Recall on GL, R, ML brake booster

[Mark A]

Just had my ML in for the brake booster test. Not impressed to say the least.

because the recall said don’t drive I gave them the option of coming out or collecting to do the test, they chose to collect.

They apparently didn’t do the test but my brakes are leaking and it needs to be investigated £165 please sir. Then I get a call back to say both front pipes had failed and would be another £680 to replace. The brakes were fine beforehand.

I have told them to drop it back and I will get it sorted.

I can’t prove they were fine beforehand so I guess I have no choice but to sort it myself.

 

[Blobcat]

Just had my ML in for the brake booster test. Not impressed to say the least.

because the recall said don’t drive I gave them the option of coming out or collecting to do the test, they chose to collect.

They apparently didn’t do the test but my brakes are leaking and it needs to be investigated £165 please sir. Then I get a call back to say both front pipes had failed and would be another £680 to replace. The brakes were fine beforehand.

I have told them to drop it back and I will get it sorted.

I can’t prove they were fine beforehand so I guess I have no choice but to sort it myself.

Have you seen reply #115 on this thread?

Mercedes are replacing those lines FOC due to them failing with the extreme pressure of the test

 

[Mark A]

They won’t even entertain that, I have tried.

 

[LostKiwi]

They won’t even entertain that, I have tried.

Call MB in Milton Keynes.

Quick way to tell if the did the test. Look for the rubber band around the join in the booster. If it's present they didn't do it. If it's not then there's every likelihood they did.
The process is well documented - visual test first. If it passes no further action. If it doesn't then move to functional test.

Mercedes need to sort their sh1t out on this. Different stories from different dealers does nothing to help the brand's PR.

 

[Mark A]

after lengthy discussion they have agreed to replace the pipes for free if I pay the diagnostic cost of £165. I will begrudgingly pay that but the fact that they are doing the pipes for free is an admission of guilt in my books.

 

[LostKiwi]

after lengthy discussion they have agreed to replace the pipes for free if I pay the diagnostic cost of £165. I will begrudgingly pay that but the fact that they are doing the pipes for free is an admission of guilt in my books.

Diagnostic fee for what?
They have to put it on Star to run the test. You also don't need star to see a fluid leak as last time I looked my pipes weren't electronic and didn't contain any ECUs!

 

[Mark A]

Allegedly to investigate the source of the brake fluid leak. I would have thought it was pretty bleeding obvious though. Still saying that they discovered the leak before they started the test but agreement to replace for free suggests not.

not worth arguing about.

this is why I hate using the main dealer.

 

[EmilysDad]

.....

not worth arguing about.

,,,

<panto mode on>

Oh yes it is!!!!

 

[mioba]

So had the test done today on my W251. Great chap from MB came and we discussed everything Benz.

So the clever designers of the servo put in a rubber band (cosmetic if anything). The rubber band holds water which in turn can lead to corrosion of the servo. Stupid location for a servo where can get wet.

So first they removed the band. Mine ailed that. Then a series of brake tests plugged into star to test vaccum/pressure (it has to get in the green on the bar)

Took about an hour with some tea. MB will send a gift voucher for 75 notes for John Lewis.

Biggest failures are on the M class apparently - not because of the band and corrosion itself on the servo, but because on the M the brake likes go over the fuel tank and they simply go rusty there as water collects there, the tests they perform for the servo recall has seen many M classes fail because the brake line goes pop above the fuel tank.

So a white dot on the servo. A cerificate and good for 2 years.

pic of the band below.

Oh as a side the chap loved my W251. He said they used them as mobilo vehicles back in the day - a car ahead of its time were his words.

 

[LostKiwi]

So had the test done today on my W251. Great chap from MB came and we discussed everything Benz.

So the clever designers of the servo put in a rubber band (cosmetic if anything). The rubber band holds water which in turn can lead to corrosion of the servo. Stupid location for a servo where can get wet.

So first they removed the band. Mine ailed that. Then a series of brake tests plugged into star to test vaccum/pressure (it has to get in the green on the bar)

Took about an hour with some tea. MB will send a gift voucher for 75 notes for John Lewis.

Biggest failures are on the M class apparently - not because of the band and corrosion itself on the servo, but because on the M the brake likes go over the fuel tank and they simply go rusty there as water collects there, the tests they perform for the servo recall has seen many M classes fail because the brake line goes pop above the fuel tank.

So a white dot on the servo. A cerificate and good for 2 years.

pic of the band below.

Oh as a side the chap loved my W251. He said they used them as mobilo vehicles back in the day - a car ahead of its time were his words.

View attachment 77893

Your band looks like mine!
n

 

[mioba]

naaaa LK, yours looks MUCH worse

 

[StigT]

Hi chaps/chapesses, had to join up as seen this thread has gone quiet (voyeur).
I have the same issue and mercedes have had the gl in their lockup for nearly 2months now after failing the test on my driveway.
After the car was carted away on the back of the truck they said parts were more than likely only available from September.
Hire car palava ensued, but were lucky to get a decent one in the price bracket that they will compensate us for, ( only 5 seats and no towbar or roof rails tho, in the height of summer!)
Somehow out of the blue
Got a phone call yesterday to say that the car has now passed the "revised test"!
It will be undergoing some safety checks then should be ready to pick up tomorrow!

So there was no availability to drop the car back off but we will not be able to pay you after today!

Picked the car up from 20miles away, had a good few questions for the young chap dealing with us after he has given us the letter of declaration that the car is safe for the next two years in which it must be reinspected.

I asked what the new revised test was?
It is an opening ul of the pass/ fail limits after "more data has been collected"
So basically they have shat themselves after realising how much this will cost in compo so opened the limits to get cars back out there but with the proviso of a 2year recheck.

I asked about the test causing premature failure of the brake pipes due to the pressure they exerted during testing and he said this was part of the safety tests that they have inspected the brake lines for any failures or leaking and assured me the car was ok to drive away safely.

I also asked how much they have opened ul the pass/ fail criteria to which he could only answer that out of 12 cars they had in only 4 had still failed.

For some reason that didn't quite trigger a sense of worry at the time as i was just happy to have the beast back and just took for granted their word that its safe!

So i took the car home and im still alive for now!

After getting back and absorbing the fact i got the car back, having time to ponder the conversion that means 33.3% failed, so i wonder how much they have opened up the pass limits!?

Sorry for lengthy post.

Anyone else had the call yet?

 

[Craiglxviii]

Hi chaps/chapesses, had to join up as seen this thread has gone quiet (voyeur).
I have the same issue and mercedes have had the gl in their lockup for nearly 2months now after failing the test on my driveway.
After the car was carted away on the back of the truck they said parts were more than likely only available from September.
Hire car palava ensued, but were lucky to get a decent one in the price bracket that they will compensate us for, ( only 5 seats and no towbar or roof rails tho, in the height of summer!)
Somehow out of the blue
Got a phone call yesterday to say that the car has now passed the "revised test"!
It will be undergoing some safety checks then should be ready to pick up tomorrow!

So there was no availability to drop the car back off but we will not be able to pay you after today!

Picked the car up from 20miles away, had a good few questions for the young chap dealing with us after he has given us the letter of declaration that the car is safe for the next two years in which it must be reinspected.

I asked what the new revised test was?
It is an opening ul of the pass/ fail limits after "more data has been collected"
So basically they have shat themselves after realising how much this will cost in compo so opened the limits to get cars back out there but with the proviso of a 2year recheck.

I asked about the test causing premature failure of the brake pipes due to the pressure they exerted during testing and he said this was part of the safety tests that they have inspected the brake lines for any failures or leaking and assured me the car was ok to drive away safely.

I also asked how much they have opened ul the pass/ fail criteria to which he could only answer that out of 12 cars they had in only 4 had still failed.

For some reason that didn't quite trigger a sense of worry at the time as i was just happy to have the beast back and just took for granted their word that its safe!

So i took the car home and im still alive for now!

After getting back and absorbing the fact i got the car back, having time to ponder the conversion that means 33.3% failed, so i wonder how much they have opened up the pass limits!?

Sorry for lengthy post.

Anyone else had the call yet?

That’s not how market safety recalls work. I’ve been involved in a few.

The shatting of corporate trousers happens when some poor engineer is told to go away and calculate the potential likely cost. So, they’d take an engineering assessment of failure using prior knowledge, multiply that by (parts + labour cost), then report that up.

That calculation assumes a failure %; as the recall goes on they can actually derive that failure % more accurately so corporate pants tend to become progressively less shat-filled.

Unless you’re Nissan and it was the Navarra-wheel-rims-detaching-from-spokes recall, which cost us £23m one year or triple the annual profits from sales of that platform…

 

[Splatter]

Hi all

My 2011 R350 failed the visual test on the 15th of June, so I contacted Mercedes Norwich to see what happens next, the receptionist said the guy dealing with the recalls would phone me back. 5 days later no phonecall so rang again, again was advised he'd phone back. another 7 days still no phone call so I phone again, again to be told we'll call back, this time I asked to be put on hold or to speak to the branch manager, phone goes dead...
2 Weeks ago I get a second letter from Mercedes saying that they still urgently need to see my car (which they already have) so I re-booked it. Last Thursday it was re-inspected, the guy who did it was as confused by it all as me, again contacted Mercedes Norwich, finally got through to the manager, said all I wanted to know was if I had to hire a car, buy one, courtesy car? And how long before the R was picked up, the manager said he'll phone back, guess what? Yep...
I'm currently doing 75 miles a day in a borrowed (from a family member) 27 Citroen ZX that's neither family friendly, or going to pass it's next MOT, 60mpg is nice though...
Has anybody else had similar issues, i.e. being ghosted?

 

[Craiglxviii]

I’d like to say that’s more indicative of Norwich than Mercedes customer service, but I doubt it!

 

[LostKiwi]

Hi all

My 2011 R350 failed the visual test on the 15th of June, so I contacted Mercedes Norwich to see what happens next, the receptionist said the guy dealing with the recalls would phone me back. 5 days later no phonecall so rang again, again was advised he'd phone back. another 7 days still no phone call so I phone again, again to be told we'll call back, this time I asked to be put on hold or to speak to the branch manager, phone goes dead...
2 Weeks ago I get a second letter from Mercedes saying that they still urgently need to see my car (which they already have) so I re-booked it. Last Thursday it was re-inspected, the guy who did it was as confused by it all as me, again contacted Mercedes Norwich, finally got through to the manager, said all I wanted to know was if I had to hire a car, buy one, courtesy car? And how long before the R was picked up, the manager said he'll phone back, guess what? Yep...
I'm currently doing 75 miles a day in a borrowed (from a family member) 27 Citroen ZX that's neither family friendly, or going to pass it's next MOT, 60mpg is nice though...
Has anybody else had similar issues, i.e. being ghosted?

Frankly I'd be looking for another dealer.
I had a similar issue with MB Northampton but that was at least in part due to being one of the first they'd had to deal with.
A call to the dealer principal or MB customer services might be worth taking as the next step.

 

[Splatter]

Frankly I'd be looking for another dealer.
I had a similar issue with MB Northampton but that was at least in part due to being one of the first they'd had to deal with.
A call to the dealer principal or MB customer services might be worth taking as the next step.

The problem with that is the next nearest dealer is 50 or so miles away in another county...
I'll call customer services later today when I wake up...

 

[Uncle Benz]

I received a goodwill gesture of a £75 John Lewis gift card today for being such a good boy and letting them do the recall on my ML. Anyone else had this??

 

[Richard Moakes]

I received a goodwill gesture of a £75 John Lewis gift card today for being such a good boy and letting them do the recall on my ML. Anyone else had this??

Yep, probably means we can’t sue them if something goes wrong now…..

 

[Splatter]

The problem with that is the next nearest dealer is 50 or so miles away in another county...
I'll call customer services later today when I wake up...

2nd Test carried out, which includes pumping 175bar through the brake pedal, and surprisingly it passed. Just got to sort the EIS and 1h 29m limp mode issues now, didn't get a gift voucher though...