Facing a 12k engine rebuild after reporting engine concerns 6days prior

[Kate1616]

Hi all, I’m after some advice regarding my Mercedes c250 coupe, 2017 with 55k on the clock.
Ended up breaking down on the m4 two weeks ago & was taken back to Mercedes who diagnosed a blown turbo & swarf in the engine. They have quoted me 12k for an engine rebuild & new turbo.

My query is, could this have been foreseen? The car was only serviced by Mercedes 6 days prior to the breakdown & I informed them I’ve recently been smelling a burning smell from the engine and could hear a repetetive knocking sound. They reported they couldn’t find any faults & off I drove, now I’m left with a huge bill and wondering if any of these issues I raised were a warning sign of the turbo being on its way out.

Currently trying to obtain some goodwill as it’s always serviced with MB but the dealership aren’t hopeful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[th3h1ghlander]

Wow that is beyond unfortunate, sorry to hear of your car woes! I guess it is a long shot but if the turbo (or related components) was on its way out it is possible the car was logging stuff like low boost pressure (not sure how comprehensive the logging is on a 2017) however if an alarm was triggered prior to the check 6 days before, something like the boost pressure may have been recorded and should have been a warning sign that techs could have seen and acted on. I don’t want to give you false hope however if you are looking to trigger some doubt in MB that their techs missed something related, get a proper codes scan done of the car and get them to check for fault codes and any levels/readings that could relate to a possible turbo fault.
With all that said I have really no idea/experience in this matter and no idea if/how the dealer will help, but at this stage anything is worth a try.


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[Chrishazle]

4 year old car serviced by Mercedes blows it's engine - if MB don't offer to fix it FOC I'd be going after MB main office Germany and whatever others I could complain to - maybe DVLA or national press, social media etc!

 

[Judwin]

Metal swarf in the engine (oil?) and engine knocking sounds smells like bottom end / big end bearing issues - possibly oil starvation. Turbo failure could also be oil starvation. If that's what it turns out to be then the engine was probably toast before you ever heard the knocking.

No way would I be paying £12K to repair that.

 

[jp williams]

4 year old car serviced by Mercedes blows it's engine - if MB don't offer to fix it FOC I'd be going after MB main office Germany and whatever others I could complain to - maybe DVLA or national press, social media etc!

I agree totally.
And If MB didn`t do the right thing I would have no hesitation in pursuing recompense via Consumer Protection Legislation. One can reasonably expect the Engine which had been serviced in accordance with the Manufacturers requirements to last at least 6 years..
The design of the Engine was either not fit for purpose or the MB servicing regime was totally inadequate.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Sorry to hear this, catastrophic engine failure at 55k miles is quite rare, as above I”d be pursuing this with MBUK
I would expect at least a 50% contribution from them as the car has FMBSH

 

[fabes]

It was years ago, but a week after buying a three year old MB with full dealer history the turbo went and MB paid 90% with the selling garage stumping up the remainder.

I mention to give you realistic hope....

Fingers crossed, be pleasant but clear on your expectations

 

[Frontstep]

Goodwill is based on the relationship you have theoretically built up with MB and the history of the car.

Beware dealers giving tales of woe as it is sometimes a ploy to make a lower contribution look like a gift from heaven in your darkest hour.

The starting £12,000 figure to rebuild your engine is somewhat fanciful without it being fully apart, how do they know?

It will be interesting to see what MB actually say.

 

[dry run]

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

Just a thought, but could you not claim off insurance? If the turbo failed and damaged your engine, they may not pay for the turbo, but might be liable for the resultant damage. A bit like if a wheel fell off and you crashed into the central reservation, they might not pay for the wheel but would be liable for the resultant damage

Either way good luck

 

[JBell]

The starting £12,000 figure to rebuild your engine is somewhat fanciful without it being fully apart, how do they know?

I would think they will just put a new engine in it, cheaper and easier

 

[mioba]

I would think they will just put a new engine in it, cheaper and easier

That was my thought (esp given the price), MB techs are not mechanics in a pure sense.

To the OP very sorry to hear of your woes, your going to need stong nerves and be firm yet polite with MB here, you can argue 1) such a young car with full MB SH and 2) afault was flagged, although they could find nothing there was clearly a fault and they have not looked into it enough.

4 years old on an engine is unsatisfactory, period, engines outlast the cars nowadys if maintained.

 

[Srdl]

Welcome Kate and sorry to hear about your problems. You have plenty of good advice above so be insistent and make plenty of fuss. Pick a busy day in the showroom to shout a bit and that will get their attention but Mercedes UK HO in Milton Keynes may be the best way to go. Do not accept “No” for an answer.

Let us know how you get on,

 

[Frontstep]

Your Mercedes engine failure is a big deal for you but not for MB so they will have their pre-prepared incident deflation tactics in order.

Beware of the contributions con, where highly inflated prices are used to extract large sums off you.

I will give you 50% towards a £5 bottle of Mercedes milk sort of thing.

 

[Frontstep]

Your Mercedes engine failure is a big deal for you but not for MB so they will have their pre-prepared incident deflation tactics in order.

Beware of the contributions con, where highly inflated prices are used to extract large sums off you.

MB will give you 50% towards a £5 bottle of Mercedes milk sort of thing.

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[mioba]

Any dealer worth thier salt would say hey we can provide a reman engine at a fraction of the cost, but they never do, it would not surprise that is what they provide and charge full wack to the non the wiser customer.

MB Reman is a great pleace for those who know, not many people do.

 

[M80]

I realise this suggestion could be the start of the rolling snowball downhill, as MB have a bottomless pit for legal costs and you don't.

Would there be benefit, initially and ongoing respectwise, to asking MB to communicate with your solicitor in the matter?

 

[00slk]

Surely if you mentioned the burning smell and knocking sounds at the beginning of the service they should have written this down on the service information. If so then you have a fairly good case to bring this up with them.
Whenever I have taken our cars in for servicing they have always written down any other issues I have brought up when either booking the car in on the phone or when I have arrived on the day. They right any additional information the customer wants doing or checked on the service card.

 

[5w155t0ny]

Hi all, I’m after some advice regarding my Mercedes c250 coupe, 2017 with 55k on the clock.
Ended up breaking down on the m4 two weeks ago & was taken back to Mercedes who diagnosed a blown turbo & swarf in the engine. They have quoted me 12k for an engine rebuild & new turbo.

My query is, could this have been foreseen? The car was only serviced by Mercedes 6 days prior to the breakdown & I informed them I’ve recently been smelling a burning smell from the engine and could hear a repetetive knocking sound. They reported they couldn’t find any faults & off I drove, now I’m left with a huge bill and wondering if any of these issues I raised were a warning sign of the turbo being on its way out.

Currently trying to obtain some goodwill as it’s always serviced with MB but the dealership aren’t hopeful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Your first task is to confirm that they acknowledged you informed them of concerns you had prior to the service being done. Do you have it on the job sheet?
If you do, that's your starting point.
Next I would be taking the stance that under no circumstances do you intend to be paying anything to repair the car because you bought a Mercedes for the supposed outstanding quality and service reputation the MB try to present. If you show weakness on the payment front they will take you for as much as possible to avoid costs themselves.
Make it clear that you shall be contacting MBUK customer service and ask for the email address of the MD of the Franchise dealer and MBUK.
Also make it clear that you will be relaying this tale in full on the several MB forums you are a member of as well as publicly tweeting MB with your problem. The PR department that handles the online presence of the MB brand will be in contact within 20 minutes asking for details to investigate.
Be firm, polite and emphatic. Do not make empty threats or emotional statements and keep records of everything as you will probably be asked to address your complaint in writing so you need to be able to present evidence.

Do it properly and you'll be surprised what you will get back. Be prepared that it will take some time.
I have had a 110% refund on a holiday to Africa that cost £3500, a full refund on a £3500 Lay-Z-Boy suite after 4 years and 5 replacements and a brand new replacement motorbike (the one listed below) due to a gearbox fault on the year old one I bought, so I'm talking from experience.

Good luck.

 

[JeffHilton]

In case you haven't already, it's worth contacting Honest John about this and checking replies to similar questions raised there. At the very least you should be able to find out more about your rights and pick up some terminology to drop in to your fight back.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/

 

[jp williams]

In case you haven't already, it's worth contacting Honest John about this and checking replies to similar questions raised there. At the very least you should be able to find out more about your rights and pick up some terminology to drop in to your fight back.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/

Do bear in mind that THE ORIGINAL HJ is no longer associated with the business. It is now staffed in my opinion by younger, less experienced and less knowledgeable people who have not always followed the original HJ`s advices.
Good luck.