Help. Nearly new 2019 e220 estate. Reduce engine oil level message

[Deleted member 6183]

Margaret , I think you should avail yourself of a free initial consultation with a solicitor, with a view to having them deal with all the unpleasantness of this business on your behalf ; they should also be able to confirm your entitlement to a comparable hire car for as long as the dealer prevaricates .

Taking a hire car , which will cost the dealer a daily rate until they settle up should be a further incentive for them to expedite this matter .

Perhaps your motor insurance or household insurance has legal aid cover ; however the solicitor should be able to advise during the free consultation whether his fees can also be charged to the garage .

You have had enough stress and worry , time to get a professional to deal with it for you .

Are you legally trained?

Interested in the hire car angle, it sounds unlikely.

 

[ShaunB]

I'd park across the entrance to their forecourt and walk off with the keys until they have repaid me the purchase cost - costs of insurance and the lost VED

Bit like this car at Mercedes Belfast?

 

[renault12ts]

Bit like this car at Mercedes Belfast?
View attachment 99213View attachment 99214View attachment 99215View attachment 99216

Oops...still there?

 

[ShaunB]

Oops...still there?

It was yesterday, but no one seems to know the story behind it.

 

[wongl]

Margret, you should instruct/inform garage B that you do not give them permission to work on your car. This is still your car until garage A actually provide you with a replacement car or a refund. Allowing Garage B to fix up your car could complicate your consumer protection further.

Regarding the lack of coolant and coolant warning light, it is quite possible that during the approved used car inspection at Garage A, the mechanic spotted a coolant issue and simply 'topped' up the coolant. If the coolant system was indeed empty, it very possible that there is an air bubble in the system trapping the top up coolant to remain in the expansion tank fooling the mechanic to think that he has done his job.

While you were driving the car, it is possible for the coolant to dribble down into the engine thus emptying the expansion tank and triggering the coolant warning light to come on.

I personally will not want to keep a car that has been driven for an extended period with no coolant in the system.

 

[markjay]

Margret, you should instruct/inform garage B that you do not give them permission to work on your car. This is still your car until garage A actually provide you with a replacement car or a refund. Allowing Garage B to fix up your car could complicate your consumer protection further.

Regarding the lack of coolant and coolant warning light, it is quite possible that during the approved used car inspection at Garage A, the mechanic spotted a coolant issue and simply 'topped' up the coolant. If the coolant system was indeed empty, it very possible that there is an air bubble in the system trapping the top up coolant to remain in the expansion tank fooling the mechanic to think that he has done his job.

While you were driving the car, it is possible for the coolant to dribble down into the engine thus emptying the expansion tank and triggering the coolant warning light to come on.

I personally will not want to keep a car that has been driven for an extended period with no coolant in the system.

It would be extremely poor workmanship on behalf of the tech to top-up a significant amount of coolant without investigating how it went missing in the first place. Modern cars have sealed coolant system, and any coolant loss should be investigated. Otherwise he/she weren't really fixing anything but just passing down the buck.

 

[wongl]

It would be extremely poor workmanship on behalf of the tech to top-up a significant amount of coolant without investigating how it went missing in the first place. Modern cars have sealed coolant system, and any coolant loss should be investigated. Otherwise he/she weren't really fixing anything but just passing down the buck.

Agreed! The shoddy workmanship probably explains why the inspection did not discovered the missing parts reported by the mechanic in Garage B.

The air bubble in the coolant system was an issue in my first ever coolant change in a VW Corrado G60 imported from the USA. From the spec I knew how many litres of coolant/distilled water I should have used, but the system kept on over flowing around half way through the refilling! It took me ages to find a way to bleed the system as i was a bit green back then!

 

[markjay]

To all those who are advising the OP to get a solicitor - she is one step ahead, and in fact asked for recommendations in post #62:

Thank you. Am I allowed to ask if anyone has recommendations of a good solicitor who has knowledge of the law on this matter (which is quite complex from a quick read of some online scenarios). I need someone who will act quickly on my behalf, respond to calls, email etc. If recommendations are not allowed on here no problem at all I will do a search myself. I get the impression from the dealership that they are instructing garage B to fix the issues and will pay for them as the warranty is invalid, even though I have sent email instruction to reject. I'm sure it will be easier and less costly for them if the car can be driven back rather than transported, so perhaps they will follow that approach anyway. I'm really surprised that a nearly new merc could make it onto an approved used listing with unrecorded work, but perhaps it's more common than I imagined.

 

[zipdip]

Well Margaret you have had great advice,tell garage B to stop any repairs,get your solicitor to contact garage A and tell them their fortune,hire a car if the solicitor says you can at no cost,you have sent that template,garage A is just being ass--les they know they have to do what you want and are dragging their collective feet,it's a case of small minded people in a decent size company all worried when the dust has settled about this car one or more of them is looking at that fat pay packet with cards and P45.

 

[Margaret]

Finally got a call back approaching 5 pm. The second (bad cop) after sales manager agreed a refund but was entirely dismissive when I asked if I deserved any other recompense for all the stress incurred. Said it would be processed ? paid on Monday. Where would I find someone trustworthy to do an independent inspection, London area, if I choose to go ahead again. I can't face even looking at the moment. I've borrowed a well worn 06 Mondeo with high mileage and a broken windscreen and I think I'll give myself time to reflect. A relative has advised me to change brand. Garage B called me and advised that dealership A will be collecting the car next week.

 

[219]

I’m glad you look near the end of this situation, and I will understand if you do decide to change brand .

I would suggest that at least you don’t go back to that particular dealership.

I feel you have been unlucky in getting this car in the first place , then in the way you have been treated .

If you do decide to stick with Mercedes , there are other dealers out there , and even on this thread , other members have suggested Mercland in Nuneaton who are an independent Mercedes specialist , and a family run business led by a true enthusiast , with an outstanding reputation.

However , you just need a break from all the stress , have you missed your camping trip , or will you manage to go in the Mondeo ?

 

[jdrrco]

Not that I'm pushing them, because they may be rubbish, but MB Hemel Hempstead are part of Mercedes Retail, not a private dealer, so you may find they will, at least, honour the MB Approved philosophy.

On your other question, Wayne Gates in Harrow is a real expert and would give you honest, impartial advice you can rely on.

PS Well done on getting the refund sorted. It's clearly been a horrible experience, but you have come through stronger, wiser and all-in-all no worse off. I've never had to reject a car myself, but my father had to in his seventies. The whole experience was completely alien to a trusting non-business-headed gent, but he stood his ground and won the day.

 

[rf065]

The second (bad cop) after sales manager agreed a refund but was entirely dismissive when I asked if I deserved any other recompense for all the stress incurred

I've found in the past that an email highlighting your grievance to the MB CEO will get some rapid attention from your dealership. Last address I used was [email protected], but please check if he is still the current CEO.

 

[jdrrco]

I've found in the past that an email highlighting your grievance to the MB CEO will get some rapid attention from your dealership. Last address I used was [email protected], but please check if he is still the current CEO.

Angela Shepherd is the UK CEO at Mercedes-Benz Retail Group. At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur bloke, you may find that she is sympathetic to what you've been through.

 

[Petrol Pete]

It was yesterday, but no one seems to know the story behind it.

So the protest is not working for this guy then....

 

[Smiley]

Well done on getting the refund. At least it will bring a definite end to the saga. If I had been treated the way in which you describe I would not be buying anything from a MB main dealer. I stopped using them years ago because of their focus on their own £££ and not on customer satisfaction; as a consequence I now run older cars and use independents for servicing. It's so much easier.
I am afraid most other brands have similar main dealer tales about their (ie not what you would expect after spending £££) "customer service". The one stand out exception is Lexus / Toyota.
Unless you do lots of miles pa you might also want to think about a petrol or petrol/hybrid car - the shift away from diesel is gathering pace and my guess is that diesel cars are going to see massive depreciation over the next few years - and of course the newer ones will be hit disproportionately harder.

 

[SarahAnn200]

Pleased that you are getting your refund Margaret.

 

[Smiley]

One last thing; it would be helpful to post the reg number of the offending car here so that future owners will have the benefit of seeing this. Might be a good idea to get the refund first.

 

[markjay]

One last thing; it would be helpful to post the reg number of the offending car here so that future owners will have the benefit of seeing this. Might be a good idea to get the refund first.

 

[Petrol Pete]

What smiley said ^^ Long story short , a friend of mine rejected a brand new very 'high end' expensive Italian motorcycle some years ago because its electronic system would switch from 'road' to 'race' without warning leaving him unaware that his almost 190 bhp bike had just switched off all of its safety modes during a rainstorm on a UK B road and sometimes just shutting the bike down dead with no warning.

During his (very) short ownership a technician came over from Italy and replaced the wiring loom and all sorts of stuff, he still rejected it.

Less than a month later it was back for sale through the dealer network. Fixed ? who knows ?