Tail gate rattles - TSB - have you done it?

1685 Views 14 Replies 8 Participants Last post by mdezz, Mar 14, 2005

bjmkelly

Discussion Starter · Feb 25, 2005

Greetings all
I brought my 01 ML320 in today for a few things, feeling pretty smug with my brand new $3,000 extended warranty.
Pride before the fall...here is what I was told:
1. my warranty was not yet registered so the car will be in for another day. I bought the warranty 6 weeks ago.
2. Broken glovebox lid hinge - cost $250, not covered by warranty.
3. Rattling tailgate - requires latch to be removed and mofied per TSB. Would have been free 200 miles ago (under 50k), not covered by warranty and MB will not foot the bill. Cost $200+
4. Power steering leak - probably covered by warranty, once they register it. Cost $175.
So, I am not feeling so smart now. In fact I have asked them to cancel the entire warranty.
I am very disappointed with MB on item 3. If the TSB requires modifying the latch then I feel that is a known defect. $250 to fix a glovebox hinge is also unpleasant.
Starting to feel like I should have listened when people said to avoid used ML's. I mean this is just trim and simple stuff and it is going to cost around $600 in a car that I have owned for 2 months.

A> Any thoughts on what I should do??
B> Have all you <50k mile people had that TSB carried out for tailgate rattles? Do it soon!
Brian

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JimB

· #2 · Feb 25, 2005

60K plus miles and no tail gate rattle so far[

]

You may cure the problem to avoid paying the dealer, try to udjust the rubber bumper touching the tail gate,by unscrewing them a little at a time then test drive it if the rattle still there. hope this help[

]

bjmkelly

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 25, 2005

I did play with the stops as you describe but could not find a point where the rattles stopped without roadnoise getting noticeably louder

redeye

· #4 · Feb 25, 2005

Wish you posted this 2 days ago - today was the last day on my factory warranty. I have managed (a long time ago) to fix my tailgate rattle with a combination of adjusting the tailgate rubber stops (not too far though as it pushes the middle of the door outward) and sticking some thick felt (the stiff Home Depot kind) on either side of the catch. I guess I should have had Mercedes fix it properly instead....

bjmkelly

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 25, 2005

Call now and leave them a voice mail!

sosh

· #6 · Feb 25, 2005

Was this extended warranty an MB warranty purchased from the dealer, or an aftermarket one??? You are learning a lesson, do not procrastinate about repairs and that the cost of maintaining a vehicle is in direct proportion to its cost new. Perhaps you would have been happier with an economy vehicle

bjmkelly

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 25, 2005

You have a point!

The low price of a pre-owned ML does indeed appear reflect the fairly high maintenance cost. So buying used is not as economical as first meets the eye.
My other car is a Porsche, purchased new. Before that I had another Porsche purchased used and before the ML I had a succession of three Audi's. None cheesed me off like this.
There are two things that cheese me off more than ususal in this case.
1) This is the first time (to my knowledge at least) where the manufacturer has had a TSB that involves removing and modifying a part to fix a known problem, but they won't pay for doing it.
2) I feel that the glove box hinge should be a discreet replaceable item.

Two weeks ago I heard a Daimler Chrysler exec on teh radio explaining that the front wheel of a Durango would make a lot of noise before falling off so people shouldn't be worried... I grew up with M-B always in the family but I think something has changed...

Vent over

off to get my car soon, anyway it is still one of the best driving cars I have ever had...
Brian

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bjmkelly

Discussion Starter · #8 · Feb 25, 2005

Forgot to say - warranty purchased from dealer

Sold to me as 'covering everything a new car warranty covers'. Not true.

harder

· #9 · Feb 25, 2005

Hi Brian,

I have found out just like you that extended warranties are for the foolish. They only benefit the seller of the warranty. I purchased an extended warranty once and discovered that there are so many Catch 22s in an extended warranty that I would be surprised if an extended warranty actually covered any part of the car.

My recommendation to you is to find yourself a good independent MB mechanic and stay away from the Dealers. The Dealer sole purpose is to screw the customer.

In My area I have 3 dealers all with in 12 miles of where I live and work. I have visited all 3 looking for good service. All I have found was incompetence tied to gouging. So I wonâ€™t even take my ML in for any service including warranty work. I will either do the repair myself or have my independent mechanic do the repair.

I like my ML but the ownership experience is the pits.

Good Luck,

Steven [V]

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bjmkelly

Discussion Starter · #10 · Feb 25, 2005

How has your Beemer experience compare?

timf

· #11 · Feb 25, 2005

Welcome to the MB experience like no other.....

Hi Brian,
The ML is not a bad car / SUV, rather it's a case of poor execution and support on behalf of MB.
As you can see from my signature I'm less than impressed by MB, part of the problem might be that I expected more based on the other 'Premium' brand I own.
For comparison, my 911TT had a 12 month service and they reported a minor oil leak which I wasn't aware of - within 5 days they had switched out the whole engine, no drama , no hassle. (Gave me a Cayenne as a loaner) MB could learn a thing or two here.
I don't mind paying premium prices, but I do expect premium service in return. Sometimes MB treats ML owners more like a Ford owner - if you know what I mean.

In any event, enjoy your ML but expect some trivial problems from time to time. BTW did you wonder why it was traded just before it's warranty expired ? ;-)

bjmkelly

Discussion Starter · #12 · Feb 25, 2005

Yes I know exactly what you mean!

I felt yesterday like the poor guy at the Olds dealership in the movie FARGO where he is saying 'but I sat here in this chair and you told me...' and William H Macy is looking at him with a fixed patronizing smile saying 'alright, alright. I'm not saying I didn't'

I am lucky to have a good Porsche dealer where the transactions feel like respectable business deals, not this slimey underworld I have slipped into

Yes I did notice a lot of 2001's for sale with 49k miles or so and I bought one with 44k at a good price thinking I am good with cars, they never give me trouble, this is great. Ha Ha!

harder

· #13 · Feb 25, 2005

RE: How has your Beemer experience compare?

Hi,

My BMW experience is the same. I have 3 Dealers, all with in a few miles of home and work and I would not trust one of them to change the oil in a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower let along touch my BMWs.

I have an independent mechanic who works on my Babies. He does the job right at a price that is fair. He also provides all his repairs with a 1 year /12,000 miles warranty which ever comes first.

I have been taking my Babies to him since 1997, especially my 1983 320i. I just paid him $2,000 to do a complete engine rebuild that included replacing all the fire wall insulation. So I am a happy camper.

I only wish I could fine a good Mercedes-Benz Mechanic in my area. I have visited a few independent MB mechanics but I was not impressed. They did the job right but some how I did feel too comfortable dealing with them. Like I had to watch everything they did just to make sure they werenâ€™t going to pull a fast one on me.

Steven [V]

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BLACKML

· #14 · Feb 28, 2005

It all sounds all to familiar

My ML500 has been a money pit since the day "go". I am not sure when it happened....or how it happened...but at some point "Mercedes" decided to skimp on customer service. It seems pretty obvious just by the fact that changing the oil is primarily a dealer issue...that the ML is designed to be returned to the dealer for the simplest of maintenance issues. Thus the "gotcha by the kuhanas service method" is in effect even more than at other dealerships. I love the look and drive (when it is not in the shop) of my ML500. I also understood the $$ aspect of maintenance....but I can only blame myself for not researching the dealership/customer service side of this vehicle. Whew!.. I feel better now

Bad spellers of the world...UNTIE!!!!!

mdezz

· #15 · Mar 14, 2005

ok I am a new ML 2002 320 owner- and I have the car just 2 months with 16000 miles on it- I bought the car from a MB dealership-

I now hear rear tailgate noise- ( I think that is what it is) the car shakes and rattles so badly over bumps that it feels cheap and not the heavy sturdy car Id expect- I do enjoy the car, looks and the brand new navi I had instaled by MB- BUT does the 2002 qualify under the TSB Rear Tailgate adjustment for the tailgate noise? (In addition I have that electronic noise coming from the fan in the fuse box) Since I have to have that fixed under warranty I am wondering if the dealership can fix any other KNOWN issues while its in for service-

Particulary the noisy tailgate

Kinda pissed I have to bring this in for service just 2months in

Comments appreciated

Thanks
Matt

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