The Mercedes got bashed!

[Viking]

Just over a month ago the Mercedes got bashed. I was out at a meeting. The chairman arrives late and forgot to put his handbrake on. His long-wheeled base Land Rover rolls across the car park and smashes the rear bumper, o/s rear light cluster and reflector (no damage to boot lid). Being a decent sort of chap he admitted liability and his insurers agreed to pay up without question. My insurer put me in touch with ULR (Uninsured Loss Recovery) who arrange a hire car as part of the claim and at no cost to me.

So an Alpha Romeo turns up on the drive, not bad, but the electrics packed up after four days. Then I got a Lexus 250 auto - just a tarted up Toyota but not too bad. I put this of hire as I was going away for ten days. I eventually got another car on my return - a VW Touran. Now all these cars are delivered to me from Edinburgh - I live north of Inverness. The hire cars will cost more than the cost of repairs. The repairs are about £1,200 the car hire over £2,000.

After a month I am still waiting for my car, the insurance claim was authorised within a couple of days but the Mercedes garage in Inverness is still waiting for a Light Unit to arrive from Germany - it is on Back Order, whatever back order means.

Surely Mercedes have spare light units somewhere in the UK and don't have to order each one from Germany. After all the bumper arrived within a week and took no time at all to fix.

Anyone know how to get spare parts out of Mercedes? I'm getting desperate, none of the hire cars comes anywhere near the quality of my Merc and they are costing me a fortune in petrol due to the poor fuel consumption. At least the VW is diesel.

One very fedup Mercedes owner

 

[jberks]

I'm afraid it happens. It took nearly 2 months for Audi to come up with all the parts to rebuild our A3 a few years back. It took MB nearly a month to get me an ESP sensor when mine packed up. I was stunned when my car came back last night, 24 hours after going in for a suspension repair. I'd expected at least a week's wait for the parts.

You're right though. There will be the necessary part sitting on a dealers shelf somewhere in the country. It's just that as far as the bodyshop is concerned, your car is awaiting parts on back order and will sit there for as long as it takes. After all, the owner has a hire car.
Ring the bodyshop manager and explain that you want your car back. In other words, push yourself up the queue. He could ring around and try to source one but that would take time and at the end of the day, your car sitting in his yard isn't a problem for him and he can get on with another car. So, be a pain, drive him mad and if necessary, get the part number off him and ring around yourself.

Try these guys too
http://cart.euromercmercedesparts.co.uk/
Worth a phone call if the bits aren't on the web site, the can often source what you need. Prices are good too (though you wont care about that).

 

[Dosco]

I was under the impression that any MB garage could call up stock availability on their computer system and check across the whole of the UK MB network?

I know SAAB had such a facility in the mid ninety's and when my wife's Pug (wash mouth out) required a part our local dealer did exactly that and had it within 24hrs mind you it took him a further two days to get the car back to her!

 

[television]

I was under the impression that any MB garage could call up stock availability on their computer system and check across the whole of the UK MB network?

I know SAAB had such a facility in the mid ninety's and when my wife's Pug (wash mouth out) required a part our local dealer did exactly that and had it within 24hrs mind you it took him a further two days to get the car back to her!

That is correct,,when I bought the 2 rear lights for my car, my dealer found 1 in London and 1 in Scotland, all from the MB data base. I had to pay before they arrived as they were coming from other dealers.