Peoples views on this.???

[Notamused]

Hi all,

Approx 9 months ago, I bought an approved used SLK for my wife. The car was ex Mercedes lease and had full Mercedes background. It was a nice clean car and the wife loves it.

However, this is what I have noticed...

Small leak from passenger side window / A pillar, which causes drips to come in and run down into stitching of seat. Of course, this does not appear severe, but it's there.

Windscreen wipers failing to come on for perhaps 30 / 45 seconds, no matter what speed I switch them to. If ignition is on but engine not started, they mainly seem to work ok, but if engine is switched on, they sometimes will, and at others won't come on, until the approx time above has lapsed. This means if the car has a wet screen, even though the car may be totally ready to drive off, it's not exactly safe to do so until the wipers have "decided" to do what they have been commanded to do by the switch. If there is any kind of emergency, it's tough, you need to wait until the car is ready to activate wipers and clear screen.

What are people's views on this, and would "you" be bothered by it.?

Just to check, I called into my local Mercedes dealer to ask about warranty issues and how to go about getting the car looked at. On explaining these issues, a staff member informed me that I'd need to pay £140..ish to have the car looked at to diagnose faults. Following on from that, if faults are "not" covered under Tier one warranty, then I lose the diagnostic payment, and "could" potentially have to pay for repairs. Alternatively, if the faults were something covered by warranty, I'd be refunded diagnostic charge and work would be done at no cost to me.

The rather upsetting bit is that when I asked whether these issues were likely to be covered by warranty, the agent stated that "some seals are covered by warranty and some not" and, that "some electrical issues are covered by warranty and some not"

How the hell are we as consumers supposed to know where we are with that sort of advice.?

To say I am disappointed with Mercedes is understating it. Am I wrong to feel like this.?

 

[E55BOF]

No, you're not wrong to be disappointed, but it would appear you were speaking to an agent who didn't know the answers to your questions, and wasn't prepared to admit it and do some research there and then. Unsatisfactory customer service is not exclusive to Mercedes, though...

The water leak does not require any diagnosis, I'd have thought. Ask them straight out whether that seal is covered; it either is or isn't.

So far as the wipers are concerned, you either pay the £140-ish and take your chances, or find an indie with a Star who can do the diagnosis much more cheaply, and having identified the fault, read the warranty small print to see if it is covered or not. Let us know how you get on.

 

[lfckeeper]

Are you turning the wipers 'on' or is it just the auto rain sensitive wipers you are turning on?

 

[Notamused]

@ E55BOF...

Thanks for the reply, that all makes good sense and I think I will follow up on that. Will report back after speaking to MB again also.

@ IFCkeeper...

No, nothing to do with auto wipers. They do not come on when the wipers are switched on, no matter what frequency or speed is selected.

 

[grober]

Mercedes Windshield Wiper Problem – MB Medic

One common problem used to be a defective bonnet open switch designed to stop the wipers working if the bonnet is open.
Wipers working only when driving, bonnet open alarm

 

[Dryce]

Disappointing.

Rather undermines the principle of the AU warranty if the car is not watertight / weather sealed properly and if there is an electrical glitch that stops the wipers from functioning properly.

Asking for the customer to cough £140 for a diagnostic on a car that is under warranty is disgraceful.

I wouldn't buy a MB AU car again if this is policy.

 

[WDB124066]

What grober said and some krytox on the seals for the window leak could solve all your problems, that or have the windows/seals checked for correct seating....

 

[TheFoX]

There is a growing trend to charge us for things that were free. If you suspect a problem with your car, you'd expect a mechanic to look at it and advise you as to what remedy is needed, then charge you for applying that remedy.

While there may be a charge for plugging in a diagnostic unit, £140 is rather excessive for a computer to read a list of codes that then need to be interpreted by a mechanic into a manual remedy.

This proliferation of charging for any and all information is driving up the cost of motoring. My indie doesn't charge for diagnostics, and another indie up the road only charges £20 for doing the diagnostics.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

To add some balance, my main dealer doesn't charge for diagnostics, but that may be because I've used them for many years, and I use them a lot.

I suspect it may be because some people are disappointed when a fault is excluded from the terms of the policy, so to errr on the side of caution, this person chooses to disappoint from the outset.

After all, the main dealer and the person who represents then has nothing to lose from a warranty claim only something to gain, i.e. work and therefore payment, albeit with a reduced and agreed labour rate.

 

[Abcan]

Shame you’re having problems.
The below is from the warranty doc.

Seals only relating to the folding roof operation are covered.

Is the leak from the roof seal?

It’s not good they’re trying to charge you for diagnostics. I had a problem with my used e class and wasn’t charged for diagnosis even though, what they found to be causing the problem wasn’t covered under the Tier 1 warranty as it was a ‘non metallic pipe’.

 

[Headhurts]

I’m torn on this, as a customer I would want free diagnostics but as a business I’d want to make money to diagnose a problem can take time and the use of expensive equipment.

I cannot imagine a plumber coming in pulling apart a boiler to diagnose an issue and expect no payment.

If I was a good known customer then as a customer some leniency would be hoped for and as a business owner I would look after a good customer.

I had a Jaguar once where the dealership did say I could be charged for investigative inspection.

I was not charged and the work was carried out under warranty.

The company who did the warranty was I believe Warranty Direct.

I’m in a fluffy mode today my stance could change tomorrow.

Robin


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hey OP, where about are you ? lots of us on here have OBD or iCarsoft and would probably plug in for free just to help out.

 

[WDB124066]

They charge for diagnosis in the situation like this I'd charge them for my time and mileage for having to sort something that should have been sorted before the car was purchased, cuts both ways doesn't it.

 

[brucemillar]

They charge for diagnosis in the situation like this I'd charge them for my time and mileage for having to sort something that should have been sorted before the car was purchased, cuts both ways doesn't it.

A very good point here. If? You subsequently find that the warranty does cover the issue(s) you describe then I would also argue that the dealer should stump up for your time and expenses etc incurred as a result of their intransigence. Now of course we know they will not and they know that we know so nothing changes. BUt it wrong that you buy a an Aproved Used Car and are then expected to pay to be told what is causing the fault that all parties accept that you have.

Common sense should kick in. The dealer should plug the car in, spend 5 minutes and advise what needs doing and if it is covered or not.

 

[oldguy57]

Just a thought on the roof leak. Is there not a drain hole at the top of the A pillar. These do get blocked and cause leaks. Might be worth a quick look and clear if blocked. May solve your leak problem with a minute or two's work.

 

[WDB124066]

^ Yes and sometimes the drain is the center hole in the seal itself, wire can be used to help unblock it.

 

[Notamused]

Thanks again for the views on this folks, it's appreciated.

@ Bobbydazzler...

Thanks for your input.

The fact that your dealer may not choose to charge you for diagnostics is great. Good for you. However, it could be argued that by not offering to look at a vehicle covered by a Tier one warranty, that's covered just 7,000 miles since purchase and in total just over 30,000 miles to date, lacks in customer focus, and, does little to encourage future business from that person. I can tell you, that's how that experience has left me feeling. Appears as though a Tier one warranty is worth less than it might suggest. The car is under warranty and should be assessed as such, especially when the faults are easily seen, even without any "diagnostics". The fact that as soon as I mentioned the leak from the roof, the agent at the dealer replied "from passenger side, just at the A pillar" strongly suggested to me that this is a known problem on SLK. And yet, when I questioned the diagnotic charge, he just stated, "yes, it would apply"

@ Headhurts...

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure your plumber analogy is a reasonable one. If that plumber had sold / fitted that boiler, and, if it was under warranty, then yes, I'd expect him to rectify any issues it was suffering from at no cost to me. I'd not expect a call out charge / charges to determine what the issue was.

@ PetrolPete...

Thanks for the offer, that's extremely generous. I'm in South Wales.

The dealer I bought the car from is on the other side of the country.

 

[Dryce]

I cannot imagine a plumber coming in pulling apart a boiler to diagnose an issue and expect no payment.

I would expect them to come and sort things out without payment if they'd installed it and warranted it !

The OP is talking about a car that is within its AU warranty period.

 

[Notamused]

Ok, after a few phone calls today, this is what I have learnt.

My local dealer / dealers within the group can and will look at the car but want to charge the £150. There is no escaping this it seems. You want the car checked, you pay. You don't pay, you don't get the car checked. Fabulous service.

On calling the dealer I bought the car from, I was informed that they would look at the car and check it with no payment required. The words went something like this.... "We would not attempt to extract money out of a customer who has issues with a vehicle under warranty"

I explained that unfortunately, I am at the other end of the UK to them, and so bringing the car back was not reasonable / possible.

Now, I explained their comments to my local dealer, but they said that this is not policy, and can't comment further on it. So people, it seems that when you buy an Approved Used Mercedes Benz, and, you have their tier one warranty (which is all singing and dancing if you read about it on their website) you will need to shell out circa £150 to have the pleasure of getting MB to look at your car. From there, you need to "trust" that they'll be honest with you and offer a refund if it transpires the car does require work which is "ALL" warranty covered. If not, you'll not see your £150 again, plus, may end up having to pay to repair a car that you thought had comprehensive cover.

To say I am disappointed in this would be a huge understatement. It's nowhere near the sort of cover I though I would receive, and even further from the customer service I stupidly assumed one may receive when buying an approved MB. I have no idea what other manufacturers behaviour is like with regard to warranty issues such as this, because for years I owned BMW and didn't required any warranty work, because the car was faultless.

From here, I plan to speak to the dealer I bought from, and ask whether they would cover the diagnostic fee. If not, I'll leave it. I just cannot bring myself to pay to get a cars problems checked when that car has a valid warranty.

Finally, I received a Private message / conversation from a member, but cannot seem to respond to that. If a Mod sees this and can look into it for me, I'd appreciate it, as I'd like to be able to contact this member.

 

[E55BOF]

Am I right in thinking that the diagnostic charge is a flat rate for even looking at the car, whether actual code-reading diagnosis is needed or not? If so, is or is not the seal covered under warranty? If it is, pay the £150; they'll have to refund it, and you will have the electrical problem at least diagnosed without being out of pocket.