E320 cdi wheel arch rust

[BHS]

Hello all, I have 2002 210 model E320 cdi. It is developing the usual corrosion at the nsf wheel arch, I soon expect this problem to appear at the other known areas. I took the car to the nearest body shop(merc) but they told me it appears the car has previously been repainted & that because of this they would not progress a claim. I wonder whether any one else has encountered this resistance & what did you do next?
All responses welcome. Thanks.

 

[Gunning]

mercedes e320 cdi rust problem

hi, i had a 1999 t reg mercedes e320 petrol, (pre face lift) and mine went seriously bad! rust was every where even around the bonet vent. I got in touch with my local dealer, they gave me the typical mercedes benz run around, losing details, somebodys on holiday etc etc, They said i wouldn't get it done because my car had done 82,500 miles with no service history past 40,000 miles. I kept on at them, because servicing a car dosent stop rust, and my local body shop man (keith rule) said he had one exactly the same year and car with fsh and it was just as bad, they have a 30 year waranty that is worth giving ago! I had around £4000 worth of body work repairs done to mine for free. WITH OUT FMBSH! oh and mine had been painted serveral times before i bought it.

 

[Daeths]

Hello all, I have 2002 210 model E320 cdi. It is developing the usual corrosion at the nsf wheel arch, I soon expect this problem to appear at the other known areas. I took the car to the nearest body shop(merc) but they told me it appears the car has previously been repainted & that because of this they would not progress a claim. I wonder whether any one else has encountered this resistance & what did you do next?
All responses welcome. Thanks.

Assuming this repaint has been has been identified by the paint depth measuring gizmo (?) worth checking with MB approved bodyshop to see if the work was actually done by them.

Have you checked the tops of your doors (under rubbers) osf arch - tell signs are "spiders legs" under the paint on the lip. Worst case scenario nsf may not be covered but the rest may be. BTW how is the metal around your boot lock ?

You also have the right to take it to another Merc dealership, after perhaps chatting up the sales guy for a "new A class for the missus... oh and can you get your bodydhop manager to look at my rust".

My advice is to pesevere, they do rust and why should you pay for it. Any consolation, had 3 doors, two wings and a tailgate under warranty on my 2001 E320 CDi - my hook to the dealership was that I forced my incurance co to use the same bodyshop for some repair work. Once they could see there was money in it they were sooooo helpful + courtesy car etc etc.

Good luck

Adam

 

[BHS]

Thanks for replies. I am now following up with DC UK via emails. Also discovered paintwork etc done by Western Auto (Merc Dealer) in Edinburgh,athough they say they have no records before 2004! The car was repaired in 2003, I got this from previous owner who was very helpfull. Will keep all posted, thanks again.

 

[MIW615]

Had a similar issue with my W210, not wings, but had paint blisters around the boot release knob. They tested the boot lid with the paint depth devise and it appeared that there had previously been paintwork to the boot lid, although NOT near the release knob, but used this as an excuse to reject my warranty claim. I pursued this with MB customer services, but got the run around so much that I just gave up and as it was a small repair (£85.00) I had my local paint shop do the job.

 

[Daeths]

Thanks for replies. I am now following up with DC UK via emails. Also discovered paintwork etc done by Western Auto (Merc Dealer) in Edinburgh,athough they say they have no records before 2004! The car was repaired in 2003, I got this from previous owner who was very helpfull. Will keep all posted, thanks again.

When writing to DC UK, tell them clearly but politely the previous work was by an approved bodyshop and clearly state you are disappointed/surprised that the remedial work has also corroded.

In short give them all the facts to enable them to make an infomed decision and see what comes out. My experience and some others on this forum is that DC are generally quite fair. If they turn you down, thats when you crank it up. BTW, don't accept a contribution at this stage and hold out for the full repair gratis.

Not trying to tell granny how to suck, and hope this helps.

Good luck

Adam

 

[OlafMaxwell]

I ended up with 4 new doors. the tailgate is now also due to be done. The wheel arches don't become an issue because of a truck incident requiring them to be repaired, at an MB workshop where they were presumbably done to the new specs. Washingt he car last weekend I realised they had actually replaced the rear wheel arches in their entirety!!.

 

[Kallisti]

What's people's experience of repair Vs. replacement in this?

I've had rust for ages on my W210 - I'm going for effort #3 of getting MB to sort it out (the local dealer's approved bodyshop just never return calls). The only thing they've accepted so far is the boot which has terrible rust around the release. They've said that they'll be stripping it and re-spraying it to sort it out.

All 4 arches have rust spots, but apart from the bottom corners, the doors seem OK (though I'm not sure I'm looking in the right places there. In fact, as far as I can tell, teh roof and the bonnet are the only two metallic bits that aren't rusting.

So, returning to the question, do people generally get replacement parts, or repairs to them? Are there any problems associated with repairs? I've a further complication that the nearside arch has a big gouge taken out of it by someone in a car-park. Are they likely to say I have to contribute as a result of that?

 

[Daeths]

definitely check under the door rubbers (top of door, peel back and ...probably, scream/wail) if you've go t no rust on your bonnest you aint got no stonechips. You will likely have s/chips have a good close look in good light and you will possibly see what looks like 'cotton' threads under the paint. These threasds of cotton are the rust monster gorging itself on your craft of choice.

Back to the orginal question, I'm amazed your on your 3rd attempt. They clearly cannot be repairing properly as if they do it tends to be better than the orginal.Asl them the direct quetion nad why you are not getting replacement as opposed to repairs if the sme sections keep going grotty

 

[philharve]

Repairs to repairs under warranty

Hi BHS

I had a rust repair repaired a second time under warranty after rust broke out again in the same spot. MB were duty bound to finance the second repair because the original repair was undertaken by a MB-approved bodyshop. I had the records - as did MB - with the proof.

I doubt that MB will finance a second repair if the original repair was undertaken by a non-MB-approved bodyshop. Their attitude may well be different towards a body panel that has never been repaired before.

Earlier this year I had all 4 wheel arches plus bonnet and one door professionally repaired by Keith Rule (see 'Gunning' above) and MB again financed all the repairs except the door. My car is a maturing W reg. C230K with 116,000 miles on the odometer. I believe the repairs, especially the paint, far exceeds the standard of paintwork on the car when it left the factory. It should now give many years of corrosion-free service.

I included 4 alloy wheels in my claim but MB rejected their replacement on the grounds that they are consumable items and tend to have a short life. By comparison, the bodywork has a 30 year perforation warranty (inside to outside) but there will come a time within those 30 years when the cost of a claim will exceed the value of the vehicle. Before then I expect MB to say 'No' to future claims.

Sad to say but I have not found the dealerships helpful wrt progressing claims. Curiously, not all dealerships behave the same way. Don't underestimate the value and support that can be offered by a MB-approved bodyshop. They can prove to be a valuable ally when claims are disputed.

Don't be fobbed off by the 'paint thickness within spec' ploy used by dealerships. A well-equipped bodyshop is more experienced and better trained in all aspects of automotive refinishing. They can accurately determine how much paint is covering a body panel and whether it provides sufficient protection against the environment.

MB tried cutting corners to save costs before the Millenium and they are now paying the price for that poor decision. See JD Power survey and the fall in MB's customer rating. Vehicles built since 2004 employ different materials (composites) in the more vulnerable parts of the chassis and don't rust. Whilst they may not corrode, they do flex a lot more than steel and this may impact upon passenger safety in the event of an accident.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[dolmen]

Just quick question, please!

What does everyone do with stone chips? Do you dab a little paint on them yourselves? or do you get MB to do a job on them? and how does either option affect rust / perforation warranties?

Thank you.

 

[Kallisti]

definitely check under the door rubbers (top of door, peel back and ...probably, scream/wail) if you've go t no rust on your bonnest you aint got no stonechips.

Oddly - found evidence under one of the door rubbers, but not the others. Annoyingly, the bodyshop say that they can't look for rust, can only react to rust that they've found.

Back to the orginal question, I'm amazed your on your 3rd attempt. They clearly cannot be repairing properly as if they do it tends to be better than the orginal.Asl them the direct quetion nad why you are not getting replacement as opposed to repairs if the sme sections keep going grotty

This is my 3rd attempt at getting it done, not the third time it's been done. The bodyshop don't return calls etc.. Frankly, they're generally useless. In fact, if I don't get a response about the success of a claim today I'm going through the next nearest dealer to sort it out.

So, it's pretty normal for them to repair the panels rather than replace them? Pity, there's other damage to one of them that'd be nice to sort out at the same time, for free

Hey ho, at least I'll be getting them sorted for the long term...

 

[philharve]

Just quick question, please!

What does everyone do with stone chips? Do you dab a little paint on them yourselves? or do you get MB to do a job on them? and how does either option affect rust / perforation warranties?

Thank you.

Hi dolmen

You can buy little philes of touchup paint from Mercedes dealers and specialists. You fill in the chips yourself to protect the metal. You are supposed to fill the chips as soon as they are discovered else the corrosion process will start. Over time, exposed areas such as the front of the car can acquire a patchwork of touchup 'blobs' and it may be worth considering having a panel respray to bring it back to 'as new' condition. Actually a professional repairer is likely to put on more paint than Mercedes. This new covering is more chip resistant than the paint Mercedes have been using. I had the bonnet resprayed on my car about a year ago and it is still spotless. No chips or blobs.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[dolmen]

Hi dolmen

You can buy little philes of touchup paint from Mercedes dealers and specialists. You fill in the chips yourself to protect the metal. You are supposed to fill the chips as soon as they are discovered else the corrosion process will start. Over time, exposed areas such as the front of the car can acquire a patchwork of touchup 'blobs' and it may be worth considering having a panel respray to bring it back to 'as new' condition. Actually a professional repairer is likely to put on more paint than Mercedes. This new covering is more chip resistant than the paint Mercedes have been using. I had the bonnet resprayed on my car about a year ago and it is still spotless. No chips or blobs.

REGARDS

Phil

Thanks Phil,

That makes a lot of sense to me, will get myself a touch up kit for minor repairs.

Regards,

dolmen

 

[philharve]

Oddly - found evidence under one of the door rubbers, but not the others. Annoyingly, the bodyshop say that they can't look for rust, can only react to rust that they've found.

Hi Kallisti

When I took my C230K to the bodyshop and pointed out the rust I had found beneath a door seal, the bodyshop owner gave me a rundown of all the places my W202 C-class tended to corrode. He then proceeded to check under another seal and he found another small spot of rust. He said he would check under each seal and treat any corrosion accordingly. He added that if the rust is detected and treated early enough it would obviate the need to return to the bodyshop. A stitch in time.

Corrosion checks should form part of each service and a quick spray with Waxoyl, or similar, will effectively inhibit further corrosion. My indie performs such checks but my local MB dealer apparently does not because they would have detected the rust first. They never said a word when my car was serviced.

I am a little surprised your bodyshop wouldn't look for corrosion elsewhere when a simple examination would take only a few minutes. Applying rust inhibitor under the seals doesn't take too long either.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[Kallisti]

I'm beginning to sound a bit fussy now, but...

I've got two kids who I cart around a lot. This is why I have an E320 Estate. I can just throw them and everything they need into the car and go. I've just been informed by the bodyshop that my courtesy car, possibly for the next few weeks, is an A150. I don't even know if it will have four doors.

Does Mercedes have any sort of like for like policy with warranty courtesy cars? Does Mobiolife cover this situation? It really is going to be a pain in the ass driving the Mercedes brand toy car around for weeks (though I guess it'll be nice when I need to park!).

Had another look around the car and the tally is now: all four arches are rusting, two rear doors are rusting under the sill, the boot door is rusting and the O/S front door is rusting along the bottom corner. I can't find any evidence of rust at all on the bonnet, roof or the drivers door. Hopefully they happened to be made properly, though I'm not confident.

 

[jberks]

I'm beginning to sound a bit fussy now, but...

I've got two kids who I cart around a lot. This is why I have an E320 Estate. I can just throw them and everything they need into the car and go. I've just been informed by the bodyshop that my courtesy car, possibly for the next few weeks, is an A150. I don't even know if it will have four doors.

Does Mercedes have any sort of like for like policy with warranty courtesy cars? Does Mobiolife cover this situation? It really is going to be a pain in the ass driving the Mercedes brand toy car around for weeks (though I guess it'll be nice when I need to park!).

It does depend on what they have in stock, but for service loan cars anyway,I used to mention that I was commuting over the pennines everyday so a smart wouldn't cut it, and they always found me something suitable.

 

[Kallisti]

It's not as bad as it could have been - they've given me a A150 4 door.

Hopefully they won't take too long to sort out the rust - how long has it taken others? Final tally left me with the bonnet, one door and the roof that were clear of rust that I could see. I've asked them to do an inspection of those panels, but I'm not holding out much hope!

Now, must get this thing insured - another annoying cost cutting exercise. It better not be chargeable with my insurer or I won't be happy!