating of the part to be hard, and
therefore you cannot agree with the decision that the damage was as the
result of external influence. Following my full review, I must confirm that
the Warranty Department decision in this matter is final.

While I recognise that you are wishing us to give a fuller explanation of
how external influence can have caused the coating on the vent to flake,
regrettably, we cannot offer such advice. I hope you will understand that
there are many ways in which external damage can impact a car or its
components. For example friction wear or even deterioration, due to cleaning
fluids.

In closing, I would like to thank you for providing me with an opportunity
to review matters for you, although I do appreciate the outcome is not the
news you were hoping for. If you should feel a further review is still
needed, you may now wish to contact the Motor Ombudsman; as mentioned
previously by Customer Service. They are fully-impartial and may be able to
offer you an independent review.

So we can be as responsive as possible, be so kind as to approve your
contact details at
https://www.mbcac.net/go/Customer/C...IqAi0NtWqhatfxHYtm9debbpp_tCpaMlOis1&lang=ENG
And please let us know how we’re doing so we can continue to improve how we
serve you: www.dccac.net/qm/ukencsw (reference number: 1-11986899847)

Yours sincerely

Kathryn Martindale
Customer Service UK