Well I took my car in for service yesterday because of several small issues / but the biggest one was that my left front fog light lens cracked - the light still worked but the lens had a crack that was getting bigger - so I asked them to call me with the cost before they replace it - so my advisor calls me yesterday and tells me that it was going to cost $362 for labor/parts/ and installation!!?? Wow was I shocked! I though maybe $150 or so...

So yes I am going to pay for it to get replaced - The good news is that they are raplcing my driver seatbelt box that rattles from time to time / and my center armrest that was starting to peel a bit.

I am hopefully getting my car back today...can't wait because once I bring it home I will be installing my Sprint Booster!

By the way they gave me a 2005 C230 SS in Mars Red as a loaner - and I must say the Mars red is growing on me a bit....flashy!

 

$28 part.....at $90/hr. for labor that gives them almost 4 hours to fix it. And they wonder why some people call them "stealerships". I replaced my own in under and hour. That's just plain taking advantage of the customer. The lenses crack when the front bumper cover flexes. Like from brushing a curb or a high wheel stop.

 

There was a pair for the AMG bumper on Ebay a few days ago, it may still be up there, for about $80. Keep your eye out for them, they pop up on there from time to time. There's a DIY link on the forum about changing the bulb which may give some insight on changing the whole unit or removing it. Do a search and i'm sure you'll come up with something.

 

which dealership do you go to?

the dealership goes by the book time from Mercedes, not on the time it takes to install it

 

I had my fog light replaced under warranty...

How did you describe the seatbelt thing? I have the same problem but dealer "cannot replicate."

 

You cannot just replace the glass on the AMG fogs - they are normally about $220 for the entire light.

 

Yes you can, although I'm not sure if the dealer sells the glass part by itself. This has happened to me, there are three seperate metal clips that hold the glass to the housing of the fogs.

 

If that's what is being replaced then it comes closer to making sense.

 

I would love to save money by buying the correct fog light for my car and installing it but I am not the most "handy" person...and I really don't want to go through all that hassle. But thank you for the suggestion RyanR317.

I go to Autohaus Pompano...I drive all the way from Lake Worth to deal with them because I have always been treated pretty well there...plus they always get me a benz loaner since I bought my car there.

Driver seatbelt box rattling - I just told them that this was the 2nd time I was bringing it it for this annoying problem and that the whole "can't duplicate" crap was going to be unacceptable this time. I got a new service advisor as well so maybe that helped. What is funny is that my loaner has the same rattling problem coming from the driver's seatbelt box, the only difference is that it is much worse in the loaner/ must be a pretty common issue.

When I went to have my car serviced this week I just handed my advisor a breakdown of all the issues and I guess that made it easier for him / plus what I liked was that he attached my breakdown to his paperwork that he was gave to the MB mechanic...here are the list of problems I handed my advisor during this service visit:

- Front left fog light lens is cracked / needs to be replaced ($)
- Right rear tire looses air quickly / needs to be checked for a leak ($)
- Center armrest peeling / 2nd time complaining about this - needs to be replaced
- Right rear license plate light is out / needs to be replaced
- Light in glove box doesn't always come on / needs to be checked
- Rear power window shade vibrates when music is on at high and low volume (when it is down mostly) / needs to be looked at
- After the car is off for about 10 hours or more it just about stalls during a very weak start up / needs to be looked at
- Airbag recall
- I have started the car 3 times and the radio has not worked / needs to be looked at
- Driver’s seatbelt box rattles often / 3rd time complaining about this, needs to be fixed
- A couple of times after driving I get out of the car and smell a light burning scent coming from the hood / needs to be looked at (I have also smelled it in the car while driving also) - happens when I am really pushing the car and accelerating hard
- Moisture in blinker on rearview mirror / needs to be looked at

Fortunately my car has been very reliable besides these small issues labeled above - please also keep in mind that I am a car fanatic so I am very picky - and I will always fine something in the car that needs to be fixed or improved.

 

Yes, on a car so new, they should just replace it under warranty.
Tell them as someone pointed out, you feel it was caused by flexing, and under normal driving conditions. Look close to see if there is evidence of a rock hitting it. If not, well ......time to get tough.
I've had many things replaced that would have likely not fallen under
warranty, but my service advisor was cool, and found ways to make it happen.

You may want to change service advisors, and/or pitch a fit, and tell them
you feel the issue was not your fault, that they should cover it...
while the dealers often would try to give me crap, I alway ended up getting what I wanted by either changing advisors, or trying another dealer.

Often when you go to another dealer and tell them you feel you were taken
advantage of by the previous one, they'll go out of there way to get your future service biz, give you whatever.

 

The dealer doesn't. Talk to me. Who did it for you?

 

I did it myself, though I bought the parts from a wholesale distributor.

 

congrats on the sprint booster you will love it! I recently had one of my fog lamps replaced under warranty. I was driving on the highway during a heavy downpour and rain water got inside the lamp and it hasn't worked since that day. moisture was getting in the lamp and the glass was discolored and foggy looking. I told them there was a problem with the factory seal and it got replaced for $0!