E-Class Rust, Just How Bad Does it Get?

[jberks]

I have just recieved confirmation from MB dealer that they will repair my front wings foc. Two things bother me. snould I accept the repar or push for new wings (he tells me the repair is better as they can blend the paint to match existing paint rather than paint complete panels making matching harder). Also I would have to pay for hire car for 4 days is this correct?
Thanks
Deb

NO!! The dealer should provide you with a loan car FOC. I understand they have a nice new C class waiting for me when mine finally goes in next month. (3 doors a sill and a wheelarch) (I told them that at 100 miles a day, I didn't want a smart). And I NEVER pay for loan cars - then again, no one has ever asked me!

 

[raycul]

Well all I can say is you guys are having more luck then me

My 98 E300Td has gone in for work. I have to pay £350 contribution becasue the dealer I bought it off serviced it once and it no longer has a full MB History.

Last Friday I get a call. Front doors repaired ok. Rear doors can be repaired if I'm selling the car or replaced if I'm keeping the car. My contribution is now £850! They certainly know how to take the Pi$$! :-(

I have just bought a 2001 S class and I certainly hope it doesn't suffer the same!

 

[Morzine]

Rusty cross member approved.

HI,

My rusty cross member has been approved for repair by MB. I did have to wait eleven weeks for an answer but after turning up in person last night the dealer called this morning and said it's approved and when do you want to bring it in. It goes in on the 12th july for a couple of days, i'll see what comes back and report.

Can only hope this is the last of the rust, yeah right.

On reading these threads there does appear to be a signifcant difference the way way MB UK and MB here in Germany handle affairs. I think i'd better stay here whilst i'm driving Merc.

Regards.

 

[ddentrec]

E-Class rust...

My 280 TE is just starting to rust on the front wings and on the rear jacking points: but this car was built in 1985 and has covered 204,450 miles.

You can tell that the primer and paint is thick; the underseal is intact with only mild rust patches by the rear exhaust. It has never been repaired/repainted and by all accounts this car has had a very hard life.

That is what Mercedes-Benz is (was?) renowned for.

Clearly, the build quality of the more recent E-class is disgraceful.

Shame.

 

[Ramius]

The list of MB owners with rust issues grows and grows daily. Its so extreme now it really has put me off buying another car.

Recommendation. ( My Opinion )

Buy a good second hand W124! Now then they built cars that lasted!

 

[jberks]

I think either that or just avoid 98 to around 02 as the dodgy years or else just accept it and ensure you have and keep an FMBSH.
Sure its dissapointing but to be fair, the slightest sign on mine and they put it right and a year on from the repair of the bootlock and front door and they're still perfect.

 

[blassberg]

i recently read about a new paint approach from MB with ultrafine ultra hard particles in. May be a response to warranty claims?

 

[philharve]

Corrosion repaired but ...

I waited 10 months for M-B to authorise the repair to the upper channel of my nearside, rear door and the work was over in a trice, just 3 days. It's clever how they can match old and new metallic paint these days.

I didn't get a new door because the corrosion hadn't perforatted the metal. The rust had spread along the window channel and it no longer resembled the original picture which was taken by the M-B dealership back in February. It was a long wait but ultimately worth it.

However, during the past months two more small rust spots have appeared and I've registered them with the repairer who has taken photographs.

I think it was 'jberks' who stated that most models, not just Es, produced between 98 - 02 are likely to suffer from corrosion at some point during their early years. It's the luck of the draw whether you purchase a good or bad one. I count myself lucky that I now only has 3 small spots to deal with. I saw one sad example 3 months ago - E-class touring, W plate - and every panel was affected. Its wheel arches were so heavily rusted that flacks of metal and paint came away in my fingers. I hasten to add that the restorer invited me to examine the car before restoration began.

I now know that I will have to visit the repairer at least one more time to have the remaining rust spots removed, However, once done I will have a spotless (no pun intended) example of a C-class and worth more should I decide to trade up. But who can predict that rust will not break out again? That's the risk drivers of M-Bs of a certain age face. I intend keeping mine because in every other respect it has behaved impeccably. The only mechanical faults it's suffered has been 2 blown bulbs. If the bodywork repairs last and no further rust appears then this example of a C-class could be with me a great many years. I don't change my cars very often.

Somewhere within this long thead I recall reading about a member who had to subsidize the costs of bodywork repairs because his car had an incomplete M-B service history.

I could face a similar problem but I don't see why an inherent corrosion problem should be linked with an incomplete M-B service history.

When I bought my M-B in January 05 it had 4 sets of documents showing it had undergone 4 M-B services, from new: a full M-B service history. The services were scheduled according to the ASSYST indicator and I'm expecting the next service to occur within 2 - 3,000 miles at around the 100k mile mark. I intend to have M-B service it at this time.

The dealer (non M-B) from whom I purchased the M-B replaced the disc pads before handing the car keys over to me. The pads were getting a little thin but had not brought up a warning indicator. This was a gesture of good will because I did not have to pay for this work. The independent who replaced the pads (not the dealer) made an appropriate 'pads replaced' entry in my M-B service book which interrupted the full M-B service history. In retrospect it may have been better that no such entry had been made because the M-B dealership I had been using informed me that as a result of this inappropriate entry I had inadvertantly lost my Mobilo Life cover: in hindsight not a great loss. HOWEVER, could M-B now argue that because my service book has a non M-B entry, they are not obliged to pay for the remaining corrosion work to my car?

M-B had to pay for the repairs to the door because this was the second repair to cure the same corrosion problem. The repair was originally undetaken about 3 years ago by a duly-authorised M-B repairer and rust broke out again, hence the second repair. Hopefully this second repair will last because it was performed by this years National Small Bodyshop Award Winner who just happens to have his premises in the centre of Cornwall not far from where I live. If I can 'again' get M-B to authorize repair, I will take the car back to the same bodyshop because they are M-B authorised. I will still use them if I have to pay for the work myself. How many times can you make a claim for poor paintwork???

The 'champion' repairer is supporting my claim because he says that the corrosion was initiated by 'thin paint', just like the rear door channel. However, will my service book history now count against me? I say 'No'.

REGARDS Phil

 

[maddog]

My 2001 E class "seems fine" no rust as yet but i saw a P reg (1996/97) E class down at the dealer than looked like a Fiat from the 1970's i couldnt believe it had got so bad, the dealer had just spoken to the unfortunate owner and classed most rust but not all as stone chip damage.

It does seem to be a lottery

 

[philharve]

Hi maddog / other members

It's unusual to see a P-plate E-class with severe corrosion problems because the rust problem that afflicted Merecedes-Benz is widely regarded as starting a little later, probably as a result of a cost-cutting exercise that eventually cost M-B a lot more than just its reputation.

It sounds as though the P-plate you encountered was similar in condition to the E-class, W plate, I saw a little while ago. I can appreciate the comparison you make with a certain Italian car maker of the 60s and 70s. This make developed rust bubbles within a couple of years and it was a long, hard-fought battle to regain their reputation for quality.

Since detecting the corrosion problem in my C-class I have taken the opportunity to briefly examine other M-Bs I encounter, mostly in car parks. Those with slight corrosion problems, like mine, seem to suffer in exactly the same places, for example, rear door window channels. More often than not the nearside rear door. Odd that! Could it be that all lefthand, rear doors are made in the same part of the factory? There is a kind of logic in this observation because you can imagine a defective, robotic paint sprayer malfunctioning and not laying down the correct thickness of paint. But could such a malfunction have gone unnoticed for several years?

The model with the worst corrosion problems, i.e. all body panels possibly affected, is the E-class, although corrosion does attack other models too.

When I originally reported my car's slight corrosion problem to my M-B dealership I was informed that the problem was insignificant and, anyway, M-B had already addressed the problem by redesigning some of the metal components with non-ferrous composite material which doesn't rust. O.K., I can believe this but 'insignificant'??? How many M-Bs are there out there affected by premature corrosion? Are were talking about 7-figure numbers?

I recall looking around a M-B showroom many months ago where there were about 10 brand new cars on show - all silver - many costing 2 or 3 times that of my own C-class when it was new. Funny thing, but the paint on some of these cars' panels never seem to quite colour match the rest of the bodywork! They look as though they have been resprayed. I wonder why this is? Does the substrate material upon which paint is sprayed affect the texture and colour of the finish?

I pity anyone with a youngish M-B with severe corrosion problems. How do you tell if rust results from stone chip damage or originates under the paint? Surely a visual inspection alone will reveal whether stone chip damage is responsible.

I know that paint thickness can be measured objectively with the right kind of equipment. I would have thought that this method is preferable to a simple visual inspection? I've not seen paint thickness measuring equipment but I guess it would be based upon the use of magnetics or ultrasonics. I have no idea whether such equipment can detect the number of layers or type of paint but it has to be the ultimate arbitrator if there is any question of damage resulting from 'thin paint'.

Does any member know how paint thickness is actually measured and what thickness is acceptable? Is a rust preventative undercoat still applied or can one application of a particular paint formulation serve as rust inhibitor, undercoat and top coat? Also, how do you blend metallic colours?

REGARDS Phil

 

[maddog]

How do you tell if rust results from stone chip damage or originates under the paint? Surely a visual inspection alone will reveal whether stone chip damage is responsible.


REGARDS Phil

I watched as the service manager inspected the car and some of the things he said was stone chips i would have disputed but it wasnt my car.

There were rust bubbles in the middle of the doors, along the bottoms and even the windscreen pillar has signs of rust this was a severe case imo , worse than you normally see on the road nowadays.

 

[johnmc]

Washing the car today, and found that both rear wheelarches are starting to rust. Bonnet also has a large blister starting where a stone hit it.

Here we go again. I don't have the time to argue with the dealers, so they are in for a hard ride this time...!

Times like this I could happily dump the Merc..!

John

 

[johnmc]

Good news, repairs are approved to the four doors and wheel arches without shouting at anyone.

My bonnet is stone chipped, and they've offered to fix the bonnet stone chip rust and re-spray the whole bonnet for 300Pounds including the VAT while the car is in. Does that sound reasonable? Any thoughts?

Cheers!
John

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

300 sounds about right for a professional job, when you factor in the repair, paint, labour and VAT. The plus point is that the car is in anyway, so you won't loose time on the road and you have comeback if necessary, should anything not be to your satisfaction.

Sure you can get it done cheaper but weill the materials and job be as good.

 

[jberks]

Definately let them do it. They will be matching all the paint together and by the time they've blended that lot in, you effectively have a full respray! You might save a couple of quid having someone else do the bonnet, but its always better to have it all done together.

 

[clive williams]

£300 is reasonable for the front end re-spray. Mine was quoted at £500 for the whole front end up to the A pillar by my usual bodyshop.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[d4hwt]

I got a deal from a friend of a friend who owns a bodyshop,might be worth shopping around as for £600 i got 1 front wing replaced 3 other rusty arches repaired, 3 rusty doors repaired and rust spots on the bonnet repaired, both sides of the car and the bonnet painted as well as colour coding the sills and bumper skirts. I had at look at his previous work etc first and made sure he had an oven for curing the paint properly. so it might be worth getting a few prices before commiting. Although it was done through a friend i'm sure he must've still made money on the deal, you can't tell the car has been painted (according to my friend and my missus, not home for a week or so yet to check it myself).

 

[philharve]

£300 is reasonable for the front end re-spray. Mine was quoted at £500 for the whole front end up to the A pillar by my usual bodyshop.

Clive

Hi All

When my car went in for corrosion repair work under warranty back in September 05, I had an opportunity to have a long chat with the approved repairer. He informed me that Daimler-Chrysler had costed the repair to every body panel and section of bodywork for every model affected by corrosion.

The nationwide network of approved repairers were under strict instructions not to exceed these costs, if they did, they were to absorb the difference.

DC is exercising tight control over every single claim which I was infomed runs into tens of thousands. This is a huge mount of money and every claim could site in the 'for attention' pipeline many months. I had an 8 month wait before my door channel was repaired. Another visit to the repairer is unavoidable because 3 or 4 small rust spots have broken out since September.

I've heard GBP300.00 mentioned several times in this thread for a bonnet respray and this was the exact same figure quoted to me. I've also heard a figure of GBP500.00 which included wing repainting.

The worse (or best, depending upon one's point of view) example of corrosion I ever saw was a 2000 E-class, an estate model. Both front wings were corroding away and every body panel had extensive rust damage. The eventual repair cost was several thousand pounds. I doubt after an experience like that the owner car's owner stayed loyal to the Mercedes-Benz marque.

I consider the corrosion afflicting my C-class to be minor by comparison but it's still an annoyance nonetheless.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[big x]

Good news, repairs are approved to the four doors and wheel arches without shouting at anyone.

My bonnet is stone chipped, and they've offered to fix the bonnet stone chip rust and re-spray the whole bonnet for 300Pounds including the VAT while the car is in. Does that sound reasonable? Any thoughts?

Cheers!
John

While your at it get them to check the spring cups !

adam

 

[philharve]

Hi big x

Nice picture! But what's hiding beneath the remaining underseal?

I think you'll find GBP300.00 is the max' that DC are prepared to go wrt a bonnet respray. See my earlier posting. I quoted for a bonnet belonging to a C-class. I've no information concerning other models' bonnets. Maybe another member can confirm whether an E-class bonnet respray is also GBP300.00?

REGARDS Phil