I don't go for these Russian/Italian steel excuses, steel is sold by specification and I find it hard to believe Mercedes didn't batch test their steel to make sure they got what they ordered.
My father having some experience in the field could make a good guess with colour and feel.
Its not as though MB were new to manufacturing.
My own opinion is cost cutting was at the route of the problems coupled with finishing changes.
I don't go for these Russian/Italian steel excuses, steel is sold by specification and I find it hard to believe Mercedes didn't batch test their steel to make sure they got what they ordered.
My father having some experience in the field could make a good guess with colour and feel.
Its not as though MB were new to manufacturing.
My own opinion is cost cutting was at the route of the problems coupled with finishing changes.
The hard lacquer theory does not stand up...all lacquers and paints are porous and a certain miniscale amount of air and moisture can impregnate the paint surface... This is the reason for the first ecoat or wash primer which etches itself onto the metal and provides the anti rust barrier...
Even if the hard lacquer theory were correct , then MB would still be liable, as they are the ones who produced the car and painted it
The lacquer is the waterproof coat that keeps the water out. Before all panels were galvanised it had a crucial role with water-based paints.
I don't see how MB could be liable -any more than any other manufacturer if the rust was due to the lacquer problem - after the three year warranty ends, because that is all the cover you get on paintwork etc -not just from MB but from most other makes including Lexus last time I looked.
The 30 year warranty is rust from inside out.
The many cases where MB have done repairs foc for rust from 'the outside inwards' have almost always been done under 'goodwill' with, in most cases, an 8 year time limit.
I rather hope that is not the case as I intend to make a claim. The brittle lacquer theory would infer moisture entry externally, whereas rust emanating from inside to out would only be considered by MB in the 30 year Mobilo 'guarantee'. I have been turned down again by them but now intend taking legal action, my E320 has full MBSH, implemented at the advised mileages with no over runs.
In a letter from MB Maastricht Customer Assistance Center I have been refused a foc repair on the grounds that it is not perforation corrosion and therefore not covered by the warranty, it clearly is and now having this in writing will add more amunition to my case.
In their words "To clarify, the corrosion must originate from within the bodywork itself through to the outside, perforating the exterior sheet metal in order to be covered by the Anti Perforation Warranty. The warranty does not cover corrosion due to external influences.
Breach of Contract springs to mind.
Having been right through the legal process and won I can assure you of two things I certainly didn't get any "Goodwill" and the requirement in my contract was certainly not for the steel to be perforated, this is a piece of folklore that MB have it seems adopted to further fob off genuine claimants
Other gems include the requirement for 6 months of ownership, complete tosh, the warranty runs with the car not the owner.
I had mine for years before I claimed and they even tried that one on me.
As to "The warranty does not cover corrosion due to external influences"
this statement is one of those perfect own goals MB specialise in and makes great fodder for Court experts.
To claim via Mobilo you have to have FMBSH.
To claim otherwise would I think take the exhumation of George Carman.
For the avoidance of any doubt this was not a settlement made before Court Proceedings or on the "Court steps" .
After the three year normal warranty most manufacturers give no further rust warranty.
It seems to me that legally MB can write any T's and C's they like when giving their 30 year warranty. Whenever I've read the T's and C's it seems pretty clear that rust from 'inside out' is covered.
Difficult to draw conclusions from individual cases, however persuasive, because manufacturers do sometimes cave in on a limited number of cases to avoid the costs and hassle of continuing.
Peruse the many threads here and elsewhere and you can count on the fingers of one hand those who have got anywhere with the 30 year warranty where 'outside in' rust is the issue. Maybe on the fingers of one finger?
After the three year normal warranty most manufacturers give no further rust warranty.
It seems to me that legally MB can write any T's and C's they like when giving their 30 year warranty. Whenever I've read the T's and C's it seems pretty clear that rust from 'inside out' is covered.
Difficult to draw conclusions from individual cases, however persuasive, because manufacturers do sometimes cave in on a limited number of cases to avoid the costs and hassle of continuing.
Peruse the many threads here and elsewhere and you can count on the fingers of one hand those who have got anywhere with the 30 year warranty where 'outside in' rust is the issue. Maybe on the fingers of one finger?
all we need now is a bit of a discourse on the aetiology of "rust from the inside out"?
How does it occur, what are the features and, in the absence of any surface damage, is it not invariably present where corrosion has arisen spontaneously?
Well done Frontstep it must have been an ordeal to have to go to that length.
I am considering this route as have been turned down by MB on two occasions in spite of full MBSH on a mileage of 179K miles.
Did you have full service history? What was the reason they refused your claim? I had thought they would back down if an independant party, say the RAC, stated in their opinion the rust was from inside to oiut. I believe in the past you mentioned that household insurance might consider or advise how to go about this.
The lacquer is the waterproof coat that keeps the water out. Before all panels were galvanised it had a crucial role with water-based paints.
I don't see how MB could be liable -any more than any other manufacturer if the rust was due to the lacquer problem - after the three year warranty ends, because that is all the cover you get on paintwork etc -not just from MB but from most other makes including Lexus last time I looked.
The 30 year warranty is rust from inside out.
The many cases where MB have done repairs foc for rust from 'the outside inwards' have almost always been done under 'goodwill' with, in most cases, an 8 year time limit.