Giving up ... trading in my C300
05-22-2015, 04:58 AM
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2015 C300 4MATIC
Giving up ... trading in my C300
I tried to make it work, but after taking my C300 in 5 times in the first 5 months of ownership, I'm officially fed up. I'm going to ask the dealer for a new C300 but I have no idea what the trade in value is going to look like. Hoping that they will go easy on me given the amount of servicing the car has needed.
Anyone else on this board trade in their C300 yet? How much depreciation are you seeing?
Anyone else on this board trade in their C300 yet? How much depreciation are you seeing?
05-22-2015, 04:59 AM
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BMW e89 Z4 sDrive 35i & MB S205 C200 AMG Premium Plus
Good luck. Deprecation on mine in just a couple of months is hideous as you might expect so its a keeper until equity levels out.
05-22-2015, 06:58 AM
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2015 C400, Steel Grey, 4Matic
You haven't said what problem you're having but have you tried going to a different dealer to see if they can resolve the problem. Maybe the problem is the dealer not the car.
05-22-2015, 07:39 AM
#4
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I bought my C300 base back in September and had it in for three recalls, one service campaign, an alignment issue, headlight aiming, badly fit fuel filler door, repair of fender damaged by installation of new fuel filler door, intermittent Keyless Go operation, software upgrade, rear bumper cover fit, sagging sunroof shade and ... finally, the MB-Tex problem and repair. I had so much mileage on the car from trips back and forth to my dealer that they offered to flat bed it for me to limit the mileage.
Through all of this, I remained patient and still liked the car. I was in touch with MB-USA through the whole thing and, after the bleeding seats fiasco, was offered a one year warranty extension and $250 in service credits. After getting the car back the last time, after the seat covers and headrests had all been replaced, I thought I had finally gotten over the service "hump." Unfortunately, the very next morning, I came out and found the rear seats again covered with oily residue and white evaporites. That was it for me. MB did not send the complete repair kit out, and omitted some sections of the rear seat assembly. I was asked to bring the car in again ... MB-USA sent the rest of the parts out by overnight mail ... but I simply said no. I had enough of it, and wanted a new car.
My service manager called the sales manager and they had me order a new C300. This time around, I upgraded to a Sport with the leather interior. The new car arrived in April. We all agreed that I would be responsible for the cost of the additional accessories, and the new car had an MSRP of about $4,000 more than the old one. That wasn't an issue, but the depreciation was.
I took a $5,000 hit on my C300 trade. Ouch! But .... of that amount, MB-USA gave me a 7 year/75,000 mile extended warranty worth $2,250, and $250 of dealer credit. That cut the depreciation in half, and I thought it was a fair deal. Then, to my surprise, a couple of weeks ago I got a $1,000 check from my dealer along with a note thanking me for my patience and courtesy through all this. So, in the end, I was effectively out $1,500 plus the difference in MSRP between the two cars. Considering I had owned the car for 7 months, I really could not complain about the final outcome.
There have been several individual settlements I know of, none of which have invoked the Lemon Law in their respective states. No two cases were the same, and they'll vary by region and car. MB-USA will not just replace a car because of non-life safety defects, but they will try to work out some accommodation between you and your dealer. My suggestion would be to call MB-USA and get a case manager assigned to you. Give that person's name to your service manager and see what kind of deal they can work out with you. You'll probably wind up with a small cash offer and a free warranty extension on your new car.
As an aside, my new C300 Sport has been the car I expected when I first purchased a C300. It is rock solid, quiet, handles well, and shows no blatant QC issues. I have 1,500 miles on it since I picked it up in April, and it's now going in for its first service. The ventilated seats stopped working. Probably a fuse, but since my dealer offers free valet service, they'll pick my car up, leave me another Mercedes loaner, and return it when ready. I am totally pleased with this C300, and can't say enough about my dealer. That's the way it should be for all of us.
Through all of this, I remained patient and still liked the car. I was in touch with MB-USA through the whole thing and, after the bleeding seats fiasco, was offered a one year warranty extension and $250 in service credits. After getting the car back the last time, after the seat covers and headrests had all been replaced, I thought I had finally gotten over the service "hump." Unfortunately, the very next morning, I came out and found the rear seats again covered with oily residue and white evaporites. That was it for me. MB did not send the complete repair kit out, and omitted some sections of the rear seat assembly. I was asked to bring the car in again ... MB-USA sent the rest of the parts out by overnight mail ... but I simply said no. I had enough of it, and wanted a new car.
My service manager called the sales manager and they had me order a new C300. This time around, I upgraded to a Sport with the leather interior. The new car arrived in April. We all agreed that I would be responsible for the cost of the additional accessories, and the new car had an MSRP of about $4,000 more than the old one. That wasn't an issue, but the depreciation was.
I took a $5,000 hit on my C300 trade. Ouch! But .... of that amount, MB-USA gave me a 7 year/75,000 mile extended warranty worth $2,250, and $250 of dealer credit. That cut the depreciation in half, and I thought it was a fair deal. Then, to my surprise, a couple of weeks ago I got a $1,000 check from my dealer along with a note thanking me for my patience and courtesy through all this. So, in the end, I was effectively out $1,500 plus the difference in MSRP between the two cars. Considering I had owned the car for 7 months, I really could not complain about the final outcome.
There have been several individual settlements I know of, none of which have invoked the Lemon Law in their respective states. No two cases were the same, and they'll vary by region and car. MB-USA will not just replace a car because of non-life safety defects, but they will try to work out some accommodation between you and your dealer. My suggestion would be to call MB-USA and get a case manager assigned to you. Give that person's name to your service manager and see what kind of deal they can work out with you. You'll probably wind up with a small cash offer and a free warranty extension on your new car.
As an aside, my new C300 Sport has been the car I expected when I first purchased a C300. It is rock solid, quiet, handles well, and shows no blatant QC issues. I have 1,500 miles on it since I picked it up in April, and it's now going in for its first service. The ventilated seats stopped working. Probably a fuse, but since my dealer offers free valet service, they'll pick my car up, leave me another Mercedes loaner, and return it when ready. I am totally pleased with this C300, and can't say enough about my dealer. That's the way it should be for all of us.
Last edited by StanNH; 05-22-2015 at 08:52 AM.
05-22-2015, 07:47 AM
#6
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Lemon laws vary by state, but typically require three failed attempts to fix a warranty defect and/or 30 consecutive business days out of service. Few of these cases meet that threshold. Even my first, constantly serviced C300, didn't meet those requirements.
05-22-2015, 07:49 AM
#7
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I thought you could only go the Lemon Law route if you had the SAME issue worked on THREE times but with no luck?
If one had a bunch of issues (all different), and the dealership was able to fix them, then you don't qualify.
If one had a bunch of issues (all different), and the dealership was able to fix them, then you don't qualify.
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05-22-2015, 07:56 AM
#8
Sure, but there is a difference between one fix being good enough and insisting that it is a real fix. Bringing it back for speaker rattle is something many people give up on, but you could just keep coming back. Car dealerships are notoriously hapless at fixing audio systems.
05-22-2015, 08:29 AM
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2023 AMG E53
Also, I think the lemon law may only apply to material issues that impact the safe driveability. Many of the issues with the C class wouldn't meet that criteria, but I could be wrong. I doubt it would be easy to get a car lemoned because of rattles, cosmetic fitment issues, LED door handles, etc. That doesn't make the issues any less maddening. The trade values are pretty atrocious. I lost a good $9000, but that's pretty customary. In my case, I went to BMW and a different dealership, so I didn't have much leverage.
05-22-2015, 08:46 AM
#10
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I spoke to the Attorney General's office in my state several times, and the typical C-Class complaint is simply not going to qualify for a Lemon Law case. Fit and finish issues, wind noise and rattles, sound system performance, or a hard shifting transmission .... which are the bulk of the complaints seen here .... do not effect the road worthiness or safety of the vehicle. They certainly impact owner satisfaction, but that is really irrelevant as far as these cases go ... cases in which a State must devote its time and limited resources to act as a mediator.
Again, the dealer must have failed three times in an attempt to fix a single warranty defect; and the car must be out of service for a given number of working days (usually 20 or 30)... not total days ... to even be considered for Lemon Law arbitration.
Based on my own experience with a non-safety issue "lemon" car, your best bet is to work with MB-USA and your dealer in negotiating a mutually agreeable deal.
Again, the dealer must have failed three times in an attempt to fix a single warranty defect; and the car must be out of service for a given number of working days (usually 20 or 30)... not total days ... to even be considered for Lemon Law arbitration.
Based on my own experience with a non-safety issue "lemon" car, your best bet is to work with MB-USA and your dealer in negotiating a mutually agreeable deal.
05-22-2015, 10:50 AM
#12
I tried to make it work, but after taking my C300 in 5 times in the first 5 months of ownership, I'm officially fed up. I'm going to ask the dealer for a new C300 but I have no idea what the trade in value is going to look like. Hoping that they will go easy on me given the amount of servicing the car has needed.
Anyone else on this board trade in their C300 yet? How much depreciation are you seeing?
Anyone else on this board trade in their C300 yet? How much depreciation are you seeing?
05-23-2015, 06:22 PM
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2015 C300 4MATIC
I bought my C300 base back in September and had it in for three recalls, one service campaign, an alignment issue, headlight aiming, badly fit fuel filler door, repair of fender damaged by installation of new fuel filler door, intermittent Keyless Go operation, software upgrade, rear bumper cover fit, sagging sunroof shade and ... finally, the MB-Tex problem and repair. I had so much mileage on the car from trips back and forth to my dealer that they offered to flat bed it for me to limit the mileage.
Through all of this, I remained patient and still liked the car. I was in touch with MB-USA through the whole thing and, after the bleeding seats fiasco, was offered a one year warranty extension and $250 in service credits. After getting the car back the last time, after the seat covers and headrests had all been replaced, I thought I had finally gotten over the service "hump." Unfortunately, the very next morning, I came out and found the rear seats again covered with oily residue and white evaporites. That was it for me. MB did not send the complete repair kit out, and omitted some sections of the rear seat assembly. I was asked to bring the car in again ... MB-USA sent the rest of the parts out by overnight mail ... but I simply said no. I had enough of it, and wanted a new car.
My service manager called the sales manager and they had me order a new C300. This time around, I upgraded to a Sport with the leather interior. The new car arrived in April. We all agreed that I would be responsible for the cost of the additional accessories, and the new car had an MSRP of about $4,000 more than the old one. That wasn't an issue, but the depreciation was.
I took a $5,000 hit on my C300 trade. Ouch! But .... of that amount, MB-USA gave me a 7 year/75,000 mile extended warranty worth $2,250, and $250 of dealer credit. That cut the depreciation in half, and I thought it was a fair deal. Then, to my surprise, a couple of weeks ago I got a $1,000 check from my dealer along with a note thanking me for my patience and courtesy through all this. So, in the end, I was effectively out $1,500 plus the difference in MSRP between the two cars. Considering I had owned the car for 7 months, I really could not complain about the final outcome.
There have been several individual settlements I know of, none of which have invoked the Lemon Law in their respective states. No two cases were the same, and they'll vary by region and car. MB-USA will not just replace a car because of non-life safety defects, but they will try to work out some accommodation between you and your dealer. My suggestion would be to call MB-USA and get a case manager assigned to you. Give that person's name to your service manager and see what kind of deal they can work out with you. You'll probably wind up with a small cash offer and a free warranty extension on your new car.
As an aside, my new C300 Sport has been the car I expected when I first purchased a C300. It is rock solid, quiet, handles well, and shows no blatant QC issues. I have 1,500 miles on it since I picked it up in April, and it's now going in for its first service. The ventilated seats stopped working. Probably a fuse, but since my dealer offers free valet service, they'll pick my car up, leave me another Mercedes loaner, and return it when ready. I am totally pleased with this C300, and can't say enough about my dealer. That's the way it should be for all of us.
Through all of this, I remained patient and still liked the car. I was in touch with MB-USA through the whole thing and, after the bleeding seats fiasco, was offered a one year warranty extension and $250 in service credits. After getting the car back the last time, after the seat covers and headrests had all been replaced, I thought I had finally gotten over the service "hump." Unfortunately, the very next morning, I came out and found the rear seats again covered with oily residue and white evaporites. That was it for me. MB did not send the complete repair kit out, and omitted some sections of the rear seat assembly. I was asked to bring the car in again ... MB-USA sent the rest of the parts out by overnight mail ... but I simply said no. I had enough of it, and wanted a new car.
My service manager called the sales manager and they had me order a new C300. This time around, I upgraded to a Sport with the leather interior. The new car arrived in April. We all agreed that I would be responsible for the cost of the additional accessories, and the new car had an MSRP of about $4,000 more than the old one. That wasn't an issue, but the depreciation was.
I took a $5,000 hit on my C300 trade. Ouch! But .... of that amount, MB-USA gave me a 7 year/75,000 mile extended warranty worth $2,250, and $250 of dealer credit. That cut the depreciation in half, and I thought it was a fair deal. Then, to my surprise, a couple of weeks ago I got a $1,000 check from my dealer along with a note thanking me for my patience and courtesy through all this. So, in the end, I was effectively out $1,500 plus the difference in MSRP between the two cars. Considering I had owned the car for 7 months, I really could not complain about the final outcome.
There have been several individual settlements I know of, none of which have invoked the Lemon Law in their respective states. No two cases were the same, and they'll vary by region and car. MB-USA will not just replace a car because of non-life safety defects, but they will try to work out some accommodation between you and your dealer. My suggestion would be to call MB-USA and get a case manager assigned to you. Give that person's name to your service manager and see what kind of deal they can work out with you. You'll probably wind up with a small cash offer and a free warranty extension on your new car.
As an aside, my new C300 Sport has been the car I expected when I first purchased a C300. It is rock solid, quiet, handles well, and shows no blatant QC issues. I have 1,500 miles on it since I picked it up in April, and it's now going in for its first service. The ventilated seats stopped working. Probably a fuse, but since my dealer offers free valet service, they'll pick my car up, leave me another Mercedes loaner, and return it when ready. I am totally pleased with this C300, and can't say enough about my dealer. That's the way it should be for all of us.
Here's my experience thus far:
1. Clunking noise when I make sharp turns
2. Broken seat memory operation panel
3. Center touchpad console no longer works
The seat memory operation panel was fixed within the first week of picking up the car. The clunking noise however has been the biggest issue. I've taken it in 4 times for this problem and each time they do something different to the car; engine mounts, drive axel replacement, oiling the suspension, and nothing works. After this last time, my center touchpad suddenly stopped working - this touchpad was working just fine before I dropped the car off for repairs which leads me to believe that they broke it. And on top of everything else, I have a nice beige interior that is stained with the technicians greasy hands every time I pick up the car.
Honestly, I feel like they more they take apart my car, they more damage they will cause. Why did my touchpad break if they were just replacing engine mounts? I have zero faith in MB service as they obviously cannot diagnose my problem. It's a joke that a car of this supposed caliber has to sit in the shop for lazy manufacturing.
Anyway, I just reached out to my dealer but haven't heard back. Do you recommend I get corporate involved or try to resolve this directly with the dealer first?
05-23-2015, 06:24 PM
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2015 C300 4MATIC
Call me a glutton for punishment, but I still want to stay in a C300. I still like the look of the car, just hoping that I can hop in another one that is issue free.
05-23-2015, 06:26 PM
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2015 C300 4MATIC
Also, I think the lemon law may only apply to material issues that impact the safe driveability. Many of the issues with the C class wouldn't meet that criteria, but I could be wrong. I doubt it would be easy to get a car lemoned because of rattles, cosmetic fitment issues, LED door handles, etc. That doesn't make the issues any less maddening. The trade values are pretty atrocious. I lost a good $9000, but that's pretty customary. In my case, I went to BMW and a different dealership, so I didn't have much leverage.
05-23-2015, 06:27 PM
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2015 C300 4MATIC
05-24-2015, 09:07 AM
#18
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I don't have the myriad of problems you had which concerns me that MB might not take my complaints seriously.
Here's my experience thus far:
1. Clunking noise when I make sharp turns
2. Broken seat memory operation panel
3. Center touchpad console no longer works
The seat memory operation panel was fixed within the first week of picking up the car. The clunking noise however has been the biggest issue. I've taken it in 4 times for this problem and each time they do something different to the car; engine mounts, drive axel replacement, oiling the suspension, and nothing works. After this last time, my center touchpad suddenly stopped working - this touchpad was working just fine before I dropped the car off for repairs which leads me to believe that they broke it. And on top of everything else, I have a nice beige interior that is stained with the technicians greasy hands every time I pick up the car.
Honestly, I feel like they more they take apart my car, they more damage they will cause. Why did my touchpad break if they were just replacing engine mounts? I have zero faith in MB service as they obviously cannot diagnose my problem. It's a joke that a car of this supposed caliber has to sit in the shop for lazy manufacturing.
Anyway, I just reached out to my dealer but haven't heard back. Do you recommend I get corporate involved or try to resolve this directly with the dealer first?
Here's my experience thus far:
1. Clunking noise when I make sharp turns
2. Broken seat memory operation panel
3. Center touchpad console no longer works
The seat memory operation panel was fixed within the first week of picking up the car. The clunking noise however has been the biggest issue. I've taken it in 4 times for this problem and each time they do something different to the car; engine mounts, drive axel replacement, oiling the suspension, and nothing works. After this last time, my center touchpad suddenly stopped working - this touchpad was working just fine before I dropped the car off for repairs which leads me to believe that they broke it. And on top of everything else, I have a nice beige interior that is stained with the technicians greasy hands every time I pick up the car.
Honestly, I feel like they more they take apart my car, they more damage they will cause. Why did my touchpad break if they were just replacing engine mounts? I have zero faith in MB service as they obviously cannot diagnose my problem. It's a joke that a car of this supposed caliber has to sit in the shop for lazy manufacturing.
Anyway, I just reached out to my dealer but haven't heard back. Do you recommend I get corporate involved or try to resolve this directly with the dealer first?
That clunking noise, and the inability of your dealer to properly diagnose and fix it, is your real issue. The touch pad could have gone out on its own and is easily replaced. A few problems with the pad have been reported ... I don't think the dealer could have broken it. The issues with leaving a dirty interior are really sloppy, and I would guess MB-USA will have your dealer completely clean and detail your car for you.
I believe you can ask for an extension of your warranty as compensation ... especially if your current issues aren't taken care of quickly. Your rep at MB-USA will likely be very non-committal, but that doesn't mean that calls aren't being made. Don't be surprised if your case isn't quickly escalated to a "case manager" who will become your dedicated contact for the incident report.
It's a slow process, so stay patient and be polite. Eventually, all these issues will be worked out and you will likely get some form of compensation from MB-USA.
