e-class chassis rust

[paul johnson]

I have a 1998 e300td which recently needed new ball joints, wishbone bushes and tracking arms to get it through the mot. It has done 82000 miles so not excessive. Needless to say I only have servicing carried out by Mercedes because of their outrageous hourly labour rates.
Whilst the work was being carried out by a very reputable motor engineers they found that the front cross member closing panel had rusted completely through for it's entire length. Being a quality garage they were able to cut out the relevent part and spot weld a new plate in.
The corrosion would appear to be caused by the plastic undertray foam backing which holds water, so my e-class can't be unique in this. When I asked my engineer his comments his reply was " 1998 Mondeos aren't rusty yet". Has anyone had a similar experiance and who do I contact at Mercedes to discuss this issue ?

 

[mjtray]

See the numerous posts on rust......unfortunately you are not alone :cry:

 

[jberks]

I'd take it to the dealer who services the car and ask them why they didn't spot this at the service. I would have thought that this would be covered by the anti corrosion warranty, though now you've had it welded this may not be the case. As they force us to let the dealer service the cars in order to have the corrosion warranty validated, I intend to demand a full anti-corrosion check on mine at each service.

 

[BawBagg]

My 2000 W210 is in the garage right now getting a pile of warranty work done to rectify corrosion issues.

My warranty claim regarding the front cross member/landing panel was rejected by MB - and I'm currently in dispute about this.

Keep your eye on the "E-Class Rust...." thread - I'll post my results.

I'd be interested to hear how you get on.

R

 

[230K]

Hi

Bet it looked like this. Friends 98 E300TD which was replaced by MB a week or so later
http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=8942&highlight=model


Cheers

230K

 

[Arnie]

Hi

Bet it looked like this. Friends 98 E300TD which was replaced by MB a week or so later
http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=8942&highlight=model


Cheers

230K

Yes, but it seems you need to be a member before you can access this picture ???

 

[landover]

Is this what we will have to buy when our car get's older.???????

 

[mercury]

I have joined the club of owners of rusty E class having just traded in my trusty old 1986 200T with over 200K miles that I have cherished for the past 13 years. I am appalled at the condition of my 1997 E300tubodiesel estate. 1 week ago I would have recommended anyone to purchase a Mercedes but sadly this is no longer true. My £8000 was investested wisely in 1991 but I do not think my recent puchase was. I remember the Lancia Beta suffering from corrosion. Is the Mercedes to follow suit?

 

[johnmc]

Hi Paul,
Front sub-frame is a common fault, not heard of widespread
chassis issues beyond that.

Worth talking to Merc about a fix, quotes to fund it yourself could
be 1500Quid plus. On may cars, especially with Mobilo, it's an automatic warranty fix by Merc. My four year old car just had it done.

John

 

[230K]

Hi

Bet it looked like this. Friends 98 E300TD which was replaced by MB a week or so later
http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=8942&highlight=model


Cheers

230K

Yes, but it seems you need to be a member before you can access this picture ???

Well you know what to do then.

230K

 

[mercury]

e class chassis rust

Hi
I have discovered corrosion on the closing plate on the front chassis transverse section as described previosly on this forum. I have protected this with a coat of paint on the underside and intend to keep an eye on this. I own a 1997E300 turbodiesel estate. My previous car was a 1996200T which I sold at 204000 miles last month. The bodywork was far superior on the 124 Mercedes to the current W210. I was able to run and maintain the 124 for 13 years but I have my doubts on the longevity of the w210. Do the manufactures not realise that one of the strong points of the Mercedes used to be its longevity. Sadly I must now resort to painting over the rust to protect my investment as Mercedes are not finished to a standard suitable for the British climate. Perhaps they are intended for use in the middle east where corrosion is not a problem. I have also noticed rust on all four doors, bonnet and tailgate! Perhaps it is a good thing that I am retired and I have the time to repair my car myself as it would appear that I would be wasting my time to expect any help from the manufacturers due to the age of the car and the incomplete MB service record. Fortunately my wife owns a rust free Corsa and I am able to use this during repair work on the Mercedes. May be Mercedes should operate a bogof (buy one get one free) policy and supply a spare runabout car with all Eclass!

 

[OlafMaxwell]

This one is no joke. When I got the e class I kept my trusty 1995 Peugeot 405......It has seen stalwart service as a replacement car when the Merc is off the road. The Merc quality of service is nothing short of pathetic.

In August the Merc was in the garage with a note to look at rust issues. I am still waiting for a response.

Last Saturday I was in the Peugeot dealers....mentioned some [small] rust at the top of two of the doors......no problem...it will be fixed with your next service. They were the dealer's words.

How abut this one.....car proud lady driver...orders C180......it will be delivered 14th....waits three months....14th comes...and goes....two weeks later rings garage......to be told your car is here for the last three weeks [Merc dealers aint got phones installed yet].....Brings car back few weeks later for the usual problems......collecting car notices it's scratched.....and a big oily stain on the back seat [Merc dealers aint got around to using plastic seat covers] ........dealer gets oily cloth and wipes over seat to clean it but spreads muck everywhere.......Dealer gets car valeted...still oily stain on seat....refuses to replace.......does not fix scratches...... What other car manufacturer would tolerate or condone this crap? Exit one C180 owner, order a new audi A4!!

 

[jberks]

I would be worth knowing the name of the dealer so we could avoid them!

I am always a little sceptical about such stories - there is often a lot more to the story - e.g. why would the dealer sit on the car, when they want to be paid for it and the salesman want's his commission. Often when you dig a little deeper you find that the story is more complex.

To be fair, whilst I agree that my dealer does seem to have difficulty using the phone from time to time (due to being overwhelmed with work) and I have no time for the manufacturer and his accountants, my complaint is normally that when I collect the car, I have to remove all the protective covers from carpets, seats etc before I can go home. Their car washer is hopeless but then so is Audi's. In general terms I am happy with my dealer most of the time and I have never seen anything approaching that level of shabby service. Audi has a much nicer waiting room and the receptionist comes and sits with you on a comfy couch to book your car in. However it takes 30 minutes to do this. With Merc, I'm in and gone in 5 minutes generally. Audi replaced a broken wing mirror. The screws were half in and cross threaded. and it took 3 days to do the work. (Couldn't match the paint on a 6 month old car).
The service my collegue gets on his VW (cost the same as my merc) is appalling. Misdiagnosis (failed steering rack as "OK" ?! - I drove it, scared me to death), long waiting times, car not ready on time, no loan cars, the list goes on.

I am not sure why dealers fail to deliver, but its all dealers, not just Merc. I wonder whether its simply that as Merc owners, we could have pretty much any car we wanted, bought based on the 'old' reputation, plus we often run our own businesses so are less tolerant of the poor service that we would not accept for our own customers. I have stood in shops and watched people being served with total disregard, say thankyou and walk away. The assistant gets a wake up call when they get to me !

 

[OlafMaxwell]

I am inclined to disagree on the matter of dealers. I deal with quite a number, including the old reliables like Fiat. None of them are as bad an experience as dealing with Mercedes.

Stand in line, then come and take a seat as you chat with your condescending service adviser who does not know the difference between a crankshaft and a camshaft. How do you communicate with guys like that? Have him ask all his set questions...how is your Mercedes, sir, are there any little problems, sir.....[well, yes, there are, they are still there from when you were supposed to fix them last time and the time before], He writes them all down and it's like he sniggers when you are gone and chucks it in the bin. And no he won't ring you to tell you your car will not be ready at the appointed time. And no, he won't ring you. I never knew dealers treated customers like that, certainly not in any other garage. And they charge you for work they have not done. And no, they won't get you your car back in time to catch a ferry, they will simply park it, forget about it and leave you high and dry. I never had that before. And they charge you for work covered by warranty.

Sure I will name garages, avoid MSL Motor Services over here and don't ever let your car inside their doors.