Rust/warranty advice please

[corned]

Thanks for the advice, mate.

I have an appointment on Tuesday at our business banking centre, which is literally just over the road from MB Nottingham. I think I will see if I can kill two birds with one stone.

If the DP is uncooperative, I can always tell him that I would think Milton Keynes would be quite interested to know how his dealership effectively bodged a repair they authorised in the first place.



Hey - I've only just realised that I have passed the 1000-post barrier. Obviously I have too much spare time!!!

 

[nadeem]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but Mercedes in Chester refused to handle my case (e320 cdi) because the last service was non MB. We asked the question what is done to the paint if car was serviced at dealership. Reply its the rules..... Checked my service book and manuals no specific requirements of the 30year warranty.

Rust all 4 wheel arches, boot, bonnet, front and rear bumper...

I'm going to try Warrington then Manchester.

 

[corned]

Hi Nadeem. Welcome aboard!

You have been told a load of gonads, I'm afraid. My car hadn't been dealer-serviced in the last 2 occasions, but that did not stop the warranty claim being accepted by Milton Keynes.

Certainly go to another dealer if that one didn't want the work...

Edit: Other factors may come into play which prevent a successful warranty claim, or limit the percentage of repair costs which are offered. Age, mileage, all-round condition will all play a part. But to reject a claim purely on service issues is not really on.

 

[nadeem]

Hi Nadeem. Welcome aboard!

You have been told a load of gonads, I'm afraid. My car hadn't been dealer-serviced in the last 2 occasions, but that did not stop the warranty claim being accepted by Milton Keynes.

Certainly go to another dealer if that one didn't want the work...

Edit: Other factors may come into play which prevent a successful warranty claim, or limit the percentage of repair costs which are offered. Age, mileage, all-round condition will all play a part. But to reject a claim purely on service issues is not really on.

Aside from rust its in mint condition, so there's hope for my car, Corned which dealership processed your claim?

 

[ringway]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but Mercedes in Chester refused to handle my case (e320 cdi) because the last service was non MB. We asked the question what is done to the paint if car was serviced at dealership. Reply its the rules..... Checked my service book and manuals no specific requirements of the 30year warranty.

Rust all 4 wheel arches, boot, bonnet, front and rear bumper...

I'm going to try Warrington then Manchester.

My car had full MB history until the previous owner had it for just a year - he had one service at a local non-MB garage.

My car had dreadful rust on the front wings. I argued that I couldn't service the car with MB before I owned it and that I wanted the wings replacing.

After the inspection at the bodyshop I was granted the 2, new wings and also a new tailgate that had a small amount of rust around the tailgate top stop light. I wasn't that bothered about the tailgate but they said they'd replace it!

Cough.. I did give the impression that I'd be a regular service customer and have used the dealership on some occasions.

 

[ringway]

Thanks for the advice, mate.

I have an appointment on Tuesday at our business banking centre, which is literally just over the road from MB Nottingham. I think I will see if I can kill two birds with one stone.

If the DP is uncooperative, I can always tell him that I would think Milton Keynes would be quite interested to know how his dealership effectively bodged a repair they authorised in the first place.



Hey - I've only just realised that I have passed the 1000-post barrier. Obviously I have too much spare time!!!

Hah, 1000 posts. Congratulatons.

I'd tell the DP this is their last chance.

Best of luck.

 

[corned]

Don't know where to start...

Despondent, furious, apoplectic, livid, come on chaps - help me out with some more adjectives. No - make that expletives.

The car has come back to me this morning. STILL full of water.

I don't know what else to say - I'm beside myself with anger.

 

[corned]

I know this saga has rambled on for ages and ages already, but I could really do with some proper advice now, please. What would you do?

The car was returned to me this morning, and before the driver left with his Fiesta courtesy car, I went through a quick inspection of the car with him present.

Firstly, I noticed a very small, but present nevertheless, ding right on the corner of the rear n/s wing, above the rear light cluster. Tiny though it is, because it is right on the crease line under the windows it catches the light and sticks out like a sore thumb.

Rather ominously, when I opened the tailgate, the stainless latch cover (the spring-loaded one above the bumper) had a few water droplet on it.

So I lifted up the seats and spare wheel cover and noted that the spare wheel looked wet. It had a slimy greasy stuff over it. When I lifted it out, the under side of it was thoroughly wet with condensation. Not looking good now. Then I looked at the side where the battery is situated. Before the fix, there was plenty of water evident here as you could see it and wet your fingers with it next to the battery securing plate. Again here this morning, there was water in this area.

Last night, when Clark's phoned to say the car was ready to be returned, I specifically asked, and was assured that the cause of bthe wqter ingress had been found and fixed. The problem area was quoted to me as being the mountings for the spoiler over the tailgate window not being sealed. This has now been cured. I was assured the car had been dried out.

In my lengthy discussions over the phone today with the manager at Clark's, he said that the re-appearance of water in the wheel well could be due to the drive from Leicester to Nottingham this morning, dislodging water which had found its way into other areas of the rear body. He tried to assure me again that the car had been dried out before signing off.

I decided to let the driver take the courtesy car back to Clarks, because I wanted to take mine straight down to MB Nottingham to show them, and to discuss directly with them the problems I had experienced in this whole saga. The service manager I contacted said he would speak with Clarks and phone me back. He asked me where the car had last been serviced, to which I replied that the car was serviced by the local MB Indie. I took this to be a standard "let's see if we can find a get-out clause".

At 4 o'clock-ish, the manager at Clark's phoned me back. Not a lot was discussed really, other than for me to insist that MB inspect the car and agree a way forward. He said he would discuss again with MB Nottingham service manager and he would be the one who would phone me back to make the necessary arrangements.

Nothing heard back again so far.

What the hell do I do now? Your thoughts really would be appreciated. Do I escalate to Milton Keynes? Or what else? I am completely despondent now about the whole thing. I can't really tell you how ****** off I am.

Please help.

 

[blondebier]

Hi Corned, I would be too.

You need to put this in writing to the head of after sales at MB UK.

This is covered by the Sale of Goods and Services Act 1982.

It states :

- That the supplier will carry out the service with reasonable care and skill
- That the work will be carried out in reasonable time (unless timeframe has been specifically agreed)
- That the work will be carried out at reasonable cost (unless cost has been specifically agreed)

I would say :

1) The repaired areas are clearly defective. (There is still water ingress.)
2) The repairs carried out are not “of satisfactory quality” or performed “with reasonable skill and care”. (They didn't fix the problem.)
3) The car was damaged during the repairs. The repairs were therefore not performed “with reasonable skill and care”.

Don't waste your time with the dealer. They're trying to get it done at the cheapest price possible.

I have heard of cases where MB bought cars back from customers as they was deemed beyond economic repair. (This is also something to consider.)

Good luck. I feel for you. I've been there.

 

[corned]

Thanks, blondebier - I appreciate your response. Thanks for the shoulder to cry on!

I will get the necessary name(s) when I phone HQ in the morning. Sad that it has to come to this, isn't it?

Certainly I shall never set foot in M-B Nottingham ever again. Their repair shop clearly leaves a lot to be desired, and in addition to that even their sales people can't make you feel welcome, as I found out at the W212 launch last year - they wrote to me to invite me to their launch - and when I turned up I could not have been made less welcome.

I would warn anyone and everyone to avoid them like the plague.

This experience will be a very large one in my consideration when I next decide I need another car. Will it be a M-B? Almost certainly not, I'm sad to say.

 

[blondebier]

No worries.

As angry as you feel try not to let this show when dealing with anyone at MB. Remain calm and collected in all calls and correspondence with them.

Keep your letter short, factual and tell them what you want them to do about it. They know all about the Supply of Goods and Services Act, you just need to tell them that you know about it too.

Make it clear that this is their last chance to sort this out and that if fail to sort it after x attempts, you will have no alternative but to issue a claim for the cost of putting it right and you will be seeking redress for all the inconvenience and expenses associated with it.

I hope you get it resolved quickly.

 

[Ciuffo]

Same problem here..

I have the same problem with rust on my Viano.
Booklet says it comes with 12 years warranty against corrosion through rust from "inside" (what does that mean? rust is rust..), but dealer dismissed me saying that warranty is only 3 years.
Anyone had same issues? Any advise?
Thank you all..

 

[BTB 500]

I have the same problem with rust on my Viano.
Booklet says it comes with 12 years warranty against corrosion through rust from "inside" (what does that mean? rust is rust..), but dealer dismissed me saying that warranty is only 3 years.

The galvanised Viano/Vito models (approx. 2004 onwards) do have a 12 year bodywork warranty. Ones before that are not galvanised, and can rust badly.

What age is yours?

 

[goldestate]

You have a mixed bag of problems the rear tailgate clearly is unlikely to be the the victim of stone chips, the other panels more of a problem, the sill may be the result of previous damage as it is very localised.
I am bending over backwards to try and avoid legal action with MB, I am holding off funded Solicitors,I have concrete expert evidence, unequivocal proof of innaccurate records and assessment and unequivocal proof of reckless endangerment.
I have even recklessly offered a substantial "Goodwill" style payment to clear the air, many many months this has been going on, and yes FMBSH and owned it for years.
MB's latest response is a completely irrational part payment scheme that no one can explain to me, based on parameters plucked presumably from the Buckinghampshire air, best of luck.
Don't buy another one, two fleet buyers, and a firm of Solicitors have walked away from MB to my knowledge based on my problems, the Willie Walsh style management is alienating too many people for the long term.
The definition of "inside" is often misquoted on here to mean front to back it doesn't your ham is inside the sandwich!

 

[corned]

Can anyone offer help with a diagram or a piece of prose on how to get the interior trim off the tailgate, please?

I have water running into the boot from the interior release handle when the tailgate is raised...

 

[pstock]

just a thought, but several years back i had a problem with a nissan (Datsun 280C car back then) with an engine head gasket problem the nissan warranty would cover the head gasket but not the skimming of the head or any other problems associated with the gasket failing any way i was a member of the AA and contacted their legal department and after one letter from them nissan replaced the engine with a new unit.

Sorry to prattle on but are you a member of the AA or RAC ?

 

[corned]

This weekend I have noticed small areas of bubbling coming back to the front lower edges of both rear wheel arches.

Galvanised, my asre.

 

[evdok]

Yep !

 

[corned]

Finally worked it all out. The marketing people at Mercedes-Benz use the word 'galvanised' in their PR guff, but not ncessarily in the way we take it to mean.

From the dictionary:

gal·va·nise

   [gal-vuh-nahyz] Show IPA verb (used with object), gal·va·nised, gal·va·nis·ing

1. to stimulate by or as if by a galvanic current.
2. Medicine/Medical . to stimulate or treat (muscles or nerves) with induced direct current ( distinguished from faradise).
3. to startle into sudden activity; stimulate.

4. to coat (metal, especially iron or steel) with zinc.



We can rule out 1 and 2 straight away. We can also safely rule out 4, otherwise my car would not be rusting, so that leaves us with 3 as the only possibility.

So this is what the marketing men at M-B really meant. They startle the cars, not rust-proof them. We're the fools for thinking that's what it meant.