Viano airbag recall.

[Droverunner]

Just had the letter today my 2012 Viano needs to go in for the driver side airbag recall.

More worryingly there is a phrase in the letter that indicates at the same time they will undertake other technical upgrades to the vehicle. Err I think not. Both engine and gearbox drive like a dream... I will insist no software upgrade work is done.

 

[M80]

I got mine today as well.
I don't intend to trust them with my motor.

1.5 hours work for the drivers airbag. Assuming this is the steering wheel centre that should be 10 minutes. I guess they need the extra time for ECU downloads.

 

[MinionBob]

Ditto on all counts.

I found the phrasing and tone of the earlier emissions recall letter, very, um, odd and confrontational.

"It wont break your car, but if it does, its your fault, not ours..."...Hmm...

 

[Blobcat]

Just had the letter today my 2012 Viano needs to go in for the driver side airbag recall.

More worryingly there is a phrase in the letter that indicates at the same time they will undertake other technical upgrades to the vehicle. Err I think not. Both engine and gearbox drive like a dream... I will insist no software upgrade work is done.

Fit a ”dummy” OBD port (something like the below website (no recommendation just first I found)) and they can plug in as much as they like, they’re not going to be updating anything…

DummyOBD.com | Vehicle protection from car theft

Simple plug and play technologies. Takes minute to fit. No cutting of wires no chance of invalidating any warranty.

www.dummyobd.com

 

[Droverunner]

Funnily enough I looked at one of those as a theft by OBD port deterrent when I first bough this Viano but shelved the idea.

I will book my airbag recall soon but will insists the glittering receptionist in the glittering reception notes no software updates to be carried out... and will reinforce that with a note on the dash.

 

[curious]

Got my recall letter also.
I've emailed the email address in the letter asking if they needed access to the OBD port for the airbag work.
I also asked what updates (if any) they would have for my Vito. If there are any, then I wanted the specification details of the updates.
Not heard back yet!

(I've fabricated a small 1mm thick plastic rectangle with two drill holes and screwed it over the OBD port using the OBD port attachment screws. It has 'DO NOT USE' written in permanemt marker on it.)

 

[Droverunner]

Well the indignity!

Just phoned our local main MB dealer to book this in.... saying I have a 2012 Viano and just received the airbag recall letter. The conversation went like this...

We don't do Vianos.

Why not, it says to phone my local dealer.

It's a van.

No it's not it's a people carrier with nice carpets and leather seats.

Still a van to us, it's commercial.

Can I double check that as it's registered as a passenger vehicle M1 class.

If you want me to (bored voice), can I have the XXX number (said too quickly to hear).

Do you mean the ref no on the letter.

No I want the registration number, you know what you see on the plate if you stand and look at the vehicle (said as if talking to a child).

Offer reg number.

Yes it is a van, you'll have to phone commercial.

Do you have a number for them.

No just Google someone near you.

Err Ok bye.


If you say her lines in a shirty manner you get the full idea of what a dreadful interaction that was.

 

[curious]

I've had the same shitty approach from the car dealers vs the commercial dealers when getting new keys sorted out (1 for the Vito, 1 for the C-class).
The car dealers were as unhelpful as possible whereas the commercial dealers couldn't be more helpful (weren't as anal about paperwork for a new key).
I asked if I could order both keys from them but unfortunatley not. (commercial key was also £100 cheaper for near identical unit.)
They might as well be different manufacturers.

 

[curious]

The reply to my letter asking if they needed ODB acces was 'ask the retailer'.
Why provide me with an email address in the letter inviting me to ask if I have any questions, to then provide a useless reply when asked.

 

[curious]

Retailer's replied. There's no coding required and they don't need ODB access. There are no outstanding updates for my Vito.

 

[Droverunner]

Well this has turned into a saga. Some 3 wks after being turned away by the local MB dealer for this recall as my Viano was "a van" I chase the commercial folks who I'd contacted that same day and supposedly had my airbag on order. They had the decency to offer a grovelling apology they'd not pro-actively got in touch but they'd not ordered the airbag as it was definitely classed as a car and the normal dealer should do it.

So phone the car dealership again. Yes we can order the airbag and book it in... we can do it while you relax with a nice coffee... but soonest mid Oct.... hell 3 mths from my initial enquiry. I pointed out surely a safety related recall posing a danger to the driver should be resolved before then. Met with a take it or leave it complete indifference.

Dreadful.

 

[Wearsafoxhat]

Get the same with our V220, it’s a van, it’s a car, take it to the other…

 

[grahamcol]

Read through this thread. What an utterly disgraceful attitude towards customers from dealers. Reminds me of a Chrysler dealer from the 70's who, when presented with a 3 month old car with numerous faults, went on to say "they're all like that". Hope they're not like that with my newly ordered Jag (sorry) when l eventually get it. I'll have them for breakfast!!!!!!!!

 

[mioba]

Well this has turned into a saga. Some 3 wks after being turned away by the local MB dealer for this recall as my Viano was "a van" I chase the commercial folks who I'd contacted that same day and supposedly had my airbag on order. They had the decency to offer a grovelling apology they'd not pro-actively got in touch but they'd not ordered the airbag as it was definitely classed as a car and the normal dealer should do it.

So phone the car dealership again. Yes we can order the airbag and book it in... we can do it while you relax with a nice coffee... but soonest mid Oct.... hell 3 mths from my initial enquiry. I pointed out surely a safety related recall posing a danger to the driver should be resolved before then. Met with a take it or leave it complete indifference.

Dreadful.

set your airbag off giving yourself a ****** nose - then sue them

 

[MinionBob]

I have had a similar thing. Its not classed as commercial, and only some of the 'car' dealers will work on it.

The easiest way to find out who will work on it might be to call a local 'car' dealer, ask them if they can service it, they will typically say yes/no. If no, ask who is the nearest dealer that can; this worked for me.

 

[Droverunner]

>>>So phone the car dealership again. Yes we can order the airbag and book it in... we can do it while you relax with a nice coffee... but soonest mid Oct.... hell 3 mths from my initial enquiry. I pointed out surely a safety related recall posing a danger to the driver should be resolved before then. Met with a take it or leave it complete indifference.

This annoyance was reinforced the other day. The reason I made the airbag recall enquiry in July just after getting the letter was because I was selling the vehicle so when the guy as in italics above dismissively offered mid Oct I replied forget it I'll have to sell it with the work outstanding which prompted the "suit yourself we don't care... goodbye" attitude. It did sell in Aug and I transferred over the new owner details to the Mercedes recall dept on the form they'd enclosed for that purpose for him to sort in his own area.

Out of the blue a few days ago a chirpy am call from the lady I realised was the same unhelpful one who initially claimed back in July the car dealership didn't do "vans". Just confirming you job booked for tomorrow she says. Oh yes what's that I ask. The airbag recall. So I explain the vehicle was long sold and the booking was cancelled as if doing me a favour. All a bit odd was I'd never made that booking in the first place.

Then in the afternoon I received a text offering some sort of online booking in service to speed up things on my arrival the next day. Ignored it. The morning of the booking early on I received an email again encouraging this online booking in. Ignored that too and thankfully they've gone quiet.

Do the main dealers target those with 10yr old vehicles worth under £15k for this dreadful service... can they tell I wear jeans and a Pink Floyd T-shirt just from speaking to me on the phone... or is this attitude shared out with premium suited customers too I wonder?

 

[curious]

Do the main dealers target those with 10yr old vehicles worth under £15k for this dreadful service... can they tell I wear jeans and a Pink Floyd T-shirt just from speaking to me on the phone... or is this attitude shared out with premium suited customers too I wonder?

Incompetence wouldn't be able to differentiate.