SL55 fails MOT while under warranty
Discussion
I bought my SL55 a year ago from my local Mercedes dealer and it came with one years warranty. Cars bought under the MB Approved Warranty are "throughly checked in a multi point inspection" so I was surprised, after I had taken delivery,, to find that the car was way overdue for a service and that there was a problem with the charging system .
Eleven months later and two TV modules, one phone module, a drivers door handle(key less entry), and a "central control module" plus a new battery and the charging problem seems at last to have been cured.
I should say all of this work involved six trips to the dealer ( an hours trip on public transport).and no loan car was offered. On the last visit after they had had the car for two and half weeks I told them I needed a car for a long trip up north. I was told that no loan car was available but they would get Enterprise Car Rental to deliver a suitable vehicle to my home. They turned up with a Ford Ka, as the Mercedes dealer told them to give me the cheapest car. I think that tells you how much they value my custom!
Last week the SL was due for its MOT and I took it to the same dealer. Surprise surprise it failed!! "Your front discs have hairline cracks and it will be approx £600 to replace the items". "No the cost is not covered by the warranty as they are wear and tear items.
When I got home I looked at the Mercedes website (approved used car section) and there was the statement. IF IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT YOUR CAR FAILS THE MOT DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP WE WILL PAY A MAXIMUM OF£750 TOWARDS THE COST OF REPAIRS.
I printed the page and presented it the service department when I left the car for the work to be done. They denied knowing anything about this but said they would speak to MB UK but did not hold out much hope.
I left them with the promise of seeking legal advice and today I was phoned to say MB will foot the bill for the new discs.
If you have a car with a warranty read the small print .It appears that the onus is on you to point out anything that may be advantageous to the owner as opposed to the dealer
Eleven months later and two TV modules, one phone module, a drivers door handle(key less entry), and a "central control module" plus a new battery and the charging problem seems at last to have been cured.
I should say all of this work involved six trips to the dealer ( an hours trip on public transport).and no loan car was offered. On the last visit after they had had the car for two and half weeks I told them I needed a car for a long trip up north. I was told that no loan car was available but they would get Enterprise Car Rental to deliver a suitable vehicle to my home. They turned up with a Ford Ka, as the Mercedes dealer told them to give me the cheapest car. I think that tells you how much they value my custom!
Last week the SL was due for its MOT and I took it to the same dealer. Surprise surprise it failed!! "Your front discs have hairline cracks and it will be approx £600 to replace the items". "No the cost is not covered by the warranty as they are wear and tear items.
When I got home I looked at the Mercedes website (approved used car section) and there was the statement. IF IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT YOUR CAR FAILS THE MOT DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP WE WILL PAY A MAXIMUM OF£750 TOWARDS THE COST OF REPAIRS.
I printed the page and presented it the service department when I left the car for the work to be done. They denied knowing anything about this but said they would speak to MB UK but did not hold out much hope.
I left them with the promise of seeking legal advice and today I was phoned to say MB will foot the bill for the new discs.
If you have a car with a warranty read the small print .It appears that the onus is on you to point out anything that may be advantageous to the owner as opposed to the dealer
Ford Ka is quite an interesting car. I would be happy enough if they gave me one to try while my SL was in for service. Rather that than a C-Class. They've given me an E-Class today, though, and it is super.
To be honest, I don't really see what the fuss is about here. You missed the overdue service when you bought the car (pretty easy and obvious thing to check). They fixed the warranty issues, albeit took them a while. They have honoured the MOT guarantee as soon as you drew it to their attention. The brake discs are wear and tear; they're pretty expensive; and you're getting new ones for free. What do you want? Your arse wiped while they're at it?
The dealer gets paid whether the work is covered by a warranty or not, so there is no reason why your custom should be les valuable merely because you're making a claim under a warranty.
To be honest, I don't really see what the fuss is about here. You missed the overdue service when you bought the car (pretty easy and obvious thing to check). They fixed the warranty issues, albeit took them a while. They have honoured the MOT guarantee as soon as you drew it to their attention. The brake discs are wear and tear; they're pretty expensive; and you're getting new ones for free. What do you want? Your arse wiped while they're at it?
The dealer gets paid whether the work is covered by a warranty or not, so there is no reason why your custom should be les valuable merely because you're making a claim under a warranty.
This sounds a bit similar to my expirience. I bought a CLK 55 from the dealer, it was delivered showing loads of miles to the next service (a B service), but the history booklet said it was overdue and A service.
The dealer claimed (this will make you laugh) that if you exceed the mileage for an A service the service indicator resets itself, adds 10,000 miles and says the next service is a B. So according to them, it's fine to skip an A service.
I threatened to reject the car and they eventually did a B service for free.
Perhaps others disagree, but to my mind making up bullsh*t stories to fob off customers is not what I expect from a main dealer.
As ever, just my opinion.
The dealer claimed (this will make you laugh) that if you exceed the mileage for an A service the service indicator resets itself, adds 10,000 miles and says the next service is a B. So according to them, it's fine to skip an A service.
I threatened to reject the car and they eventually did a B service for free.
Perhaps others disagree, but to my mind making up bullsh*t stories to fob off customers is not what I expect from a main dealer.
As ever, just my opinion.
r129sl said:
You missed the overdue service when you bought the car (pretty easy and obvious thing to check). They fixed the warranty issues, albeit took them a while.
a missing service would be fine if you bought the car from some cheapo garage that operates from a portakabin, but when you pay an MB premium you should expect better, or at least the MB backup to sort it out without any additional effort from you. Surely.The point is that the warranty does not cover brake discs and pads .I accept that . but if you go to the Mercedes Benz Website a general information page stating the various advantages of buying a approved used Mercedes from an MB dealer clearly states "In the unlikely event that your approved used Mercedes fails its MOT test in the first year we will pay the first £750 of ANY COSTS" There was no mention of any exclusions ie wear and tear . What annoyed me was the onus seemed to be on me to point out this clause to get them to fit the discs free of charge .(the car has only done 23000 miles). They still charged me £300 plus for the pads which obviously needed changing at the same time although the original pads still had life in them. I paid this bill just to move things along ,and now hopefully I can begin to enjoy the car.
every MB dealership is run differently as they are franchising (MB give only rough guidelines except on new prices, advertisements, building, interior). if you go to a different dealer they might have given you the service you expected. Also the dealer websites are not the same. some give you discount on old models for MOT, repair and services some don't. same with discount for MB club members, depending on where I go I get 5, 10 or 15% off parts, some don't even know there is a club.
Overall it comes down to how good their relationship is with MB HQ in Milton Keys and if they are run privately owned or via a big investment company.
So go around and try a different dealer.
Overall it comes down to how good their relationship is with MB HQ in Milton Keys and if they are run privately owned or via a big investment company.
So go around and try a different dealer.
It would be interesting to get the view from an 'insider' here. I stopped having my SL55 looked after by the main dealer, following a number of incidents where they fell way short of the mark in terms of service that one might reasonably expect. It seemed they had no authority whatsoever to look after the customer (me) if it was going to cost them money. Any money. Absolutely everything had to be 'run past MB HQ...' as if in a Bruce Willis film where Bruce plays the 'I have no authority here, but I'll try to help you' negotiator. I can understand that in a sales environment, but to employ similar tactics in customer service is where they lost my vote. My guess is that the service desk carries some pretty stringent targets in terms of warranty repair work, and zero budget for 'good will gestures'. It would be interesting to hear whether those dealership targets (assumption, but likely) are reflected in the Service Manager's personal objectives...
The indipendent garage that I use is way better than MBUK ever were (in my experience).
The indipendent garage that I use is way better than MBUK ever were (in my experience).
Marlon said:
It would be interesting to get the view from an 'insider' here. I stopped having my SL55 looked after by the main dealer, following a number of incidents where they fell way short of the mark in terms of service that one might reasonably expect. It seemed they had no authority whatsoever to look after the customer (me) if it was going to cost them money. Any money. Absolutely everything had to be 'run past MB HQ...' as if in a Bruce Willis film where Bruce plays the 'I have no authority here, but I'll try to help you' negotiator. I can understand that in a sales environment, but to employ similar tactics in customer service is where they lost my vote. My guess is that the service desk carries some pretty stringent targets in terms of warranty repair work, and zero budget for 'good will gestures'. It would be interesting to hear whether those dealership targets (assumption, but likely) are reflected in the Service Manager's personal objectives...
The indipendent garage that I use is way better than MBUK ever were (in my experience).
I used to work at MBUK so can offer my knowledge on warranty and/or goodwill.The indipendent garage that I use is way better than MBUK ever were (in my experience).
In general, all warranty work needs prior approval from MB before it can be carried out. This is because the dealer will be invoicing MB for the cost of the work and will want to know for certain that they are going to be paid for it. In my time there was a warranty department in MK but I gather that this has now been transferred to Germany (can't comment on whether this slows down approvals).
If a repair was not covered by warranty then the dealer could use a matrix provided by MBUK to calculate if a goodwill contribution could be made. The matrix calculated a percentage contribution based on several factors including:
1. Was the car purchased new from a UK dealer?
2. Is the customer the first owner?
3. If the car is second hand was it purchased from a main dealer?
4. Has it been serviced on time at main dealers?
5. How many MB cars has the customer owned?
6. How far out of warranty is the car?
etc.
During my time MBUK did introduce a scheme for dealers to self-authorise goodwill repairs up to the cost of £200. I suspect that this was withdrawn when the new car market dried up in 2008.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by targets for warranty work. If you mean that MB impose a limit on the amount of warranty work that a dealer can do each year then I can confirm that they do not. The amount of warranty work a dealer will do is determined by the quality of the product. When I was at MBUK there were 2 recalls for SBC repairs which significantly increased the amount of warranty work required (over the duration of the recal period). However, across the whole time I was there the amount of warranty work declined as quality improved. Off the top of my head, in a bad year warranty work might be 40% of all work carried out by a service department. In a good year that might be 25%.
scs1 said:
If you have a car with a warranty read the small print .It appears that the onus is on you to point out anything that may be advantageous to the owner as opposed to the dealer
I would bet a large anount of money it wouldn't have failed if they realised the cost was down to them.I had Mercedes ServicePlus on my car, a fantastic sales and maintenance package which covers the car for 6yrs. It was quite expensive but great peace of mind - MB don't do it anymore, apparently it cost them a fortune.
On one MOT the dealer noted pitted disks and rang to get the go-ahead to replace them. I said "sure, it's covered by ServicePlus"! The noise of the back-tracking was overwhelming! In they end they did do them, but there was no doubt in my mind that someone messed up big-time.
Hint:
If anything is wrong with your car whilst under warranty, call their Mobilo service, say you're not comfortable driving the car as you're scared of safety / further things breaking.
They will pick your car up on a trailer and deliver a courtesy car. Under full MB warranty/Mobilo cover they authorise Enterprise to give you ANY car you want - I always had a brand new S Class.
They may not offer this immediately (probably under MB instruction) but if you demand a like for like car (they obv have no AMG's) they will eventually offer an S Class.
The above is NOT heresay - I did it myself on several occasions.
If anything is wrong with your car whilst under warranty, call their Mobilo service, say you're not comfortable driving the car as you're scared of safety / further things breaking.
They will pick your car up on a trailer and deliver a courtesy car. Under full MB warranty/Mobilo cover they authorise Enterprise to give you ANY car you want - I always had a brand new S Class.
They may not offer this immediately (probably under MB instruction) but if you demand a like for like car (they obv have no AMG's) they will eventually offer an S Class.
The above is NOT heresay - I did it myself on several occasions.
vinnie83 said:
Hint:
If anything is wrong with your car whilst under warranty, call their Mobilo service, say you're not comfortable driving the car as you're scared of safety / further things breaking.
They will pick your car up on a trailer and deliver a courtesy car. Under full MB warranty/Mobilo cover they authorise Enterprise to give you ANY car you want - I always had a brand new S Class.
They may not offer this immediately (probably under MB instruction) but if you demand a like for like car (they obv have no AMG's) they will eventually offer an S Class.
The above is NOT heresay - I did it myself on several occasions.
+ 1If anything is wrong with your car whilst under warranty, call their Mobilo service, say you're not comfortable driving the car as you're scared of safety / further things breaking.
They will pick your car up on a trailer and deliver a courtesy car. Under full MB warranty/Mobilo cover they authorise Enterprise to give you ANY car you want - I always had a brand new S Class.
They may not offer this immediately (probably under MB instruction) but if you demand a like for like car (they obv have no AMG's) they will eventually offer an S Class.
The above is NOT heresay - I did it myself on several occasions.
Did it with our C320 CDI (W203) at least three times over the past two years as we had inlet port and cooling system issues. On two occasions we got the new E Class.
[/quote]
I would bet a large anount of money it wouldn't have failed if they realised the cost was down to them.
I had Mercedes ServicePlus on my car, a fantastic sales and maintenance package which covers the car for 6yrs. It was quite expensive but great peace of mind - MB don't do it anymore, apparently it cost them a fortune.
On one MOT the dealer noted pitted disks and rang to get the go-ahead to replace them. I said "sure, it's covered by ServicePlus"! The noise of the back-tracking was overwhelming! In they end they did do them, but there was no doubt in my mind that someone messed up big-time.
[/quote]
This reminds me of an experience with my various first car..a terrible Rover 216. Soon after I got it it needed a new exhaust. Kwik-fit managed to convince me to get their top of the range one with a 3 year warranty (I was young and easily influenced!
). So about 2 years and 10months later, part of the exhaust was blowing slightly, so I took it back to Kwik fit and asked them to take a look at it. They came back telling me it needed a complete new system (which it didn't). At this point I pulled out my receipt and said "its a good job its covered by the warranty then...."Another big-time mess-up!
MY 07 SL55 is in main dealer at the moment due to noise/vibration coming from engine. They think it is the tandem hyd pump, This will be replaced under the Tier 1 warranty i think which expires in 4 weeks. Just had letter from Mercedes asking if I want to Renew at £1200.00 for furter 12 months. What do you guys think. This is the first problem I have had with it,Currently 32k miles & I do arourd 7K a year
I think they price it so that wuth warranty, servicing, other wear & tear costs plus ongoing depreciation, you might as well buy a new one.
It's a lot of money, but it would be pretty easy to run up a bill of that size. I'm not an extended warranty person normally, but I took a 3rd party one on my Merc once the ServicePlus cover expired - I'd be very nervous of running an MB without some kind of safety net.
It's a lot of money, but it would be pretty easy to run up a bill of that size. I'm not an extended warranty person normally, but I took a 3rd party one on my Merc once the ServicePlus cover expired - I'd be very nervous of running an MB without some kind of safety net.
Re the question on extending the warranty; I believe that if you buy a car second hand from MB dealer you get an 'all singing, all dancing warranty'.....which covers just about everything. If you extend the cover even through MB, the same cover does not carry through. This is what I was told by someone 'in the know'. It would be prudent to check with MB?
Rgds, Brin
Rgds, Brin
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