MARS RED paint bubbles and whiteness on C300 sports edition
 

My C300 yesterday had some kind of bubbles develop all over the roof and the trunk. The car is a 2014 with less than 26k miles on it. Has anyone seen this? Is mercedes aware of this paint defect the dealers I called were clueless. This car has never been hit per benz and never been repainted except for a few scratches on the front bumper which they damaged during delivery and agreed to fix per company dealer standards.

Here is a pic cannot take snapshots of the bubbles.

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That is your clear coat disintegrating. No fix but a repaint. How long is the finish warranty?

EDIT: At least given the resolution of your cell phone camera it looks like classic clear coat disintegration. With a better camera it would be easier to tell. There is some chance it's just some sort of surface etching from some caustic chemical that could be rubbed out - but it really does not look like it.

And it would not develop in a day. You must have done something that just made it noticeable, like washing, or else you just didn't notice it before. Some cars do that - I'm sure you've seen old beaters with peeling clear coat - it looks like your skin 4 days after a sunburn. But I've never seen it on a newer MB. I'd raise a real stink about that with MB.

Just saw someone else with the same issue on a c class. This is strange. I love the red color but is this a red paint issue they have.

http://www.mbca.org/forum/paint-problem-0

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/sh...d.php?t=130981

Parking your car under the sun a lot can do this. If MB doesnt want to repaint it you can always have it wrapped with some vinyl. Doesn't seem too bad though, can also try asking an auto detailer if they can help.

Sun is a cause, but should not have any effect in a car that new. The car in my sig is 6 years older than yours and bakes in the Colorado sun 24/7/365 and has no hint of clear coat damage. Across brands it does seem to happen on opaque red a lot.

I had this happen on my really old red car which was baking on the under the sun for 8 years. The only fix was to repaint the entire car and no wax protected it.

Did you have any coating applied on the car like cquartz, opti-coat, or dealer applied paint protection BS? As it might be the coating is failing. If not, that is your clear coat. The problem with this is that MB might give you a hard time for doing something with the paint and not fix it under warranty. Do you have any good relationship with your dealer as that will really help a lot with this situation.

Initial inspection was done today and it seems it is a warranty covered defect. Final decision is still pending and will know by end of week.

Also found this. This service is listed for C300 also guys.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...bc13cfbaa8.png

They will strip and repaint if this is a covered defect they told me today. I am concerned about the market value of the car now.

It is strange and they were surprised too because the flaking is within the paint and the whiteness is inside the paint and not outside so they said this cannot be acid rain damage and the painter seemed surprised as he has never seen such an oxidation on paint and immediately said the paint has a defect that came with the car

Well they better paint it properly (no masking) meaning removing all of those trims. Your car would need to be repainted as a whole to make sure the paint finish matches on all the panel. I will be a paint nazi if I were you and make sure that every thing is perfectly bang-on. Lucky for you it is a flat red and not metallic but red is tricky to match as one shade off and you will notice it specially under direct sun light.

Thanks I am not that good at this paint thing. They said they will strip the entire car. All my concern is cars are baked painted from factory but at a dealership I don't think they have the expertise and wouldnt this depreciate the value of the car?

Dealer decided to repaint
 

Good news
C300 sports 2014 are also covered under warranty for this defect in paint.

Bad news

The car will be stripped and repainted.

Thats not bad news. You are getting a free paint job. It wont be on a carfax report. The value of your car will be just fine.

Stripping the entire car is a very big job. Make sure to take hundreds of pictures of all of the panels, trims, etc.... as 100% sure it won't be the same as before when they put them all back together. Just imagine all of the gaskets, plastic parts being taken out for them to repaint the same color. I would also tell them that you want to see the car stripped first so that you can document what they took apart and take pictures of it before they repaint it so that you know exactly where and what they took apart so that when things don't look right when they give you back the car then you have something to show them that they worked on that area.

You have all the right to inspect the process as that is your car. Make sure that they will let you see the car when they are working on it.

They will send out the car to a body shop as the dealers don't have the dedicated paint booth. I will be really picky about this if I where you. Before the repair will be made have a conversation with MB corporate that if ever the fit and finish of the car is not to your liking that necessary compensation should be in order (buy back).

Skazmi,

Please PM me with info re the dealer name and location. This could be useful as I think I have the same paint issue with my car.

Where do you reside? Which state? You can goto any dealer Benz has and under warranty (if your car is) tell them the bulletin number I mentioned and they shall let you know right there.

Thanks, I am in NJ. I will use the number you posted (L198.00-P-058914).

Bubbles on red paint!!
 

I have just seen your post on here and thought I would share the fact that I have had exactly the same issue with a C220. Like you I had the white marks which completely disappeared and then about two months later reappeared which also included the bubbling and is taking it to the garage. My car was only 12 months old and the dealer I took it to in order to get the respray said he has seen a further three this week. I intend to write to Mercedes to understand how such an issue can happen. Very concerned that having been re-sprayed this will greatly devalue the car.
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Are they seriously going to strip the entire car to bare metal? That is such a huge undertaking that I can hardly believe it's worth it to them. But if they are, you need to pay attention to transition points because I can't believe they will strip the door jambs, inside the trunk, etc. so they need to make those edges perfect where the old meets new. I do hope you can posts some pics during this process because I and lots of others are curious about what they really do.

And one more thing. You don't so much have to worry about the durability of the new paint as you do defects in it. The factory paint was applied by robot in a high tech room that does not allow dust to enter. Your new paint will be applied by some guy named Elmer in a body shop in a paint booth that gets dust tracked in and out all day. The integrity and cleanliness of paints booths varies widely. But most body shop paint jobs upon close inspection will have a few dust "nibs" in them - pieces of dust trapped in the paint. You need to insect it very closely for that sort of thing.

That is the reason why I strongly stresses to the OP to document the entire procedure as I have a feeling things will not look the same. If it is my car and if the entire paint needs to be stripped I am talking first to MB corporate first regarding compensation before the procedure will be done as guaranteed workmanship will not be the same compared to factory done paint job. If they are just doing a panel I think that is fine but if they are stripping the entire car it is a whole different ball game. I just saw 2 mars red being sold at a MB dealership yesterday and one of the cars has this problem and my salesman told me to stay away from it.

Update: My dealer said my paint issue will be covered under warranty. He has yet to inform me if the entire car will be repainted. But he did request the car for about 2 weeks (which leads me to believe that a major task is ahead).

This is a MB manufacture problem. I have been a car dealer and body shop owner and race car driver for over 10 years and my wife has a $56,000 cash paid 2014 GLK 350 AMG package mars red. The clear coat literally is falling off the car as of last week and blistering all over. I managed Roebling Road Raceway for the last two years. This is a big problem. MB will replace the car and have been as I have been finding. If you are ok with spending 56k on a car that has a manufacturing defect and needs a full repaint then they will be happy to repaint. I can tell you the car will never be the same. We, as dealers, do check for paint not only with a trained eye, but with paint gauges that measure the thickness and consistency of the paint. It is depreciated. Many comments mention it not being a problem with trade-ins and that is because as a dealer, I now how much we make on trade ins and could care less about the paint work. I guarantee if you attend a wholesale auction such as florida auction of orlando, every dealer has his paint meeter. Mercedes has a good business. Why hurt it with paint problems. They will take care of their customers. I managed Roebling Road Raceway for the last two years and will be in contact with Mercedes for a new car. I know of others who are getting replacement new cars even at a more expensive price. It would be smart for Mercedes to take care of their customers especially when their market is huge and they are making some really good cars. We have motorweek do all their testing at our track with their 250k Mercedes. I have huge social media network with the track and shops. I hope Mercedes contacts me shortly so I can post how great they are. Porsche had some problems but Porsche has a reputation on and off track to take care of their customers and that is so important. I have many friends spending almost 200k for a Porsche with confidence. Ive seen them blow their engines on a race track and Porsche still change their 50k engine. Im sure Mercedes will follow in the footsteps of the greats.

And I with the 2014 GLK 350

Mercedes has been replacing the vehicles as this is factory problem. Why buy a new car to have it stripped down and pulled completely apart to be painted by "elmar"? Mercedes will stand behind their cars i want to believe and replace with a new car.

Expect full repaint which means pulling windows out etc

I doubt they will pull windows. One more thing I would do, though. Bumpers are painted with slightly different paint, and I've not heard that peeling bumpers have been an issue. If they are really repainting the whole car, they need to pull the bumpers, and may very well not repaint them. Or they may repaint them, but with separately mixed paint. I would take numerous "before" pics of my car in various lighting conditions to document that the bumpers match the car. Then if they don't match afterwards you have a complaint. The human eye can detect millions of shades of color, and non-matching bumpers are sort of a pet peeve of mine.

To the OP. Make sure to prepare yourself for the stress you will about to go through if they won't properly strip and repaint the car. I guarantee you right now that if they won't be pulling out parts and will just be masking around the car you will get rough edges and miscolored paint between the outside and inside of the exposed metal of the car. I still think you need stir a conversation with MB corporate about compensation and possible buy back of the car as this will have tremendous impact on the resale value of the car if it is not done right.

MB corporate will not respond to my emails. One mail that they replied to mentioned that paint is not a warranty thing but I needed to visit dealership to still see if it would be covered. Since then, I have talked to them multiple times but they don't answer. The bottom line I learned, never buy black, or bright colors in benz. They will try to put me in another car if I am not satisfied with the paint job per the guy. I was present while they started to remove the paint from the roof.

But they did not mention any sort of compensation in a buy back if the dealership does consider one. They will consider it more of a trade in type buy out I believe.

I am driving the 2016 C300 and must I say it is a major dissapointment. Car swirls at high speeds while opening the panoramic sunroof, you notice a very bad stinch in the entire car. During morning start, you can hear the valves knocking badly. It's a 4 cylinder top of the line c300. They do not have a c300 v6 anymore. But the body has been made so light that you now feel the wind swirls at high speed.

I feel majorly dissapointment with the 2016 Benz c300. I do not recommend people to buy it. It is an expensive car with poor quality effort.

Shazmi,

I just feel sad seeing that sanded down paint. I do hope they do a excellent job with the repaint. BS on the paint not part of warranty. The dealer wont even lay a finger on that car if it is not a known defect. Dont let them boss you around with this one. If you see a small bubble or dust in the paint tell them to redo it. Do not drive out the car from the dealer unless you see the car in broad day light and inspect it with your own bodyshop guy or best someone who does paint coatings (cquartz, etc....)for a living as they will have the eye for paint defects. Literally feel every inch of that car for surface defects. Feel it like your first time going in bed with your lady. I kid you not about this! The time you drive off with that car you will have a hard time going back to fix any paint problem you will see when you had time cleaning her up.

Do not know about other countries, but their corporate in the US do not handle client relationship that well. I have heard Audi (compared to BMW and Benz) is a brand here that will go out of the way to satisfy their client to keep a strong bond. Plus if you try to contact Benz through the official Mercedes Me account, they will not respond to you at all. If you open a ticket, it is not addressed at all sometime. I have opened multiple tickets for discussing this issue, but none has been responded to.

Honestly, Dealerships I have dealt with apart from the one I brought my car from, have been more comforting and good about discussing the car issues than has corporate. However, not all dealerships are worth it.

In NJ, i remember, the one in Morristown is not good but Bridgewater NJ did an excellent job at customer satisfaction. Same is the case in Plano, TX, the dealership does not give a rats a** if you did not buy a car through them and will not respond back to your calls but places like Park Place in Dallas have been great.

I do not know why a standard for customer satisfaction is not being rolled out at Benz that corporate and every dealership should adapt to like if you were to walk into Porsche, Jaguar or were looking at a Land rover, from the corporate to dealerships, they do care about the client.

Surprisingly, Hyundai for its luxury cars, is also surpassing quality of service standards compared to Lexus and other Japanese luxury brand. I just want Benz to be a leader from every perspective and I hope they plan on achieving this some day.

Just an update, my car has been rolled out and is ready with a red color primer as of this morning. Expecting the paint to happen in the next week.

They told me the engine bay has been painted, I did see and it looked fresh. There was nothing inside the car too and the outside was empty too, I did tell them that the panels should be painted. He told me that the door panels had been repainted too.

That looks like a good sign. Make sure that when they applied the final clear coat all the plastic parts like bumper, side skirts needs to be painted as well to perfectly blend the finish. Cross your fingers you won't find any bubbles or dust on your new paint. Tell the paint guy to take his time, do it once and do it right.

Per my dealer, there was a batch of paint that were a defect so they should paint the entire car since the whole paint on the car is defective. Tell them they have to cover the whole respray.

They have a bake paint booth and the dealer is certified painter for Maserati and porsche. Hoping to see great results.

Repaint!!!!
 

Whatever you do, do not buy Mercedes!!! we bought a brand new Mercedes GLK 350 AMG Package last year and the paint is literally falling off. The clear coat over entire car has blistered and sheets of clear falling off. Those of you that know about paintwork know that simply repainting it not only significantly depreciates the car but since the paint is defective it is everywhere and has trapped moisture (corrosion) everywhere. We came to an agreement for a replacement car with less options. This morning we were told that MB agreed to only give us 25k for our car towards the replacement plus 8k. We spent over 56k for the MB last year. It sickens me when I have seen Porsche give my friend a new engine for his 180k GT3 RS after blowing it on track by smashing his oil pan on an apex. That's customer loyalty!

They might put you in a new car if you are not happy with the job but at what cost? Those numbers are kept very disclosed and were very misleading to us.

JP, when you say you came to an agreement with the dealer where they gave you $33K towards the replacement was that for a new car or for a 2014 like you had? Either way that seems low for a trade in that you mentioned was highly optioned. Did you have very high mileage on it or was there something else unusual about it If not, that really does not sound fair.

If you wanted a new car because your paint had an issue I wouldn't think they would replace that even up. But if that had happened to me in a year after buying a car new I would have been pretty adamant about wanting an equivalent used car with the same mileage and appointments. I wouldn't think that would be too hard for them to find being a dealer.

As for the Porsche story, did your friend tell them the engine got ruined while racing it on a track and under what circumstances? Or did he just say the engine went out of the blue? If it was the former, I would be shocked.

Thanks for your reply. I managed Roebling Road Raceway for the last two years and have witnessed Porsche replacing more than one 50k engine that "went" on track. These were new gt3rs. They were happy that their customers were using them on track. The word spread quickly about the excellent customer service. We have had this car a year and a half and taken really good care of it. We bought it brand new and the paint falls off a year later. I don't want someone else's exact miles and I can't even locate a similar Packaged car used or new. Thanks for your help. The credit was towards a new GLC which replaces the glk but was 50k. They wanted another 18k. So we spent 56 and love the car and now either a repaint or this. We will see how MB works with us as these options won't work.

What color was your car?

Mars red
 

It is Mars Red

Just wondering how many Mars Red cars are affected by this......

I am thinking of filing a petition. I had a disgraceful response from Mercedes hq stating that They are repainting the car and that is as far as they will go event hough they know the paint quality might not match the paint on a car that is painted by a robot under controlled conditions in the factory. They seriously told me they could not help me out. They fail to realize that this warranty defect affects the resale value of the car

I am surprised why a defected paint brand is continuously being used after so many complaints have arised.

My mom has a Mazda red, my uncle has a BMW 5 series in red and another friend owns a red audi, none have these issues or complaints and these cars are 2012 or older.

Just a heads up for new buyers buying benz. Colors not to buy:

Mars red or Opal fire red known in some places
Black

White has also had clear coat peeling complaints

I have seen complaints for blue too online.

JP and Skazmi, have either of you discussed with the dealer about them replacing your car with a similar 2014 car as opposed to replacing it with a brand new car? If so, what did they say they would or wouldn't do?

Yes I did not ask for a new car. Same specs model with similar miles even if used. But they refused saying their paint job is the only thing they could provide even though they understand the fact that it is not painted as it is painted when it comes from a factory.

All they said was that they were sorry and they could not help at all which is the most disappointed customer service response I have seen in this decade.

Man, it me that really sucks as replacing the car with something equivalent that wasn't repainted seems very fair. Well, at least to me it does. I understand they feel they are correcting the problem and going forward you should not have a repeat of the issue, so they are "making you whole", so to speak. On the other hand, I would think anyone expecting a brand new car for that trouble is way overboard. But unless that is one hell of a paint job I can't imagine a sharp eyed car buyer not being able to tell it was repainted. And it certainly would be obvious to anyone in the car business it was repainted. I would have to think that would devalue the car once it would be time to trade it in, so through no fault of your own you are losing some value to your purchase.

I hope it works out for you in the end.

More disappointment
 

We spent much of our holiday dealing with Mercedes Benz corporate, local dealerships, etc and were constantly beaten back down to a repaint. There are rumors of a recall but this is different from a mechanical defect. In this case the value of the car is greatly diminished. They offered us half as much as we paid last year with $8k incentive. I would happily take a replacement car of same year but they insist on repainting the car and extending the warranty an additional 25k miles. We asked for this in writing and in the write up they said that they might do this rather than that they will. Being a car and racing enthusiast and a mechanic, I find this to disgraceful and unacceptable of Mercedes Benz. The biggest problem is that there is a tsb for this paint problem for Mars red, that existed prior to these cars' manufacture or sale; yet Mercedes Benz still sold the defective cars.

Exactly what I don't get too that why they applied the defective paint to the cars. I am thinking of filing a petition on behalf of owners who are seeing th3se issues and Mercedes not being questioned on why they sold it in the first place.

I agree with you. A petition or protesting a dealership or going to the news would expose their behavior. We haven't gone the litigation route yet but have been extremely persistent. I feel bad for those that just take it. The "widowed grandmother". They might charge her for the paint job! I did see a late model mb in Charleston SC that was sporting primer. Perhaps it was previously Mars red or Black!

I agree with you on all counts. In the car business we use paint meters in addition to the trained eye. The paint meter detects the thickness and consistency of paint. As good as a job as one hand spraying it would not pass the meter check that dealers all have in their pockets when at sale. And does anyone besides me have a problem with mb keeping this major repaint off car fax? Deceitful ?

I would definitely take a 2014. Just not red or black haha. They want to paint and give loaner car as it takes about 5 weeks.

Skazmi,

How is your car coming along since it was already in the booth several says ago?

I'm a lawyer, and I can think of a whole lot of issues that would be raised in any sort of formal proceeding, but it seems to me the key question - assuming paint is in fact a warranty issue - is the extent of MB's legal obligation to address a defect of that sort. In other words, what is a legally-sufficient "fix." In most cases it's a new part. Paint is one case where "new" is not as good as original. Any mechanical part is as good at new. But paint is not. Without research, I cannot answer my own question. But I would be very surprised (shocked, actually) if another car, new or used, is an obligation. I'd also be surprised (but not quite as shocked) if paying for diminished value is legally a part of warranty coverage. MB knows they have lost you as a customer. At some point this is probably more aggravation to your life than it's worth. But I want to stress one point - arguing that aftermarket paint is not as good as factory paint is an argument you will probably lose. But that is a totally different issue to me than actual, visible defects in the new paint job. This has to be a top notch job. Inspect it for as long as takes before you accept it. If it has defects, then you have something to argue about.

What is wrong with 040 Black? My car is black and does not suffer from this clear coat peeling issue. The only thing is the roof trims peeling, which all w204s have.

There is nothing wrong with your black but per discussiobs, complaints and released bullittens, complains have been heard in that color so it is a fair warning for new buyers as I would not want any enthusiast to go through what I am going through.

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Final product. Got it yesterday. The rear trunk has not been done in the right way. Car will go in again next week.

Mars red paint
 

We have experienced very poor customer service. They sold us a Mars red car knowing there were problems with it. We would have taken same year same body style car exchange but they said we would have to do it as trade and it would depend on our trade in value haha. One place told us additional 18k. At this point we are waiting for its paint date and without a car. MB won't even give us a loaner or rental until it goes in shop in 3 weeks and that is unclear as well. 45 dollars a day is what they said towards a rental and to keep our receipts. This has been a disgrace. And so much time wasted. The pressure on MB case managers is coming from top down-upper management. They are just receptionist that do MB dirty work. They have promised certain things and then not delivered. The said re paint would have some kind of warranty and then reneged on statement. The shop told us MB said to only paint panels affected. You know what that means??? Wow. Good luck to all. I feel bad for all of you and those to come with their paint falling off their new cars. I went into another MBdealership yesterday and he said with repaint he wouldn't give even close to the trade in value from up north and really pushed us to buy new car. Again disgraceful.

Exact same issue discovered a few days ago
 

I noticed the exact same thing a few days ago....first the bubbles and then the white patches popped up all over the sides, top, and back of my 2011 GLK-350. I took it in because someone had rubbed it a little in a parking lot and the clear coat started peeling off. When the clear coat started peeling off the door I really got concerned. I had Mercedes give me an estimate during a return "B" service and they said they would just have to buff the rub and replace the clear coat for $350. I really hope they had no idea about this and that they just didn't tell me. I took it in today to find out what the heck the white patches are all over and was told that something wasn't right and that I should take it to the service department for them to look into. I'm waiting a response from them now but I'm sooo glad that I googled the problem. Good luck everyone!!! I love the Mars Red, no other car looks like it but if this is the problem they can give me a black paintjob
.

Mars red
 

You need to call customer care and they will assign you a case manager. The new repaint depending on quality of shop will be same color but without the moisture between the paint and clear coat. I wish you the best. Long journey. You have to push or they will blow you off really quickly...if you let them. I agree with the petition.

Good luck with that. Benz will not compensate you with money since they already have a bulletin out there for the paint. No company would consider loss first. But that said, it is impossible to get perfect coat quality unless they outsource the paint job to one of the best in the market which they barely do. I have moved over the thought of owning a Benz anymore aND I have told people I know not to consider some specific colors in Benz which are a problem but benz, instead of changing the color formula, company, combination and mix has continued to sell their cars which in my view is a direct cheating like VW did on diesel emissions as when they know the paint has so many defects, they should address that and stop selling such paint cars to its users. Same is the case for their windshield qualities which is worse than any German car I have seen on the road. The glass will Crack with a very small hit.

I don't suggest calling customer care as they are the most useless bunch of people Mercedes has. I suggest you take the bulletin ID along with this forum details to them and tell them that this peeling issue is a known paint issue. Customer care will only say that paint defects are not covered. I have gone through them. Get an appointment with a dealership, visit at least 2. Show them the car and take their opinion. They will surely repaint and be ready to expect poor quality at places if you are a car enthusiast and really care about your car's paint bring original. If not, you might get some scratches removed.

Change your dealership. They should give you a loaner. It is partly their fault not yours. You can file a lawsuit if they tell you to pay for rent for a warranty fix they are liable for. You did not cause the paint to bubble and scratch up. Visit an optional dealer maybe a few miles away but with better reviews. It may be beneficial to you. File a complaint of the dealership with customer care and tell them they are not painting the defect on the entire car and you can refer them to this forum as you will find various complaints in this forum on the paint. Do not let them bully you. Open a bbb complaint as well for dealership bullying you into not giving you a loaner and telling you to pay rent.

As much as this whole situation sucks I can't see how you could possibly prevail in a lawsuit over not getting a loaner car or rental unless it is specifically stated in the warranty. Would be nice if they did and seems like a fair thing to do, but if they don't legally not sure how far you would get with a lawsuit.

You have a point. If he is financing or leasing, he has to be given a loaner for warranty recalls from what I know and I have seen almost all the dealerships being good at providing one. It is only the appointment time that may be an issue. I would still go for a bbb complaint against the dealership and file a complaint with Benz customer care if the dealer is refusing.

Personally, unless the dealership promised a loaner or it was part of the warranty I don't know that I would file a complaint against the dealership. What did they do wrong? They performed the work per the warranty. Your complaint would be with the manufacturer. But that's just me. Now if they did a terrible job................

Is jupiter red and mars red the same? Noticed that the new canadian c-class and glk instead have designo hyacith red metallic and some of the other cars have the jupiter red instead.

Jupiter and Mars red are different. Designo hyacinth red is designo Cardinal red in the US

Thanks! but which one is more red?

Jupiter is more red, the designo has an orange tint to it.

I have some things to add here. People who say Mercedes never contacted them, it is strange. The way Mercedes is handling my case, I have fallen in love with this brand now. I sent an email using Mercedes Me saying that my case was not being handled right and within one day I got a call from the executive (one of them) at the Mercedes headquarters.

My car is now going to be repainted because i was not satisfied as the car had spots everywhere almost and the executives agreed to resolve the dispute. How better can their customer relationship be now i think some people might not have followed the right path to reach out to the benz HQ

Because of their commitment to resolve the customer issue, I tested out the new 450 AMG C class. I have fallen in love and might be considering this as my next move. the power is awesome!!!!
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that's sweet....do it!

They also showed me that C300 new was not being offered in Mars Red. Instead Cardinal red was being sold now. So i hope they decided to fix the red paint finally.

I noticed the car you were looking at was at Park Place. I have been a customer of this dealership for many years. They have been nothing but awesome. I would not buy a car anywhere else. I have a new GLC on order thru them. It should be here in February.

Indeed they are awesome. I did not buy my car with issues from here though it was from wappingerfalls ny.

Long dead thread... but same issue with a 2014 glk350
 

I know this thread has been dead for a while, but I have a 2014 GLK 350 in red that has the exact same issue. The blisters started a few years back and have been getting progressively worse. This started under warranty and MB flat out refused to fix it. I learned to live with the blisters, but about a week ago I parked near a tree during a rainy day and overnight I got white oak leaf shaped blemishes all over my car.

last Mercedes I ever buy and now I’m just trying to dump this pos and get a better quality brand

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Folks - the white/grey splotches can be remedied with a heat gun - trust me, I will also post a video. This happens when moisture penetrates the clear-coat but can be dissipated using heat gun. I used the High setting, it did not burn the paint, just keep an eye on it.

BTW - I also took it a couple of places before I tried this - heard same from all - the clearcoat is failing, blah blah blah. I promise this works before the clearcoat is actually peeling.

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before heat gun treatment. car sat under a live oak tree, then rain came and leaves held the moisture on the finish, and it penetrated the clearcoat. but no fear, heatgun took it all away

Does the heat gun also help with the blistering? Every metal panel of my car is covered in blisters as well, so if this helps remedy that then I’ll give it a shot over the whole car.

MB USA did re-open my warranty claim and will take another look. Don’t expect much, but they did just get a minor wrist slap from the US for their handling of recalls, so maybe that lit a fire under them...

If by blistering you mean the clear coat has started to peel or come off, I have not tried but I would not be hopeful. Fortunately, the clear coat on my 2011 GLK is still completely intact which led to my skepticism about the need to repaint the affected panels. My conclusion, right or wrong, is that the clear coat is gas permeable, as such prolonged presence of moisture on the finish allows water vapor to penetrate as the water begins to evaporate. I would further postulate that if indeed a gas permeable clear coat is present, it MAY be intentional since red is so reactive with sun and UV rays, a gas permeable clear coat may allow reactive paints to 'breathe' thus somehow deemed helpful. However, that may be giving MB way too much credit but either way I believe the clear code on at least the Mars red is gas permeable which means it can be saved before it begins to come away from the finish.

Finally got the video uploaded to Youtube:

Thank you for the info. I had someone look at it who said that their way of fixing the issue is to remove just the clear coat and refinish the car. My original assumption was that the issue went down to the paint layers, but now it does make more sense that it is all in the clear coat.

i have lost a few places of clear coat, where it chipped away completely. These are small, quarter size areas. This was before the white blotches ever appeared.

As far as the blisters go, they are tiny bumps that have formed. They are not discolored, but can easily be spotted when they catch light. The best way to describe it is to think of it as if my car is completely covered in brail writing. You can run your fingers on the car and feel the little bumps everywhere.

2015 GLK350 Mars Red Paint Problem
 

Take the car back to wherever you bought it and tell them you no longer want it. Most places have a 10-30 day “buyers remorse” period where you can bring the car back if there’s a large issue.

Or purchase a bumper to bumper warranty from the place you purchased the vehicle from then bring it back a couple weeks later and show them the paint.