I win!

[SimonsMerc]

Well, I've been keeping very quiet about the rust on my car. It's a 210 so of course it's rusty as hell. I've been fighting with Mercedes for the last four months for them to actually recognse my claim. These guys are ****holes (and yes I do mean Mercedes, and yes John I am consciously grouping them all together and calling them that, there may be exceptions but they are in my opinion rare). They have been doing everything possible to weasel out of paying my claim, even though I have complied with the terms and conditions of their Mobilo Life 30 year corrosion warranty to the letter.

I started by writing them a letter. They told me to go to a dealer, so I phoned my local dealer (MB Harrow) and asked if they can do an inspection with the next service. They said yes, so I went and did the service...and it turned out that they don't have anyone who does bodywork, so I had to pay for the service and try another dealer. So I went to MB Colindale (quite a way from me), where they had a person who "inspects" bodywork, who seemed to take my case very seriously, took a couple of photos, photocopied my service history, and I went home. And heard nothing for a month.

I then wrote MB another letter, asking what had happened, and it turned out that the guy at MB Colindale just didn't bother submitting the claim. I drove to MB Colindale, gathered all the bits and pieces and submitted the claim myself, making the guy sign it on the spot and then hand delivering it to DCUK headquarters in Milton Keynes (as I happened to be working there that day). It caused quite a stir - a specialist consultant, being brought in at a rate of £230 per hour, saying to the head of the IT department "oh could you hang on a second, I just have to submit my warranty claim for my rusting five year old top of the range E class mercedes because your dealer network is incompetent" while walking past the main reception. I enjoyed that

Anyway, once the claim was submitted, they then tried to weasel out of it by claiming that I do not have a full service history; they kindly offered, as a gesture of good will, to pay for 30% of the repairs. Apparently "the clerk didn't notice" that the service history (which I had photocopied, labelled very clearly and provided as part of the package) was submitted with the claim and therefore "assumed" that the car didn't have one. So I get them to dig out the service history by faxing (a G3 colour fax, isn't technology wonderful) a copy to them, only to receive another letter (a few more weeks later) saying that "since my service history isn't complete" they are going to kindly offer, as a gesture of good will, to pay for 30% of the repairs, and that this decision is final.

*grrrrrr*

So, I call up to enquire what's going on, and it turns out that they're making a problem because the first "stamp" in my service history book doesn't have an actual stamp, just written in by hand. And because of this, they've decided that the car doesn't have a full service history. This despite the fact that the car was originally a company car, owned by leasing company PHH, who routinely service all of their cars at Mercedes garages and have no reason whatsoever not to get the service done.

I called up the garage where the car was previously serviced, and asked them for details of any records they may have from before the merger. I'll admit a leeetle insider knowledge about the names of MBUK computer systems helped. Here's a part of my letter to MBUK:

The entry for the first service has the dealer stamp written in by hand rather than a rubber stamp. In order to confirm that this service was indeed carried out, I have spoken to the service department at Tony Purslow. The Dealer contact, Brad Martin, available on 01483579708, confirmed that their computer systems show that the car did indeed have the first three services listed above. He took this from their 'Kerridge' computer system, and has asked that you call him to confirm the service records if needed. He mentioned that before Tony Purslow purchased Puttocks, their service records used to be held on a system called 'MBDS', however while the old system is no longer available, they do still have a record on the 'Kerridge' system.

Please also note that my car was previously a lease car, owned by Lease Company PHH, as can be evidenced from the registration documents, a copy of which can be provided on request. As a leasing company, I am sure you will agree that the previous owner had a vested interest in complying with the servicing schedule and manufacturers warranty requirements. In my opinion, there is no doubt that the car has been serviced correctly and according to schedule by Mercedes main dealers.

Anyway, after all this pain, I finally received a letter yesterday (which the wife only gave me today) agreeing that they will pay 100% of the costs of my claim. It's still as a "goodwill gesture" which grates on me - this is a warranty claim, and it should not be marked as goodwill. But as long as I get the work done, I'm not going to make an issue of it.

If you are interested, there are some photos available here of the most obvious bits of rust. Just a final point - it seems that not all 210's are prone to rust. I recently saw a colleague's 1999 E320cdi, while helping him fit a tuning chip. We went over it with a fine toothcomb, and there is not a shred of rust on it. It lives on a driveway, not in a garage, and it's done almost twice as many miles as mine has, and is probably treated worse. So I guess it's luck of the draw really. Not all 210 shape E classes will rust. But if you're unlucky enough to get one that does, getting MBUK to live up to their promises will be less than fun.

-simon

 

[GrahamC230K]

Well done. Nicely told. I would be peeved by the goodwill part. I personally would push it further. You are entitled to a waranty claim. What if you require some genuine goodwill down the line? They will think you have used yours up!

 

[High-Lo]

Well done Simon for not giving up . They really shouldn't have made it so difficult for you though. My previous experience of main dealers (of many car brands) have not been good either and this just seems typical. It makes me .

Glad its all going to get sorted. Please post some 'after' pictures when its complete.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Rory]

a rate of £230 per hour,

Good grief, no wonder Merc's are expensive in the UK - we're having to pay for you, too.

 

[IanT]

Well done!

It has taken me a year (almost to the week) to get mine in for a 100% paid for job, now I'm driving a Smart ForFour and it's (so far) been three weeks, though they want their car back and so I expect mine will be ready soon.

Mine's a 2001 car and has (apparently) had all four doors done (offside two replaced), bonnet sorted and the NSF wing either replaced or sorted. No quibble whatsoever that it was covered, it's done 175k ish miles and has been fully stamped up from new.

I've had loads of hassle though, just like you although I just kept on at the dealer until they sorted it - first they put in a claim which was approved, then lost my claim, then said the original would have lapsed by now, then refused the claim, then took ages to get it approved. Following calling them regularly and never getting through to someone useful, I persisted some more and let the service manager know I'd written a letter of complaint... The 'We need it all authorised before we can make a booking' became 'will you need a loan car, OK how about dropping it off on Monday?'

Part of my story was no doubt down to me being a busy soul and not being on the dealer's back during the first six months, believing they would do as they said and call when there was news.

Ask them what they plan to do to effect the repairs. Depending on how bad yours is they may replace the panels, but DCUK/MBHQ want the bodyshop to sand blast instead and use the original panels. In a ****-eyed logical way, I hope yours was pretty advanced in its state of rust, as that will earn you new doors.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Ian.

 

[trevlacm]

Simon,

Your thread makes an interesting read. I have just started the same process myself with my 2000 E320CDI (18k miles). Mine is starting to go in the same places as yours (doors, wheel arches, under bonnet PLUS spare wheel well, battery well, boot lock and slam panel above radiator). I took it to my local dealer in Doncaster, & they put me in touch with their bodyshop in Sheffield. I went along to them 2 weeks ago, and they put forward 10 claims for me. They got back to me within a week saying that all would be done except the spare wheel well and the slam panel, but as a "goodwill" gesture they would do the battery well. I went back to Sheffield last Friday to query this, as both I and the guys at Sheffield couldn't see the difference between the battery well & wheel well. They are now re-submitting the wheel well & slam panel. I'll be chasing them again this week.

What would be useful is the adress and who to write to in Milton Keynes if you have it, also for MBUK, just in case.

I must say though, the assessors in Sheffield have been pretty good so far. However, as Ian T says, I was told that MB will only replace panels if they are not repairable after sandblasting. Apparently MB were finding it pretty expensive going in the early days replacing panels straight away. Maybe MB should have done a better job in the first place before offering a 30yr warranty.

Hopefully I will get 100% success like you have.

Regards

Mark.

 

[SimonsMerc]

So, I spoke to Mercedes today regarding the "goodwill" part (I forgot it's a Bank Holiday, I've been working anyway). Anyway, the reason they make it a "goodwill" repair is that otherwise they have to spend time determining if any of the rust is from the outside in (as the warranty only covers inside out). This way they'll just do all of it without putting up a fuss (apparently).

However the lady did say that they're going to sandblast and repaint, rather than use new panels. Apparently MB HQ won't pay for new panels, so if you get them it's because the dealer paid for them rather than MB (and London dealers have a policy of only doing what MB will pay for).

Oh well. At least it'll be repaired.

-simon

 

[glojo]

(and yes I do mean Mercedes, and yes John I am consciously grouping them all together and calling them that, there may be exceptions but they are in my opinion rare).

Hi Simon,
It's funny how folks tend to think of me as a 'party man' that will defend Mercedes-Benz no matter what. Just take a deep breath and look at what other contributors are saying about their dealership experiences!!! It is not just me. You and Petef have grievances and then generalize. Have you dealt dealerships in East Anglia, or in the North of England or the Southwest? The flippant answer is yes, but if that were the case, I would very, very politely suggest you look in the mirror, if the answer is no, then how can you group all dealerships as being bad?

However we digress from your situation. Mercedes-Benz UK are clearly, clearly taking great interest in our service booklets and your first so called 'stamp' is highly suspicous. I accept your word that the car did have its first service by a dealer, but why should anyone else believe that without further documentation? I could write in my service booklet, or buy the Mercedes-Benz dealers stamp that is for sale on Ebay.

I am coming across as defending Mercedes-Benz at the cost of really making you angry......, for that I apologise, I am simply playing devils advocate. If the car was mine, like you, I would be fuming. I would, like you, get the details from the first servicing garage, then get them to stamp the service booklet in a proper manner. You have very wisely got the proof that was required and hopefully the work will be carried out to a standard that is acceptable.

Mercedes-Benz need to get ALL the servicing history of Mobilio covered vehicles onto a database as this problem is only going to get worse, and I am certain that the dealers stamp that is being sold on Ebay will be used in an attempt to deceive Mercedes-Benz into paying out on unlawful claims.

If I were to fall into your trap, I would be thinking that the problem has more to do with London based dealerships?

Please accept that I am pleased you have finally got your claim sorted, I hate it when innocent car owners get harrassed by manufacturers, hopefully we can learn from this and CHECK that our service booklets are correctly filled in, and have all the required stamps etc. That surely must be our responsibility? (when our car was last serviced I forgot enclose our booklet , luckily the dealership phoned me up and we got my mistake resolved)

Regards,
John the Party man

 

[DrNick]

How can you put so much faith in a filled in service booklet? As you point out, they can be fraudulently filled in, or not filled in at all. Surely the best way of establishing history is to keep a file of receipts. You are correct in stating that it is the owners responsibility to keep evidence of services, but MB is not doing itself any favours by not keeping a sensible record of the cars that it services, especially if it is going to start getting difficult about claims. On a related note, how do things stand with these extended warranties now that the EU has said that we don't have to go to franchised dealers for services?

Sadly this rust issue has poisoned my enjoyment of my Mercedes, and my experience of the dealers (for what its worth) has been that 1 has been friendly, but not able to fix anything (inept), and the other has been miserable and had to be chased, but did get the job done. These compare on a par with Fiat dealers and Ford dealers that I have dealt with in the same period. Therefore I have low expectations of any dealer, and this philosophy means that when these low expectations are exceeded, I come away feeling delighted! But I have NEVER though that I have got value for money from any of them.
Rant over. My wife says I'm not allowed to buy another Merc because they rust. I can't argue against her, and she's telling all her friends about it. In about a month the whole world will know!

 

[IanT]

My wife says I'm not allowed to buy another Merc because they rust. I can't argue against her, and she's telling all her friends about it. In about a month the whole world will know!

Women...

Seriously though, I'm daily having to explain to my colleagues why I'm driving in to work in a Smart ForFour.

'No, it's not mine...'
'But you've had it for nearly a month.'
'Yes, it's a loan car, mine's at the garage.'
'What, for a month?!? What for?'
'It's having it's rust done.'
'Rust, the Merc?'
dot dot dot.

At this rate there will be no market for my car second hand soon...

Ian.

 

[Dieselman]

Women...

Seriously though, I'm daily having to explain to my colleagues why I'm driving in to work in a Smart ForFour.

'No, it's not mine...'
'But you've had it for nearly a month.'
'Yes, it's a loan car, mine's at the garage.'
'What, for a month?!? What for?'
'It's having it's rust done.'
'Rust, the Merc?'
dot dot dot.

At this rate there will be no market for my car second hand soon...

Ian.

Just tell them it's paintwork defects being sorted under warranty.

 

[clegsr]

wow, thanks for the post! - I must admit I went out to my garage and peeled back the rubber door strips on my 2001 W210 but luckily they all look good as new - which I think only goes to prove your point that these cars shouldn't rust if manufactured correctly - I think the worst advertisment here is MB's reluctance to acknowledge the problem.

 

[IanT]

Just tell them it's paintwork defects being sorted under warranty.

LOL... I tried that.

'Faulty paintwork? What, peeling?'

The only laugh I can have really is that so long as it continues to be serviced by MB (debatable I know) there's 25 and a half years of perforation warranty remaining. Almost worth keeping it mechanically sound and taking it in every so often for a free respray.

Ian.
(Not bitter, or twisted really!)

 

[SimonsMerc]

Which anonymous coward gave me an negative reputation for this post - without even so much as a comment?

I've been through hell and high water to get Mercedes to recognise that they should honour the warranty on my car; what exactly about my post was it that you, Mr Anonymous, didn't like?

Y'know, Ive said this before - I'd not mind negative reputation points in the slightest if at least the person had the guts to sign them. You don't even have to justify them - you're entitled to your own opinion. But making them anonymous proves absolutely nothing except that you know deep down that your opinion is wrong and thus you are afraid to defend it.

Pathetic.

-simon

 

[Will]

Have a +ve from me to help counteract that, I agree with your post!

Will

 

[marcos]

Which anonymous coward gave me an negative reputation for this post - without even so much as a comment?

I've been through hell and high water to get Mercedes to recognise that they should honour the warranty on my car; what exactly about my post was it that you, Mr Anonymous, didn't like?

Y'know, Ive said this before - I'd not mind negative reputation points in the slightest if at least the person had the guts to sign them. You don't even have to justify them - you're entitled to your own opinion. But making them anonymous proves absolutely nothing except that you know deep down that your opinion is wrong and thus you are afraid to defend it.

Pathetic.

-simon

That just makes me laugh, kinda makes a mockery of the whole rep points thing really

Anyway, I wish more people had your persistance and then maybe Mercedes would realise they really do need some customer relations skills as well as rust proofing skills

 

[glojo]

Which anonymous coward gave me an negative reputation for this post - without even so much as a comment?

Hi Simon,
It looks like I am the only person that has mildly criticised your post, (but only where you have 'stereo-typed me ') I would not dream of EVER giving a negative feedback for anyone expressing a personal opinion and like you I feel it cowardly for anyone to not put their signature to anything they write.

Your posts were constructive and very informative, may a thousand red blobbies descend on this person's head and they have a restless night reciting a thousand and one Hail Mary's.

Keep smiling and keep us informed of the progress of the repair.

Regards,
John 'The Innocent Party Man'

 

[SimonsMerc]

John,

Never for one second did it even enter my head that you would have done this. I have the utmost respect for you, even if we do disagree from time to time.

I love the concept of a thousand red blobbies

-simon

Hi Simon,
It looks like I am the only person that has mildly criticised your post, (but only where you have 'stereo-typed me ') I would not dream of EVER giving a negative feedback for anyone expressing a personal opinion and like you I feel it cowardly for anyone to not put their signature to anything they write.

Your posts were constructive and very informative, may a thousand red blobbies descend on this person's head and they have a restless night reciting a thousand and one Hail Mary's.

Keep smiling and keep us informed of the progress of the repair.

Regards,
John 'The Innocent Party Man'

 

[Doodle]

Are we talking a similar concept to the guards from 'The Prisoner'?

 

[Rory]

It was probably the head of IT at MB MK!

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but how do you see someone's reputation?