Red paint problem, Mercedes not accepting responsibility

[Lwigham]

Hi all, I am having a problem with my 2016 red sl400. The paint has started blistering. I bought the car last March from Mercedes Benz in Bolton. I bought all the extended warranty and paid for the service plan. I went to see them yesterday to confirm that they would sort the problem. They then told me that the car I bought from them did not have full Mercedes Benz history and that the paintwork would not be covered. I bought the car with the understanding it had a full Mercedes service history. This is starting to look horrendously expensive. They sold me a car with a known paint problem, and with the knowledge that without full MBSH the paintwork is not covered. Where do I stand on this?

 

[GeeJayW]

Difficult to say where you stand, but the problems with Mercedes Fire Opal Red are well known. There are several threads on here and other forums about it. I hope you find a solution, it’s a great colour.

 

[oldguy57]

Hi all, I am having a problem with my 2016 red sl400. The paint has started blistering. I bought the car last March from Mercedes Benz in Bolton. I bought all the extended warranty and paid for the service plan. I went to see them yesterday to confirm that they would sort the problem. They then told me that the car I bought from them did not have full Mercedes Benz history and that the paintwork would not be covered. I bought the car with the understanding it had a full Mercedes service history. This is starting to look horrendously expensive. They sold me a car with a known paint problem, and with the knowledge that without full MBSH the paintwork is not covered. Where do I stand on this?

Standard MB fob off. Is the car Fire Opal Red, if so read the numerous posts on this issue on the forum. Over 2500 cars are involved. If FOR is involved only a bare metal respray appears to solve the problem and the cost will be eyewatering. Were there no signs of paint defects when you looked at the car originally?

 

[Lwigham]

Standard MB fob off. Is the car Fire Opal Red, if so read the numerous posts on this issue on the forum. Over 2500 cars are involved. If FOR is involved only a bare metal respray appears to solve the problem and the cost will be eyewatering. Were there no signs of paint defects when you looked at the car originally?

No sign of defects that I noticed until a few months later. I payed for the full ceramic protection. Then this year noticed the tiny blisters appearing all over the car.

 

[st13phil]

They then told me that the car I bought from them did not have full Mercedes Benz history and that the paintwork would not be covered. I bought the car with the understanding it had a full Mercedes service history.

Was the full MB service history mentioned during the purchase of the car either by you as a condition of purchase or the salesperson as an inducement to purchase? If so, and you were either specifically told that the car had a full MB service history or were lead to believe it to have a full MB service history, that was part of the description of the goods and its absence becomes actionable.

On a more general point, it would be worth asking the dealer to specify what part of the MB service regime would have been undertaken to prevent the paint blistering. (Spoiler alert: there isn’t anything).

 

[W1ghty]

Hi all, I am having a problem with my 2016 red sl400. The paint has started blistering. I bought the car last March from Mercedes Benz in Bolton. I bought all the extended warranty and paid for the service plan. I went to see them yesterday to confirm that they would sort the problem. They then told me that the car I bought from them did not have full Mercedes Benz history and that the paintwork would not be covered. I bought the car with the understanding it had a full Mercedes service history. This is starting to look horrendously expensive. They sold me a car with a known paint problem, and with the knowledge that without full MBSH the paintwork is not covered. Where do I stand on this?

If you bought the car from MB then it will be covered for paintwork issues for 30 years , check the last service the car had and there is a box that should have been ticked confirming this .
I’m guessing that a salesman is saying this rather than the dealer principal putting this in writing ?

 

[MeQ]

I’m not sure having full Mercedes service history has anything to do with the paintwork warranty. I don’t recall any paintwork inspections, recalls or preventative works ever being done over 20 years with numerous Mercedes vehicles.

I do remember a w220 s500 I had suffered with the rusty arch issue, the workshop manager did a visual inspection for damage and a paint thickness test (to identify any previous repairs). Was told it would be covered and no mention of the service history.

 

[ALFAitalia]

If you bought the car from MB then it will be covered for paintwork issues for 30 years , check the last service the car had and there is a box that should have been ticked confirming this .
I’m guessing that a salesman is saying this rather than the dealer principal putting this in writing ?

30 years is just for corrosion......even that has to be rust that come right through from the inside....not just surface rust. Isn't paint just eight years? I know they increased it for problem colours like Fire Opal but I was not aware they used Fire Opal as recently as 2016???

 

[Lwigham]

30 years is just for corrosion......even that has to be rust that come right through from the inside....not just surface rust. Isn't paint just eight years? I know they increased it for problem colours like Fire Opal but I was not aware they used Fire Opal as recently as 2016???

30 years is just for corrosion......even that has to be rust that come right through from the inside....not just surface rust. Isn't paint just eight years? I know they increased it for problem colours like Fire Opal but I was not aware they used Fire Opal as recently as 2016???

They aren’t questioning the colour. But the warranty as it doesn’t have fmbsh. Which I was not made aware of when purchased. This is my line to hold them accountability. They will have known about the paint issue and that the car didn’t have the ‘required’ history. So I was miss sold the vehicle.

 

[st13phil]

But the warranty as it doesn’t have fmbsh. Which I was not made aware of when purchased.

Did you assume that it had FMBSH, or were you lead to believe it had FMBSH during the purchase transaction?

This is an important distinction: If the former, you weren't mis-sold the car but if the latter you were.

 

[BTB 500]

Do some research here, reading the various other threads about this issue. I seem to remember others have had this sorted by MB without FMBSH, which would be a good precedent to know about.

 

[Lwigham]

Did you assume that it had FMBSH, or were you lead to believe it had FMBSH during the purchase transaction?

This is an important distinction: If the former, you weren't mis-sold the car but if the latter you were.

I was lead to believe, but this is verbal and difficult to prove. However, no service history was shared. Only discovered when I took it for a service and was given a printout. Even then, I did not realise it hadn’t had enough. Obviously my naivety. But expected much better service as was purchasing through main dealer. Car only had 18 k on the clock.

 

[st13phil]

I was lead to believe, but this is verbal and difficult to prove.

There is a difficulty in proving verbal agreements, but they still form part of the contract.

I'd suggest making an appointment with the Dealer Principal and making it very clear that you were induced to make the purchase by the salesperson leading you to believe that there was FMBSH on the car, and asking them to take up the case with MBUK to get authorisation for a bare metal respray of the car.

 

[colinallcars]

Hi all, I am having a problem with my 2016 red sl400. The paint has started blistering. I bought the car last March from Mercedes Benz in Bolton. I bought all the extended warranty and paid for the service plan. I went to see them yesterday to confirm that they would sort the problem. They then told me that the car I bought from them did not have full Mercedes Benz history and that the paintwork would not be covered. I bought the car with the understanding it had a full Mercedes service history. This is starting to look horrendously expensive. They sold me a car with a known paint problem, and with the knowledge that without full MBSH the paintwork is not covered. Where do I stand on this?

There’s a guy called Dave Evan’s on the SLK owners club on Facebook who has helped people in your position to a successful conclusion, worth a look on there.

 

[Harrythedog]

I was lead to believe, but this is verbal and difficult to prove. However, no service history was shared. Only discovered when I took it for a service and was given a printout. Even then, I did not realise it hadn’t had enough. Obviously my naivety. But expected much better service as was purchasing through main dealer. Car only had 18 k on the clock.

That’s the problem with these digital service records, you don’t get an invoice or workshop report on what was actually done and what periodic service items were carried out.

 

[kcsun]

What is missing from the service record, was it covid based?
kc

 

[BTB 500]

That’s the problem with these digital service records, you don’t get an invoice or workshop report on what was actually done and what periodic service items were carried out.

Not always reliable either - I spotted last week that the B service done on my car last year is recorded in the online history as an A. I have the paper invoice showing a B was done so will have to try and get it changed.

 

[AS162]

What is missing from the service record, was it covid based?
kc

interested to know as I never thought about that but in the event of covid with everywhere closed - would that still be considered FSH or it becomes partial?

 

[ALFAitalia]

Garages, service centres and MOT stations never closed as they were exempt from lockdown....so that's not really an excuse.

 

[st13phil]

but in the event of covid with everywhere closed - would that still be considered FSH or it becomes partial?

There was an extension to the grace period for services still actually performed, but overdue under "normal" circumstances. Any "late" service(s) within the extended grace period carried out by a Mercedes dealer would contribute to FMBSH.