MB SL 350 death trap

[mickymoo]

My 2014 SL 350 has tried to kill me. Suspension and subframe separated at 65 MPH (overtaking) . The Car went all over and left road lucky to miss car just overtaken. Was on quiet country road so escaped unscathed. Only had car 3 months so although MB will repair for free does anyone think I can get dealer ( general dealer not MB specialist) to take car back and refund.
According to MB it was so bad should never have passed MOT. plus dealer should have know this if selling Mercedes regularly (they do). As it’s a know Fault in MB. Also was sold with brand new MOT. any views

[shtu]

mickymoo said:

My 2014 SL 350 has tried to kill me. Suspension and subframe separated at 65 MPH (overtaking) . The Car went all over and left road lucky to miss car just overtaken. Was on quiet country road so escaped unscathed. Only had car 3 months so although MB will repair for free does anyone think I can get dealer ( general dealer not MB specialist) to take car back and refund.
According to MB it was so bad should never have passed MOT. plus dealer should have know this if selling Mercedes regularly (they do). As it’s a know Fault in MB. Also was sold with brand new MOT. any views

Member Since 4th December 2008
Total Posts 5

Er, work on your grammar and punctuation?

[Pebbles167]

shtu said:

Member Since 4th December 2008
Total Posts 5

Er, work on your grammar and punctuation?

Rude and unnecessary.

Sorry OP, can't help but glad you didn't have a huge crash.

[dudleybloke]

Subframes are a well known issue with these, you would have thought they would have checked it, and it definitely should have been picked up at the MOT.

[samoht]

That must have been pretty alarming, glad you're ok. I can understand it's shaken your confidence in the car.

I'm afraid as far as I know the dealer's only legal obligation is to repair the fault, not to take the car back for a refund.

You could certainly explain the situation to them and ask nicely, and they might, but if they don't want the car back I don't think you can require them to - legally their requirement is just to make good the problem.

You could separately report the MoT garage, and something might come of that, but even if it does, it wouldn't help you I don't think.

[MattsCar]

Write them a letter along the lines of...

Purchased an approved used car from you...was not fit for the road...questionable MOT...car almost killed me, lost all confidence in what was supposed to be a premium product...please take the car back before I contact trading standards/ spread awareness about this on all channels of social media.

Disclaimer- Yes it is chavvy to threaten the "soshul" media thing, but it seems to work these days.

[swisstoni]

MattsCar said:

Write them a letter along the lines of...

Purchased an approved used car from you...was not fit for the road...questionable MOT...car almost killed me, lost all confidence in what was supposed to be a premium product...please take the car back before I contact trading standards/ spread awareness about this on all channels of social media.

Disclaimer- Yes it is chavvy to threaten the "soshul" media thing, but it seems to work these days.

Sounds reasonable. Appears the car was ‘laundered’ for resale and all concerned hoped for the best.
What do earlier MOTs say?

[mcpoot]

dudleybloke said:

Subframes are a well known issue with these, you would have thought they would have checked it, and it definitely should have been picked up at the MOT.

Assuming these subframes are similar to those on the SLK then they rust from the inside out and are not visible on an MOT test. MB obviously know this so if they actually did say what they are alleged to have said then they are trying it on.

[buyerandseller]

MattsCar said:

Write them a letter along the lines of...

Purchased an approved used car from you...

The OP didn't buy it from a main dealer so it's not approved as such.

I have an SLK which also suffer from subframe issues, I've read a fair amount on the subject and in many circumstances it will not show up from the casual look an MOT tester will give it, an internal inspection by a camera is needed which, under the right circumstances, Mercedes main agents are now carrying out FOC. I don't know if the same applies to the SL but if it does it's no surprise it was missed on the test.

[leef44]

mcpoot said:

dudleybloke said:

Subframes are a well known issue with these, you would have thought they would have checked it, and it definitely should have been picked up at the MOT.

Assuming these subframes are similar to those on the SLK then they rust from the inside out and are not visible on an MOT test. MB obviously know this so if they actually did say what they are alleged to have said then they are trying it on.

This is a surprise. It's not an issue on the R172 (mk3 SLK) which came out in 2011 but this SL is from 2014 so an issue which they still didn't fix into that generation.

[OutInTheShed]

mickymoo said:

My 2014 SL 350 has tried to kill me. Suspension and subframe separated at 65 MPH (overtaking) . The Car went all over and left road lucky to miss car just overtaken. Was on quiet country road so escaped unscathed. Only had car 3 months so although MB will repair for free does anyone think I can get dealer ( general dealer not MB specialist) to take car back and refund.
According to MB it was so bad should never have passed MOT. plus dealer should have know this if selling Mercedes regularly (they do). As it’s a know Fault in MB. Also was sold with brand new MOT. any views

So you were speeding then?
Design life = 10 years?

[Wacky Racer]

OutInTheShed said:

So you were speeding then?
Design life = 10 years?

Eh??

[mcpoot]

OutInTheShed said:

mickymoo said:

My 2014 SL 350 has tried to kill me. Suspension and subframe separated at 65 MPH (overtaking) . The Car went all over and left road lucky to miss car just overtaken. Was on quiet country road so escaped unscathed. Only had car 3 months so although MB will repair for free does anyone think I can get dealer ( general dealer not MB specialist) to take car back and refund.
According to MB it was so bad should never have passed MOT. plus dealer should have know this if selling Mercedes regularly (they do). As it’s a know Fault in MB. Also was sold with brand new MOT. any views

So you were speeding then?
Design life = 10 years?

What are you talking about this time?

[Dog Star]

mcpoot said:

Assuming these subframes are similar to those on the SLK then they rust from the inside out and are not visible on an MOT test. MB obviously know this so if they actually did say what they are alleged to have said then they are trying it on.

Same with C classes. MB are replacing them all FOC.

Bit of a retrograde step - the R231 subframes like those of the OP (glad you’re ok, by the way) are rust-prone steel, the previous R230s are magnesium.

OP - why do you want to give the car back? Just let them replace the subframe and blag a few free services out of them. Winner!

[mcpoot]

Dog Star said:

mcpoot said:

Assuming these subframes are similar to those on the SLK then they rust from the inside out and are not visible on an MOT test. MB obviously know this so if they actually did say what they are alleged to have said then they are trying it on.

Same with C classes. MB are replacing them all FOC.

MB haven't always done that. Plenty of people have had to fork out £2 - 3 K to get them repaired. When my 2007 SLK failed last year I was mightily relieved to find MB replaced FOC.

[Steve H]

mcpoot said:

OutInTheShed said:

mickymoo said:

My 2014 SL 350 has tried to kill me. Suspension and subframe separated at 65 MPH (overtaking) . The Car went all over and left road lucky to miss car just overtaken. Was on quiet country road so escaped unscathed. Only had car 3 months so although MB will repair for free does anyone think I can get dealer ( general dealer not MB specialist) to take car back and refund.
According to MB it was so bad should never have passed MOT. plus dealer should have know this if selling Mercedes regularly (they do). As it’s a know Fault in MB. Also was sold with brand new MOT. any views

So you were speeding then?
Design life = 10 years?

What are you talking about this time?

He is saying that at 5mph over the limit and in a car a decade old, the OP should have expected a gruesome death.

[anonymous-user]

As you're within 6 months of purchase the fault is presumed to have been there at purchase. The dealer has an opportunity to repair. If this is unsuccessful you're entitled to a refund (less adjustment for usage, 45p a mile or so seems typical).

If you've taken the car straight to MB and not engaged the supplying dealer, you've muddied the waters. In the event a repair by the Mercedes dealership doesn't go well the supplier would rightly say you didn't give them chance to repair. The right route would be to go through the original dealer and have them engage MB to effect the repair on their behalf (be that FOC or otherwise). That way you maintain your rights under the Consumer Rights Act with the supplier and if the repair goes wrong you can get your money back.

[pidsy]

Glad to hear you are ok even if the car isn’t!

I presume the damage is fairly extensive rather than just putting a new subframe on?

[surveyor]

OutInTheShed said:

mickymoo said:

My 2014 SL 350 has tried to kill me. Suspension and subframe separated at 65 MPH (overtaking) . The Car went all over and left road lucky to miss car just overtaken. Was on quiet country road so escaped unscathed. Only had car 3 months so although MB will repair for free does anyone think I can get dealer ( general dealer not MB specialist) to take car back and refund.
According to MB it was so bad should never have passed MOT. plus dealer should have know this if selling Mercedes regularly (they do). As it’s a know Fault in MB. Also was sold with brand new MOT. any views

So you were speeding then?
Design life = 10 years?

Too much time in the shed..

[Sheepshanks]

mickymoo said:

My 2014 SL 350 has tried to kill me. Suspension and subframe separated at 65 MPH (overtaking) . The Car went all over and left road lucky to miss car just overtaken. Was on quiet country road so escaped unscathed. Only had car 3 months so although MB will repair for free does anyone think I can get dealer ( general dealer not MB specialist) to take car back and refund.
According to MB it was so bad should never have passed MOT. plus dealer should have know this if selling Mercedes regularly (they do). As it’s a know Fault in MB. Also was sold with brand new MOT. any views

Some of the failures have happened a few mths after passing MOT at MB dealers.