I think I'm going to pay a visit to my salesman and make him earn his commission. My C300 hasn't been put in the queue, yet (or he hasn't told me it has) so I still have some options. And I'll point him at this forum if he isn't already on it. I have enough problems with allergies to take more chances. I can wait for a car without this problem. Or to have to wait while the dealer comes up with a fix. My LaCross had an engine self-destruct after 11,000 miles, and it sat at the dealer for almost 2 months, they gave me a base model Enterprise rental free, but still. Not again if I can help it.

pek

 

MB-USA just called me and we spoke for quite some time. There is, according to the information that MB provided to my case manager, absolutely no health risk involved.

He claimed that the seat issue is isolated, and not at all common ... although based on the responses here I have my doubts about the validity of that statement. Regardless, they are still going with a seat cover replacement as the recommended fix. No upgrades to leather, no complete seat replacements, no new cars. That may change as the TSB evolves, but that is the current company position.

Regarding my own case, where my car has been in many times during my few months of ownership, I was told my issues were being discussed, and both the dealership and corporate were involved in those discussions. I mentioned both a replacement vehicle and an extended warranty as options, but all I could get was an acknowledgement of those requests. He said this would be discussed after I was able to get my car in for the needed repairs, and that MB-USA would do what they could to keep me happy.

So, it's still a work in progress. MB-USA has been very good about calling me with updates, and also now providing me with one point of contact. I might not hear anything for several more days, but corporate is certainly aware of both the seat issue and my dissatisfaction with the reliability of the car. We'll see where it goes from here.

 

Were they able to tell you what the substance is?

 

My bad ... I forgot to ask. The fumes must be affecting my memory.

That will be on my list of questions next time.

 

It's positive to hear that Mercedes has already done their due diligence with toxicology testing with this particular chemical reaction so quickly. Would love to see the toxicology report for the actual post chemical reaction from the seats --- just out of curiosity. Guess they are one-step ahead of this situation which is great news. Wouldn't expect anything less from an organization like Mercedes-Benz.


Hope you get your issue sorted quickly! You're a much more patient and level-headed person than myself.

 

Thanks Stan. I agree with you that this statement from them may change over time. Considering the fact that no one on this forum saw it until a few days ago, and now several people, including myself, have discovered it for the first time in the past 24 hours, indicates that this problem may grow quickly. The massive cold front in most of the US will make this an interesting week for MBUSA if indeed this is widespread.

 

I've left my car at the dealer to get this, and other, issues fixed. I've too opened a case up with MBUSA, to see if i can get some remediation on this as well. The *potential* health concern was the last straw for me.

 

Uh-oh for MBUSA.... going mainstream: http://www.autoblog.com/2015/01/07/m...-seat-problem/

 

Hmm! Guess what they've been reading

 

Wow.


The cat is out of the bag.

 

Stan, I think your seat is going to be famous!

edit: or should I say infamous.

 

my goodness, you are such a drama queen.

Before you get out the bloody hazmat suit, lets see what comes of this.

Not to mention the hundreds of glues and non-organic compounds that make up a new car. If you are so concerned with breathing chemicals, you should not be buying a new car...or well probably any car.

 

I'm offering free autographed 8x10 glossy photos of my seat to the first ten members who ask.

 

Boy am I glad that I leased my car.

Bad press like this could potentially negatively affect resale value.

 

If the seats are extracting the equal amount of vinyl softening plasticizer that was originally applied and the compound hasn't changed then I'd assume there isn't much to worry about. But you can now assume that the MB-Tex is going to turn into elephant skin. "Put the lotion in the basket."


If the seats are extracting an expansion of the original vinyl softening plasticizer quantity applied due to a reaction with another chemical in the overall product, then there's a more complex chemical reaction happening that's obviously changed the original compound which is a completely different story.


I'm okay with being called a drama queen if that makes you happy. This shouldn't be taken lightly IMHO. I'm not a scientist but I'm not stupid either.



From Wikipedia:


Note "doses"... so think about how much leaching is happening with the suspected plasticizers oozing out of those seats. It's not just a tiny little bit, it's soaked.

Substantial concerns have been expressed over the safety of some plasticizers, especially because several ortho-phthalates have been classified as potential endocrine disruptors with some developmental toxicity reported,

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that, at certain doses, can interfere with the endocrine (or hormone) system in mammals. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders.[1] Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by hormone disruptors. Specifically, endocrine disruptors may be associated with the development of learning disabilities, severe attention deficit disorder, cognitive and brain development problems; deformations of the body (including limbs); breast cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid and other cancers; sexual development problems such as feminizing of males or masculinizing effects on females, etc. The critical period of development for most organisms is between the transition from a fertilized egg into a fully formed infant. As the cells begin to grow and differentiate, there are critical balances of hormones and protein changes that must occur. Therefore, a dose of disrupting chemicals may do substantial damage to a developing fetus. The same dose may not significantly affect adult mothers.


I'll eat my shorts too!!!

 

Or ruin the market for spray-on vinyl treatment ... these seats are self lubricating.

Hmmmm .... I'm beginning to see how MB might turn this whole situation around ....

 

Agreed. This is nothing...if you want to breathe in some truly noxious smelling chemicals you should sit inside a Lotus Elise or Exige on a hot day!

 

gnus, you can point to this article when your 1 yr old growup.

 

It says MB "expects to address all customer complaints within the first quarter of this year." Hopefully it does not really take up to 3 months to fix this issue, but given the short supplies of replacement covers and the fact there is still no fix for the front passenger seat, it sounds like it may be a long, oily winter here in the Midwest. On the bright side, at least I can save some money and not buy any hair gel for a while!

 

If the softening agent was continually oozing out of my vinyl seats I think I'd be a bit worried about what those seats are going to feel like 3 years from now... especially if the car sees a lot of direct sunlight.

 

I will eat my shorts if this ooze ends up being toxic. There's no way Mercedes didn't have chemists on this IMMEDIATELY. That being said, this is nothing but pathetic coming from Mercedes. They deserve the embarrassment this brings.

As someone who works at a company that develops and manufacturs well-known products en masse to people of all ages, when things like this pop up our top toxicologists, microbiologists, and clinical scientists are on the case faster than you can you can ever imagine.

 

I would like to know the source of the US seat MBTex material. I bet it is different from that in other factories. Maybe, only the black material is coming from this new source. Since MBTex has been so reliable, I bet this material comes from the same country where we are finding many inferior products produced.

 

I'm suspecting the same but keeping my mouth shut. If so the lesson will be learned quickly and it'll be the end of that supplier's greed.

 

Ugh I also have this issue and its as bad as StanNh's :'(

 

At some point, it will turn to an oily film with no white stuff. Then, you can easily wipe it down with a damp cloth. That will help, but it will keep coming back in some form.