W212 Rear subframe

[ALFAitalia]

Deleted.....not thinking!

 

[DanE350cdi]

2002 will be an early Mk 3 or last of the Mk 2.

Incorrect the Mk4 came out in early 2001 2002 Mk4 VW Golf v5 2.3 Petrol 3 door in excellent condition | eBay

 

[ALFAitalia]

As I said....not thinking....I was a VW sales manager!.....posting whilst watching telly and confusing 1992 for 2002!

 

[ForgxxxR]

Cant beat a good old mk4 golf, awesome cars especially with the pd engine in.

I agree! It's bulletproof. Rapid from 1st to 3rd gear however 4th and 5th are a bit of a slog. In saying that, it will probably be around long after my Merc goes!

 

[wilsodg]

My W212 (61 plate 115k miles full MB service history) passed it's MOT in September. Put it in for service last week and they informed me of sub-frame rust. Declared it a safety issue and said my insurance is invalidated if I drive it. They will replace FoC, but not till end of March - even though I am supposedly on a 'fast-track' for supply. 4 months with car off the road waiting for a part - all credit to MB for covering the cost, but now the wait could cost more than the fix. In all other aspects the car is in perfect condition.
I did bring the car home and it's parked in my drive - would I stand a better chance of early repair if I leave it with them for storage? Aside from anything else, it's now going to sit and rust another 3 - 4 months

 

[HB]

Had mine inspected last week E350 cdi 2011. It’s not rusty at all. They checked it all over including the top where I believe it rusts first.
Another customer they had with an identical car had its subframe snap 2 weeks ago while going round a corner.

 

[ForgxxxR]

My W212 (61 plate 115k miles full MB service history) passed it's MOT in September. Put it in for service last week and they informed me of sub-frame rust. Declared it a safety issue and said my insurance is invalidated if I drive it. They will replace FoC, but not till end of March - even though I am supposedly on a 'fast-track' for supply. 4 months with car off the road waiting for a part - all credit to MB for covering the cost, but now the wait could cost more than the fix. In all other aspects the car is in perfect condition.
I did bring the car home and it's parked in my drive - would I stand a better chance of early repair if I leave it with them for storage? Aside from anything else, it's now going to sit and rust another 3 - 4 months

That seems excessively long for delivery of the new subframe. MB didn't let me drive the car away from their show room after I discussed it with them, so I had to walk back to work. 21 days in total the car was with them

 

[wilsodg]

Update on my wait situation. Spoke to MB just before Xmas and still expected in March. I was very polite and said I would check back - reminded I have only had them service it. They called back 2 days ago to say it will be in early January. . Only quandary now is what to ask them to replace while that are at it. Others mention brake pipes, bushes and bolts. Any other items?

 

[ForgxxxR]

Update on my wait situation. Spoke to MB just before Xmas and still expected in March. I was very polite and said I would check back - reminded I have only had them service it. They called back 2 days ago to say it will be in early January. . Only quandary now is what to ask them to replace while that are at it. Others mention brake pipes, bushes and bolts. Any other items?

Brake pipes would be a good idea as they are prone to corrosion. They informed me that whenever they change the subframe, they would also be changing approx. £200 worth of bolts and bushes. I got the car through MOT 3 days after getting it back and I got the tester to confirm that all the bushes and bolts had been renewed. They will also do a health check and 4 wheel alignment before giving the car back.

 

[MD5]

They told me prior to agreeing to the goodwill payment that they factored in;
1. Age of the car
2. MB Service history (Mines had full MB history in England until I bought it 18 months ago however I get all my work done by a MB Indy)
3. Mileage - 90k for me.

For the subframe a full MB history is not required.

Whilst I'm looking around for another estate car, either CLS SB or an E class, a couple of 212s have caught my attention, and I'm aware of the sub frame issue. Does anyone know what MB's position might be if the car was a Japanese import with this issue (which seems less likely)?

 

[JohnAhmed]

So this is the rear subframe currently on my 2013 W212 (90'000 miles). Currently with MB being replaced under 'good will'.

I'm just curious who else has the same issue and how prevalent it is?

Car was pulling heavily to the left under hard braking which I why I got it checked out.

I went for a wheel alignment on Monday (w212 2011 E220 CDI), and found my rear subframe had corroded. Dropped the car off at Merc this morning, got a call this afternoon saying that all would be covered by MB. The chap at MB said that they are getting alot of these with W212`s and also on W204 models which MB do replace as good will (I believe the car has to be in decent condition), mine only has 55k miles. I had minimal issues, a slight pull on the steering (hence going for a wheel alignment) and it felt a little lose at the back end but nothing too bad. The steering only started pulling last week so I was lucky I took it for an alignment when I did.. MB dealer was really good - but 3 - 4 week wait for the parts to come in and for the work to be done..

 

[MrGreedy]

Just picked mine up today from MB Nottingham. 2011, 105k, no main dealer service history for maybe last 9 years? (but Indy uploads the full and correct services to Merc digital service history). Brake pipes surprisingly okay apparently.
£54 for 'bits'.
Waited about 6 weeks for the subframe to come in, but the original approval was within 24 hours.
So a good service there.

I had a CLA 220d 4 door as a courtesy car, which I appreciate, with sporty looking fake alcantara seats and red stitching everywhere including the dash. But my God, the front seats were uncomfortable for my posture/frame. Even on the least lumbar supporting setting, it was like the seat back consisted of a wet sand bag laid on the seat base and jabbing me in the lower back, and my upper back couldn't touch the seat. On the most supportive lumbar setting, it was like leaning back against a low scaffold pole.

But good service on the subframe MB Nottingham.

 

[ube63]

I have just picked up mine from MB Brighton today. It was a surprisingly quick process. My independent specialist made the claim to MB on my behalf which got immediately approved last Friday. Parts were ordered on Monday, I got a call on Tuesday to book the car in for Wednesday. And the job was done Thursday afternoon.

 

[Pacebowler]

My Independent specialist reported a hole in the rear subframe of my SL 350 (2013) during it's annual service in late January.
I booked it into MB Reading for inspection and it was approved for a change within 2 days.
The parts were available and it was booked in a week later. I collected the SL all completed the next day.

 

[chyperie]

So this is the rear subframe currently on my 2013 W212 (90'000 miles). Currently with MB being replaced under 'good will'.

I'm just curious who else has the same issue and how prevalent it is?

Car was pulling heavily to the left under hard braking which I why I got it checked out.

Oh dear!

 

[Gollom]

Wish I had known about this when we had to have it replaced on SWMBO R171. Ended up going 2nd hand as no way could we afford a new one. Even then it was the thick end of £800

 

[Ianbatt]

Maybe relevant to what I’m interested in. Having had a full towbar fitted to my W213 E class. I found this in the boot.