ManiacGT

I cropped these stills from the production video in youtube today. Looking at the part where most alignments are not quite right you can see a hole where presumably the top of the bumper fixes (red circle, first pic) beside the lamp cluster and above that a locating peg (green circle, first pic) to hold the thin part of the bumper aside the lamp.

Whats interesting to me is that the locating peg leaves no forth/back adjustment so if the lug in the bumper is just slightly malformed or someone pushes hard there it will likely sink into the peg a bit more, showing the alignment issue. Its my guess that dealers are correcting this with shims/washers on the lower hole part (red) in the body to bring that thin top part aside the lamp out a bit.

Though on this example car, built at the Bremen plant, alignment seems fine.

StanNH

Compare that last shot to what my bumper looks like after being shimmed by the dealer.




Very similar alignment, and one which can be corrected easily by any dealer. Still amazed that not one QC inspector has apparently ever noticed that every car coming out of Alabama had this bumper issue.

ManiacGT

Interesting that the car in the video also has better lamp cluster alignment. Makes you wonder if the whole bumper mould needs to be brought out a touch more.

StanNH

The current bumper cover, as made for the US production, can't be adjusted further without losing the line between the side quarter panel and the cover itself. My dealer showed me this when I picked up my car ... and also pointed out that no more spacers could be added without compromising the integrity of the clips that the cover snaps on to.

I think you're right ... these bumper covers need to be corrected at the manufacturing level, not by adding shims to a cover that hasn't been formed properly. Maybe for 2016? Somehow, I don't think MB will advertise new bumper covers that actually fit the car as a selling feature.

Glyn M Ruck

+1^ SA has just moved to local plastics that I'm told obviate any alignment by spacing in assembly.

emilryba

There are two problem areas assembly, as indicated in the picture.I think that the Assembly of the bumper/lamp can be aligned in the upper part. According to information in this forum, this concerns mainly the left side.

Jinzen

Just dropped my car off to get:

Bumper Realigned
Fuel Door Realigned/Replaced
Wind Noise checked out
Door Speaker rattle checked out

SirC250

My C250 from SA had the same bumper alignment problem.

Other than that...I have no other issues. (fingers crossed)

Glyn M Ruck

Thanks. I've written to the plant. What was your build date?

SirC250

Build date is Dec 14

Glyn M Ruck

Thanks. The SA plant usually reacts very quickly to defects. They don't like comebacks. They have the advantage that most of the mild & hot weather testing of new models to be is done here & Namibia. They sort many things before production even starts.

Jinzen

Just heard from my dealer (Herb Chambers/Flagship in Lynnfield, MA), who claims the bumper and taillight alignment is "normal" and is by design because ALL C-Classes on the lot (literally ALL of them) have the poor fit and finish.

I guess I don't really care because I'm not keeping the car for more than a few years but wow, guess who's never getting another American built Mercedes?

StanNH

Holloway in Manchester, NH will fix it under warranty. They did mine and it came out looking perfect. I can give you contact information if you PM me.

All you have to do is look at the back of any S550, which uses the same bumper cover/fender arrangement. The two panels line up perfectly.

Jinzen

Thanks, I will PM you. I'm not sure I want to drive all the way up but maybe next week when I have the week off...

gocal73

Dude, call MBUSA. They are now acknowledging the bumper misalignment is NOT normal. I just called them last week and they straight up owned the problem. If they play dumb, make sure you mention all the evidence on MBWorld. They know. They will talk to your dealer. You will get your bumper fixed under warranty. It will be worth the effort.


BTW, do these dealerships not know how stupid and shady/incompetent they sound when they use the excuse that "they all come that way"?

Jinzen

Yes I know, I will mention it to the dealer when I go pick up the car. I PMed Stan for his dealer info... sounds like it might be worth the drive up if they already fixed his and their techs have the experience on it.

I'm getting my car back today but they ordered a new speaker (right side front passenger) and a new fuel door cap, which will take weeks to arrive so I will be back and forth with the dealer regardless.

Diesel Don

Good info Gocal73, thanks. I have a call in to the MB regional case manager about the bumper-quarterpanel alignment (and other stuff including seats, wind noise, etc.). We'll see what they say.

BlackjackM

Don't forget to threaten class action suits for pain and suffering!!

Sorry the dealer wasn't willing to fix it. I hope my bumper is good when my car comes but if its not a quick call to my dealer (who I LOVE) will take care of it, while I enjoy an espresso and relax in the showroom.

icycrazydesi

anyone in Boston get their taillight/bumper issue taken care of? any dealers that are recommended?

BoboPolo12

I haven't gotten mine checked out yet (my bumper isn't as bad as many others), but you should try to give Mercedes Burlington a call. They're new and they've been fantastic to deal with so far.

Jinzen

I picked up my car and they say they've never heard of complaints or seen any issues. I'm not surprised, the C is too new.

JonathonK

thought the front page crowd would be interested in this thread too...
https://mbworld.org/articles/anyone-...llight-issues/

gocal73

Well, I just got mine back after 1 week at the dealer and their body shop. Much of that time was realignment of the bumper. So you better bring your PJ's and toothbrush if you're going to wait for it.

gocal73

Got my car back yesterday after a week at the dealer for rear bumper realignment, wind noise, adjustment of passenger side doors, new weather stripping on rear driver side door. Talked with the tech who worked on the car. He acknowledged the build issues, including the bleeding seats, and got a good chuckle out of the line I borrowed from Stan NH about the W205's being "kit cars". He said he likes sites like MBWorld because problems are openly discussed and sometimes they learn about problems even before MB notifies them.
Anyway, here is how my C300 repairs went.
Rear Bumper Realignment: Huge improvement. They went for getting each taillight 100% flush with the bumper and they nailed it. They pulled this off by making the gap between fender and bumper (by the trunk) a little wider. It works. If you have not had this warranty repair done, do it! it looks SO much better now!
Passenger Side Doors: The rear passenger side door was out-of-spec and they did the realignment. Looks great now.
Weather Stripping was replaced.
Wind Noise: The tech could find no unusual wind noise in my car. So, when I picked up the car we went out for a test drive. He pointed out the wind noise he hears and said that is normal. I was hearing the same noise he described. I agreed that the noise wasn't real bad, not like some owners have experienced, but I just wanted to make sure. He used a dB meter to measure for noise and said everything is to spec.
Bleeding Seats: I also talked more with my Service Advisor about the bleeding seats. She felt the service manager will not OK the repair unless the seats are bleeding. However, she agreed with my logic for wanting them changed, as did the tech, and she said that if MBUSA calls them, it will happen. MBUSA has assured me twice that they will call the dealership if they balk at the repair. MBUSA has been firm that the MBTex will be repaired, bleeding or not. We'll see how this goes later on.

StanNH

Sounds like a very positive outcome! I think most of the battle is having a dealer who will treat you as a knowledgeable customer with real concerns ... concerns that must be taken seriously and resolved to your satisfaction. I think we both lucked out in that regard.