Red Paintwork is peeling.....is this a recall problem??

[GillyC63]

It is not a goodwill claim! I had to sign the warranty paperwork 20/11 this year, & the person who sorted my car told me that if my vin is searched it will show the car has been repainted by MB under warranty.
Once MB approve it there should be no issues wrt getting the work done, as regards the service I have no idea if that affects anything.
I can ask the people who dealt with me & get their view on it if you like.

 

[Chrishazle]

Hit the dealer principle of your local main dealer in writing (recorded, copy kept etc) as this is not goodwill, it is a well known manufacturing defect and warranty claim - just Google Fire Opal Red and Mars Red (the USA version), you'll find more links than you can read!

If dealer principle plays up escalate it to MBCS (I think if you ask on here you'll get an email address for someone high up the food chain rather than just a minnow) and insist they advise the dealer.

 

[GillyC63]

This is a copy of the email I received back from MBCS after my initial email. (Certain bits edited for privacy)


28th August 2020

Ref: ----------------

Dear Mr GillyC63

Mercedes-Benz Model: C-Class C 63 AMG
Chassis No: ------------
Registration: ------------

Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

I am writing in response your email in which you describe the problems you are having with the paint on your car, detailed above.

I am sorry for the issue you are having, but I am unable to say what the cause or solution may be without the opportunity to investigate in person. To have this issue resolved, I would recommend contacting your local Mercedes-Benz Retailer to arrange an appointment to have this fault investigated by one of their qualified technicians.

To help you locate and contact your nearest or most convenient Mercedes-Benz Retailer I have attached a link below to our Retailer Locator webpage:

Mercedes-Benz Retailer Locator

Should you have any further requirements please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours sincerely

----------------
Customer Service UK

Mercedes-Benz UK Customer Service can be contacted by telephone on 008 009 777 7777 or 0207 660 9993, Monday - Friday between 08:30 & 17:00.

00800 9 777 7777 (international freephone)
0207 660 9993 (charged at national rate)

Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center Maastricht N.V. Gelissendomein 5, 6229 GK Maastricht , Netherlands. Register No.: K.v.K. Limburg 33014909

If you are not the addressee please inform us immediately that you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete it. We thank you for your support.

Mercedes-Benz collects and processes your personal data as necessary for the provision of our services.
If you would like to know more about your general privacy rights, we refer you to the privacy statement on the following website: www.mercedes-benz.co.uk

 

[Natz]

Thanks to you both, I have spoken to MBCS and I will now try a harder hitting factual email and hopefully get a more positive response! Will let you know how I get on

 

[oldguy57]

It is not a goodwill claim! I had to sign the warranty paperwork 20/11 this year, & the person who sorted my car told me that if my vin is searched it will show the car has been repainted by MB under warranty.
Once MB approve it there should be no issues wrt getting the work done, as regards the service I have no idea if that affects anything.
I can ask the people who dealt with me & get their view on it if you like.

I suspect that MB are dressing it up as a warranty claim, to avoid any legal repercussions under UK and EU Products Liability legislation. Manufacturers are strictly liable for manufacturing defects and somewhere on the interweb there is documentation confirming MB's admission that the problem is a man. defect. A defence of none MB servicing is total nonsense and would not stand up to legislation.

 

[GeeJayW]

Thanks to you both, I have spoken to MBCS and I will now try a harder hitting factual email and hopefully get a more positive response! Will let you know how I get on

Have you taken the car to a dealership yet?

When we had the coupe and were experiencing problems, I went to the local dealer who directed me to a nearby VW dealership where their approved body shop is based. So went there and asked at reception to see someone from the body shop. One of the guys came out of the office and the following exchange happened:

Me “I wonder if you can help please? I have a Mercedes outside with micro blistering in the paint.“
He said, “Oh yeah, is it Fire Opal Red?”
”Yep.”
”Right, I’ll come and have a quick look. We’ve done six or seven of these in the last few weeks.”

So he had a quick look, in fact he was nodding before we even got close to the car. After no more than a minute, he said “Yep, that’s typical, I’ll go and get my manager who normally deals with these.”

Five minutes later, the manager turned up, put a paint thickness tester on the car, agreed there was a problem, that the car had not been resprayed and that it would need a bare metal respray to be done under warranty (the car was only 18-months old). They took the car into the workshop and took some photos. They said it would be at least a couple of months before they would have a slot and that some paint shops were booked out with these for nearly a year ahead.

I think that in order for the work to be done under warranty, the paint-shop need authorisation and something called a ‘TIPS number’ from MB. Under their terms and conditions any work must be completed within something like 30 days after receiving a TIPS. Because the paint-shop are booked out for months ahead, they don’t apparently apply for a TIPS number until they have window in which they can do the work within the 30-days.

We never got any official notification from the paint-shop or the MB dealer to acknowledge the problem or that it would be put right. After a few weeks, we decided to just move the car on (we wanted something more child-seat friendly anyway) and traded it against the car we currently have. It was an interesting negotiation with the local MB dealership, but we settled on a decent enough deal and came away happy.

Good Luck...

 

[Petrol Pete]

Red must have some properties that cause this. Around my way there are a few Red (1990's ?) Vauxhall's that have faded in a most dramatic way - except for the plastic bits - you also notice it on old postman Pat vans that have been sold on and kept alive way past their sell by date.

 

[glojo]

Definitely warranty work, I had to sign the paperwork.

When you say 'definitely warranty work' could you please expand on that? Is your car less than three years of age? Have you taken out a warranty that covers paintwork?

It looks like Mercedes are re-spraying cars free gratis but there is a difference between a goodwill gesture and a warranty repair.

Regards
John

 

[glojo]

Folks are adamant it is a warranty claim but then not saying what claim against the warranty this is. I am not being awkward, I simply want to know the type of warranty they have that covers peeling paint.

Some folks are saying it was a fault at the time of the original paint procedure and this makes a degree of sense. That would be a 'goodwill gesture' and respect to Mercedes for covering this issue.

For folks to say they are 100% convinced, or it is 'definitely' a warranty claim then obviously they have proof or documentation outlaying the clause being claimed against. Taking the word of an employee who I doubt is privy to the warranty details of most car manufacturers is perhaps not the answer I am interested in.

 

[optimusprime]

Wellif it was me,then i would go and park up on their garage forcourt and let perspective buyers see you nice mercedes .

 

[GeeJayW]

Red must have some properties that cause this. Around my way there are a few Red (1990's ?) Vauxhall's that have faded in a most dramatic way - except for the plastic bits - you also notice it on old postman Pat vans that have been sold on and kept alive way past their sell by date.

Red absorbs all colours except red which it reflects. Some Red pigments seem to break down when exposed to strong sunlight, being especially vulnerable to UV (well that’s what I’ve heard). I’ve not seen or read about any issues with the Designo Hyancinth Metallic on our current MB or on the Soul Red Metallic on our MX-5

This micro blistering problem seems to be (mainly?) limited to Fire Opal Red cars, but not all of them. So I‘m not sure whether it’s a light related problem or something in the batch to batch pigment chemistry.

 

[glojo]

Red absorbs all colours except red which it reflects. Some Red pigments seem to break down when exposed to strong sunlight, being especially vulnerable to UV (well that’s what I’ve heard). I’ve not seen or read about any issues with the Designo Hyancinth Metallic on our current MB or on the Soul Red Metallic on our MX-5

This micro blistering problem seems to be (mainly?) limited to Fire Opal Red cars, but not all of them. So I‘m not sure whether it’s a light related problem or something in the batch to batch pigment chemistry.

Wise words Gee and my Mercedes, just like all Mercedes sprayed in the same colour red that did not have a clear coat, suffered terribly from the exact bleaching you are describing. If I had liked a pink vehicle, I might not have had to fork out for a complete respray, but I did and I liked the end result.

I wonder if my pink vehicle might have eventually changed to a dirty white type colour? Oh the joys of living on the English Rivera

 

[Natz]

Have you taken the car to a dealership yet?

When we had the coupe and were experiencing problems, I went to the local dealer who directed me to a nearby VW dealership where their approved body shop is based. So went there and asked at reception to see someone from the body shop. One of the guys came out of the office and the following exchange happened:

Me “I wonder if you can help please? I have a Mercedes outside with micro blistering in the paint.“
He said, “Oh yeah, is it Fire Opal Red?”
”Yep.”
”Right, I’ll come and have a quick look. We’ve done six or seven of these in the last few weeks.”

So he had a quick look, in fact he was nodding before we even got close to the car. After no more than a minute, he said “Yep, that’s typical, I’ll go and get my manager who normally deals with these.”

Five minutes later, the manager turned up, put a paint thickness tester on the car, agreed there was a problem, that the car had not been resprayed and that it would need a bare metal respray to be done under warranty (the car was only 18-months old). They took the car into the workshop and took some photos. They said it would be at least a couple of months before they would have a slot and that some paint shops were booked out with these for nearly a year ahead.

I think that in order for the work to be done under warranty, the paint-shop need authorisation and something called a ‘TIPS number’ from MB. Under their terms and conditions any work must be completed within something like 30 days after receiving a TIPS. Because the paint-shop are booked out for months ahead, they don’t apparently apply for a TIPS number until they have window in which they can do the work within the 30-days.

We never got any official notification from the paint-shop or the MB dealer to acknowledge the problem or that it would be put right. After a few weeks, we decided to just move the car on (we wanted something more child-seat friendly anyway) and traded it against the car we currently have. It was an interesting negotiation with the local MB dealership, but we settled on a decent enough deal and came away happy.

Good Luck...

Yes, I took it to the dealership about 8 weeks ago they did all the checks and confirmed it was the well known Opal red problem.
They submitted the claim and the computer generated response was yes....however he has advised me he’s had it in the past where the computer says yes but when they submitted the invoices to MB it’s not been paid if non MB servicing (the car does have FSH just not MB). He waited a while for an actual person to reply to confirm they would get paid and never got through to anyone so suggested I called the complaints line.
I did that and explained it all, about a week later the dealer dealing with the claim rang me again to say it’s got back to them and said it is a no!
I will not let it go and will be back in touch with customer services Monday!
The dealer to be fair have been good, I didn’t buy the car from them and they were not the original supplying dealer. They took the time taking photos, checking thickness etc and I do understand it’s a big outlay to them if they do not get paid.
Has everyone else who has been successful had full MB service history???

 

[GillyC63]

When you say 'definitely warranty work' could you please expand on that? Is your car less than three years of age? Have you taken out a warranty that covers paintwork?

It looks like Mercedes are re-spraying cars free gratis but there is a difference between a goodwill gesture and a warranty repair.

Regards
John

I have emailed the person that dealt with my car, asking him to separate fact from fiction, whether it's warranty work, goodwill etc & the criteria that will or will not lead to the work being approved by MB.
Hopefully he will be able to clear up some of the issues.

 

[glojo]

I have emailed the person that dealt with my car, asking him to separate fact from fiction, whether it's warranty work, goodwill etc & the criteria that will or will not lead to the work being approved by MB.
Hopefully he will be able to clear up some of the issues.

Many apologies for coming across as a pest but when you think about this then hopefully you might see where I am coming from.

If it is a Mercedes warranty, then this warranty will be given when the car is new. So if given when the car is new then is it for a very specific colour? Is it a warranty for the clear coat, or just a warranty for the paintwork? I have never seen any such type of warranty with any of the new Mercedes we have purchased over the years.

We do have the 30 yr Mobilo warranty but that which amongst other 'perks' it covers corrosion, and again it is only for a certain type of corrosion. There are also very specific requirements to maintain this warranty but it does not cover paint defects.

Hopefully you can now appreciate why I am asking

 

[GillyC63]

Many apologies for coming across as a pest but when you think about this then hopefully you might see where I am coming from.

If it is a Mercedes warranty, then this warranty will be given when the car is new. So if given when the car is new then is it for a very specific colour? Is it a warranty for the clear coat, or just a warranty for the paintwork? I have never seen any such type of warranty with any of the new Mercedes we have purchased over the years.

We do have the 30 yr Mobilo warranty but that which amongst other 'perks' it covers corrosion, and again it is only for a certain type of corrosion. There are also very specific requirements to maintain this warranty but it does not cover paint defects.

Hopefully you can now appreciate why I am asking

No problem at all, I can understand the fact people want a definitive answer, you certainly didn't come across as a pest to me

 

[Cookstar]

we have 65 plate peeling clear coat on red paint, local spray shop said go back to mercedes as they have 7 year paint warranty? spoke with dealers who wouldn't touch it rather send it over to their body shop at our cost to get sprayed. Have the mercedes warranty numbers so will give them a call. not very hopeful. On the tech side there was a UV clear coat put on to stop this on red cars and then a ceramic clear coat after that. I am guessing this job was before both. I have never seen it go so quick on a 65 plate usually 15 years or later.

 

[Cookstar]

Called 0345 641 9778 about Mercedes Paint Warranty the line hung up But worth a try give it a go

If you have a query in regards to your warranty, the team can be contacted on 0345 641 9778. If you have extended warranty and would like to make a claim, you can contact the team directly on 0345 641 9794.

 

[Cookstar]

Called 0345 641 9778 about Mercedes Paint Warranty the line hung up But worth a try give it a go

If you have a query in regards to your warranty, the team can be contacted on 0345 641 9778. If you have extended warranty and would like to make a claim, you can contact the team directly on 0345 641 9794.

Managed to get through to the extended warranty team as above they put me onto Mercedes customer services and there was an option to put in a complaint. All asked if I had raised with my retailer The dealers gave me some Mercedes numbers not relative one included the team that deals with Buses and Fleet vehicles lol

 

[Cookstar]

So I got through to Mercedes complaints and they gave me the number of the team who deal with all warranty issues including if there is a paint warranty as such? mbcukwarranty@mercedes-benz.com My argument being that we wouldn't have invested in a new Mercedes and paid over the odds for such a vehicle if 6 years down the road we had know that the paint would be defective. Happy hunting folks.