Clueless Mercedes!!

[W11 XEE]

My E250cdi Sport started with engine issues in mid november 2010.
Basically it loses performance & power, its as if it is running on 3 cylinders, not 4.Car was in the garage 3 times over 7 days. Each time the diagnosis was that the Diesel Particle Sensor was faulty and needed replacing. Mercedes are adamant that the injectors are working correctly so this is not the issue.Part was replaced and every time the engine problem re occured. Car then went into the garage for a fourth time on 23/12/10, I finally got the car back on 11/1/11.
I completed 67 miles in it before the problem occured again!
My car is back in the garage ( 5th time ) and today my dealer has admitted that they do not know what is wrong with it and they are waiting for further instructions from Mercedes in Germany!!
I have contacted MB customer service on 4 seperate occasions via email and not received a single response.
The dealership have been very helpful, my complaint is with Mercedes Benz, not my dealership.
Can anyone advise me on how to proceed from here???
I have lost complete confidence in the car and ideally want Mercedes to replace my vehicle, i think the chances of this are slim to non existant

 

[corned]

Sorry you are having trouble, but I can't help I'm afraid.

'Mercedes Benz' and 'Customer Service' are two entities which are unknown to each other, in my experience.

This one was my first, and I'm pretty sure it will also be my last. Mainly due to the inept dealers and non-existent customer service.

Anyway, I really hope you get somewhere with them. Someone has to blaze the trail!!

 

[W11 XEE]

Im the same, my first MB after 5 BMWs, wish i'd stuck with BMW.
Customer service from MB is non existant!
I will keep trying!!

 

[Rory]

I have lost complete confidence in the car and ideally want Mercedes to replace my vehicle, i think the chances of this are slim to non existant

They do regularly replace cars, although of course you'll be told it's out of the question. Make an appointment to see the Dealer Principal.

 

[W11 XEE]

Thanks for the advice Rory..

 

[ched999uk]

Have a chat to your local trading standard dept. I always find they are very helpful in telling you what your rights are and what the sellers (its the seller you have the sales contract with, not the manufacturer!!!!!!) responsibilities are.
They usually tell you the correct words and actions that your rights entitle you too.

 

[A140driver]

We found the most effective way to complain was to write a letter to their international headquarters, in German, and we had a reply within 2 days! They did exchange our car in all credit to them, but the car they gave us was even worse than the previous one, so after a good few more discussions, they gave us back a percentage of what we paid. We did come away disappointed though. I hope you are able to resolve your problem soon!

 

[W11 XEE]

What Car Magazine Now Involved!!

In relation to my earlier posts regarding the issues I am having with my E250cdi sport.

What Car Magazine are now taking up my case and want to run my story in their next edition.:bannana:
Maybe this will make Mercedes Benz sit up and take notice?????
How can service from a prestigious manufacturer be so completely inept??

 

[Brian WH]

Merged with original thread.

 

[rothbury]

I see you bought it second hand last June and it was presumably an approved used car. i can't see whether you have asked them to replace it though IMHO it is too late to reject it.What are What car going to do as you haven't really explained why MB have been so clueless unless not being able to fix the problem is automatically clueless. Let's face it all manufacturers get stick from someone and if you read What Car regularly you'll know what I mean.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

What are What car going to do as you haven't really explained why MB have been so clueless unless not being able to fix the problem is automatically clueless.

Good question.....

 

[grober]

Having had a look at your initial post I notice that your car is 2nd hand and ex sales director and has done 12,000 miles These cars are often advertised as "ex demonstrator" and can [ BUT NOT ALWAYS! ] have lead quite a "stressful" early life from general delivery dogsbody, courtesy car, demonstrator with multiple drivers and short journey times with a cold engine. It sounds as if you have a problem with the DPF diesel particulate filter which can arise if the car is used for many short journey with the engine cold which does not permit the filter to re-generate. This is a huge problem with modern diesels of all makes not just Mercedes and is widely documented in the motoring press. If they haven't changed the entire DPF [ not just the sensor] that's what I would insist on for starters. You may be caught between a rock and a hard place because the first owner was the dealer and MB UK may be trying bounce the cost of repair back to the dealer whereas under normal circumstances the dealer might just repair it under warranty and claim the cost from MB. Quite often "technical problems" like this have a hidden underlying financial dispute at the core?

 

[W11 XEE]

Hi,
My car has experienced the same fault since November.
I take the car in, they return it saying its fixed and so on.
This has happened on 5 occasions!
My car has been with the dealer now since 23/12/10, it did come back to me for 2 days during this time period, I completed 67 miles before the fault occured again.
The dealer finally admitted approx 7 days ago that they actually do not know what is wrong with it.
As you can imagine all of the above has become very frustrating!

 

[st13phil]

If they haven't changed the entire DPF [ not just the sensor] that's what I would insist on for starters.

Personally, I try to avoid putting myself in the position of demanding that a dealer changes some part or another unless I am absolutely, 100%, certain that it will resolve the problem. To do so and find that the problem still exists puts you at a distinct disadvantage for future negotiation.

I sympathise with the OP, as I would anyone else who suffers from an ongoing unresolved fault on a car, but I find it hard to believe that a bona-fide franchised dealer would repeatedly fail to rectify a fault if they had a good idea what the problem was being caused by just because it involved a fairly significant expense.

As they have conceded that they don't know what's wrong with it, have MB Technical been involved in all this (again, it's hard to believe that they haven't)?