When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
After my car was at the dealer for the fuel injector replacement (the CEL has not come on since then, BTW), I was cleaning my car and noticed that the right hood vent was broken:
This is what the left side vent looks like.
Seeing as how thin that little bit of plastic is, I didn't think much of it, until I noticed that the red plastic cover for the positive battery pole was also broken, so it looked like someone left a tool or something there when they closed it.
I mentioned to the service rep, when I was in for my A Service, and he brought out the service manager, who agreed to fix it.
When I was on my way to Alabama to attend the MBCA StarFest, I got a call that the part was in, and said that I would bring in the car the next week, when I returned to town.
I took the car in, and the next day, they called me to tell me that the new part was also broken, and they had another one on order.
Two days later, part #2 arrived. Also broken.
Another two days, another broken part #3.
"They've been shipping these in bags, I guess they should put them in a box, eh?"
While we wait for part #4, which I'm told is being taped to the inside of a box, I picked up my car.
If I ever get the part that is unbroken, I plan on reinforcing that connection with a bit of epoxy. I can't see why it should be flexible, can you?
Is the broken part well secured?
just wondering if there’s a fitment issue at the factory level and the solution is to modify the existing lot, say for example if it rubs on the battery cover. That would mean that they intentionally break the clip to fix the problem. I guess we will see with take #4!
keep us posted.
AMG GTBS, AMG GTR Pro, AMG GT, C63 AMG, Porsche Panamera 4S, RX-7 FC Turbo II
I thought I was the unlucky one on the air box. I have a very similar story. Noticed mine was broken when looking under the hood one day in January (same side). Asked that it be replaced under warranty during my first service visit. The first replacement box that was ordered was broken when it arrived, and a second one was reordered and installed. That one is now broken and will be replaced tomorrow. In the meantime, I just taped it up with racer's tape. We'll see how the next one fares, but the epoxy is a good idea. My mechanic says that it is poorly designed and is essentially a defective part. I'm betting some of you guys have this little problem and do not realize it.
AMG GTBS, AMG GTR Pro, AMG GT, C63 AMG, Porsche Panamera 4S, RX-7 FC Turbo II
Update - I was told the replacement part that was to arrive today “could not be located or was not at” another local dealership that was to be the source. The part has to be shipped from Germany to be received in 1 to 2 weeks. Meanwhile, here is a pic of my tape job.
I had a similar issue with my far front underpanel on my CL, the one on the car was damaged driving, I order one, it shows up broken. Parts guy looks at me like 'Oh, so you don't want it?', i'm like, nah for almost $200 for a piece of plastic i'll wait for a good one. Took 3 tries to get one shipped to the dealer that wasn't somehow broken. These parts guys are brutal.
I've had things in boxes show up damaged, once got a camshaft with the trigger wheel bent, my parts manager wanted me to straighten it and put it in anyway because for them, returning an $1100 part looks bad. I'm like, no ****ing way i'm putting a damaged part in this car that a customer is paying for. I don't know what is wrong with some of these people.
They DO need to be flexible, as they are intended to act like a hinge. That is how you remove them from the hood itself.
i went through all this myself (I personally did their removal and re-install) when I dropped my car to have Suntek Paint Protection Film installed.
unfortunately you are right, those “flexible hinges” are a horrible crappy aweful design, as you are finding out since they can’t even survive shipping.
06-02-2018, 04:09 PM
