Used Approved C Class Coupe - Full Respray

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GDAWG10

Active Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Messages
238
Location
London
Car
C Class Sports Coupe
Hi,

I had another thread running because I was looking at getting a new C Class however a 2012 C180 C Class Sport AMG Fire Opal caught my eye at MB Stevenage. With 16,000 miles on the clock and a £1000 dealer contribution to make it £15,450, it was a much more reasonable price for me so I went back the next day and placed a deposit.

The salesman mentioned it had been authorised for a full respray by Mercedes Benz (not the dealership). The paint work looked good and he struggled to find any specific area to point out to me why it was actually going for a re-spray but apparently MB said it didn't meet their used approved standard and are doing it/paying for it themselves (not the dealer). I took it as a positive because I thought the car would look even better and newer than it already did. It was on the forecourt and up for a few days online when they took it off online because the re-spray was authorised but it was left for sale on the forecourt. He said MB were doing it so it would be done properly.

Somebody mentioned that this specific colour had lacquer issues in the past (possibly why it's getting re-sprayed), but I'm assuming those issues would have now been corrected now and I shouldn't worry or anticipate any future problems with the paintwork?

Be interested to hear anyone's thoughts on this and how you would view it? Because the car looked good, I'm anxious to see it after the respray and hope it looks better!

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They're sorting them out now by the looks of it.

There's no "correcting" to be done, it's a full bare metal respray it'll get. The factory process caused the lacquer to come away from the paint in areas and it spreads. Mine is much older and so was much worse, but it's only a matter of time for the newer ones too.

Once it's had a respray it should be good to go. So don't be put off, you'll be getting a 2012 car with a 2016 paint job. I've got an 08 with a 2016 paint job so I'm chuffed to bits.
 
Picked car up today, re-spray looks good!

Got a "check tyre pressure" warning about ten minutes after leaving MB Stevenage...always seems to be the way! Had a recent MOT at the dealership so wasn't expecting that.

Quite a different drive to my 02 C Class Sport Coupe, steering is much lighter, need to get used to the breaks - was experiencing a jolt when I stopped at traffic lights and thought it was the stop/start function (if there is one) but it didn't seem to happen when I held the breaks down firmer so it was probably me, and also the transition from holding the break when stopped and pressing the accelerator was a bit jolting but I'll get used to it.

In all, very happy with it - Now need to sort out these tyres!
 
GK10 said:
Picked car up today, re-spray looks good! Got a "check tyre pressure" warning about ten minutes after leaving MB Stevenage...always seems to be the way! Had a recent MOT at the dealership so wasn't expecting that. Quite a different drive to my 02 C Class Sport Coupe, steering is much lighter, need to get used to the breaks - was experiencing a jolt when I stopped at traffic lights and thought it was the stop/start function (if there is one) but it didn't seem to happen when I held the breaks down firmer so it was probably me, and also the transition from holding the break when stopped and pressing the accelerator was a bit jolting but I'll get used to it. In all, very happy with it - Now need to sort out these tyres!

Reset the TCU so it learns your driving style, can't remember the exact process but it's only s Google search away. Well recommend it
 
Will do, I did that before on my old one, seem to remember you had to hold down the accelerator with the car off but I will find out the steps again.

The car has a button on the dash called Eco. I understand this controls the stop/start, do I have to turn it off every time I get in the car to disable stop/start or if I turn it off once, does it stay off?

Edit: just read manual. Looks like you have to either press Eco every time you get in to turn it off or get used to it.
 
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Another post - just checked out exterior properly....some small surface scratches/lines on rear bumper. Nothing you wouldn't expect on a used car but doesn't seem to sit right with the "full respray by Mercedes" it's been getting for the past week and a half!

Edit: Appears like the front/rear bumpers haven't been done. Rear has small surface scratches, front has a chip and also the lacquer issues remain around the bumper and run from near and under the gap where the bonnet opens/closed. It's a four year old car, I didn't look closely enough at the dealership to notice any issues when I first went to see the car, but after being told voluntarily by two different salesman that it has been authorised for a full re-spray by MB that is what you expect. By full, you would assume the whole car. It does have a paint/lacquer smell, but the bumpers can't have had a re-spray which is disappointing.
 
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Do you think it's worth contacting them and asking why it hasn't had a full respray? Can see both sides have definitely been sprayed but the bumpers, front bonnet and roof look untouched.I wasn't planning to but my dad just saw the bumpers and said I should contact them because he went to see it separately from me before I bought it and they told him the same thing. I can't see them doing anything....what would you do?
 
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Sorry to hear of your problem with the Opal Fire paint. This has been featured on many forums - the Bodywork section of mbclub.co.uk features a thread of 14(?) pages entitled "paint problems on 2 year old coupe" or words to that effect.

There is the same theme on SLKWorld forum (the R172 Discussion) detailing the same problem you are experiencing i.e. Partial respray not a total paint job. The title of that thread is "Paint issues ....?".

Good luck.
 
Reading other posts on MB full respray, it seems that MB do not respray the bumpers, presumably they don't qualify as "body panels" or such like. So it is probably not an omission, but intentional.

No harm in raising this with the dealer though.
 
I think it unlikely that they will have done anything approaching a bare metal full respray in the time allowed. From the experience of other owners with partial resprays I would think it likely that you will have continued problems in the future - not something I would like to take on. Hope you get it resolved the way you want - at least you were aware of the problem, others haven't been so lucky! It really is a great colour.
 
It's a difficult one, because I became aware of the lacquer problem firstly by the salesmen who showed me around the car who told me it was getting a full re-spray and then once I saw the threads on here.

My mind was put to rest though because they told me it was getting a full re-spray, and they were adamant about this i.e "it will be done properly, not just panels but the whole car". I don't have this documented on any emails though, nor any idea who done it apart from being told "MB are doing it". I don't feel like it's an intentional omission, but I'm still disappointed because both salesmen were very clear that I guess in their minds it was getting a full re-spray, and it played quite a big part in going ahead with the deal especially when I read up on the issue. I think it's still a good deal, £15450 for a 2012 C180 Coupe with 16,000 miles, one owner, bought and serviced at same MB dealer I got it from.

Had I known it was only getting a partial respray and there would be remaining lacquer issues on the bumpers that could get worst in the future (I'm tied into a 3 year PCP deal and I intend to purchase after 3 years, especially because I put down a big deposit), I probably would have had to think about it a lot more!

I will query it with the dealership anyway but more than happy to keep it.
 
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If the salesman said " a full respray" I'd expect a full respray ! If it was only goin to be a 80% respray, i would've liked to have the option to pay something towards a full respray !
Do you have the option to return/reject the car ? is there a 30 day agreement if your not happy ? If so, i'd threaten to exercise this condition
Edit - 30 day return policy https://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/co...ars/home/Approved_Used/exchange-plan-tcs.html
 
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I would be taking advantage of their 30 day 1000 mile exchange policy at this point. Plenty of similar metal in the dealer network.
 
I'm sure I-conica mentioned before that the bumpers weren't included, he paid the difference for them to include his bumpers

Did they spray the door shuts/boot/engine bay?
 
if they said full respray, that is what you should expect.
From reading between the lines, I suspect this is not a lacquer problem, but perhaps a primer problem - otherwise why would they be doing bare metal resprays?
It is a shame that they are conning buyers/owners by not doing door shuts etc.
I guess they are not doing bumpers (plastic panels) as they were originally prepared in a different way/different place. Wouldn't be difficult to offer this as an option to owners
 
Doesn't look like they did the door shuts/engine bay etc because there are small spots/circles where it looks like paint has peeled.

It looks like both door panels on both sides have been done, but I would say I'm 99.9% both bumpers haven't been done, nor the front/boot and top.

I've fired an email to the dealership to let them know that the tyre pressure warning light appeared on the journey home and I will take it to the petrol station tomorrow to check the tyres and I'm sure it will be fine.....I also said I was under the impression the car was getting a full re-spray and can they clarify exactly what was/wasn't sprayed because of the light scratches on the back bumper and lacquer/peeling issues on the front bumper.

I will wait for the reply. It's not so much the issue of the paint, it's more the fact that I was told so strongly it was getting a full re-spray and it was used as a way of selling the car i.e "it's getting a full re-spray, it's going to look great etc"

I should have checked today when I went for the handover and to pay the remaining balance, but I had no reason to believe there was a discrepancy in what/wasn't done especially at an MB main dealer.
 
Cleared up this morning. Everything was done apart from bumpers because they aren't covered under warranty. I may have chipped in up to around 300 to get the bumpers done as well at the same time but they are OK. Happy with the explanation, of course not the full respray mentioned but Im happy.
 

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