Rust? What is going on with Mercedes?

[Glideman]

I've been out today looking for a new (to me) car to replace my E220TE as I don't really need an estate anymore. I looked at. . . .

1999 C220CDI diesel estate (rotted rear tailgate, wings, door bottoms)
1997 E200 elegance (rotted door bottoms and front cross member)
1996 C200 (paint peeling from door bottoms and rotten rear boot lid, boot floor)

You'd expect this from a cheap runaround but not a car costing upto £30,000 new. All the above cars had more rot than my 1994 E220. What is going on with Mercedes? I also looked at a BMW (yes I know) 323CI which had no rust anywhere and loads of toys etc.

It's really put me off Mercedes, they seem to have lost the plot as far as quality goes. I even looked at a couple of Volkswagen Golf diesels and an Audi 1.9TDI which were both better built, cost less, had more toys. So I'm giving Mercedes the boot and looking for a . . .

BMW 320CI
or
Golf TDGTI
or
Audi A6 TDI

I always wanted a Mercedes and I've been more than happy with my E Class but now it's time to replace it with a newer one I can't find any better to drive or better built than the one I've already got :?

 

[Robbo]

Rust seems to be quite a problem with the W202 and W210 cars. The 98 W202 owned by the guy who lives opposite to me has quite bad rust on the rear arches (its coming through the panels). Yesterday I heard a guy who was getting an MOT on his Y reg W210 saying his has just come back from MB after having had quite extensive rust repairs. He was shocked how bad it was.

The more recent cars (W203 and W211) don't appear to be suffering from rust issues. Well mine doesnt seem to be, anyway.

 

[pluggers]

I had a look at a 320 clk w208 today 1998 which had a huge amount of rust on the boot lock with a hint of rust starting on the rear arches,front were fine,so were the doors.

 

[Plodd]

Would I be correct in thinking the SLK was designed to the earlier rust free standards?

I gave mine a good clean today (a 1998) and there is no sign of anything anywhere and it looks a good deal newer than it's almost 7years.

 

[Piff]

We had a look at a W plate SLK a few weeks back and it had bad rust on the nearside rear wheel arch. Obviously started as stone chip damage - but whhel arches should be protected against stone chip damage!

 

[Dieselman]

The more recent cars (W203 and W211) don't appear to be suffering from rust issues. Well mine doesnt seem to be, anyway.

Unfortunately it will.

Don't trust any Mb car built before late 2004. To be sure only buy a 2005 car as they are now sorted.

 

[Robbo]

DM,

I hear what you are saying as the newer ones are galvanised, but my W203 is 4.5 years old and I have been over it with a fine tooth comb, including inspecting underneath, and I cant see anything much. By my reckoning it'll easily get to 10 years without any serious rust issues (which is as long as I am likely to keep the car) so I'm not too worried.

Having said that it was in for a minor repair last week and while it was in, the dealer carried out some recall work. They put new seals at the bottom of all the doors and also sprayed silicone sealant underneath all of the door rubbers. So MB thinks there may be an issue with them, even though there is no corrosion on mine.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

A mate of mine has a 1982 BMW 525i with a galvernised (sp?) and of course has no rust at all

 

[Benzowner]

Unfortunately it will.

Don't trust any Mb car built before late 2004. To be sure only buy a 2005 car as they are now sorted.

Cause they have'nt had time to rust yet

 

[JumJum]

Father in law was on phone last night his 2000 w202 estate has rust on tail gate (may need replacing) and because of this he checked thier other car a 1997 W210 estate and it's front valance is bad under the bumper, the front wings , lower doors and tail gate are all going under the paint.

His cars are serviced at an independant, anybody know if there has been any successful claims on the anti corrosion warrenty for non MB serviced vehicles ?

Thanks

 

[SimonsMerc]

Father in law was on phone last night his 2000 w202 estate has rust on tail gate (may need replacing) and because of this he checked thier other car a 1997 W210 estate and it's front valance is bad under the bumper, the front wings , lower doors and tail gate are all going under the paint.

His cars are serviced at an independant, anybody know if there has been any successful claims on the anti corrosion warrenty for non MB serviced vehicles ?

Thanks

Any moment now, Glojo will throw his "holier than thou" message about how you have no right to a warranty claim if you don't have a mercedes dealer service history. But before that happens...

The law as it stands specifically states that it is illegal for a company to maintain that you *must* use their services for a warranty to be valid. A colleague of mine bought a brand new Audi A4, and has so far had two services, both at local independant Audi specialists who he knows as they serviced his previous, older Audis. He recently had his gearbox exchanged under warranty, because the warranty was valid even though he has had his servicing done elsewhere.

I believe the term he used when writing to Audi was "unlawful tie-in of services"; according to competition rules from the Office of Fair Trading, this is illegal. However, IANAL so I haven't researched this personally.

Food for thought. Ok Glojo, you can go on with your tirade now.

-simon

 

[rees_A]

I've got rust on wheel arches, does anyone know how log the anti-corrosion warranty is valid for? mine is a 1996 w202

 

[glojo]

IANAL so I haven't researched this personally.

Food for thought. Ok Glojo, you can go on with your tirade now.

-simon

I think your last statement speaks volumes and incidentally read my posts and you will see I still condemn the terrible quality of either the preparation, steel or paint that has been recently used by Mercedes-Benz.

No rant needed,
John

 

[cris124]

iron oxide

My 99c220cdi estate has all the usual rust. My local dealer was very good and got a reply from MB in 2 weeks. Because the car had 2 services by an indi they would pay 65%.
i wrote back to MB Uk and recieved a letter today again stating that they will not increase their offer, because the mobilo contract states having the vehicle serviced by a MB dealership.
I'm not chuffed with this reply, however i think i'll probably get a couple of quotes from my local bodyshops and compare the overall cost to me. i may of course just do it myself, cause reading the threads makes me think i'll be getting plenty of practice in the future!!!!!!!

 

[glojo]

I'm not chuffed with this reply, however i think i'll probably get a couple of quotes from my local bodyshops and compare the overall cost to me. i may of course just do it myself, cause reading the threads makes me think i'll be getting plenty of practice in the future!!!!!!!

Hi Cris,
Make sure you fully understand what Mercedes-Benz are prepared to do, before you get independant quotes, then compare like for like.

By this I mean you do NOT want them just to rub down and fill the areas that are corroded. You want NEW panels, or where not practical the corroded area cut out and new metal welded in.

Good luck with your quotes,
John

 

[Mr E]

The law as it stands specifically states that it is illegal for a company to maintain that you *must* use their services for a warranty to be valid. A colleague of mine bought a brand new Audi A4, and has so far had two services, both at local independant Audi specialists who he knows as they serviced his previous, older Audis. He recently had his gearbox exchanged under warranty, because the warranty was valid even though he has had his servicing done elsewhere.

I believe the term he used when writing to Audi was "unlawful tie-in of services"; according to competition rules from the Office of Fair Trading, this is illegal. However, IANAL so I haven't researched this personally.

-simon

Simon,

I helped a number of car manufacturers with this before the onset of block exemption a couple of years ago.......

Your key point was "Audi specialists" - the manufacturer, now that block exemption has been lifted, cannot insist that you use a main dealer in order to maintain warrently. What they can do is insist that the work is carried out to a required standard. There are various ways of doing this - I can't comment for Audi but other German and UK/American manufacturers run a scheme whereby a servicer can be certified (for want of a better word - have to be careful with the phrasing). They will also have a record of places to look out for, based on previous warrenty experience.

Without knowing the case in question, I would asume that the specialists had not done any work on the 'box. I know that the manufacturers I worked with would, on a major expense item that was unexpected (say, a gearbox failure), check very carefully. My father does this for a German manufacturer; you'd be surprised how many specialists screw up big ticket items and then the owner expects the manufacturer to pick up the bill under warrenty.

I must have a look at the rust/paint warrenty but I believe that this requires an inspection on a regular basis. Again an assumption, but the manufacturer would be on good grounds to insist that this is done by an "authorised person" with some proven "competency" as allowed by the regulations.

 

[SimonsMerc]

Ok, spoke to a lady a George Fraser, who confirmed that they hold the status of "Authorised Service Centre". What this means is that, servicing with them, your Mercedes Warranty must be honoured!

I totally agree that manufacturers should be within their right to insist that people with the appropriate training and levels of skill and care service your car for the warranty to be valid - if some cowboy screws it up, it's their fault and not a manufacturing fault (which is what the warranty should cover). However, they cannot mandate that you use *their* dealers; anyone who is a warranted specialist will do. My next service is going to George, and I fully expect to keep my mobilo life warranty - although I think I'll try and get confirmation in writing from MB!

-simon

 

[glojo]

I helped a number of car manufacturers with this before the onset of block exemption a couple of years ago........

Hi Mr E,
I am not debating the rights and wrongs here, I am merely very curious as to how many car manufacturers actually offer a lifetime warranty for bodywork corrosion (from the inside out) and breakdowns?

Before buying my vehicles I always ask about warranties, and reading your comment about their being a number of manufacturers has caught my eye.

Regards,
John

 

[C240Sport97]

If you do get confirmation in writing from MB, please post.

Ok, spoke to a lady a George Fraser, who confirmed that they hold the status of "Authorised Service Centre". What this means is that, servicing with them, your Mercedes Warranty must be honoured!

I totally agree that manufacturers should be within their right to insist that people with the appropriate training and levels of skill and care service your car for the warranty to be valid - if some cowboy screws it up, it's their fault and not a manufacturing fault (which is what the warranty should cover). However, they cannot mandate that you use *their* dealers; anyone who is a warranted specialist will do. My next service is going to George, and I fully expect to keep my mobilo life warranty - although I think I'll try and get confirmation in writing from MB!

-simon

 

[Mr E]

Hi John,

The assistance was with the move to a post block-exemption environment, not 30 year rust warranties........

I don't know of any other manufacturer that does this (I've not checked Rolls Royce or other mega-prestige marques) so MB must have some confidence in their product going forward.

Simon's comment regarding the specialist he has in mind should be correct - if they can stamp the book as a certified supplier then that should suffice and would assume it applied for the body work too.