[imbored]

Hi, about 3 months ago, my 2011 e550 coupe got rear ended. It was the other guys fault 110%.

I brought the car to what I thought was a reputable body shop.....turns out I was wrong. They had a $10k IRS lien on their shop, the father wanted to use the insurance check to pay off his bills (and thereby let my car sit), they had labor issues and were massively in debt.

I only learned this after I gave them my car. I tried to get it back but it was too late.

So last week they called me and told me the car was done.....there was massive amounts of overspray and the trunk was "off" a few milimeters in the back.

I'm not going to say what I did, because if they do some quick research on the forums, they will see this post.....but from that perspective, I have everything under control.

I'd like you guys to look at the attached picture to this post....the picture is when you open your trunk and look straight down at the latch.

See how the metal part is completely off-center?

Can I nicely ask one of you guys to take a picture of your bottom latch or look at it and let me know if it's supposed to be this "off center"?

Thank you

 

[DougY]

I just looked at mine. I have an E coupe so there MAY be a difference. Mine looks to be more centered but I measured and mine it is a little off to the driver's side but not as much as yours.


Seems as though it matters more if it latches than if it looks centered. I see where you could be concerned that it needs to be off center to latch but its not that off.

 

[ALLIKANBE]

Mine is off a small bit to the driver's side too. 3-12 E350

 

[imbored]

thanks guys.....long story short, it was only after 1 month after I gave the body shop the insurance check did I learn:

1. Body shop has IRS lien on them
2. Body shop is massively in debt
3. The son of the body shop owner told me he wanted to use the insurance check to pay off his bills and let my car sit.

So I freaked out and called/emailed them 2-3x per week, attempting to micro-manage the situation. I kept on catching them in half-truths and lies.

So I called another expert and they told me that Mercedes of this year need to be put on a special machine, due to the tight tolerances. This body shop doesn't have that machine.

So after lying to me many times in a row, they told me the car was done.....I come to pick it up and noticed a huge error.....look at the below picture:

http://i.imgur.com/BCJzj.jpg


The orange arrow points to the area where the trunk is not aligned properly. The body shop claimed it was "trunk hinges"......the Mercedes dealership and a few other "experts" say that the trunk was set in a few milimeters too far.

The body shop claims that "because I was rushing them to do the job" this is the result.....but they aren't saying it in that many words....but they have implied it in the past.


This is such a fucked up situation.....

 

[cascade]

Get rid of it, start over.

If I were you, even considering the big financial hit you would take, there is no question that I would go immediately to the Mercedes Benz dealer and trade this refugee from a freeway pileup in on a brand new replacement vehicle of like kind.

It sounds like this vehicle would dog you forever with more accident related problems and issues and will never be the same.

 

[imbored]

If I were you, even considering the big financial hit you would take, there is no question that I would go immediately to the Mercedes Benz dealer and trade this refugee from a freeway pileup in on a brand new replacement vehicle of like kind.

It sounds like this vehicle would dog you forever with more accident related problems and issues and will never be the same.

I don't have the budget for a new car.....and I won't until the end of 2013. I dumped all my money in 2012 into new business ventures.



:surrender::surrender::surrender:

 

[C7nuru]

If you want it repaired properly, you should look for a shop that is certified by MBENZ, for frame repair. The machine they have will be one that can meet the tolerances that are required by MBENZ.