LesF

I purchased a 2013 GLK250BT in early December and the car's engine light would continually illuminate due to a fuel injector system problem. The dealer and factory worked on the problem with parts replacement, software updates, and new programming specific to my car, all to no avail.

Yesterday I threw in the towel and decided to get rid of the problem. Both the dealer and Mercedes have agreed to take the car back due to the mechanical/software issues and worked with me to find a suitably equipped replacement. (Premium 1, Multimedia, Distronic, Illumination Package, Appearance Package, and interior color).

During the time I've owned the vehicle Mercedes and specially the dealer both have treated me as a valued customer. Because of the nature of the problem there appeared to be no workable solution. The car could probably be declared a lemon, and they both agreed, without the formality of the state's Lemon Law, to replace the car up to my full purchase price.

107123210

It's kind of disconcerting that a company like Mercedes could build a car that even they cannot fix.

My glk was delivered at same time and except for folding mirror problem, has been trouble free.

LesF

None of the manufacturers are immune from problems like this. I'm disappointed that my original car had the problems but it's important to note that Mercedes did not dispute the findings that the car was a problem and did not hesitate to resolve the problem to my satisfaction.

The car has over 8k miles on the odometer (I bought it used and put 2500 miles on it )and used their loaner GLK and C's for another 3500.

Rascally Wabbit

The sad part about this is your vehicle could end up sold as a used car. I have seen one other 2013 GLK250 on EBay where the title description said it was a lemon buy back. The selling party was not a MB dealership. Perhaps MB will eventually find the problem & hopefully before it is resold. The equipment on your vehicle is what I want on my next GLK plus the sound upgrade.

LesF

I took delivery today on a 2014 Blutec to replace my 2013.

The dealer and Mercedes both treated me as a valued customer and were more co-operative than I could imagine. The car IMHO was a lemon and they did not put me through the hoops to prove my case.

My hat's off the MB and Mercedes of North Palm Beach.

mjhawkins2346

I know in Cali if the car's a lemon it has to be noted on the sales docs as well as the title - no shady stuff. Maybe that's why they wanted to avoid "official lemon law" notation. Well, I doubt that was the motivation but it does throw them a small bone this way.

107123210

My neighbour has VW Golf wagon. Had a Jetta wagon before that. Both diesels. The Jetta was reliable and gave him no problems. The Golf has been very bad. It has been towed back to dealer at least 5 times. Symptom is that he starts it and backs out of garage. Then he turns it off while he helps his disabled wife into car. When he tries to restart, it wont start.

Car is 3yrs old. As recently as yesterday, tow truck came to pick up car. Owner is in late 80s. Only thing dealer has done, is try and sell him another VW. I dont think he will buy another one. They made mistake of giving him a Toyota as loaner, so he is thinking of going that way based on maintenance records. What happened to German quality ?

LesF

maybe I've got to take my wife's car in for service and will be checking out their CPO cars to see if they try to resell it. I think the factory wants the car though, Mercedes kicked in for the buyback.

fabbrisd1

"Buyback" cars go back to Mercedes - titles forever marked "buyback" then resold into 3rd party wholesale market

creynolds247

The lemon law vehicles are auctioned and then resold on with marked titles.

I was looking at a 2013 that had a good price on it and the dealer explained that there was nothing wrong with it apart from being a buy back from MB under the lemon laws....hence the price.

So I would imagine that MB will do everything possible to fix the vehicle and then unload it off in an auction to cut it's losses.

Glad to hear the dealer did everything right on this one.

Chris

hondafan

Once a lemon law car is fixed, it can only be sold at an actual MB dealership, unless another dealership purchases it from a Benz dealer, and then resells it. That's how it is at my dealership.

My guess is that it's not necessarily a lemon car, but they weren't really able to figure it out, and therefore didn't resolve the issue in the number of times you brought the car in. If they can figure it out without actually having to "lemon" the car, then they will make their margin back up.

I just applaud that they took care of you to the full extent a customer should be. I'd be interested to find out exactly what the end result is. You still have the VIN from registration and insurance. You can find out later what happened with it. If it goes to auction the CarFAX and AutoCheck will both show it.

bop11

This car sounds like an intermittent in the wiring harness. Would it be cost effective for MB to actually replace the complex harness, or would they just part it out?

fabbrisd1

Well frankly this is not correct.... "Once a lemon law car is fixed, it can only be sold at an actual MB dealership, unless another dealership purchases it from a Benz dealer, and then resells it. That's how it is at my dealership."

It is the reverse - MB dealers do NOT sell lemon buy back Mercedes with "marked" titles.

miked807

Hi everyone...
I am NOT SURE WHAT MN USA does with their "LEMON CAR(s)" but I know for sure when I had a AUDI - (company car- A8'2010 model in NY/NJ dealer) and the Audi USA had that car at dealers yard for yrs and used that car to pull out parts to reuse in other Audis.
That car was "made lemon' due to PIANT DEFECT = two rear doors had a slightly different 'appearance' of audi white color.

I was impressed with what Audi USA did and made me very comfortable - they just replaced my ride with NEW ONE from factory with FULLY LOADED ONE - everything there was to add to a car - even had a impressive coat hanger (which is still use now :P:P)

So you can call MB USA and ask them - what (if anything) they would do to THAT CAR.
I think Audi told me 'different state laws' dictate what happens to those 'LEMONS'

thenew3

I had a VW passat that was custom ordered a number of years ago, during the first 10 months of ownership it spent over 60 days at the dealer for a strange driveline noise they couldn't fix. They flew in VW techs from VWOA and noone could isolate it. I asked for a replacement and they gladly agreed. They ordered me a new one that was one model year newer and had more equipment on it. Didn't charge me anything for the 10k miles I had on the old one, plus cut me a check for $2k for my troubles.
I ran a carfax on the original vehicle a few years later and found they had sold it as mfg corporate lease vehicle. No lemon records on it.

20+ years ago had a BMW that had an engine problem. BMWUSA swapped it out with a new vehicle when I threatened to file a lemon suit. That car also had no lemon records on it when I ran the VIN through carfax 10 years later.

So sometimes the mfg will take back the vehicle and fix it up and resell it without affecting the title.

bop11

Remind me never to buy a car from you!