E class rust

[Mick J]

I know this subject has been well aired but if it's any help I had some work done by a sprayer who works on classic rollers right through to new cars.He said that in each case that he has had rust around the boot lock on an E class he has found that the rubber grommet inside the assembly has been put in upside down,thereby stopping water from draining away.Apparently they are shaped with a small groove/chanel which should be at the bottom.I hope this is some use to some one having problems.Personaly I can't afford a new E class so I have a 300 SE and a 124 E220 estate.Sorry didn't mean to put the smiling smiley at the heading.E class rust is nothing to laugh about.Pilot error on the key board !!!

 

[shaggy]

i dont think anyone will take offence with the smiley m8 ;-)
good post though

 

[jberks]

thanks for this info. I guess if true, Merc are regretting that small training issue. They've had to fix hundreds if not thousands (including mine) on the corrosion warranty!

 

[robinh20mrv]

rust on my clk ?

why is my clk (v reg) rusting round the lock then? same thing? its a bit annoying to say the least!!

a wee bit round the front wheel arches where the stone chips are as well, :-( still, she is going in to get painted next week, then she will be like new again!!

cheers robin.

 

[gas gas]

****** rust ( W210 )

Yes moan time - I have a w reg E240 with an ever increasing rust problem . In Jan of this year I was knocked back for a full warranty claim by my MB dealer and asked for a 25% contribution as the car didnt have a full MB history ( we have our own workshops and have serviced the car ' in house ' for the last two services since my ownership.) I objected , ( how could an MB mechanic with his head under the bonnet have halted the onset of rust on my wings ?? ) wrote to customer servcies back and forth and got nowhere . In April I took the car back to the dealer and said ok I reluctantly I'll have to stump up the 25 % . At which time he inspected the car and asked if both front wings and bonnet had been painted and I said yes - "were they resprayed by a main dealer " he asked - I said no , but they were done by a prestige insurance approved bodyshop which I had paperwork for . Long story short - they will now not honour the warranty on the car due to this fact . I cannot express just how brassed off I am at all this petty bureaucracy by a manufacturer that I always held in high esteem and whom I thought wouldnt lower themselves to this 'tittle tattle' method of customer care . :-(

 

[LNM]

and the helpful dealer is located where?

Name and shame time.

 

[jberks]

I always wondered about the 'insurance approved' bodyshop's affect on a warranty. I had a row with Equity red star (purporting to be Audi Insurance) when the Wife stuffed her A3. The policy stated that you get a loan car. They said the car was to go to their approved (means cheaper I guess) bodyshop who would lend me the car. I asked if this was Audi approved ... No but it could go to the dealer if I wanted. Asked the Audi bodyshop if they had a loan car available ...No. So loan car and invalid warranty or intact warranty but on the bus for the next few weeks. After some veiled threats etc for misrepresentation, they got us a car from a rental co and off it went to the dealer.

I can see your frustration and to be fair, the paintwork applied by the garage is unlikely to have been any worse than that put on at the factory. But, from their perspective, you are asking them to fix under warranty, work done by someone else. I agree that the mechanic would not have spotted it and actually I don't think this is why they insist on them doing the servicing. I believe the corrosion warranty was originally just a marketing way to keep us going back to the dealer. So if we don't go, we're not keeping up our end of the bargain. On that basis, their original 75% offer isn't too bad.

That said, its 6 months since the claim went in on my FMBSH W reg E240 and nothing back as yet. I am left wondering whether it was really worth the extra expense, especially as in my case, the majority of the work I actually care about are from 2 stone chips that I will have to pay for anyway.

 

[gas gas]

E240 Bodywork warranty ? Utter dissapointment......

Yes I take on board your various points - my major maon is that we currently run an S class , SLK , CLK , this E class , 3 x 18 ton Mercedes Axor trucks and around 15 Sprinter vans . So , on the grand scheme of things what really hacks me off is the fact that we have been a very good , long serving and loyal client of MB since we started in buisness in 1979 - if MB really cared about client retention I wouldnt be sitting here moaning about who painted this or who painted that .This is firm proof that good old fashioned dealer / customer relationships just dont exist anymore such as in years gone by . I used to be proud to be a long servcing owner / operator of a fleet containg the 3 pointed star - might as well run Fords !

 

[jberks]

One thing I have learned the hard way, is that with any large company (anyone know any small dealers these days?) the concept of loyalty is gone.
MB UK clearly have NO loyalty to their loyal customers. They have proven this time and again - else why am I waiting over 6 months for a claim to be approved. I guess its the way of the world - sad though.

 

[raycul]

My wifes 1998 E class has just been approved for warranty claim on doors.
However, because one service, by the dealer who sold to me, is none MB they want 35% contribution to the cost. To top that I have one month to claim otherwise we start all over again!

I've just purchased a 2001 S320 cdi and I hope that doesn't suffer the same problems!

:???: