Question regarding warranty on W221

[zuby84]

Hi, I've posted about the issues with my car before - basically the car makes a lot of creaking/cracking sounds when driving - it has been in at the dealer on numerous occasions and they 'attempt' to fix it but after a week or so the noises come back - I have been in touch with head office and they seem to be as useful as a chocolate fireman - they just keep referring me back to the dealer. Anyway I have been pushing for an extended warranty on these issues but they have not been very helpful.

My worry is that the warranty is expiring in April and I am told by the dealer and head office that after the warranty has expired any work to fix these issues will be on a goodwill basis i.e. not guaranteed. So if they fix the car on the next visit and then the problems reappear in April I don't have a leg to stand on. I know with BMW the warranty work came with an extended warranty.

The car has been in at the dealer on about 4/5 occasions to have this problem fixed and I've lost all confidence in them but have no choice but to keep going back to them as they are the only one in my area (Glasgow).

Anyway my question is, do I have any recourse against MB to demand an extended warranty for these problems? Anyone know of my remedies under law - I bought the car privately so can't really take it back. You would think that MB would warranty their warranty work but I have a feeling that as soon as the warranty is up they are going to wash their hands of me.

 

[aka$h]

It might be worth trying another dealer. Dealerships are empty at the moment, so you need to find one that is grateful for the work.

Where are the noises coming from?

 

[mr. shr]

So if they fix the car on the next visit and then the problems reappear in April I don't have a leg to stand on.

If they carry out a repair on your car in March and then the problem re-appears in April, then in my opinion, they haven't fixed your car.

But I'm suprised their work isn't covered for at least 12 months after the repair date, regardless of how long is left on the manufacturer's warranty.

 

[Birdman]

It was explained to me by my v. helpful dealer that repairs made under warranty were free of charge and made solely to underwrite the original warranty. They did not carry their own separate warranty. However, paid-for repairs always carry their own guarantee, independent of the original warranty period. So paid-for non-warranty repairs (usually guaranteed for 12 months) done towards the end of the warranty period might well be guaranteed beyond the original manufacturer's extended warranty period (now 3 years). Or, if their 12-month guarantee ran out before the original warranty period expired they would not be warranted/guaranteed either way. Understood??

However, you might claim your fault was not in fact fixed, but only temporarily masked. Of course, this can take you into a pretty grey area.

Ask the garage to tell you exactly what they did, and why, when they cured the problem temporarily. And then ask them why the problem returned. You may arrive at the answer to your question unprompted.