Help Mercedes dealer service issue!!!!!

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Brunty88

Active Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2016
Messages
202
Location
Farnborough, Hampshire
Car
C63 PPP
This post is for a friend
But he put his c63 58plate into the dealer for a service to maintain his full mbsh and while the car is is there they told him they have to change the brake fluid and snapped one of the nipples and now are trying to charge him an extra 400+ for it as they are replacing the calliper plus the 5 day wait without a car
So what options does he have ? Would you have to pay ?
Cheers
 
Did he confirm they could carry out the brake fluid change or did they just do it anyway?

I take what they 'recommend' with a pinch of salt whilst mines in for a service. If it's anything worth fixing, I have my indie look at it and carry the work out at a fraction of the price
 
If they broke it surely they have to cover at least part of the cost. They may argue the toss on replacing new for old ie betterment of the existing part as I think it's called in insurance terms. Even so you should not have to foot the whole cost of a new calliper.
 
100% the dealers issue , the tech should have known it was about to shear and applied some releasing agent or localized heat before trying again.

If it looked too corroded initially then he should have been notified of this prior to them attempting the job.

They started the job and they broke it so they repair it , simples.

Kenny
 
100% the dealers issue , the tech should have known it was about to shear and applied some releasing agent or localized heat before trying again.
Hmmm... in my experience you often get very little warning that a calliper bleed nipple is about to shear, so I don't think that statement is entirely fair. On bigger fasteners I agree that you normally get more warning, but sh!t still happens.

You or I may use a machine shop to remove the remains of the sheared off nipple, but it appears that a Main Dealer wants to replace the calliper complete. Personally, I'd be talking with them and politely suggest that either they a) use a competent machine shop to reclaim the calliper at a fraction of the cost they're suggesting, or b) they supply and fit a new one at parts only trade cost (i.e. not retail price, and no labour charge) as a goodwill gesture.
 
so I don't think that statement is entirely fair.

If the frequency of the fluid changes on the 63 is two years and the car has a FMBSH then the nipples should not be seized after only two years.

Either they have not replaced the fluid previously or the techs fists are made of ham.

Old car needing a fluid change so I better put some release agent on these calipers before I start, it is only proper workshop practice.

I still can't see how any of this financial dilemma can be shared by the cars owner.

Kenny
 
If the frequency of the fluid changes on the 63 is two years and the car has a FMBSH then the nipples should not be seized after only two years.

Either they have not replaced the fluid previously or the techs fists are made of ham.
:D :D

Fair comment. As you say, there's an implicit assumption that the brake fluid changes that were previously charged for at two yearly intervals were actually carried out ;)
 
This happened to our 9-year old A class recently and we coughed up the money to replace the caliper. The car was out of action for 3 days but the dealership gave a replacement C class which I thought was good enough of them.
 
Its not the dealers fault. They do snap off. Penertrating fluid doesn't really work in this aplication and you cant use heat as the caliper is aluminuim. If it was with us I would have drilled it out and repllaced the nipple. It would have been about £70.
 
The nipple corrodes into the caliper. Often caused by chemicals used to clean the wheels. The acidic nature of the wheel cleaner doesn't do any good at all.
 
It's also caused by dissimilar metal corrosion.
 
No warning was given prior to it snapping they never mentioned there was a chance it could happen to my friend
They are saying it happens and the solution is to replace the whole brake calliper at a cost of over £400
They aren't offering a replacement car either as they are all "booked out"
 
No warning was given prior to it snapping they never mentioned there was a chance it could happen to my friend
They are saying it happens and the solution is to replace the whole brake calliper at a cost of over £400
They aren't offering a replacement car either as they are all "booked out"


Why would a garage warn about the potential for something to go wrong? Just about anything could go wrong or break if worn, damaged or corroded.

Read BlackC55's posts, he is a very well respected MB independent and his experience is not to be dismissed lightly.

As to why they could not drill out the broken part and replace, well that is a specific conversation your friend needs to have.

As for a courtesy car, well these are not guaranteed to be available for all circumstances.
 
It's simple
Car was damaged at dealers and should be repaired at no cost to customer, end of.
 
It's simple
Car was damaged at dealers and should be repaired at no cost to customer, end of.

But it clearly is not simple.

As BlackC55 says, corrosion sets in at these parts, often due to acid wheel washes, the aluminium alloys are soft and will shear if corroded.

The dealer cannot be responsible for corrosion causing a part to weaken, they could however have offered to try a repair assuming the damage was repairable) or offer the part at cost (perhaps they did?)
 
As mentioned in a previous post , the nipples should have been loosened no more than two years ago IF the fluid change intervals are 24 months and the servicing at the dealers was carried out properly.

Even with the corrosive nature of cleaning products and dissimilar metals i very much doubt if they would seize within the last two years.

They broke it , their problem.

Kenny
 
As mentioned in a previous post , the nipples should have been loosened no more than two years ago IF the fluid change intervals are 24 months and the servicing at the dealers was carried out properly.

Even with the corrosive nature of cleaning products and dissimilar metals i very much doubt if they would seize within the last two years.

They broke it , their problem.

Kenny

"Very much doubt" is not the same as proof though.

Metal can corrode far more quickly than two years.

I think, from what we know, the dealer could have possibly explained things more clearly and possibly offered some goodwill (they may have of course), the rest is supposition.
 
The dealer is trying to pass the issue to Mercedes and see what they will offer
The dealer as yet hasn't offered anything other than the free labour to replace the entire calliper
Th car was serviced at the correct intervals and had done around 5k since the last service the car has done 45k total
It was dropped off at 7:30am and due back at 3:30pm and at 2pm the car was still on the ramp as the mechanic was out on a test drive.

Googling online their terms and conditions
There is no mention that if they break a part while performing their duty that the owner of the vehicle is liable for the costs.
If they broke a spark plug and couldn't get it out would you be happy to replace the engine ?


And at 2:30 the issue arises and gets a phone call to say the nipple had broken and the part to replace would take 5 days and cost £400ish
Then he was told they would phone back at 6pm with an update never received
He phone this morning at 8:30 and was told the person he needed wasn't at his desk and didn't get a call back till 9:30am for an update
 
The dealer is trying to pass the issue to Mercedes and see what they will offer
The dealer as yet hasn't offered anything other than the free labour to replace the entire calliper
Th car was serviced at the correct intervals and had done around 5k since the last service the car has done 45k total
It was dropped off at 7:30am and due back at 3:30pm and at 2pm the car was still on the ramp as the mechanic was out on a test drive.

Googling online their terms and conditions
There is no mention that if they break a part while performing their duty that the owner of the vehicle is liable for the costs.
If they broke a spark plug and couldn't get it out would you be happy to replace the engine ?

And at 2:30 the issue arises and gets a phone call to say the nipple had broken and the part to replace would take 5 days and cost £400ish
Then he was told they would phone back at 6pm with an update never received
He phone this morning at 8:30 and was told the person he needed wasn't at his desk and didn't get a call back till 9:30am for an update


The mileage covered since last service is not relevant, it is time that allows corrosion to set in and how it has been cleaned, stored etc.

Terms and conditions by their nature cannot specify every eventuality, and if a spark plug breaks you do not replace the engine!:wallbash:

He called at 08:30 and received a call an hour later, where is the problem in that?

I think some objectivity is called for.
 

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