Warranty Question in regards to faulty OEM MB parts.

[mercedescl500]

Hi, if anybody could help me I would really appreciate it. I own a CL500(W215) and love my car dearly. I bought it in the days way before the credit crunch came. I have meticulously(sp?) kept all services upto date, all parts are OEM when needed, never skimped on replacement items. Anyhow I have been dealing with the dreaded ABC tandem pump problem for a while now and its driving me insane. I have replaced the pump twice in the last 2 years and the pump which is on the car right now is making noise (like a bad bearing). This pump was fitted 9 months ago, and it works absolutely fine, but the problem is that its quite noisy. I took it back to the Indy who fitted it, and he said to bring it back when it gets a little louder as it would be hard to get Mercedes to replace under warranty, it has now got louder progressivly over the past few months. This pump was bought directly from MB and fitted by (Bosch) Indy. What rights do I have in regards to having this pump replaced, as I believe this pump was faulty from day one, its always been noisy and now its really noisy. I reported the fault to the Indy straight after I had it fitted. I cant afford to do another pump change on my car especially as I have done it twice now at nearly 1600gbp a go. Should the Indy replace the part under warranty ?? would I be expected to foot the labour costs ? or am I completely covered as the pump was faulty from the get go. Any help would be greatly appreciated as this problem is begining to consume my life.

My mates 30yr VW is whisper quite, can Mercedes not honor a warranty replacement by saying its just noisy ? and working perfectly.

 

[grober]

This is an informative post--it implies many pump problems stem from lack of fluid due to poor quality pipework leaking. Any signs of fluid loss? Did your indie replace the pipework as well as the pump?

ABC Pump / High Pressure Line Replacement (with pictures) - Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum

ps don't know if this applies to your set up or not but thought it might be useful .


You could also try going direct to the manufacturer this time since AFAIK the tandem pumps are made by LUK?

http://toc.luk-as.de/

 

[mercedescl500]

abc parts changed

This is an informative post--it implies many pump problems stem from lack of fluid due to poor quality pipework leaking. Any signs of fluid loss? Did your indie replace the pipework as well as the pump?

ABC Pump / High Pressure Line Replacement (with pictures) - Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum

ps don't know if this applies to your set up or not but thought it might be useful .

Thanks for your reply. My car has had all recall work done on ABC high pressure lines. ABC ecu's have been replaced, accumalators changed, valve block changed too (this has been over the years that I have owned the car), system flushed, filters changed and RODEO done, so I have become quite versed in ABC components etc. This pump was noisy from the first time the engine was started after fitment. The sound is comming directly from the pump. All fluid p/s and abc suspension are optimal, and no leaks anywhere, system goes up and down fine, no leaning or losing pressure either, steering left - right lock absolutely fine too. The problem is purely the noisy pump is driving me insane, it works fine but sounds like it belongs on a tractor. If you park another CL next to mine you will clearly hear a massive difference. Mechanically the pump is working fine, but its too NOISY (maybe dry bearing). Would you be expected to pay 1600gbp for a noisy pump to be fitted to a top of the class Mercedes by a Merc Indy tech ? any help would be great. Thanks again.

 

[grober]

Fair comment. I too would be very annoyed if a supposedly new pump was noisy from the off. Mercedes have been known to be very awkward about about warranty on components not fitted by main dealer workshops- they use the excuse that any possible improper fitment invalidates any warranty----- which is normally a year I believe but may vary from component to component---- others may know better.

I would hesitate no long but draft a letter of complaint to MB UK headquarters detailing the history of this problem complete with detailed invoices and serial numbers of the pumps involved (where possible) Say that just as you expect cars bearing the Mercedes brand to be engineered to high standard you expect the same of their "branded" spare parts. Certainly worth a try. Failing that explore the possibility of getting a replacement directly from LUK since they may prove cheaper than MB.

 

[mercedescl500]

Further information

Fair comment. I too would be very annoyed if a supposedly new pump was noisy from the off. Mercedes have been known to be very awkward about about warranty on components not fitted by main dealer workshops- they use the excuse that any possible improper fitment invalidates any warranty----- which is normally a year I believe but may vary from component to component---- others may know better.

I would hesitate no long but draft a letter of complaint to MB UK headquarters detailing the history of this problem complete with detailed invoices and serial numbers of the pumps involved (where possible) Say that just as you expect cars bearing the Mercedes brand to be engineered to high standard you expect the same of their "branded" spare parts. Certainly worth a try. Failing that explore the possibility of getting a replacement directly from LUK since they may prove cheaper than MB.

Grober thanks for replying again. When I purchased this new pump through a bosch Indy I was assured that it was covered under 12 month warranty. This is the reason I spent the extra money again on getting a new pump as opposed to a used unit at 30% of the retail price. ABC pumps have been known to be faulty from the get go, design fault maybe. The car is now going into main dealers on Monday through the Indy I used for them to diagnose the pump. In my personal experience with ABC related complaints the dealerships are quite useless and an Indy is usually better as they try to diagnose and fix a problem as opposed to simply replacing everything. At my very best I am preparing to maybe have to pay the labour to have it fitted again as long as I can get a replacement pump from Benz. P.S. My pump on the car at the moment is not LUK, as they dont make them anymore, IXETIC (sp?) make the ABC pump for Benz now, supposedly uprated from the old LUK spec.

 

[LTD]

If the 9 month old pump is faulty and being replaced under warranty then the indy should be replacing the unit FOC and billing out the labour to the warranty provider.

You should not have to pay out for consequential loss.

 

[kth286]

cl500

tricky but all merc parts are guaranteed for two years - when was it fitted.

If it was obvious that it was noisy from the start, you should have immediately returned it to the indie and asked for another pump.

Presumably he has a a parts account with his local Merc main dealer parts dept and is a valued customer of theirs, so there would have been no problem in him getting a replacement by return.

What he does about the wasted labour i do not know (does Merc reimburse that too I wonder) but that is not really your concern.

But your contract is with the indie, and it is up to him to sort it out, giving him an indication that you are prepared to take matters further via trading standards etc if he does not comply, and you will be able to get another car to compare the noise.

 

[Druk]

This is the crucial part of this whole thing.

But your contract is with the indie, and it is up to him to sort it out.

If you bought a Hoover from Comet and it subsequently broke and Comet fitted a new motor which then broke again you wouldn't be arguing with Hoover for another new motor. I would be Comets resposibility.
This might not fit with your relationship with your indie but that's tough.

 

[mercedescl500]

cl500

tricky but all merc parts are guaranteed for two years - when was it fitted.

If it was obvious that it was noisy from the start, you should have immediately returned it to the indie and asked for another pump.

Presumably he has a a parts account with his local Merc main dealer parts dept and is a valued customer of theirs, so there would have been no problem in him getting a replacement by return.

What he does about the wasted labour i do not know (does Merc reimburse that too I wonder) but that is not really your concern.

But your contract is with the indie, and it is up to him to sort it out, giving him an indication that you are prepared to take matters further via trading standards etc if he does not comply, and you will be able to get another car to compare the noise.

Hi, I did take it back to the Indy immediately, and the response was that the part if functioning properly and its just noise, nothing else. I was told that MB would not replace the part just because it was noisy. So i have continued to drive it with this irratating sound. If you remove the accessory belt, the noise is gone. The pump was fitted at the begining of this year and came directly from MB. Just as a side note, when I had some mobilo work done on rust the service techs said it was noisy too. I have my fingers x'd.

 

[grober]

Grober thanks for replying again. When I purchased this new pump through a bosch Indy I was assured that it was covered under 12 month warranty. This is the reason I spent the extra money again on getting a new pump as opposed to a used unit at 30% of the retail price. ABC pumps have been known to be faulty from the get go, design fault maybe. The car is now going into main dealers on Monday through the Indy I used for them to diagnose the pump. In my personal experience with ABC related complaints the dealerships are quite useless and an Indy is usually better as they try to diagnose and fix a problem as opposed to simply replacing everything. At my very best I am preparing to maybe have to pay the labour to have it fitted again as long as I can get a replacement pump from Benz. P.S. My pump on the car at the moment is not LUK, as they dont make them anymore, IXETIC (sp?) make the ABC pump for Benz now, supposedly uprated from the old LUK spec.

You won't be surprised to learn that IXETIC and LUK are essentially the same company but the latest pump may well be the uprated version as you say.ixetic

 

[mercedescl500]

All sorted

Thanks for all the help, my Indy was very helpful and I now have a brand new pump fitted to the car at no extra cost. Fantastic stuff