Body work corrosion claim

[paulE230]

My dealer has agreed to put forward a corrossion claim for two small scabs, one on the roof where the windscreen rubber meets the roof. The other on the rear off side passenger door.

Should MBUK try to wiggle out of paying 100% of the claim can anyone offer any advise to strengthen my case.

Thanks.

 

[Ian Power]

If my experience is anything to go by you have no chance!!

My wifes 1997 E300TD had three claims referred to MB by the dealer, none of which were accepted. Fortunately the dealer stumped up and paid for them! Here is a list for you interest;
1. The boot lid paintwork around the lock blistered twice, bootlid repainted twice.
2. All four wheel arches blistered up, all four had to be repainted. We were told this was our fault because we had chosen to have 18" AMG wheels fitted and this required the wheel arches to be modified and this process had subsequently affected the integrity of the paint. We did not accept this poor excuse.
3. The tops of the inner wings had a spot the size of a 10p that crumbled away on the lip under the bonnet.
4. The exhaust was replaced after 3 years as it had corroded at the joints.
5. Four or five stone chips developed into rusty blebs the size of 5p pieces.
6. The black trim on the drivers door at the side of the window had to be replaced due to advanced corrosion.
7. The whole underside of the car was re treated as advanced signs of corrosion were showing through.
8. The gearbox oil cooler was replaced because the hose connections had corroded away. These are aluminium!
9. The pipes from the gearbox to the oil cooler had to be replaced due to corrosion. One went and the other followed about 3 weeks later!

They also tried to tell us it was all because of were we live!!!

Needless to say we were prretty fed up. We bought the car new for £36,000 expecting to keep it for life. We now have a BMW 5 series, no rust!, and a couple of old Mercs that are in better condition than the new one we sold.

 

[paulE230]

Oh dear I was dreading a post like that . I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[paulE230]

The latest:

MBUK would not accept my corrossion claim as the car is a 1997 build.

They say my car only came with a 1yr warranty for corrossion, is this correct?

My dealer is going to resubmit the claim as he states that the rust is not caused by damaged paintwork and the corrossion is forming from under the paintwork.

My statement to MB that my family had spent nearly £180,000 on MB cars and thats not includind servicing in the last 7 yrs, should have some bearing on their decision fell on deaf ears.

Well done MBUK you certainly know how to treat your loyal customers!!

 

[paulE230]

Well the update is....................nothing.

So I have sent a stinking letter and copys of this and other forums discussing the corrossion problem to a Mr Chittenden at MB UK, and told him that several hundred people are study the out come of this complaint.

Told him about familys loyalty to brand and how much money they have had out of us (Well my brothers anyway).

Threaten to publish letter in MB owners club mag' which I know the top bods at MB read. So we shall see what this produces.

 

[wagamama]

Hi Paul,

sorry to hear bout the trouble you're having... but got this from MB UK's website:

mobilo-life applies to new vehicles sold and delivered for the first time by DaimlerChrysler AG or the Mercedes-Benz distribution network from 24th October 1998 in the 23 countries where mobilo-life is applicable, and where the vehicles are registered and operated

and mobilo life includes the 30 years anti-corrosion warranty.
dunno if this helps matters...

 

[jaques2k]

I saw a case with a woman who bought a new Ford Ka (I know, it was a Ford.... Well, after about a year the car had rust all over, and at the yearly inspection they said that the car was in such bad shape that it almost was dangerous to drive it (corrosion on brake pipes and so on). She turned to the dealer, who explained that the rust warranty does not cover "surface rust", it has to be "through rust" from inside out (in other words, it has to be a hole). A car, and for certain a piece of steel doesn´t rust through in 30 years! But for sure it will get surface rust in that time if it´s not well threated from the beginning. She got upset about this and sent complaints to Ford, which now had promised to check out the situation.
So, with other words, the rust warranty doesn´t apply if it isn´t a hole in your car.

 

[piestore]

corrosion

Hi

Any car before October 99 ( I think ) only came with 1 year corrosion warrenty. Having said this I have dealt with many claims on cars older than this where tha claim has been succesful, this has mainly been on points where MB know they have had a problem ie 210 boot lock and from behind the door mirrors or on 202/208 boots at the edge of the No light housing. On the whole I have found MB to honour most genuine claims.

Where I have had most trouble is when the car has had a repair, the customer seems to think that MB should be responsible for the repair. This is not the case the repairing garage is responsible for any warrenty in the area of the repair .

 

[paulE230]

My bubbling paint is actually on the front of the roof were the windscreen rubber is. The actual rubber is bobberly were the rust is under neath it aswell.

The dealer has already said that there is no obvious paint damage that could of caused it, but did say the windscreen wil have to be removed to repair it and that will add more expense to the claim.

I wait with baited breath.

 

[mark999]

Mercedes approved repair of rust spots on the rear tailgate (probably design fault) and front grill of my 2000 V-Class but refused to sort out 2
rust bubbles on the O/S/R side loading door, which are potentially more serious.
Perhaps I need to wait untill it rusts through before they will sort it.

Personally I do not believe the Mobilo life warranty is worth paying for
(in dealer servicing charges)

 

[paulE230]

After sending a sticking letter to MB HQ at Milton Keynes including copys of this disscussion, I have today recieved a letter from customer services in the NETHERLANDS.

They are looking into the claim and will report back, something I suppose .

Still not holding my breath though.

 

[joe bloggs]

Couple of observations to throw in,

1 Mobilo life = 30 year PERFORATION WARRANTY, MB cars are generally made of steel which rusts, my experience is that most rust problems stem from neglect, (touch up these chips) or poor previous repairs, bet yours has had a new windscreen and when the old one was cut out the damage was not touched up properly.

2. 3 year warranty (unless car imported - 1 year recently increased to 2, although UK cars will be looked on favourably, imports not DCUK responsibility.

3. Not sure why modified wheelarches are MB's fault, crikey if everyone who had screwed a bodykit, or spoiler on then complained about rust MB would go bust, they have to draw a line.

 

[Arnie]

Joe Bloggs,

Me thinks you work for DC/MB?

OK. some fair points but, while I accept that poor repairs or inept modifications can lead to rust, the underlying fact is that new MB cars seem poorer protected than in days of old. My 1996 merc has been out in every winter and in all kinds of weather and not a spot of rust on it. My 2001 SL (previous owner DCUK) has had one winter on the road and it's all rusty and corroded (a lot of the rust appears as very tiny spots on the hidden edges of the bodywork, which are covered only in primer). The new water-based paints are not only exceptionally brittle, but also seem to be applied extremely sparingly. The bright-metal galvanising on brackets, pipes, nuts and bolts is no-more than just decorative as it apparently has no resitance to anything. I suspect that a lot of this is as a result of envirnomental issues, but it does affect the quality and endurance of the final product. The paint has little or no resistance to stone-chipping and if bird-droppings or squashed insects are left on for more than a few hours, permanent damage occurs. The old paints were almost indestructable, by comparison. OK so other car manufacturers may not be any better with regards to paint, but BMW (and others), at least take care to electrically galvanise the metal beneath and most galvanised nuts and bolts found at the front of these cars also have a protective coat of paint. 30 years is a long time to stand-behind a warranty, but "perforation" is the key word here where a lot of rust is superficial and caused by the flaky paint and inadequate protection of the metal beneath. I think I would be happier with a normal 6-year corrosion warranty and a 3-year paint warranty, as many other manufacturers provide. But most of all, judging by the number of postings on this and other sites, it seems that corrosion is a serious issue for MB. The corrosion warranty should not be necessary, because MB cars should not rust or corrode full-stop. However, they do, and rust seems to start as small spots on cars only a year old. I guess, though, that if within the 3-years, you could claim against defects in materials or workmanship.

 

[joe bloggs]

Well yes, i suppose I have to agree, my 10 year old 190e has no rust, certanly the 210 model seems to be rusting quicker than the titanic, but not at the windscreen, also if someone is modifying (bending?) wheelarches then they are asking for trouble. 210 boots/tailgates/front wings, and some rear wings are a known problem that MB have jumped on, and will normally repair under warranty well over the 3 year limit (6 years not unknown). Let the dealer see it ASAP. Also ask for new panels, as it will come back and they will not pay twice.
Sorry guys Im on your side, honest.