UK Mars Red /Fire Opal Red [code 590] Micro Blistering Paint Manufacturing Fault

[philld]

Sounds like you’re all over it. Wishing you the best with the claim.

Cheers chap!

 

[Sonic1952]

I’m a newbie to the group and searched paint code 590 to find many members with the known Fire Opal Red paint fault.

I had this issue a few years ago and discovered it after a car wash where they used jet lances which left one large bubble of water under the lacquer so I visited Chipsaway for a resolution and it was they who informed me of the known MB issue with the red paint and suggested I go back to the MB dealers who sold it to me as new.

They in turn directed me to their bodyshop sister company at Witham, Essex who initially tried to dodge the issue but I did my research online and as I’d had the car from new, had a MB FSH and no paint repairs by others and after many paint gauge tests all over the car they relented and I had a body respray FOC as a goodwill gesture. They even filed two very minor dents when down to the bare metal. They did an excellent job BUT they don’t do the plastic parts but they really should as I’ve got very minor bubbling/peeling on the front bumper’s lacquer!

I’m offering this information to encourage MB Fire Opal Red members in the UK to persevere and stand your ground and argue your case at the MB Bodyshop as they know full well they are respraying hundreds of red cars with this very same fault but will do their level best to fob you off!

Lance water jets don’t go nowhere near my car now and the issue hasn’t returned but I did read online at the time that some people had to have a second respray as the issue returned! What bad luck! I also heard at the time that MB don’t sell red cars anymore!

Good luck to all!

 

[ALFAitalia]

They do sell red cars....but just metallic I think......no solid red.

 

[Sonic1952]

That’s what I meant!

 

[GeeJayW]

They do sell red cars....but just metallic I think......no solid red.

Our current car (2016 C-Class Estate S205) is Designo Hyacinth Red Metallic, we’ve had it 7-years and the paint is pretty much as we received it. I have not seen any reports of micro blistering.

Our previous car (2015 C-Class Coupe C204) was Fire Opal Red and at about 15-months old I noticed micro blistering on the boot panel. Over the next couple of months, it developed on the roof, both rear 3/4 panels and the bonnet. It wasn’t at ‘poke you in the eye’ obvious, but if you knew the problem it was visible. It had never (it had 200 miles on the clock when we got it) been subject to a high pressure lance.

When I went to our Mercedes dealer, they sent me to their local paint shop (which is a department at a VW main dealer). I said to one of their technicians that I had a Mercedes outside with micro blistering. He said ‘Oh, is it Fire Opal Red?’ When I said yes, he told me that they’d already resprayed a number of cars in this colour and they had a number in the pipeline. As he approached the car, he could see the problem from 10ft away had a quick look and went to get the manager. The manager checked the paint thickness to see if it was original paint. He agreed that it was an example of the ‘classic’ problem and booked it into the system for a respray under warranty, but told us it would be months before they would be able to do it. He said some paint shops were booked out for a year dealing with this issue.

We traded it in and got the estate instead of waiting around for a resolution.

There are numerous accounts of Fire Opal Red paint suffering from micro-blistering. I’ve not seen a report that says why it happened or why this particular colour. Since changing cars, I’ve not really had the interest to dig into it more.

 

[Sonic1952]

Wish I had gone for the Hyacinth Metallic Red but had already put £10K of extras on it and the metallic was another £1K - life kicks up regrets! I’d spent £2.5K on Comard and never used it in the nine years I’ve had the car, I only ordered it as a friend recommended it!

 

[Coalacre]

You have to major that in the claim. The fact that it's not an isolated problem is all part of the proof that it is a recognised and proved paint fault. The USA has done that for everyone. Just because it is the USA does not make the paint fault any different from any other country that is experiencing exactly the same problems. It's taking / has taken along time because the USA are hot on class/group action. The UK is always slow, years behind. I'm not saying for one moment it will be brought to the UK courts, that is up to the UK people to get the ball rolling. It just takes someone with the balls to roll up their sleeves and take some action. The UK to a certain degree have admitted the paint fault by repairing certain/selective vehicles by warranty or 'goodwill'. Believe me it will be both barrels by me with plenty of evidence, reference pictures and of cause the www.classaction.org/media/pinon-v-daimler-ag-et-al.pdf If it's settled by mediation in my case then hey ho! If I lose, so what.

Hi Phil,

I have sent you an email, I believe legislation around Class Actions in the UK have reached a turning point!

 

[Neiltodd]

Hi Phil,

I have sent you an email, I believe legislation around Class Actions in the UK have reached a turning point!

Not got any issues with my Fire Opal but interested in hearing more about this just in case.

 

[Chicco]

Just going through Ombudsman for my issues on Mercedes 220 - Had quite a lot of fobbing off and will leave to experts decide now .
I will probably have to pay for an independent inspection of the body work ( not just a paint thickness test) Quoted 300 quid .
Had all the usual comments thrown at me from local dealers - No Mercedes service so tough , over 10 years old " not a hope in hell"
Well , I love driving the car and if it wasn't for this "BIRD SHIT LOOK ALIKE" blistering/bubbling then the car would look superb , but now it doesn't .......