Mercedes Rust And The Uk Warranty!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tgmnewry]

Rusting Merc Anyone????
I have an X plate 2001 Mercedes S Class 140,000 Miles but with full MBSH. Have owned the car almost a year. This has been serviced by my local Merc dealership since I bough it and they have never mentioned rust. When I bought it a year ago there was some very very light corrosion in the front arches. Over the past year this has become very noticable.
At the last service I asked them basically what the score was, and they directed me to an independant bodyshop who does work for them. The bodyshop initially said, "No problems, Mercedes accept there is a problem with the S Class and will do whatever is required"
After the bodyshop looked at the car, they told me the paint thickness was uneven, ie should be 90 - 110 (sorry dont know the units!) and it was 240 on one side and 140 on the other. As such they said Merc would only cover ONE FRONT WING!!!!!
I dont know if it is common among Mercedes approved bodyshops to try and avoid warranty work??
I checked the car through HPI and all is clear. The only thing I can think is it has been keyed along the side at one point in its life and re-touched thus the varying paint thickness. (IS THIS TO BE USED AS AN EXCUSE BY MERC TO INVALIDATE THEIR 30 YEAR WARRANTY???)
Is it possible to get a paint thickness done on the actual arches where there is less likely to be overspray if the car was keyed and re-touched. I would imagine the paint thickness test was done in the centre of each wing.
Have any other merc owners experienced problems in getting warranty work done?? The s Class is supposed to be covered by a 30 year rust warranty!!

 

[anyweb]

go to another dealer, see what they say, and watch as they take the measurements

if that fails to impress, go to another dealer, and so on.

good luck

 

[eGuru]

I noticed a few rust bubbles along all wheel arches last week. Took it in to nearest MB bodyshop in Bedford. They were very helpful, took photos and hope to get it fixed in the next few weeks.
I have used this dealer for similar problem in the past and found them to be very good.
Will report back.

 

[jberks]

You can understand why they check the thickness as it's not their paint they're covering. However, if as you say, you suspect that the affected areas haven't been touched, go back and ask that they retest the affected area.
The decision is with MB but is also on the advice of the dealer so if this one is unhelpful, try another.

 

[gworilla]

Persistance!!!!!!!

I had a similar problem with MB of Leicester with my old E300TD until I wrote a letter to the head of Mercedes UK (Wilfred Stefan) and provided a solid case as to why I believe my car should be re-painted, the fact this was a preparation error and the fact that I thought that I was buying a prestige brand, not a run-of the-mill commercial brand so I expected better, etc etc etc

Funnily enough he agreed and sent a letter to the bodyshop manager asking HIM to contact me with a date when the work will be done...nice!!

I had just had the same issue with my 2000-2001 CLK430 which also has blebs on the paintwork. Again, they have taken pictures and my service history has been copied and sent away for approval.

Here's hoping.............

 

[Parrot of Doom]

You would think a company like Mercedes, with a prestige image to protect, would be over-zealous in preventing rusty Mercs from being seen...

If Audi can galvanise their cars and have no rust whatsoever, why can't Mercedes?

 

[FELLOW]

Log book!

Could try what I did...call the previous owners and ask them if they had it re - sprayed at any time...if it has a fsh surely it would have been done by MB and carry warrenty?

 

[hmang]

so theoretically if an approved merc respray outfit had repainted thicker than the original specs, would that invalidate a claim for further problems?

 

[tgmnewry]

Would love to see the letter gwoilla to MBZ UK!! As some replies have said, if as panel gets any paint, eg to cover a scrape, Mercedes decide to ignore their anti corrosion warranty !!!!

 

[FIBAMAN]

Rusting Merc Anyone????
I have an X plate 2001 Mercedes S Class 140,000 Miles but with full MBSH. Have owned the car almost a year. This has been serviced by my local Merc dealership since I bough it and they have never mentioned rust. When I bought it a year ago there was some very very light corrosion in the front arches. Over the past year this has become very noticable.
At the last service I asked them basically what the score was, and they directed me to an independant bodyshop who does work for them. The bodyshop initially said, "No problems, Mercedes accept there is a problem with the S Class and will do whatever is required"
After the bodyshop looked at the car, they told me the paint thickness was uneven, ie should be 90 - 110 (sorry dont know the units!) and it was 240 on one side and 140 on the other. As such they said Merc would only cover ONE FRONT WING!!!!!
I dont know if it is common among Mercedes approved bodyshops to try and avoid warranty work??
I checked the car through HPI and all is clear. The only thing I can think is it has been keyed along the side at one point in its life and re-touched thus the varying paint thickness. (IS THIS TO BE USED AS AN EXCUSE BY MERC TO INVALIDATE THEIR 30 YEAR WARRANTY???)
Is it possible to get a paint thickness done on the actual arches where there is less likely to be overspray if the car was keyed and re-touched. I would imagine the paint thickness test was done in the centre of each wing.
Have any other merc owners experienced problems in getting warranty work done?? The s Class is supposed to be covered by a 30 year rust warranty!!

Paint thickness is measured in microns (most countries except USA).
One micron = 1/1000th of a millimetre, therefore 240 microns is almost a quarter of a mm.

 

[Andy Wr]

I must take my car in soon, I am soon approaching 6 months of ownership so should be ok. I have noticed that my car has been repainted before and is rusting in the identical places again, if you look close yo can see where it was rubbed down then the entire door sprayed. How would I know if MB carried out the work previously as I would only have their word for it if they said no, the garage I bought the car from does not know who repaired it so is there some one who can find out via the vin number etc?

 

[davew210]

All mercs are made from recycled old skodas!!!

I have a 1998 E300TD estate. I have had the bonnet and all 5 doors touched up and both front wings replaced due to rust. Mercedes know about the problem but will do what they can to get out of any responsibility. I threatened to take the car down to the Top Gear studios and see what Jeremy Clarkson would have to say about it before they did anything. The car was sold with a 30 year anti-corrosion warranty but when I took it to Merc they said they would not cover any car over 6 years old irrelevant of service history and condition (luckily mine was 6 months away from being 6years old). On the day I took the car in to have the work done, I saw a brand new, just off the transporter clk on the forecourt with a rusty spot on the bonnet. I think it will be the last Merc I own due to the rust problem and the reluctance of dealerships to back up the warranty.

 

[tgmnewry]

An Update!!!!!

 

[philharve]

Here we go again

Hi All

Had a B service at my local indie yesterday for GBP251.00. I was quite pleased until he listed the corrosion problems now affecting my car. All 4 wheel arches now show rust on the inner lip which would have been present and visible during my last A service when a corrosion check is/should be performed. Funny, but the MB dealer never mentioned it!!! Their showroom has just undergone a major and very expensive refit. Hmm.

The indie recommends urgent attention to the rust. Fortunately my car goes into the bodyshop mid-June for attention to a rusty door which will set me back GBP300.00 plus. A few months ago I had the bonnet stripped and resprayed and they did a superb job for GBP344.00. Now I have the expense of 4 wheel arches to add to the body repair bill. The Merc' is feeling like a money pit. I am moving toward GBP2000.00 in body repairs in 2 years. The car is not yet 7 years old.

My indie recommends writing a strongly worded letter to DC expressing my utter disgust. Is there any point in asking MB/DC for financial assistance or to pick up the whole bill? The dealer will say 'untreated stone chips, owner's responsibility'. Indie says bypass the dealer altogether, they'll never help. DC are ISO9001 registered and must reply.

Maybe I should write to Clarkson about ongoing MB quality problems and get the issue televised! Maybe he would trash it for me!

Does being an MBOA senior member have any clout when dealing with the manufacturer?

Regards

Phil

 

[tgmnewry]

If all the Rust affected Mercedes owners were able to get together there would be more hope of getting action from MBZ! Certainly the likes of Clarkson no doubt get hundreds of letters and emails daily, and would be very unlikely to have the time or inclination to respond to a single issue. BBC Watchdog or the like may be interested though I guess they would be looking at least a hundred people affected before they would take interest!
Any folks out there got any ideas. I think setting up a website specifically called the likes of www.rustymerc.com would do the job!!

 

[philharve]

Here we go again - UPDATE

Hi All

Didn't sleep much last night thinking about the horrendous repair costs I might face as a result of finding 4 rusty wheel arches during the corrosion inspection part of a B service. I praise my indie for notifying me of the problem.

I left work early - couldn't concentrate on work issues - to take my car to the bodyshop where previously a magnificent job had been done in repainting the bonnet. The bodyshop owner announced after a 20 minute examination of my car that the rusting was taking place beneath the paintwork and he scrapped off some ofthe paint as proof. He took lots of digital photos of all 4 wheel arches, including the wheels themselves which were also rapidly corroding under the paintwork. The bodyshop owner commented that the corrosion affecting my C-class was typical of Mercedes vehicles of a certain age. This was not stone chip damage. The photos and a report were sent to MB at Exeter for assessment towards progressing of my claim. The bodyshop owner believes my claim will be successful because warranty work had previously been undertaken to a door (twice). Corrosion was clearly present which is why they agreed to the repair.

The bodyshop owner asked about my vehicle's service record which DOES have an impact on the claims process and the liklihood of success. Fortunately my car has been seviced annually at either an MB dealership or an MB specialist (indie) and I have the records to prove it. Now I have to wait for a decision from DC. The last claim took 8 months before the 'go ahead' was given. The bodyshop owner has requested the decision to be made within the next 6 weeks.

I managed to avoid visiting my local MB dealership with my claim on this occasion and the bodyshop owner says that as a result I have saved myself some time in the process. The bodyshop owner examination carries more weight with DC compared with the dealership. HAfter all, he is the expert in recognising corrosion.

I inquired about the costs of funding the repairs myself and I was quoted in excess of GBP1000.00, excluding the costs of a new set of alloys. There is a lot to play for. I am about to find out just how good an MB warranty is. It seems to me, from all that I have read, that warranties are like lotteries, there's an element of luck. Will I be lucky?

Tip - these is something about the 'look' of corrosion that categorises it as either the result of poor quality of manufacture or untreated stone chip damage. If the corrosion is believed to be the result of the latter, rightly or wrongly, the vehicle owner has to fund repairs. To fight a wrong decision is an immense undertaking. Expert evidence is crucial.

I am in two minds about composing a strongly worded message to DC. It is difficult to keep emotion out of such a task but I feel it greatly enhances my claim if I remain objective.

Clarkson? Writing to him would be an emotional rather than a logical decision.

Regards

Phil

 

[gworilla]

Petition???

Maybe someone who has a good legal background can formulate a strongly worded letter to MB UK with a petition signed by all of the members from this forum. Like you say people power can be very strong and in most cases warrants a meaningful response.

Maybe someone can do this and make it a "sticky" at least then we'll have a measure of the level of dissatisfaction associated with this recurring problem?

 

[GoNikki]

I know of two 'E' classes which have been totally resprayed at approx 7 years old!

Don't take no for an answer - after all we buy Mercedes because we want a quality built car - if we were not bothered we would buy a Ford (sorry don't like em - in case you had not guessed! )

 

[The Hammer]

With regard to corrosion warranties I'm sure MB make this up as they go along. I was reliably informed by MB Chester today that they won't touch any car older than 8 years old as a "goodwill" gesture. I.E. May 1999 or older.

 

[Chas]

Rusting Merc Anyone????
I have an X plate 2001 Mercedes S Class 140,000 Miles but with full MBSH. Have owned the car almost a year. This has been serviced by my local Merc dealership since I bough it and they have never mentioned rust. When I bought it a year ago there was some very very light corrosion in the front arches. Over the past year this has become very noticable.
At the last service I asked them basically what the score was, and they directed me to an independant bodyshop who does work for them. The bodyshop initially said, "No problems, Mercedes accept there is a problem with the S Class and will do whatever is required"
After the bodyshop looked at the car, they told me the paint thickness was uneven, ie should be 90 - 110 (sorry dont know the units!) and it was 240 on one side and 140 on the other. As such they said Merc would only cover ONE FRONT WING!!!!!
I dont know if it is common among Mercedes approved bodyshops to try and avoid warranty work??
I checked the car through HPI and all is clear. The only thing I can think is it has been keyed along the side at one point in its life and re-touched thus the varying paint thickness. (IS THIS TO BE USED AS AN EXCUSE BY MERC TO INVALIDATE THEIR 30 YEAR WARRANTY???)
Is it possible to get a paint thickness done on the actual arches where there is less likely to be overspray if the car was keyed and re-touched. I would imagine the paint thickness test was done in the centre of each wing.
Have any other merc owners experienced problems in getting warranty work done?? The s Class is supposed to be covered by a 30 year rust warranty!!

Ive had front and rear arches done in the past few months.( MB Glen Henderson of Ayr, get the ferry across, its only 30 miles from Larne, then 30 to Ayr),
They just took pics and sent to Germany/ DC.
No one ever measured paint thickness !
This seems a load of bull--it!
Try a different dealer.