Childseat, removed during MB dealer valet...

[Dizwen]

Car has given me a few problems over the passed couple of days, refusing to start, and then running ok a few hours later. AA man told me it was the fuel pump relay so I replaced it with a new one from MB Derby. Also booked the car in for a STAR a week later to see if anything else was a miss...

Got to the dealer and the bloody car refused to start in the car park of the dealer! not the fuel pump relay then...Turns out to be the crank sensor, only thing that won't give a fault code apparantly and faults when the car has warmed up.

MB has the car for three days to replace sensor and to also replace SAM unit under parts warranty (lasted less than 6 months)

Collected the car from Adam (nice bloke). Car has been cleaned inside and out.

Put the family in the car and drove up the M1 for two junctions (J26-J28) and 10miles across b roads to collect some bits for the new addition to the family (mrs is 6 months preg with second one)

Going round a sharp right bend I hear my 2 year old son scream as his car seat rolls across the back seats of the car! wtf?! pull over sharp ish to discover that the child seat has been taken out by MB and not refitted!

What the hell are they doing removing child seats?!? No-one dares touch them, when the car had it's MOT I got a advisory " UNABLE TO TEST REAR SEAT BELTS, CHILD SEAT FITTED" So which dip s**t removed my sons seat, told no-one about it and then let me drive away non the wiser?

Clean my car, yes thank you very much, but don't f**k with anything else! I expect to get the car back as I dropped it off, not f**ked about with!

I don't have to say what could have happened, just lucky no-one was hurt.

This is a near miss incident, dealer opens at 8am, I'm in the car park waiting wanting to know what the hell their processes are for dealing with this and what they are going to do to calm me down...

And they scratched the boot lid as well...

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I check that my two year olds child seat is buckled in every single time I get in the car.

It's down to the driver to make sure that all passengers are securely buckled in.

Sorry if it's not what you want to hear, I'm sure the shock has knocked you sideways..

 

[davidjpowell]

Have to say I would have been pleased that it had been removed - it's not often they do the job properly.

No harm done this time, and I'm guessing next time you will check. I'm surprised it was not obvious. our daughter used to wriggle so much that if it was not belted in, it would have moved just trying to belt her in.

PS I did something similar, just the once, after we had changed seats. Can't remember the details of how, but do remember a very outraged daughter. Again no hard done, and never repeated.

Perhaps a quick phone call may be in order, just suggesting that they advise people when this is done.

 

[Meldrew2]

In the old days (my daughter is 21), we used to check the seat belt that held her chair, but these days they are securely fitted to "IsoFix" points.

I would expect a dealer who removed the seat to refit it properly, just like I expect them to fit the brake pads properly when they need changing.

Fortunately no tragedy, but the blame lies squarely at the dealer's door.

No doubt to be an approved MB dealer you need Quality Assurance to British Standards... so their quality manual has a serious, potentially fatal, omission.

.

 

[A210AMG]

" but the blame lies squarely at the dealer's door "

Sorry but I don't belive this is correct?, It is down to the driver to check the car is in a roadworthy condition. If it has no screen wash or worn tyre it would be the Driver who would get the fine etc not the dealer?

While I agree they should have at least let the OP know its not connected / fitted (maybe they were not sure how) I don't think it's their fault.


On this occasion no harm done and all ok, but I really don't think the dealer is to blame.


I agree that I check our two each time I put them in and make sure the belts and seats are secure even to the point I re tighten the base unit on the youngest when I feel its getting a little lose.

 

[Timster]

I don't blame the dealer.

When the child seat is removed frmo my car, for whatever reason, I like to put it back personally - that way I know it's reight, rather than any one thinking it's right - they're all slightly different.

Check, everytime - then you can't go wrong.

Tim.

 

[asad7860]

Im glad your child is ok.

As for the dealer - I hope they will take steps to prevent this from recurring

Asad

 

[martin_a]

Bit dodgy on the dealer's part.

If they've put on the MOt they can't check the belt because of the seat then you would guess it hasn't been shifted. If they have moved it, why put it ack in the same place but not fit it? surely if they moved it for the valet (fair play) they should have just left it in the back but in a way that was obvious it had been unclipped not sitting as though it hadn't been touched?

Of course the OP should check but to be honest, I know I don't all the time. Itrust that if i have fitted it in, it stays fitted!

m.

 

[Gareth]

I'm sorry, but that's pretty disgraceful. What human-being would think to remove a child's car seat and then put it back without refitting it?

It's common-sense, unfortunately something a lot of people seem to be lacking.

I wouldn't be happy at all.

 

[tpwuk]

I wouldn't be happy either. Mine is a right faff to fit!

At the very least, the dealer should have notified you that the seat needed securing.

The panic your child experieced alone has got to be worth a free service, a five course meal and a lovely bunch of flowers for the wife!

 

[Setanta]

Unless there was some reason to expect that it would be removed (booking it it for an SRS warning, seatbelt tensioner problem etc) then the reasonable assumption would be that it would be left alone, as with any other part of the car that was not linked to the issue at hand.

100% dealer fault.

 

[moonloops]

I'd also go mental if they scrathed my car!

 

[jonnyboy]

The reality is that the car went in for a valet. That usually includes a thorough cleaning of the whole car. Would you not expect them to move a sweet wrapper in the oddments tray? Or the cardboard box in the boot perhaps?
The irony is that if there was loads of kiddy debris around/under the kiddy seat that hadn't been cleaned no doubt some people would be complaining about a lousy job done at a dealer's. What they should maybe have done is lie the seat flat to avoid complications.

Comparing the refitting to that of brake pads is just silly - it's hardly the same thing is it?

Question :-

Do you rely on the said two-year-old to strap himself in the car seat? No? Then how could you possibly not notice the seat was loose and investigate further? That is the real question here IMHO.




The scratch though is disappointing.

 

[BlackC55]

If I have to remove a child seat while working on a car I always lay it on it's side so it is obvious that it needs re-fitting. I never re-fit them as it is not my responsibility. I also inform the customer that I have done this.

EVERYTIME I strap my daughter in a baby seat I always check it is secure as they do tend to work loose.

 

[Dizwen]

mixed responses above...

Went to MB Derby and calmly told the story of what happened. Adam stated that they normally DON'T remove child seats, but if they have to they do as Olly says, put it on it's side so it's obvious it's been removed.

My lads seat is quite a big heavy thing and didn't move at all when I put him in it or on the drive home when he wasn't in it. I do check it every few weeks as they work loose. My car is spotless as I clean it inside and out every weekend, what can I say, I love my car... The guys cleaning it must love it, it's always clean.

My main concern is that this doesn't happen again. I've been told a investigation is underway to find what went wrong in the communication chain between the lads in the workshop to the staff front of house. I don't think they are taking my concerns seriously...

I was told almost straight away that the car can be booked in Thursday to have the scratches sorted out. That was before I even mentioned the child seat...

 

[Rory]

I think the dealer should have either left it alone, or made it obvious it had been removed.

I realise it might not be practicable for everyone, but on all our cars I always remove absolutely everything that isn't part of the car before they go in a garage.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Glad to hear the story didn't end differently.

If I have to remove a child seat while working on a car I always lay it on it's side so it is obvious that it needs re-fitting. I never re-fit them as it is not my responsibility. I also inform the customer that I have done this.

Absolutely the right thing to do. When we have our cars valeted I deliberately detach our child seats and place them on their side so the valeter knows it's OK to remove, and I can refit.