water ingress to merc SL500 boot
Letter to Charles Sidney Holdings MB Main dealer, sadly no reply recieved as yet ,such is MB service
Re: - SL500 - Unresolved Warranty Problems – Water Ingress to Boot
Formal Rejection of the Car
Once again I have spent a weekend drying out the boot of the above following repeated water ingress, the car only recently being returned by you, following your latest attempt to resolve the water ingress problem.
This communication is to formally reject the vehicle and ask for a refund.
For ease I enclose a CD with the detailed correspondence (for the period from late 2007/8) in relation to the matter which highlights the sequence of events and your numerous failed attempts to resolve the problem with the car being variously shipped (by you) around several dealerships (I believe the car has been sent to Blackburn, Blackpool, Tamworth in addition to Bolton dealerships) with attempted repairs in August 07, Nov 07, Feb 08, Sept 08 etc.
I consider I have been more than reasonable and that you have had more than enough attempts to rectify the defect.
Apart from the obvious inconvenience and impaired use, there is also loss of value due to the chequered service record and the problems i.e. smells associated with repeated leaks etc.
The latest leak is in a similar position to the previous leaks namely the nearside rear corner of the boot lid and everybody I have spoken to in MB acknowledges unofficially that this is a known problem afflicting SL500’s.Just to clarify the situation, in your latest email, you felt the problem was caused because I parked near trees and the debris from same was blocking the small drains.
I can confirm the drains are clear so this was I red herring.
I have never had a defect free product and Mercedes themselves have been kept fully informed with Dermot Kelly (Daimler Chrysler – MD) - no less - being involved along with Ken Lally (Customer Support Technical Manager – Mercedes UK) who has been directly involved from the onset in addition to the Customer complaints dept in Milton Keynes.( see attached CD for correspondence with these people)
This vehicle is a replacement (in April 07) for an identical SL500 that you were unable to stop leaking and at the time your dealer principle Claire Watson Brown personally promised me that the replacement car would be defect free. To suffer one car with these problems is bad enough but to have two is totally unacceptable. I have not included the correspondence form the original leaking car but can forward same if you require it.
You will notice from the attached correspondence water ingress was not the only defect but in the main the others have been resolved although I am waiting for feedback on same (see my several unanswered emails).
I would also separately point out my total dissatisfaction with your Bolton dealership, apart from your failure to fix the defects, you fail to respond to communications and there is a general lack of customer care/ feedback evidenced by the correspondence, presumably caused by the constantly changing personnel.
I look forward to your proposals by the 31st October failing which I will place the matter in the hands of my solicitor.
I regret this course of action but believe in the circumstances I have no other option.
Copy Mr Dermot Kelly, Managing Director, Mercedes Car Group, Daimler Chrysler UK Ltd,
Tongwell, Milton Keynes, MK15 8BA.
