Another valeo victim to add to the tally - MB

[Ratz]

Took my car in today suspecting that I might get the phone call I didn't really want but it's still a shock when they started reeling off the numbers of how much it would cost.

Quote from MB Macclesfield's service representative "....it seems that water has got into your gearbox somehow....". A masterful understatement delivered with a note of surprise and sublety.

Now I have a nervous wait until tomorrow when the same chap will call Warranty Direct to have the work authorised. So far we are up to £4300 in parts alone .

This is my first MB after many years of different (and often much more dog eared) cars and while I love the car and it's abilities I have been staggered at it's repair bills so far. Since August 2007 when I took ownership of what was then a 39k mile car I have spent nearly £2000 before this final indignity. This means that in 6 years and 51k miles with the current repair looming the car will have had approx. £8k in repairs (not including servicing). Which I estimate to be in the region of 23% of its original purchase price.

It is beginning to make the Triumph Stag I owned for a similar 18 month period look cheap and reliable by comparison.

Moral of the story: Buy on facts, not marketed brand image.

On a positive note, if I hadn't been to this wonderful resource in the first place I wouldn't even have the warranty to help bail me out. Perhaps this should have set the alarm bells ringing though - why should I need to buy a warranty at all.

I am afraid that once I have had my fill of this particular car, I shan't be propogating MB's future with my hard earned again.

 

[Ian B Walker]

What parts are they quoting you for £4300? Gearbox is £2187, Torque converter is £870 and the rad is £300 ish. (plus vat)

 

[A210AMG]

I hope you get it sorted, however

Any car you buy next 'could' be a lemon.

I was on the BMW forum and the about of diesal BMW's that had turbos blowing was silly. almost every time you logged in.

Lexus does seem to be one of the very few car manufactures I have heared bad reports about. They seem to do what they do and do it well.


My brother who has driven all sorts of manufactures cars and does 60K plus a year can vouch that the Lexus he had needed nothing other than the services. Saabs. Jags, Audi's, Pugs have all needed a fair amount of warranty work.

 

[Dieselman]

Lexus does seem to be one of the very few car manufactures I have heared bad reports about. They seem to do what they do and do it well.


My brother who has driven all sorts of manufactures cars and does 60K plus a year can vouch that the Lexus he had needed nothing other than the services. Saabs. Jags, Audi's, Pugs have all needed a fair amount of warranty work.

A work collegue has had the head gasket and two water pumps in 60k on his Lexus.
I think you hear less about their problems as they deal with them efficiently and there are not many of them on the roads compared to other brands.

 

[Ratz]

What parts are they quoting you for £4300? Gearbox is £2187, Torque converter is £870 and the rad is £300 ish. (plus vat)

They reckoned £2900+ for the gearbox & £560 for the rad.

 

[Gareth]

what age is the car? is this a common issue then?

 

[gbjeppm]

what age is the car? is this a common issue then?

See this thread for more detail.
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=41764

 

[bouncer]

Lexus does seem to be one of the very few car manufactures I have heared bad reports about. They seem to do what they do and do it well.


In November this year only 20 new Lexus were sold.

sTeVe

 

[normanr]

I bought a Lexus GS300 after my Mercedes I went on the forum and although there are a lot of members the problems that are posted are basic stuff like how do I change my batteries in my key fob etc. nothing like the problems that are posted on this forum.

Engines,gearboxes,back axles,never seem to be a problem and Toyota (Lexus) have a reputation of being one of the most reliable cars on the road but to be realistic no car is perfect and there always seems to be the Friday car that some poor person is lumbered with.

 

[Ratz]

It's taken 20 years for me to work my way up the car food chain so to speak and in that time I've been through approaching 20 cars including a number of BMW's. What a shame that even when reaching the pinnacle of engineering as MB purport themselves, that it is seen as an unfortunate fact of life that failures of this magnitude commonly occur. My dad's been in the car trade for 40 years (with Saab, Honda, BMW, VW, Audi, Opel) and even he's a little shocked.

 

[gbjeppm]

Surely MB will make some form of Goodwill Contribution, this is a known defect?

I thought we had examples of people getting goodwill contributions out of warranty.

 

[Gareth]

I tried to check mine at lunchtime to see which one it is, is there any easy way to check? I can see what I think is an intercooler? Which is Behr, so that's promising I guess, but the main rad is difficult to tell.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Given that they only had to make 20 RHD cars last month, the production line staff probably had time to do a proper job of it!!

 

[Rory]

- why should I need to buy a warranty at all.

That bit is annoying. I hummed and harred about grabbing ServicePlus while it was still available after reading all the horror stories but I do resent paying the £80/mth for it. In 4 yrs my car (C270CDi) has needed nothing other than the most basic of servicing so at the moment I am spectacularly out of pocket.


I feel strongly that MB should pay for the Valeo issue. There are reports of Honda replacing auto-gearboxes at 7yrs and engines (in one case with indie service history) at 5 yrs.

 

[Buggerlugs]

FWIW Ratz, if MB stiff you on this, a good indie shop should be able to do that lot for around £2k all in with a year's warranty on the finished job.

 

[jaymanek]

i think you should get a second opinion.. The gearbox can be saved with a good flush.. or is it already dead?

 

[Ratz]

Thanks for all the posts!

Thought I'd give you all an update:

• Spoke to the MB dealer yesterday and they are in the process of putting in a request for a contribution from MB (off their own back, not at my behest). Quote "A gearbox really shouldn't be failing at this mileage, I know we could just say it's out of warranty but that's not what we're supposed to be about."
• They are then going to negotiate with Warranty Direct once MB come back to try to get the best deal for me

Now of course saying all the right things and money being forthcoming are two different things, but I am at least buoyed by the fact that the dealer has said it is not a good thing. Ultimately if the job ends up costing a few hundred quid rather than effectively writing the car off I'll be happy (relatively). I'll be happy to go to an indie if the dealer can't get me a good deal.

Jay, I don't know how far the gearbox has gone. I managed to drive it to the dealer, but it was jerking at any speed and in any gear. I set the cruise at 40 and the revs were hunting +/- 300rpm.

So I'll keep the thread updated as my case progresses.

 

[BlackC55]

I had one so bad once the ATF was toffee coloured. That one could not be saved.....

 

[Ratz]

What next

So firstly to update on the car. It is still in the hands of MB Macclesfield awaiting an engineer's inspection from the Warranty company. MB themselves have predictably said up yours you're on your own sucker.. Currently the repair bill stands at £5900.

Just when I am licking my wounds about the car there's a knock at the door and it turns out our pet cat has been run over. Just come back from the vets to tell my 4 year old that his cat has gone to heaven, I am pretty cut up myself but it breaks my heart to see my son so upset.

I am hoping there's nothing else on the horizon because I am struggling to maintain a sense of perspective as it is...

 

[Howard]

Sorry to hear this mate , don't really know what to say .....

Not what you need .....