Car is cursed - 7th dealer visit - less than 12K km
My car is officially cursed - or a POS - or a combination of both - I'm not sure.
I was driving the car today, and the check engine light has come on yet again. This car will now go in for its 7th visit in less than 12,000 km relating the check engine lights, gas gauge light flashing. To top it off, there also seems to be a "clunk" coming from the left front end (started a while before the engine issue).
I don't know what to do with this car - and frankly my dealer hasn't been terribly helpful - or think its that big a deal. I think the exact words were "its not like the engine fell out of the car".... apparently that's a possibility with this model???
Does anyone is Canada/Ontario have any suggestions on how to proceed? Their offer to buy back and replace effectively meant me paying another $5,500 plus tax to replace a car that has been defective from less than 1,000km (sold defective as far as I'm concerned). While I have had use out of it, I've also had a great deal of inconvenience. I bought a new car under the assumption it would be "a new car". Perhaps I'm expecting too much, but I'm not sure I should be expected to pay $5,500.00 CAD + tax to replace a car the dealer can't fix!
It may be more trouble than it’s worth but this is what I learned when my previous car spent too much time in the shop. (btw – my problem was not with a Mercedes)
I live in the US but this is what a lemon law attorney told me to do regardless of how I wanted to pursue my complaint and some of this also happens to be in the B Class service and warranty booklet as well.
First and foremost keep notes of all conversations and make sure everything is in writing. Every time you bring the car in make sure that your complaint is noted in your file even if they do nothing to your car make sure that they write down your complaint and get a copy of it.
Talk to the Service Manager if that does not help then talk to the dealership’s owner. If you are still not satisfied then request a meeting with the Zone Representative. I don’t know if you have Zone Reps in Canada but there but the service and warranty booklet suggest contacting the Field Service Manager if the dealer’s service manager or owners have not resolved the issue.
In the US Zone Reps have the authority to make decisions about warranty service remedies or repairs. Dealerships don’t want customers talking to Zone Reps so asking to speak to the Zone Rep usually gets the problem resolved very quickly.
If you are still not satisfied contact the manufacturer directly in writing. Send your letter with delivery confirmation and keep copies of your correspondence. Address is in your service and warranty booklet.
If all else fails contact a TV or print media consumer affairs reporter.
Sometimes you just have to chill about these types of things. The problem with the latest generation of cars (especially Mercedes and other European marks) is that the cars are extremely complex from an electrical perspective. The B has multiple computer systems running on a fibre optic network and these computers seem to control everything from the dashboard lights to the radio, brakes, transmission, etc. In addition, there are countless sensors all over the car providing feedback to the computers on a real time basis. If you get a glitch from a bad wire, sensor, computer, all kinds of strange side affects seems to occur and this doesn't make it easy for the repair shops to figure out what is wrong.
My last car was a Jaguar and I had a weird problem show up on the car where the dash lights kept going crazy and the onboard computer kept thinking the transmission had failed and would put it into "limp home mode". The dealer replaced everything except for the transmission before they found the problem. Turns out that there is a thick bundle of wires that passes through the firewall of the car and makes a sharp bend around the metal chassis. One small wire in the bundle was rubbing on the chassis and this was shorting out the wire and one of the computers on the car. It took them a month to find this. Nothing else was really wrong with the car. They re insulated the wire and all the problems went away.
So....to make a long story short.
There is probably nothing major wrong with your car. There is just a small electrical issue somewhere that is causing a bunch of things to happen. It may take the dealer a while to find it but I suspect they eventually will do so. The big issue I think is that the dealers have all gotten very lazy when it comes to diagnosing problems on cars. Their mentality now is to just start to replacing stuff until the problem goes away. When it comes down to doing a thorough diagnosis to find a very small electrical problem....they tend to fail.
Just my humble opinion. Don't sweat it. I think the car is solid.
Thanks for the feedback.
I have no doubt that the "reliability" of the car is fine. I don't expect that it will leave me stranded any time soon. But for $47,000 CAD with taxes (frankly I wouldn't accept these problems on a $15,000 CAD KIA) I expect a car with less electrical faults or at the very least a competent dealer / service department to address them. While I'm in a completely different line of work than car sales/repair, if it took me 6 plus times to fix the same problem - regardless of complexity - I'd be asked to pack my belongings into a little box and be escorted out to the building's lobby.
The thing that kills me is that every time the car goes into the dealer, in order to get a service loaner (they usually keep the car for a week at a time - almost two once) I have to wait two weeks for the privilage. They always say they can get it in earlier if I don't need a loaner. How am I supposed to get to work without a loaner? If I'm not going to get a loaner to fix warranty work then what is the point of buying a brand new car - it sure wasn't for the new car smell!
Anyway - will call dealer again tomorrow and see what they say. The regional rep has been involved and that is where to offer of $5,500ish CAD came in. I'm not willing to pay anymore money. I know $5,500 doesn't seem THAT bad - but to think about it another way. If I paid $47K first time, that means all in, I will have spent with taxes on the difference nearly $53,000.00 CAD for a B200 Turbo. I find that number hard to live with personally. My thoughts would be completely different if these issues where only occuring when the car was 1.5 years old and 30,000 km on it or something. But this issue has been going on since the car had less than 1,000km on it and the dealer has been jerking me around ever since!
I can’t blame you for being irritated and not wanting to put out another dime let alone $5,500! Mercedes should be jumping through hoops to get this matter resolved with out costing you any more time or money especially since this type of car is new outside the European market - not to mention that Mercedes reliably has come into question lately.
I am especially interested in how this plays out because I am hoping that this car comes to the US in a few years but if there are reliably problems then it will never happen no matter what price they bring it in at. People follow me just to find out what the heck I am driving so I really believe that it would sell here.
It may be more trouble than it’s worth but this is what I learned when my previous car spent too much time in the shop. (btw – my problem was not with a Mercedes)
I live in the US but this is what a lemon law attorney told me to do regardless of how I wanted to pursue my complaint and some of this also happens to be in the B Class service and warranty booklet as well.
First and foremost keep notes of all conversations and make sure everything is in writing. Every time you bring the car in make sure that your complaint is noted in your file even if they do nothing to your car make sure that they write down your complaint and get a copy of it.
Talk to the Service Manager if that does not help then talk to the dealership’s owner. If you are still not satisfied then request a meeting with the Zone Representative. I don’t know if you have Zone Reps in Canada but there but the service and warranty booklet suggest contacting the Field Service Manager if the dealer’s service manager or owners have not resolved the issue.
In the US Zone Reps have the authority to make decisions about warranty service remedies or repairs. Dealerships don’t want customers talking to Zone Reps so asking to speak to the Zone Rep usually gets the problem resolved very quickly.
If you are still not satisfied contact the manufacturer directly in writing. Send your letter with delivery confirmation and keep copies of your correspondence. Address is in your service and warranty booklet.
If all else fails contact a TV or print media consumer affairs reporter.
If you are thinking about pursuing remedies under the Lemon Law, those suggestions are very good ones.
I also am in California, and had a similar situation with a new Volvo C70 HPT turbo coupe, that was a Lemon.
Talking with the dealership, Service managers, zone reps, and letters to the Company are fine, but once you get an aggressive Lemon Law lawyer on it,
things will really start to move along in your favor. I hate to have to say that.
It was essential to keep a diary of things as they progressed, memorializing each phone conversation, keeping copies of any letters, and repair receipts.
It is important to have the dealer open a NEW repair order, with different date and mileage on it every time the car is taken to a dealer. In California, if the new car is returned 3-5 times to the dealer, for the SAME problem, a prima facie case is established the car is then a lemon.
Dealers and manufacturers sometimes open one repair order and LEAVE IT OPEN, in order to evade this requirement. Don't let it happen to you.
But rather than replacing your car, wouldn't it be MUCH NICER if they simply took it away and gave you your ENTIRE PURCHASE price back?
That is what I asked for, and the attorney got it. (Less a mileage charge for the 7,000 miles that was put on the car after one year of driving it a little)
NOTE: If your Lemon Law attorney is a good one, he can negotiate the amount of the mileage deduction, against you, IE, from 40 cents a mile to 20 cents.
It wasn't mentioned here so far, so I would see about getting the whole purchase price back.
So much better to have no lemon car at all, not being compelled to pay money and buy another one just like it that could be another headache, and have all your money back, to decide what you want to do.
Jim B.
__________________ "I swear to god, it's like I live in a trailer of common sense, and stare out the window at a tornado of stupidity."
I got one of the first 06's off the boat -I have had zero electrical probs - but coming up to my 11th visit in 57 K clicks & almost 2 yrs - basically one visit every 6 to 8 weeks (plus my dealer does not do loaners - they just subsidize a rental)
"I swear to god, it's like I live in a trailer of common sense, and stare out the window at a tornado of stupidity."
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