Okay they didn't ruin it, but I don't love it anymore and I'm not sure what to do. I bought a 2012 C250 from a MB dealership. 10k miles, all the options I wanted BUT heated seats. I told the dealer it was a deal breaker, call me when he finds one with heated seats. He proceeded to tell me the dealership can install, it'll look EXACTLY like it would if it came from the factory.

That's important to me. I hate the aftermarket look. So I asked, with my roommate there listening, "it'll be factory, the buttons will be the silver ones in the dash." "Sir, this is Mercedes, we don't do things cheaply, it'll have the silver buttons and be right where they are in the other cars."

We agreed on the price, including the dealership paying for half of the seat warmers, and I drove home happy. A week later they call to say they have an appointment spot for me. Today I pick up my car and the seat warmer switches are two hideous black buttons in the middle of my dash. They're horrendous looking.

The preowned sales mgr said his salesman made a mistake and over-promised and originally tried to offer me a free service to make up for it.

I'm really picky about my cars and told him honestly I would be enraged to know every month I'm paying for a Mercedes with big ugly black aftermarket buttons on the middle of my dash and that I was not happy with the car.

He apologized and wrote me a letter to take home saying they would "try" to find a similar car to trade mine in on and "try" to reduce the cost to take care of "some" of the sales tax.

Am I going to get screwed?? Is this how Mercedes dealerships operate? Am I wrong for thinking they should allow me to trade in my week old car for a replacement, and they should lower the replacements cost by the amount of taxes I've already paid so that when I pay taxes on the replacement car I'm not double-taxed?

I feel sick to my stomach. And if its either look at those horrible big buttons in the middle of my dash or pay another $3700 in sales tax...I don't know what I'll do.

I've had dealerships install factory items that looked exactly perfect before... I figured if Ford and Jeep can do it, surely so can Mercedes. HELP.

Show picture.

Picture.

WTF

Wow that sucks. I would loose it. Did you get it on paper?

I have the "we owe you" heated seats and my roommate was there when the dealer went on and on about how Mercedes doesn't do anything that looks aftermarket and how it'll be impossible to tell it didn't originally come like that. I also got the "we will try to find a similar C250 with x-options in y-color, etc" in writing...and I videoed the sales mgr handwriting it and reading it aloud. Also videoed him saying my car would be worth what I paid for it on a trade in with them as long as I don't wreck it or put 10k miles on it. I'm still worried the general mgr (it was 7pm so no one else was really around) will blow it off and just try to offer the free service or something and if I did a trade of be responsible for the taxes all over again.

I'll be honest I don't know the legalities BUT I will say I would make them do something to offset the $3,500 sales tax. Like extended warranty, extra options, added value to your car, ect.


Also, how about they redo the install the proper way? Including reordering the wood panel. Have you discussed this because this seems like it would be the easiest way?



BTW to a lot of people the button might not look bad but I completely understand where your coming from. Also, the button looks like it would be the type to show wear very easily.

I don't understand why they couldn't just add the OEM heated seats, most cars nowandays are prewired for all options to save costs on needing different harnesses. On top of that, if they really needed to go aftermarket, I don't see why they couldn't make the oem switch work. I've done aftermarket installs in the past incorporating OEM parts because I'm also picky. If you have everything written and in detail then you should be able to argue them.

That's not even close to looking like a factory install!
They need to make it right by ordering a new center console and install the correct button, or, if they find you a different car, have the deal be an equivalent out-the-door price, i.e. they eat the sales tax.

Hello LSU,

I think that you are over reacting. The sun will set & rise again tomorrow. Smoke will still go up the chimney.

I would not pay one dollar to the dealer changing over to another vehicle but would ask them to change the switches to ones that are more appropriate at their cost of course.Other switches must be available to them.

Even try blacking out the white dial to see if it looks more to your taste.

Good luck & I hope that you can begin to enjoy your new car soon.

John.

Wow, that is not what I expected when I first read the OP.

holy ****....reading this i thought you were exaggerating on how bad those buttons were...then i scrolled down...that is horrendous.

I cant believe the dealer ship would actually install anything but OEM.

Nope you're not overreacting. That's ridiculous and you deserve to have this fixed.

You don't need a new car to have it fixed either. Factory heated seats can be retrofitted all with OEM parts. The gist is that you need the heating pads for the seats, wiring, the switch panel with new trim (which will replace that hideous switch). There may be a module and programming involved. This is all stuff the dealer will not be smart enough to do but MBenzNL on this forum can. Perhaps you can get in touch with him on what is involved and then have the dealer pay for the costs of retrofitting proper factory heated seats.

That's also what I suggest. Have the dealer put it all back to the way it was and then have Steve of MBenzNL do the factory retrofit next time he's in the US. Make the dealer pay for it.

Wow, this is ridiculous! How is it possible the dealer to ruin the dashboard like this without asking you whether you would like it?!

Well, I suspect you are familiar with the economic waste rule, so, unless this is a condition subsequent, you won't recover much if you sue, so I'd try to work it out. I guess you could claim you had to be personally satisfied with the outcome, and it's a condition precedent, but, as you can see, it ain't worth the effort. Sorry this happened.

+1.... Tough break there bro

That is gross.

WTF

Yikes. That's one ugly button. My condolences. I would write to MBUSA and tell them your story.

WOW I am sorry I looked and laughed. The button(s) look like they belong on a late 90s blazer, or Ford Explorer that had heated seat option.

I would just simply have them order the OEM panel for the p1 package / heated seat option and then replace that and put the OEM buttons on... how hard can that be???

Wow.. That is pretty bad. I notice your in DC area. What dealership is this?? Can you PM to me if you don't want to announce publicly.

Went to the dealership this morning and while waiting for the General Mgr. to get out of a meeting, two salesmen asked to look at it (apparently my story made the rounds) and all said "Gosh that looks great! We used to install big rocker panel switches." I told them they need to learn their clientele better as all the responses on this forum were with me on how terrible the buttons look.

After trying to get me to trade it in on a 2013 (ah yes, let's throw on another $10k for the dealership), the general manager agreed to pull the OEM panel out of a 2012 and try to wire the heated seats into the OEM panel/buttons. Geez I hope it works. Seems like the only other option they were willing to try was to either give me $500 (no thanks) or wait until they get something in on their lot that I like (meanwhile I suppose I'm racking up miles and cutting the value they'll give me a trade? eesh).

Here's hoping. Taking it in Monday morning to have the work re-done.

Good. That sounds like a fair resolution.

That is what I recommended to be done right above this post.

They should work the same and wire it up the same and fit perfectly.