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Heard from my dealer today that the initial thinking is this is a supply issue. The US seats are the ones impacted not those sourced from Germany. Production in Germany has been ramped up but no word on exact lead times. What amazes me is that MB is still allowing damaged goods to be sold via existing inventory instead of halting sales of the C300 until they are repaired.
Just got off the phone with MB-USA and the seat issue is in fact now considered a recall! They are currently in the process of sending out recall notices to all 2015 c class owners about the seat issue. After a 45 minute phone conversation, where, yes, I did rant a bit, I do feel that MB will fix this issue, but overall I've been quite dissatisfied with the build quality of this new car. I was advised to take the car to the dealer and let them order the repair kits. The guy on the phone told me they have speedily been engineering a new seat for the c classes to replace these. How long it actually takes to get these parts in and get the car repaired, who knows? I see some of you are being told 2 months or so. Overall, it's a great car, with some big cosmetic issues to work through, but hopefully in a few months I can put this all behind me and start to enjoy the car.
Just got off the phone with MB-USA and the seat issue is in fact now considered a recall! They are currently in the process of sending out recall notices to all 2015 c class owners about the seat issue. After a 45 minute phone conversation, where, yes, I did rant a bit, I do feel that MB will fix this issue, but overall I've been quite dissatisfied with the build quality of this new car. I was advised to take the car to the dealer and let them order the repair kits. The guy on the phone told me they have speedily been engineering a new seat for the c classes to replace these. How long it actually takes to get these parts in and get the car repaired, who knows? I see some of you are being told 2 months or so. Overall, it's a great car, with some big cosmetic issues to work through, but hopefully in a few months I can put this all behind me and start to enjoy the car.
Will the fix still be new covers for existing seats? I'm a little confused because you say they are engineering a new seat. What about the bottom of the drivers seat that they said in original tech bulletin was not yet available? Hope this fix is done right. Don't want a bunch of rattles and other noises when they are done.
Since this is an official recall, are owners entitled to a loaner while work is being done?
So when is the bumper/taillight recall? Would be nice to get both problems fixed with just one visit.
Wow! Didn't realize owning a Mercedes would be so stressful. Completely spoiled by our Infiniti. Even our multiple BMWs haven't been close to this extent of defects/problems.
Just got off the phone with MB-USA and the seat issue is in fact now considered a recall! They are currently in the process of sending out recall notices to all 2015 c class owners about the seat issue. After a 45 minute phone conversation, where, yes, I did rant a bit, I do feel that MB will fix this issue, but overall I've been quite dissatisfied with the build quality of this new car. I was advised to take the car to the dealer and let them order the repair kits. The guy on the phone told me they have speedily been engineering a new seat for the c classes to replace these. How long it actually takes to get these parts in and get the car repaired, who knows? I see some of you are being told 2 months or so. Overall, it's a great car, with some big cosmetic issues to work through, but hopefully in a few months I can put this all behind me and start to enjoy the car.
The statement MB just released contradicts this information. The link to the letter is posted in another thread. There will be no recall and no new seats. Cars will be fixed as needed, and the seats will be re-covered and headrests replaced.
The statement MB just released contradicts this information. The link to the letter is posted in another thread. There will be no recall and no new seats. Cars will be fixed as needed, and the seats will be re-covered and headrests replaced.
I specifically asked the MB guy who called me back if this was going to be considered a recall and he said "yes, it is in the process." So I then asked, "so that means you'll be sending out notices to all owners?" and he said, "yes." I agree, this does not fit with the info in the service bulletin, but maybe they are starting to receive too many complaints and are readying for a full-fledge recall of the seats? Who knows?
The biggest concern I have is my seats were a little oily only on one recent cold morning and I wiped them clean. They haven't been oily since and probably won't unless we get another bad cold snap. It's generally above freezing in eastern NC where I live. Should I go ahead and get the seats recovered, or should I take my chances and wait it out. It may never happen again, and then it may. I still prefer the original seats, because I am a bit nervous about the quality of the seat repair. I would hate to sit on the new seats and feel a difference, in a bad way, or somehow it look like they've been recovered.
I did ask MBUSA if the car wasn't currently experiencing the issues, as I have wiped it clean and it has yet to come back, would the dealer fix the issue? He said, yes, they must fix it if I explain to them the situation and if they give you any hesitation in fixing it to report it directly to them and they would handle it.
The biggest concern I have is my seats were a little oily only on one recent cold morning and I wiped them clean. They haven't been oily since and probably won't unless we get another bad cold snap. It's generally above freezing in eastern NC where I live. Should I go ahead and get the seats recovered, or should I take my chances and wait it out. It may never happen again, and then it may. I still prefer the original seats, because I am a bit nervous about the quality of the seat repair. I would hate to sit on the new seats and feel a difference, in a bad way, or somehow it look like they've been recovered.
I did ask MBUSA if the car wasn't currently experiencing the issues, as I have wiped it clean and it has yet to come back, would the dealer fix the issue? He said, yes, they must fix it if I explain to them the situation and if they give you any hesitation in fixing it to report it directly to them and they would handle it.
What do I do?
I would go for the repair unless you are planning on selling the car before the warranty runs out. If you are concerned about the quality of the fix then just wait for feedback when others start getting it done.
I specifically asked the MB guy who called me back if this was going to be considered a recall and he said "yes, it is in the process." So I then asked, "so that means you'll be sending out notices to all owners?" and he said, "yes." I agree, this does not fit with the info in the service bulletin, but maybe they are starting to receive too many complaints and are readying for a full-fledge recall of the seats? Who knows?
The biggest concern I have is my seats were a little oily only on one recent cold morning and I wiped them clean. They haven't been oily since and probably won't unless we get another bad cold snap. It's generally above freezing in eastern NC where I live. Should I go ahead and get the seats recovered, or should I take my chances and wait it out. It may never happen again, and then it may. I still prefer the original seats, because I am a bit nervous about the quality of the seat repair. I would hate to sit on the new seats and feel a difference, in a bad way, or somehow it look like they've been recovered.
I did ask MBUSA if the car wasn't currently experiencing the issues, as I have wiped it clean and it has yet to come back, would the dealer fix the issue? He said, yes, they must fix it if I explain to them the situation and if they give you any hesitation in fixing it to report it directly to them and they would handle it.
What do I do?
If I were you, I would get it fixed because the thought of having this issue in a car this expensive is beyond unacceptable. Unfortunately I live in a colder climate so not getting it fixed is not even a choice. If you think it is unlikely to occur again and you are not worried about any health related issues (MB maintains it is safe) then maybe roll the dice with it. Personally I'd fix it, but that's just me.
I specifically asked the MB guy who called me back if this was going to be considered a recall and he said "yes, it is in the process." So I then asked, "so that means you'll be sending out notices to all owners?" and he said, "yes." I agree, this does not fit with the info in the service bulletin, but maybe they are starting to receive too many complaints and are readying for a full-fledge recall of the seats? Who knows?
The biggest concern I have is my seats were a little oily only on one recent cold morning and I wiped them clean. They haven't been oily since and probably won't unless we get another bad cold snap. It's generally above freezing in eastern NC where I live. Should I go ahead and get the seats recovered, or should I take my chances and wait it out. It may never happen again, and then it may. I still prefer the original seats, because I am a bit nervous about the quality of the seat repair. I would hate to sit on the new seats and feel a difference, in a bad way, or somehow it look like they've been recovered.
I did ask MBUSA if the car wasn't currently experiencing the issues, as I have wiped it clean and it has yet to come back, would the dealer fix the issue? He said, yes, they must fix it if I explain to them the situation and if they give you any hesitation in fixing it to report it directly to them and they would handle it.
What do I do?
Since you seem to have been able to get in touch with someone:
1) Have they said what exactly is being done in the repair? Is it new seat covers?
2) What is the exact chemical that is bleeding out of the car? Is it the sealant, is it plasticizer, which exact compound?
Knowing is half the battle! I already have my car in the shop and have a loaner. I wonder how long its going to end up there.....in the meantime I noticed my loaner is also starting to bleed (not nearly as much).
It's nice to hear MBUSA is likely to do the right thing and expand this to an all-out recall. That said, there is the outstanding issue of the "factory calibration" issue preventing replacement of the lower upholstery on the passenger-side seat. Has anyone heard anything new on this? Leaving the passenger-side seat covered in known bad material is unacceptable...
If I were you, I would get it fixed because the thought of having this issue in a car this expensive is beyond unacceptable. Unfortunately I live in a colder climate so not getting it fixed is not even a choice. If you think it is unlikely to occur again and you are not worried about any health related issues (MB maintains it is safe) then maybe roll the dice with it. Personally I'd fix it, but that's just me.
I too would get the seat covers replaced. But I wouldn't be first in line to do so. I would want the technicians to get a few replacements under their belt so they have some experience with it.
I parked my car outside rather than in the garage last night to see if the seats would bleed. I had not seen any sign of bleeding when garaged. The result this morning at 9AM. Anywhere my warm hands touched became oily, and the seat heaters brought out the oil in their distinctive pattern.
I specifically asked the MB guy who called me back if this was going to be considered a recall and he said "yes, it is in the process." So I then asked, "so that means you'll be sending out notices to all owners?" and he said, "yes." I agree, this does not fit with the info in the service bulletin, but maybe they are starting to receive too many complaints and are readying for a full-fledge recall of the seats? Who knows?
My non-expert guess is that they will eventually issue a recall but are still trying to figure out exactly which cars are impacted. They can't issue a recall until they know exactly which cars to recall, hence the interim solution of offering to fix any cars exhibiting symptoms of the issues.
If I were you I would get the fix done, especially since your car has shown signs of the issue. Regarding the quality of the fix, my dealer assured me they can make it look factory original (but what else would he say??). Once it's done I plan to review every inch of my seats with an extremely critical eye to insure it looks 100% correct. If it is not I will refuse to take the car back from my dealer until they get it right. Anything less than perfect on a 2 week old car will be unacceptable.
does anybody who has red leather seats have this issue? is it just an mb-tex/black issue?
I was surprised to read that MB attributes this problem to Leather also.
Many her have probably experienced first hand, that vinyl can sweat when left out in the cold. Many toys are made from Vinyl, like f.ex Dolls. Leaving them out in a unheated storage room during winter time, you often see that same type of oily sweat form on the surface. It goes away when temperature rises. A Sealant is supposed to prevent that from happeing on vinyl, or at least minimize it.
MB states of the official letter, that the sealant is the problem on both MB tex and Leather. What surprises me, is that for this to be correct, then MB must have used the same Sealant for both vinyl and leather seats.
Vinyl is man made plastic, and leather is a living breathing material. I would have expected, that you would not use the same type of sealant for these to types of material.
Just speculating, but if they did use the same Sealant, then perhaps the problem is, that the sealant used, was only intended for Leather and not for Vinyl? But then again, why should there bthen e a problem for Leather also?
I was surprised to read that MB attributes this problem to Leather also.
I'm pretty sure that MB-Tex is used on some areas of the seats and headrests of the leather interiors. I believe the sides of the seats and headrests are not leather. Those might be the areas that could be affected by this. I can't see how the leather itself would be vulnerable to the bleeding problem.
I was surprised to read that MB attributes this problem to Leather also.
Many her have probably experienced first hand, that vinyl can sweat when left out in the cold. Many toys are made from Vinyl, like f.ex Dolls. Leaving them out in a unheated storage room during winter time, you often see that same type of oily sweat form on the surface. It goes away when temperature rises. A Sealant is supposed to prevent that from happeing on vinyl, or at least minimize it.
MB states of the official letter, that the sealant is the problem on both MB tex and Leather. What surprises me, is that for this to be correct, then MB must have used the same Sealant for both vinyl and leather seats.
Vinyl is man made plastic, and leather is a living breathing material. I would have expected, that you would not use the same type of sealant for these to types of material.
Just speculating, but if they did use the same Sealant, then perhaps the problem is, that the sealant used, was only intended for Leather and not for Vinyl? But then again, why should there bthen e a problem for Leather also?
Good news is if this is happening on leather also than what is leeching out is polyurathane and hopefully not plasticizers unless they also apply plasticizers to leather which I would figure they do not.
I realize that some of you may be new to the MB brand so here is some info before ordering.
Off topic but some other reliability bad news from experience and reading around.
I also noticed that MB now use the Airmatic system in the C-class. If you can avoid such a system as it is prone to problems. Had both a S and E class and both Airmatic systems failed and to replace each shock it was $1700 cdn each. MB is not the only one with this problem though. Good news is you can get aftermarket airbags to replace MB ones for fraction of the cost. If you lease it isn't a problem but if you purchase and intend to keep longer than the warranty period lookout.
Off topic but some other reliability bad news from experience and reading around.
I also noticed that MB now use the Airmatic system in the C-class. If you can avoid such a system as it is prone to problems. Had both a S and E class and both Airmatic systems failed and to replace each shock it was $1700 cdn each.
Of topic yes, but Airmatic is a generic term to describe a certain type of suspension system.
Are you saying that the Airmatic system on S, E and new C is identical? (That means using the same components) I doubt that would be the case, but then again, it might be.. Maybe someone can clarify this?
Assuming the Airmatic Components are model specific, then your past experience from other models, is not really valid to this model. It could very well be that there will be zero problems with the components used in this Airmatic system. Only time will tell.
So far, the airmatic has been one of the most reliable parts of the car. Really, not many warranty issues yet on any system, though, the cars are very young. PLENTY of poor build and poor quality control issues both from factory and suppliers as well discussed.
Of course, historically air suspensions need more love down the road than steel. But so do most luxury items. Pick which ones are worth the cost:benefit to you. If you're looking to avoid maintenance costs down the road above all, a German automobile may not be the best choice.
Of topic yes, but Airmatic is a generic term to describe a certain type of suspension system.
Are you saying that the Airmatic system on S, E and new C is identical? (That means using the same components) I doubt that would be the case, but then again, it might be.. Maybe someone can clarify this?
Assuming the Airmatic Components are model specific, then your past experience from other models, is not really valid to this model. It could very well be that there will be zero problems with the components used in this Airmatic system. Only time will tell.
It doesn't matter if the part number aren't the same. The general problem is that this type of suspension is prone to problems due to design. Other manufacturers have the same airbag suspension and have more or less the same problems. My uncle used to work at a Porsche dealership as manager of the mechanics and he saw this problem all the time.
The only thing that is different on the newer airmatic suspension system is that MB has reprogrammed the system to not deflate the airbags as often when you aren't using the car which has made it a tad more reliable but still prone to failure. Google airbag suspension problems and you will see a tonne of info on this.
01-09-2015, 04:00 PM
