Rust

[cheffy]

Anyone else got a rust problem ? I asked on here before if anyone knew a good smart repair co in Edinburgh. I have since taken my car (CLK - W209) to a few bodyshops. Both rear arches and bottom edge of boot lid are showing signs of rust, everywhere I go, everyone says the same thing ! "OH, Mercs are really bad for that ! we get loads of them in for same thing" all are surprised my front arches haven't gone same way ! Even when I phone places, tell them I have rust appearing on rear arches, they say is it a Merc ?
I also took it out to Mercedes of Edinburgh - asked about warranty, the guy took pics and paint depth readings, said he d send them of to Mercedes, I should know within 1 week ! that was on 27th August, I also asked them for a quote for doing repair, said they'd email it to me, Well today (15th Sept) I still haven't heard anything from Merc of Edinburgh, almost 3 weeks later, so I called them, after a nightmare trying to get through, 4 calls and over half an hour, I eventually spoke to the estimator, who said Mercedes will NOT do anything, which is what I thought, I asked when they got back to them, he said at the beginning of last week ! I asked why hasn't someone been in touch to let me know, and why haven't I received their quote, Dunno know mate ! was his answer, but I'll tell you now, if you want us to fix that, it'll be around £3 - 3.5 grand ! - PAL !!!
Anyway, I do have to get it fixed, but everyone says the rust will be back within 1 year, cost will be around £600.
So moral of my story is, Mercedes of Edinburgh are crap,(as are 02 - 04 Mercs) not to mention very unprofessional, if you have a 2002 - 2004 Merc you most likely having same problem (or will have soon)
Had mine just over 3 years, only done 64,000miles, FMBSH, and I have only did about 6000 since I got it, its garaged, washed and waxed regularly whether it needs it or not.
Pretty pi**ed off tbh ! My wifes Y reg Mondeo, had for over 6 years, done 96,000 miles, kept outside, and not a mark on it, as is my brothers S reg Laguna, with over 115,000 miles and kept outside all its life !!!
So after 4 Mercs, I'll be moving on ! BMW I think.
So if anyone looking for an otherwise immaculate CLK240, I know where you can get one !!! :

 

[BTB 500]

Yes unfortunately almost all M-Bs of that era are renowned for rusting (W210 E Class probably the worst). More or less fixed when they started galvanising them from around 2003 (build) onwards.

Details here:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/bodywork/34227-galvanising-mercedes-cars.html

 

[dulayj]

yep-very poor -brother has 1999 320 clk convertible-only owner always garaged- only 23K-only in summer.Has rust on the rear wheel arches!
Old Honda accord S reg-no rust 110 K -always abused outside

 

[dog68]

Cars tend to rust more, if garaged.

 

[steadyeddie]

The other day I was cleaning my w208 and noticed that a LOT of mud and gunk was clogged up in the lip of the wheel arch.

I don't have any rust on my arches yet (touch wood) but do you think this could be a cause?

 

[dulayj]

Its a draughty garage -not hot and humid!-but rain free

 

[steadyeddie]

Cars tend to rust more, if garaged.

Really? How come?

 

[dog68]

The other day I was cleaning my w208 and noticed that a LOT of mud and gunk was clogged up in the lip of the wheel arch.

I don't have any rust on my arches yet (touch wood) but do you think this could be a cause?

Yes, thats where alot of people forget to clean

 

[dog68]

Really? How come?

Putting a wet car in the garage, in bad weather etc.

 

[steadyeddie]

More by luck than judgement I do normally go for a quick drive after cleaning my car on a nice day to get rid of any excess water

 

[Smarties]

So much has been said/written about this in the past, but nothing ever seems to happen or get done. Owners have screamed and shouted about the poor build quality of this era of cars (97-2002), but some will argue that rust is acceptable on vehicles that are now getting on 10 years old, the fact that they started rusting at 2-3 years is forgotten (our 2000 vintage SLK230). And, yes, we have all got or seen other cars of similiar vintage that are rust free (my brothers used and abused Peugeot 405 comes to mind). People have threatened legal action against MB, but don't think it has ever happened.

 

[Dichtung]

CLKs are way behind W210s when it comes to rusting. I fight a constant battle with mine , and to add insult to injury, the Missus`s `91 Toyota Celica hasn`t a mark on it .

 

[salesac1]

OP - you don't say how old your W209 is. If still under 8 years old, MB should do the work under warranty - unless there is an issue with the paint thickness readings. Over 8 years - you might be offered a contribution. C-Class W202s are also notorious for this - I had warranty work done at 7 years on mine. Try another dealer if not happy, the attitude can vary enormously. There is also lot of info on this forum and I think another member did win a legal case against MB on this topic quite recently. A bit of searching should find it. Good luck.

 

[cheffy]

Thanks for all your comments. Mine is an 02 reg, first of the W209. I think part of the problem may be with the matting stuff that lines the rear arches, but I have been told that water just gets trapped between that and the lip.
Unfortunately as its now 9 years old, I have no claim on warranty. but my main gripe is that we and others we know buy Mercs at a price which is more than your average car, eg, Ford, Vauxhall etc etc, but yet through no fault of our own, we suffer body/build issues, that for a marque such as Mercedes we shouldnt ! and like others have said, other makes which are older have NO such rust issues.
The chap at MB of Edinburgh suggested I contact Mercedes myself.
Not sure if I mentioned it but the bottom edge of the boot lid is also very bad, most have said they never seen that before, anyone else got or seen this ?
I have had 2 190E's both K reg and both were solid, and in fantastic condition,
the last one, I sold before I got this car, was 15 years old, 107,000 miles, in smoke silver and was totally immaculate.
Anyway, anyone know any really good places in or near Edinburgh to get work done.

 

[salesac1]

Sorry you are outside the 8 years. I know how you feel - although I had some rust repaired under warranty, the bonnet rusted through later and I had to replace it at my own expense last year. I now have visible rust spots on the lower forward areas of both rear wheel arches, slight bubbling at the very tip of the n/s front wing and even in the middle of one door. And who knows what else hidden away behind sills etc . My wife's car is 6 months older, totally rust-free and it's a Fiat .

This was the legal case I mentioned earlier, could be worth a read if you are thinking of contacting Mercedes directly:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/bodywork/102487-important-rust-news-court-victory.html

 

[Steve_B]

It's not just 'older cars' in the time-frame suggested here.

You can imagine my dismay at seeing this on all four doors on my MY07 ML63

However, all fixed, by way of complete replacement at a cost of £6k + VAT, under warranty and all, once again, is well in the world