C63 fault out of warranty - chance of goodwill from MB??

[DanX5]

I had my C63 in for its B service yesterday at my local MB dealer. It is 4 years old so now exactly 1 year out of warranty.

During its A service last year (whilst still in warranty) I asked them to check the pre-safe system for me as I kept getting intermittent 'pre-safe inactive' messages and then further messages about front left / front right seats. When they checked last year the service manager said that they had come up with no error codes and it looked OK on the day to them.

This diagnostic check was included on the invoice and I was told (verbally) that as the fault was identified and notified within the warranty period then I could bring it back out of warranty and it would be covered.

Roll on to this year (and only 6,000 miles later) the error has been still popping up intermittently and luckily enough was showing on my way to the dealer. I asked them therefore to check the pre-safe system again. When I collected the car the service chap said they had switched the error off, but didn't know what was causing it and if I wanted them to get to the bottom of it I would have to pay (at my risk) for the work and then they could make a goodwill gesture from MB but no guarantees. He wanted the car back for 2 days. Overall I wasn't convinced that he knew what they would need to do, he was talking about needing to check connecters and a control unit in the centre console.

I had assumed (perhaps wrongly) that as the error was first identified in the warranty period AND was marked as being checked at the last service (whilst in warranty) that I would be fully covered......Any thoughts on how to play this? Anyone else had similar situation and what was the result of the MB goodwill claim? Or anyone here got an inside track with MB who could guess from their experience how this would play out?

Also one other minor niggle I have is the side controls on the seats (lumbar support, etc) have stopped working. Could this be related?

On a brighter note, I'm back in love with the car now after considering changing it and have decided to keep the car for at least another year after getting it properly valeted, service done, its got new wheels on all round (due get around a cracked alloy issue - its now on matt black 507 AMG 19"'s) and new Michelin PSS tyres. Might even think about getting the Milltek de-cat pipes fitted or perhaps full IPE system.

[codek]

I had the issue with the lumbar not working - was just a blown fuse - unlikely related to your pre-safe issues. I read on here that the problem is the wires running through the seats are positioned so they get worn by the seat being moved, so the initial problem may be a blown fuse, but ultimately once the wire breaks fully then it'll have to go in for a seat out repair and that is a big job at MB.

Afraid no experience of goodwill or otherwise.

[Blue62]

My own experience of MB goodwill is mixed, I had an SL55 some years ago that was 6 months out of warranty and needed a new boot seal and they paid half, which chuffed me off as it is/was a design fault. Then had my wife's CLK Kompressor needing a new cylinder head just 2 months out of warranty and the same thing, they only coughed up half. I reckon you can expect a contribution, but don't think they will foot the whole bill.

[LMV600]

Once the dealer has identified the route cause of the issue they can submit an Esculab request ( goodwill ) to MB for consideration . However MB will not take into account the fact that the fault was previously reported to the dealer whilst the vehicle was still under manufacturers warranty , unless some form of dialogue is opened up between them and MBGB . This can be done , and they can request that the claim be put under manual review . Otherwise MB will simply apply the standard goodwill calculation matrix and you will more than likely end up with 100% customer share for the cost of the repair .
Should the final outcome of this process not be in your favour , I would suggest that some degree of responsibility lies with the dealer , as a customer you reported a defect to them in good faith whilst under warranty and they failed to deal with this , now you may be stuck with a repair bill through no fault of your own .
If I was in your position I would not be happy to pay for the further diagnostic checks here , so maybe a sensible conversation with the Service Manager / DP would be productive at this point .
Good luck and keep us updated with your progress.

[DanX5]

Thanks to all above responses, I will speak to my contact in service department and see what can be agreed.

Although the message has now gone away, I am sure it will be back - this is what happened last year and when it did come back it was then out of warranty period.