Repair W205 stuck/rattling headrest

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Deezell

New Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
10
Location
Ireland
Car
C220
So the main dealers said my stuck and rattling headrest not covered under used car warranty, and I didn't cop it till over two weeks from sale. Also said they were sealed and not repairable. If I'm going to have to buy a replacement, then might as well have a go at fixing the broken one, so here goes.
With a pick tool I managed to extract the leather flap end which is pressed into the base between the bars at the front underside.

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Front edge of base flap.

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Peel back. Repeat for corner and side folds which are similarly pressed into the internal frame.

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Pop out side button, use flat tool.

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Slide the frame out of the cushion

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Remove two Torx screws, and split the case from the bottom, hinging on the top, there are two click fit catches in the middle down a recess on the other side, you might have to prise these a little.


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Bingo! Two loose springs and slides fell out, plus a few tiny bits of sheared plastic.


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These it turns out are what retained the slides pressed against the springs under the bar. Not sure of its purpose, could be some kind of one use anti whiplash brake on the bars.


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The plastic retaining lugs for this spring are also almost fully broken off, allowing the spring to rise up.

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With the spring removed you can see the lug hooks hanging off.

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The small broken pieces came from here, which would retain the two slide pieces against spring pressure held in the area above against the round protrusion. The other end of the slide was also retained by even smaller pin size pieces of plastic moulded on that protrusion which had broken off.
These slide devices seem to rub against the bars as you move the headrest fore and aft. With the retainers broken, the slides seem to wedge the bars under pressure from the spring, which may fall out leaving the slide loose and rattling against the frame.
I've glued a small crossbar of wire to replace the other hinge spring retainers, and I think I'll just glue the two slides in position without the springs, whatever their function was is not clear, but I'm guessing some kind of whiplash inhibitor.


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Hinge spring retained by a piece of wire hot glued in place of broken lugs. The slides were glued in and the springs discarded.

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Reassemble, replace on seat and test.
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Slides forward and back perfectly, no rattles while driving.
 
Well done, good job and write up.
 
Was this a mercedes used car warranty? Shocked it wasnt covered
 
Was this a mercedes used car warranty? Shocked it wasnt covered
The way it works is the MB Approved Used Car Warranty covers defects that developed after the purchase.

Faults that are deemed to have been present at the time of sale are subject to the default retail warranty that the selling dealer (and not MB UK) should provide.

So in essence the OP could have claimed directly from the selling dealer (assuming the car was bought under 6 months ago) but not against the MB Approved Used warranty.
 
The way it works is the MB Approved Used Car Warranty covers defects that developed after the purchase.

Faults that are deemed to have been present at the time of sale are subject to the default retail warranty that the selling dealer (and not MB UK) should provide.

So in essence the OP could have claimed directly from the selling dealer (assuming the car was bought under 6 months ago) but not against the MB Approved Used warranty.

That makes sense, would this be the same if the car was say 6 months old and had the original new car warranty? Would you need to take any existing fault to the supplying dealer?
 
That makes sense, would this be the same if the car was say 6 months old and had the original new car warranty? Would you need to take any existing fault to the supplying dealer?
Claims against new car warranty and Approved Used warranty can be made at any dealer.

However neither warranty affects your statuary right under the Consumer Protection Act / Consumer Rights Act.

For the purpose of your statuary rights, it does not matter if you bought a nearly-new car from a main dealer or a 20 years old car from a back-street trader.

But such claims can only be made against the selling dealer itself.
 
There is a good reason headrests in modern cars are 'non repairable'...I hate that phrase, we must ALWAYS try to repair stuff ! But I digress.

They form an important part of the safety aspect of the car in relation to the seat belt/airbag and your head in the event of an accident, the name 'head rest' is technically wrong but it has been around for years and even the seat manufacturers call them head rests. The positioning of them in relation to your noggin is always stated in the car hand book as a result (ass covering by the manufacturer).

More to the point just how did the thing get broken in the fist place !? A really unusual fault to see. Well done for having a go and fixing it.

P.S its not covered in leather. It's Artico. sorry for being such a pedantic pr*k :)
 
If I'd spotted the faulty headrest on the day of purchase, I would have obviously looked for a replacement. As it was 'her' car, ( I prefer my A6 Quattro), I didn't know it was faulty till she complained about the rattling. The rain sensor wipers were also duff, due to a poorly seated rain sensor. This also not covered, as the original owner had had a windscreen replacement done by a third party firm, who didn't reseat the sensor correctly. I'm working on that myself also, I'll need a new silicone pad or gel. Again if I'd spotted it day if sale, I'd have some comeback but you sign a form to say all is in order.
 
As said... you still have a claim against the selling dealer under the Consumer Protection Act 2015 (and unrelated to the Approved Used warranty).

(Though obviously the dealer might argue that the odd rattle or the misaligned sensor are not unreasonable for the car's age etc.)

Also, I am assuming that the car is more than 3 years old, so no longer covered by the New Car Warranty?
 
As said... you still have a claim against the selling dealer under the Consumer Protection Act 2015 (and unrelated to the Approved Used warranty).

(Though obviously the dealer might argue that the odd rattle or the misaligned sensor are not unreasonable for the car's age etc.)

Also, I am assuming that the car is more than 3 years old, so no longer covered by the New Car Warranty?
Yes, June 2016 car. PCP car registered to MB finance. It came with 12 months MB approved warranty, but it's complicated. I've exported the car, so warranty is only good for 60 days abroad. Dealer gave a discount based on the cost to them of the warranty, to allow me set up a 3rd party main component warranty of my own. Notwithstanding this, MB warranty wrote to me with a 12 month policy from date of purchase, so I seem to have warranty anyway, but only in the UK, or 60 days abroad. I had hoped that the dealer would have perhaps replaced the headrest in good faith, but they declined, even under the warranty. The sensor air bubble I spotted within a day of leaving the UK when it rained, I took it to a local MB dealer who declined, stating the 3rd party windscreen replacement as the cause of the sensor failure and therefore outside of any warranty. If I lived down the road from the dealers I would of course have been back to haunt them, regardless of the handover form which can't affect your statutory UK and EU (for the moment) rights. I'm probably OK for big issues like engine, gearbox, I hope, but it is a risk.
I reseated the sensor a few times over the weekend, it worked, but would develop an air bubble after a while despite being held under pressure against the glass. Last night I applied a small spray of gel to the face of the sensor, let it cure briefly, reseated it and it worked. Lets see how long it lasts. I used a light spray of Boots aerosol clear bandage, sets to a clear gel after a few minutes. It would be funny if it works permanently, literally fixing it using sticky plaster.
 
Joined this UK MB forum just to give a BIG SHOUTOUT to Deezell.

My 2017 C300 4matic had a stuck and rattling headrest. Found and followed your instructions to get the headrest apart and lo and behold, lots of broken plastic pieces.
I had same spring issues that you had. One of the slides was broken off, the spring lugs were broken off and the plastic housing where the spring ends are placed were broken.
I used some JB Weld to glue some small pastic squares to the spring endpoint housing. Then JB Welded the slide back in place and finally, to replace the spring lugs, I used two screws and screwed them into the holes from the broken lugs with their heads touching. I JB Welded the heads together and around the screw entry to provided more support and lock them in place. Very similar to your piece of wire.

Thanks again Deezall
 

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