C Class engine failure help please

[Oldspanners]

The only problem there is he'll need to pay again when given what they've charged already and the shocking service is not reasonable.

Unfortunately true but as they've shown they have no intention of doing anything more to rectify the problems and there is no way, no matter how bad the mechanics are they don't know how to put an engine back together correctly or even a bonnet on.
This was left in a corner of the workshop for anyone with 5 or 10 minutes between jobs to work on, as was shown by the length of time it took, to keep their cost down and that's all. A few more taxi fares will soon add up to beyond the cost of an independent just to check it over.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

No disrespect to apprentices but this does sound as it became their project I’ve seen this happen before

 

[LostKiwi]

Perhaps the answer is to get a quote from a decent indy then write to the dealer telling them that if the don't sort the issues to his satisfaction within X days he will go to the indy and claim costs through Small Claims.

 

[Tony carr]

Sorry to sound rude but I think some of you are missing the point I won't have to pay them anything more at all, they have to repair it as its part of the original repair what I am up in arms about is the whole saga from day one. The reconditioned engine came from Mercedes in Germany and all they had to do was bolt on parts from mine ie battery and various other bits surely it couldn't have been that hard to get right. What I also fed up with as I said above is I can't believe that I haven't heard a thing from them since the 14th February

 

[Oldspanners]

Sorry to sound rude but I think some of you are missing the point I won't have to pay them anything more at all, they have to repair it as its part of the original repair what I am up in arms about is the whole saga from day one. The reconditioned engine came from Mercedes in Germany and all they had to do was bolt on parts from mine ie battery and various other bits surely it couldn't have been that hard to get right. What I also fed up with as I said above is I can't believe that I haven't heard a thing from them since the 14th February

Exactly that.
You won't have to pay more except for taxi fares and other expenses but they have no intention of doing any more and you still won't have a car on the road.

 

[Tony carr]

I paid on a credit card so if they don't repair it which I am sure they will in the end then I have recourse for money paid under credit card

 

[davemercedes]

It will probably be useful if you can have a conversation with a Customer Services Manager at VISA/whoever provides your card. They can be incredibly helpful and even on occasion point out to a seller that they stand to lose the use of their brand of card. I think LK’s suggestion of getting a respected Indy to provide a worst case scenario estimate so you have something meaty to threaten them with is very sound.

Best of luck Tony ~ we all feel for you.

On the bright side, once you get it back in working order I think your faith will be restored quite quickly. I bought my 2007 estate (S203) in March 2013 with 65K on it & I had one “limp” issue about 3 - 4 years ago that turned out to be a broken booster pipe solved by my favourite Indy. I replaced the battery 3 years ago and otherwise all that it ever needs is servicing. The car now has 103K on it and I just get in and go anytime which I'm sure is what you expect and fingers crossed is what you’ll get.

Best of luck.

 

[karlak]

Agreed about speaking with the Credit Card company. My Father was duped by a garage door company who provided him a very substandard and dangerous electric roller door. It failed after 3 months. The company in question did what these companies do, folded and the T*ss*r who was the MD had already started up another concern.

Luckily, he had paid with Barclaycard, so he asked me to deal with the Section 75 side of things with Barclaycard. I was fully expecting loopholes, clauses and general aggravation. Couldn't have been more wrong. They were absolutely superb. Put an immediate credit on his card for the full amount, while they wrote to the now non-existent company. We had to wait a period of time, may have been a few weeks, then got confirmation that we had "won". The full amount credited to us and a pukka company came in to replace the crap they had fitted, for very little extra..

The bottom line is they were superb. It cannot do any harm to ask their advice, especially as you have out of pocket expenses while your badly repaired car is back in the workshop. They have huge power in the financial world and can put a lot of pressure on service providers.

 

[Frontstep]

Makes me wonder what they will do with EV's.

They will surely self diagnose and tell "mummy" whats the matter.

The problem is our legal system favours the likes of MB even when you win against them you don't.

 

[Tony carr]

Latest update as of Saturday 29th of February, still no phone call or any contact at all which now makes it just over 2 weeks since the vehicle went back in. I can't believe that customer service of a major main dealer can be so poor just one phone with an update even if they had no news at all would have been something !

 

[Oldspanners]

Latest update as of Saturday 29th of February, still no phone call or any contact at all which now makes it just over 2 weeks since the vehicle went back in. I can't believe that customer service of a major main dealer can be so poor just one phone with an update even if they had no news at all would have been something !

They are too busy making money to be bothered looking at your car which will cost them money. They know you will get frustrated before they do and eventually take it somewhere else.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Latest update as of Saturday 29th of February, still no phone call or any contact at all which now makes it just over 2 weeks since the vehicle went back in. I can't believe that customer service of a major main dealer can be so poor just one phone with an update even if they had no news at all would have been something !

My take on this is -Are you pro-active here, or are you just waiting until they do something?
The old saying, 'The squeaky wheel gets the grease' seems appropriate.

Unless you actively and constantly make waves, you are probably not going to get what you want, and what is your consumer right.

 

[Tony carr]

No I haven't contacted them and I have no intention of doing so the vehicle has been with them since September one way or another over that period of time I have had numerous phone calls and meetings with them. They saw and know how ...... Off I am at the whole saga on the 14th of February which is why I can't believe they have made no effort to contact or show any form of customer service towards me since. Remember I am the customer here I am the one who has had to pay £4,000 towards a reconditioned engine that I shouldn't have had to pay in the first place as a Mercedes dealer they are a disgrace and shouldn't be allowed near a push bike there only interest is Selling cars and making as much as they can for service items etc.

 

[umblecumbuz]

No I haven't contacted them and I have no intention of doing so ...

I feel for you, Tony - but we all know how business operates. The good Dealers do all they can for their customers, and the lazy ones do as little as they can get away with.
Sometimes it is necessary to bite the bullet and start shouting. To my way of thinking, this is one of those times.
Looks to me that unless you get vocal and pro-active you're not going to get a result.
Your choice.

 

[davemercedes]

Tony, I know it's dreadfully frustrating and we all feel for you. But to finally get it sorted, I'm afraid as per comments above you need to make waves - big ones! Power to you!

 

[Tony carr]

It's a waste of time because I would only be talking and shouting to the same idiots I have been for the last few months to be honest I give up ! All I know lets contact MB uk and complain oh sorry forgot did that another waste of time

 

[Oldspanners]

I think you said you paid by credit card, get in touch there and see if they will do anything.
But sorry to say it looks like if you want the car on the road any time soon you will have to take it somewhere else and contact trading standards.

 

[Tony carr]

Update today is 7th of March still no phone call or contact from them at all total joke oh well will continue to keep putting miles on there car as I have done for last few months lol

 

[Larkone]

You have been more than reasonable and have given the dealer more than enough time to fix this. I would now take them to court using MCOL. Any judge will look favourably on your claim because you have done everything you possibly could to get this sorted with the dealer and they have not done their part, 5-6 months to fix your car is not acceptable. I doubt the dealer will want to fight this in court and may well settle. The cost to do this through MCOL is small and recoverable if you win or you can include it in any out of court settlement. Just carefully document everything that has happened in a timeline, including out of pocket costs and any losses and inconveniences through not being able to enjoy the use of your car, and submit that as part of your claim. The problem with solicitors is they will always warn you that you may lose a case. My experience of claiming through MCOL and not using solicitors is that judges just look at the facts both sides present and make a balanced judgement on those facts. They are not interested in complicated legal arguments and understand the claimants (and likely defendants) are not legally trained and make allowances for that. Last time I did this over an unpaid bill the judge carefully guided me through what I needed to present to ensure that I presented everything that was relevant, the defendant then lied about one thing (not receiving an invoice, I had an email saying they would pay that invoice) and their case died on its feet in seconds. Just remember never lie to a judge and you will be fine.

 

[Tony carr]

Latest update so at 9.05 on Tuesday the 24th March I get a phone call from the service manager who started off the call like he was my long lost friend whom he hadn't spoken to or contacted for nearly 5 and a half weeks. Your car is ready he says can you pick it up today as we are closing the dealership today, no I respond I have to go to work as I am a keyworker, to which he replies do you have the spare key will can leave it outside and you can post the key for loan car though the door ! My response was no chance how I do know the car is ok and what do I do if it isn't ? The car is totally prefect trust me ! We have had the vehicle on test for the last week and a half I then ask what was the problem to be told 3 engine sensors which they had to wait to come in to replace, now forgive me for being cynical but surely you would have contacted the customer a week or so ago and told them vehicle was on test and could be picked up soon not wait until the morning of the day you were going to close for unknown period of time and expect me to drop everything to go and pick it up why would you do that me thinks yet again I can smell bull s... And they just wanted it out of the way. I told him in no uncertain terms that I don't trust the car and can't be in a position where if another fault occurs there is no help available or loan car because they are closed and I will be staying in there loan car until they reopen. I also then pointed out until last week I didn't know that I don't have a Mercedes engine in my car but indeed a Renault engine and if I had known that I would never have bought that model, I remember clearly on the test drive asking the salesman about the engine and that I didn't know Mercedes made a 1.6 diesel after I asked him what engine it was in a 200d at no time did he say it was a Renault engine. To me I thought I was buying a fillet steak not a cheeseburger from macdonalds how wrong I was ! This sage will continue I am now livid to the point of no going back in trying to find ways of taking action against this awful dealership and it crap service.