Rusting Mercedes 2007 ML.

[television]

At least galvanisation and nano paint have greatly reduced cases over the past few years.

This has made it harder for the rust to escape and show itself,,we will see in a few more years.

 

[Rory]

I took ito to the Mercedes garage where I bought it. They took pictures and have sent it away to Merc for a claim. as yet the garage has not got back to me. Not unusual. They are pretty useless.The last Merc I bought of them was a heap. Sold it back to them after 18 months. They couldn't fix it. 18 miles to gallon on a diesel.

To be honest, no wonder MB customer service is so carp.

You had a Merc that was so bad the useless dealer bought it back. Then what did you do? You bought a new one! MB UK must think it's hilarious.

 

[hawk20]

To be honest, no wonder MB customer service is so carp.

You had a Merc that was so bad the useless dealer bought it back. Then what did you do? You bought a new one! MB UK must think it's hilarious.

I see your point but there are two ways of looking at this. One would be to say that when he got a bad 'un, they did the right thing and bought it back from him. Having been fairly treated in that way he felt happy to buy another. Let's hope they look after him properly this time as well.

I had a bad one and they bought it back but at so much below what I paid for it that I left Mercedes for several years and went to Honda. Came back some years later.

 

[Miffy]

I am sure that nobody here is actually paid to post negative or positive comments about our marque. All opinions are personal feelings, either from their own experience or by what we have read. Lets try and keep this nice and friendly eh, failing that I blame Michael for the rust

 

[Michael G 2]

I am sure that nobody here is actually paid to post negative or positive comments about our marque. All opinions are personal feelings, either from their own experience or by what we have read. Lets try and keep this nice and friendly eh, failing that I blame Michael for the rust

I told you to keep the fact that I tampered with Galvanizing fluid quiet. :lol:

 

[Mic]

Perhaps a generalisation for the sake of brevity - for "crap steel" read "crap steel / design / water traps / welding / galvanisation process / primer / paint - select as appropriate"

Logically, as rust takes some time to make its presence known, there will be a period of two or three years before it becomes apparent so we can expect to see three year old cars feature as we move on in time

The issue is that it still does appear which is inexcusable

That is absolutely right and the consumer does not need to know which combination of the contributing causes is to blame. What we as consumers know for certain is that the car has slowly (to start with) but surely been corroding from the moment it left the production line (maybe sooner) and consequently there can only be one party to be held responsible.
MB know it, we know it and given that such failings were identified over a decade ago it beggars belief that we are apparently getting cars corroding as they left the production line as recently as three years ago.
MB do not appear to be helping themselves.

Mic

 

[television]

I am sure that nobody here is actually paid to post negative or positive comments about our marque. All opinions are personal feelings, either from their own experience or by what we have read. Lets try and keep this nice and friendly eh, failing that I blame Michael for the rust

It is friendly thread, shame it cannot be a happy one, I used the term as a figure of speech, rather than actual fact

 

[drmw]

Mic - absolutely agree.

I don't subscribe to excessive litigation although if ever there was a case for a Class Action it's this.

However, I do feel that rather than each individual who has current experience of the problem (he says this reaching for the largest piece of wood to hand!) considers making a group approach, the whole would be a great deal more than the sum of the parts.

Strikes me that we have a plethora of "voices in the wilderness" each having an independent go at their dealer when a united approach on behalf of all to MB direct with a very clear threat of adverse press if they continue to prat about might just elicit a better response.

This forum will be well known to MB and surely must have some clout?

afterthought - perhaps even join forces with "the other side" ??

 

[Mic]

Mic - absolutely agree.

I don't subscribe to excessive litigation although if ever there was a case for a Class Action it's this.

However, I do feel that rather than each individual who has current experience of the problem (he says this reaching for the largest piece of wood to hand!) considers making a group approach, the whole would be a great deal more than the sum of the parts.

Strikes me that we have a plethora of "voices in the wilderness" each having an independent go at their dealer when a united approach on behalf of all to MB direct with a very clear threat of adverse press if they continue to prat about might just elicit a better response.

This forum will be well known to MB and surely must have some clout?

afterthought - perhaps even join forces with "the other side" ??

These things are rusting all over the world not just in the UK......we would need the Americans to add some real clout. It is a nice idea but I fear MB are possibly too big to be brought down which is what could happen if they were truly held to account for corporate negligence (or whatever). A bit like the banking system if not so indispensable?????

Mic

 

[television]

That is absolutely right and the consumer does not need to know which combination of the contributing causes is to blame. What we as consumers know for certain is that the car has slowly (to start with) but surely been corroding from the moment it left the production line (maybe sooner) and consequently there can only be one party to be held responsible.
MB know it, we know it and given that such failings were identified over a decade ago it beggars belief that we are apparently getting cars corroding as they left the production line as recently as three years ago.
MB do not appear to be helping themselves.

Mic

As I said earlier,, I had what appeared to be just a little rust in the upturned lip in the rear wheel arches, on trying to sand it off to reach good metal I realized that I was chasing a dead end, in the end I just made good what I could.
This would account for why so many cars that get resprayed have to go back again and again, stripping the whole car would not help either, the rust is in the metal, and there before they got painted

 

[hawk20]

Oh dear. I hope for a more open-minded jury if ever I go on trial. What do we have here? One customer claiming he has rust on a 2007 ML. Anyone know of any other MLs that have reported the same problem here or on another website?

Do we know it is not a one in a thousand or more problem? What evidence have we, that is even remotely beyond dispute?

We all accept the rust problem around the turn of the century but there have been few reports of any since full galvanising began.

Mild steel rusts unless it is coated and protected. Ask anyone with a steel boat. Stainless steel was tried by De Lorean but has serious drawbacks for car production. Could we not wait and see what Mercedes come back with before we hang draw and quarter them?

 

[Mic]

As I said earlier,, I had what appeared to be just a little rust in the upturned lip in the rear wheel arches, on trying to sand it off to reach good metal I realized that I was chasing a dead end, in the end I just made good what I could.
This would account for why so many cars that get resprayed have to go back again and again, stripping the whole car would not help either, the rust is in the metal, and there before they got painted

That is my worst fear......even though my wheel arches were ''sorted'' at MB UK's expense......the corrosion may well return to irretrievably damage my car. It has always been my intention to keep the car indefinitely but I was only able to extract a miserly three years warranty for the repair. I will be inspecting and monitoring the wheel arches carefully but in such circumstances I do not expect the corrosion to have been eradicated permanently.
It is all very sad especially at a personal level.

Mic

 

[drmw]

We all accept the rust problem around the turn of the century but there have been few reports of any since full galvanising began.

A matter of semantics, but therein lies a significant part of the problem - why should it be accepted?

Why, when ciriticism is rightly levelled at MB are defensive responses made on its behalf and comparisons with other manufacturers by way of mitigation?

Brand loyalty taken to extremes - reminds me (for those old enough) of the old Monty Python sketch "So he did nail your head to the coffee table then?", "Well, yes - but I deserved it though"

I digress - time to go home

 

[hawk20]

A matter of semantics, but therein lies a significant part of the problem - why should it be accepted?

Why, when ciriticism is rightly levelled at MB are defensive responses made on its behalf and comparisons with other manufacturers by way of mitigation?

Brand loyalty taken to extremes - reminds me (for those old enough) of the old Monty Python sketch "So he did nail your head to the coffee table then?", "Well, yes - but I deserved it though"

I digress - time to go home

I don't think anyone is accepting it. Least of all Mercedes who have spent a fortune repairing the 210's etc that had the bad rust problem as any search here and elsewhere will reveal.

Nor is anyone defending the fact that there was such a problem.

Just asking for a bit of level-headed fairness about assessing whether or not there is a significant problem with MLs since galvanising.

 

[television]

Oh dear. I hope for a more open-minded jury if ever I go on trial. What do we have here? One customer claiming he has rust on a 2007 ML. Anyone know of any other MLs that have reported the same problem here or on another website?

I do not understand you at all, Not just one customer claiming that he has rust, we get many, do you not believe him ?? read his sad first post where he describes it all. We have had many 2006 cars on here with rust, you should read all of the post

Do we know it is not a one in a thousand or more problem? What evidence have we, that is even remotely beyond dispute.

How can rust in a door be in dispute OK What evidence, you make it sound like a tribunal. The OP has put it all up
Just for the record he has been a member as long as you and joined 2006.

We all accept the rust problem around the turn of the century but there have been few reports of any since full galvanising began.

Once again there have been quite a few post on late cars rusting

Mild steel rusts unless it is coated and protected. Ask anyone with a steel boat. Stainless steel was tried by De Lorean but has serious drawbacks for car production. Could we not wait and see what Mercedes come back with before we hang draw and quarter them?

Mild steel rust unless it is coated, what please is that supposed to mean, do you think we did not know that, and whats that got to do with this thread.

I do try and stay cool on these post, and I wish that you did not try and patronise us with statements like you made at the end, particularly as you have never had a rusty one or dealt with any rust ever yourself

 

[television]

That is my worst fear......even though my wheel arches were ''sorted'' at MB UK's expense......the corrosion may well return to irretrievably damage my car. It has always been my intention to keep the car indefinitely but I was only able to extract a miserly three years warranty for the repair. I will be inspecting and monitoring the wheel arches carefully but in such circumstances I do not expect the corrosion to have been eradicated permanently.
It is all very sad especially at a personal level.

Mic

I was not going to say on here,,but this is a rust thread whether we like it or not.
Everyone on the forum can do a simple mode to prevent that dread rear wheel arch rust,, it will all be revealed within a few hours and I do the DIY, so simple I bought some 1960 black plastic Austin Mini guttering and fill it with wax oil and pushed it down over the exposed upturned lip,,it should not rust again, £11 is enough for two cars.

 

[EGBM]

Mic, you need to replace the rusty metal with new, good metal. There's no point messing about with in-situ repairs.

Merc's rust. Our CLS is rusting in that special from the inside type of way. We think it was started by damage to the surface but now we've found "new" rust in a different place on the boot lid. I am now in an incedible position where our 2006 CLS has more rust on it than the 1984 panels hanging on a '79 Granada!!

This post was sponsored by Ford.

 

[television]

We had the 2006 E class with a fist size rust blister on the boot, MB declined to offer anything as they said it was a stone chip, it must have been a huge stone, MB must be very clever in working it out and where the stone hit it

 

[hawk20]

I do try and stay cool on these post, and I wish that you did not try and patronise us with statements like you made at the end, particularly as you have never had a rusty one or dealt with any rust ever yourself

Completely inaccurate.

 

[hawk20]

BTW Television you say: -
"I do not understand you at all, Not just one customer claiming that he has rust, we get many, do you not believe him ?? "

Just to put the record straight. Yes I do believe him. And nowhere do I suggest that I don't.

And once more you misquote me. I did not say just one customer claiming rust.

I said just one customer claiming rust on a 2007 ML.

I then asked if anyone had seen any other reports of rust on MLs since galvanising began. I've not seen any other reports yet.