nboyd

I would be interested in hearing back from people who have had persistant problems and how to best escalate the issue.

I own a C230 Sports Coupe and originally had one problem and one irratation. The problem was with the fuel gauge, on long trips it would drop from half gas to empty, after about 200 miles.

I had this problem corrected and I asked the dealership to take a look at a minor creak I in the roof.

1. They looked at the creak and said they had fixed, but it was not corrected.

2. When Service A came round I had them look at it again. They installed some felt and it made the noise really loud and constant

3. So last week I took the car in specifically for the problem. I got it back the day before yesterday and the noise went away for that day and then returned worse than ever.

So I have called the Service Manager and next Monday it will be taken in again (4.). They are arranging for the Director to go out in the car with me. By all accounts they are looking at saying they can do nothing with the problem until MB has a fix.

Does anyone else have similar experiences and have any advice?

Thanks

Nathan

MacPhisto

Was that really a problem? Half a tank means around 8 gallons left. Assuming 28 mpg, that means you'd go 224 miles before the tank was empty. I assume you didn't drive until the tank was completely empty - there was probably a gallon or more left when you filled up.

So, going from half a tank to near empty in around 200 miles seems normal to me.

nboyd

I'm not saying that it would take 200 miles to go from half to empty.

The tank would get to about half and then drop to empty in a second. It was not an exact science, it could be 3/4 full and drop to empty. It would only ever happen after about 200 miles of driving, regardless of the actual fuel level.

nboyd

Anyway this was fixed. It ended up being something to do with the two fuel tanks in the car.

So does anyone have experience with dealerships and persistant problems. Some would give up and others would fight. I am in the fighting camp, I was particular about the car I bought and can't deal with the noise. I love the car too much to give up, and the stereo used to be able to drown it out but it is now too loud.

Cheers for the feedback.

Nathan

MacPhisto

Ahh, I see what you're saying now. Like a sticky fuel level sender.

jrct9454

Who's involved here? MB-Oakland?

viper

It looks like your dealer is not the best at least in the service department. The solution is simple. Just take your car to another dealer to see if he can fix the problem. Too many times people bash the brand when they should be bashing the dealer. There are a lot of incompetent dealers out there that can't fix simple problems. You may have found one of them.

speedfrk

Call the 800 number and complain to them. I've been fighting them about my crappy 6sp trans since it was new, and they have had the factory rep and an engineer drive it and say it was "normal". So they might not fix it, but you are on record with MBUSA as having a problem. They will probably arrange to have you bring the car in when the factory rep is going to be there. Good luck, you will need it.

nboyd

Oakland don't provide loaners so I am at Belmont.

I would buy MB again, infact I would buy this Coupe again. I think it is a defective roof and needs to be replaced. What is stopping them from replacing the roof?

Sureley it is better than me coming in four times and taking a loaner for the weekend?

I don't want to give up on these guys because they did fix the gas issue immediately.

jrct9454

Ask to talk to the Service Manager. Explain the situation and your need to stop returning for the same problem. Ask him to involve an MBNA regional service rep. OR...

Switch dealers - MB-SF, Smythe, Fremont, whatever - depending on where you work and what's next easiest.

Autobahn used to be Autohaus Brugger when they were in Redwood City, and in those days they were MY dealer for a total of about 15 years, with nothing but positive experiences. Some of the Old Guard from those days are still in Sales, but I'm sure the Service folk have turned over many times since the late '80s. I also had good service from MB-SF, but again, those experiences are too old to apply now.

truelove

i just wanted to say that this sort of stuff doesn't just happen to mercedes (obviously). my wife has returned her car (oldsmobile)about half a dozen times to the dealership to get her seals around her door to stop leaking everytime is rains really hard. well, after 2 years of owning the car, they still leak a little bit. when my dad got his 300M, the seals around his front doors didn't fit quite right (but didnt' leak), but when he had them replaced, the dealership installed all new seals on ALL the doors, and actually made the seals on the back doors worse then they were on the front doors to begin with, and they (the back door seals) were perfect before he took the car in. anyway, it happens to all cars. i've sort of learned to not say anything unless it's something really serious, because i'm afraid they'll mess things up more . not saying that these problems shouldn't be fixed, they should definitely on a new car and everyone has every right to complain. just talking here. too bad cars are so freaking complicated (especially a mercedes), then they'd be like buying a toaster, they would work all the time, everytime, and toast bread.

taylor192

Sometimes my toaster makes perfectly browned toast, other times its a little white, other times its a little dark, is there a place I can get my toaster serviced?

Seriously, at least this guy has a good attitude about it, yes the roof creaks but it can be fixed if you can find a good dealer. I think I've read on here that a simple thing such as greasing the rails helps... STF.

session

i've had an up an down experience with issues like this and my dealer's service dept. some issues they fixed immediately, like a loose heat shield rattle and a blown passenger rear speaker. other problems like a rattling glove box and a rattle in the plastic trim around the rear window have been attempted to be fixed a few times but have never gone away.

i still like my dealer, and i think my coupe's interior materials were just not put together properly.

dontwakemeup

nboyd,

I, too, had the nagging consistent rattling and other noises from my panorama roof. My dealer replaced the WHOLE unit, uncluding the glass, motor, rails, rolling sunshade...
I believe the rationale was to easily and quickly fix the problem since I had previously complained about my transmission.

These roofs are widely known to be very problematic, I agree with the others in saying go to another dealer.