Glyn M Ruck

New car and leather is the way to go. I've never owned a Benz with MBTex. In SA it's considered low rent for farmers & Taxis.

PeteInGilroy

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Now, I wonder if MBUSA will halt any future MB-Tex replacements until dealers get the complete kit to replace all of the MB-Tex.

DerekACS

I think you can be confident that all of the seating surfaces in a "leather" equipped W205 are in fact real leather. That is certainly the case with W212, in which the headrests are also covered in leather. I looked closely at the interior of a leather equipped C400 just a few days ago, while @ my dealer for service. The appearance and feel of the headrests were the same as the leather upholstery on the seats.

However, the stitched dash and window sills are covered in a man-made Artico leather or MBTEx; it is not the same product that is used for MBTex seats.

StanNH

Even in a low rent domicile, you're entitled to a roof that doesn't leak. Low rent seats shouldn't leak either.

rakaye47

MBUSA should fire the bonehead in charge of distributing the MB TEX repair kits... really?? a repair kit that is missing side bolsters and the under the console piece???

miketc

WTF, not even a week and it's back!! I'm just speechlesssssssssss

KMCMA

Oh nooooo, I cannot believe what I'm reading! I sure hope I have better luck with my C-400...though I'm not at all optimistic after seeing this. Canada unfortunately doesn't have any lemon laws. If this isn't fixed properly for me I'm going to flip!!

ddeliber

Unbelievable! They had to see this coming right? Everyone on this site saw the pictures. From what you have said, your dealer has been great throughout this whole thing, but come on. The guy that installed them had to know this was going to happen. Well, I should say continue to happen since it wasn't fixed.

If they (MBUSA and your dealer) give you a hard time about replacing the car they should really get what they deserve. Sure the MBTex is crap, there is a serious issue and they are working on making things right, but this one is NOT a part/material issue. There is really no other way of saying it, this is simply incompetence.

I personally think you should be checking ALL of the option boxes on your replacement car, and they should smile and say thank you - maybe even throw in some designo colors to boot! You seem to drive a lot, I will be the first to tell you that the drivers assistance package is probably the best feature that MB offers, and theirs is probably the best implementation on the market. Once you use it, you will know what I mean.

Diesel Don

That stinks, Stan. Thanks for sharing your story here. I am still waiting on the seat covers to come in for mine. And you just helped make up my mind to insist on a swap to a new Merc. I had started a conversation with my dealership yesterday about swapping out to a later build, and I called MB today to get a case file started. I have had it with all the warranty trips to the dealership, and I have yet another service visit scheduled for Thursday for the wind noise and bumper/tail light issues. Like you I am still not happy with the sagging sunshade. And meanwhile the "replace key battery" warning has come on. Not sure what is going on with these C300's.

PeterUbers

Benz bought back two e550's of mine in 2014 then gave me 100% of my money back for bad transmissions

They will make this right, you have all the leverage in the world now

Do not do lemon... You will get your cash back or buy assist to leather equipped car at no extra cost to you

gocal73

Wow! What was MBUSA thinking? Based on the screw ups on this car, I'm not really sure they think at all. This just makes no sense at all.


Stan, did you happen to ask if there even is a kit for the three missing pieces? Really, how can anyone defend MBUSA on this one? Hope they pay up with what you need to make this right.


Really, this goes beyond Stan's car. Anyone of us who bought a pre 1/5/15 W205 with MBTex can find ourselves in Stan's shoes. Too many W205 owners already have. The terrible thing is that this can happen tomorrow or 5 years from now after the warranty is gone. Will MBUSA stand behind their product then?


When I dropped off my C300 Saturday for the rear bumper and wind noise issues, I brought up the seats. The service advisor said they hadn't seen any bleeding seats and were unlikely to in Northern California. So, I said what about Tahoe? What happens when I go to our family place in the winter? She tells me it doesn't get to freezing there. I said, really! She just looked at me and went on to the next item on my list. I asked her if she would be upset with an oily substance spewing from the seats of her car? She said she would be. I told her I would too, and I don't intend to wait until my seats start bleeding to replace them.


If MBUSA REALLY wants to make it right, they need to offer compensation to all of us who were duped into thinking we were buying cars with normal seats, like other manufacturers offer. MBUSA KNOWINGLY sold defective cars to their customers. Say that out loud a few times. If that doesn't get you mad, I don't know what would. It doesn't end there because they also advised their dealers to wash the seats even though it was known that this was not a fix - it was simply camouflage to sell more defective cars to the unsuspecting public. How do you spin this one, MB?


For me, I agree with Stan. Give me a sweet deal on a new C300 and I'm good. That deal should guarantee at least the same favorable terms we originally got on our cars, plus some form of compensation for selling us a defective product in the first place. I'd go for the same car I bought with free Interior Package (leather) and a 7yr/100K ELW. That's MBUSA getting off cheap. Stan should get more for all his aggravation.


BTW, I got a call from the dealership today to update me on my car. It's still at their body shop. Their best estimate is my car will be ready sometime next week - they hope. Can't wait to see how long it takes them to do the seats. At the rate these guys work, I may get to test our lemon law.

JTUBB

Ouch...... Please forgive us peasants that drive a Merc.....

juwivive

The word "farce" comes to mind. Utterly ridiculous!

Carsy

Hello Glyn,

My bum has never touched MBTex either . I always have a home killed sheep leather between it & the plastic.

Cheers,

JC

vic viper

Would be interesting to see who the subcontractor of the seat covers are.


My guess is that they are sweating just as much as the seats

Glyn M Ruck

Indeed, indeed! Plus the US has always had a bit of a love affair with MBTex. Different market, different perceptions.

EDIT: If it was not for the US, Benz would not be double stitching MBTex.

Glyn M Ruck

Nah! see my reponse to Stan. Different market perceptions & in SA, which is a Benz mad country, memories go back to before the MBTex moniker when it was called "Taxi Leder"

JC ~ good to see you over here. Need to keep the W204 a little longer while 205 issues are sorted.

goherdibg

A few things of note:

Some of you are saying you want your seats re-covered in leather. While that is a good option, doesn't the VIN and original window sales sheet still show MBTex? When you sale the car, it may be difficult to convince the new owner that the car really does have leather. And speaking of resale value....

While I have not experienced any bleeding seats, I am starting to get seriously concerned about the resale value of my C300. I honestly got killed on the resale of my GL450 and I am scared this vehicle, with all of it's problems, will be even worse. This could be my last MB if this doesn't end well. I'm too old for this crap

RPM99

Reading all this, it appears that leather seats are the way to go. Hard to make any case for settling for mbtex with all of these issues. Another $2k or so required option for leather.

djdj

A service record should be evidence enough of a change to leather.

I am not concerned about resale value. Very few of the issues identified in any numbers are significant mechanical issues. I had those in spades initially in my first-year of production MINI S, and even that model had great resale value over the years. I think resale value is affected mostly by styling, etc.

djdj

Everyone is entitled to vent, and the MBTex defects are unsightly, but some of the comments here smack of people trying to take advantage of the problem to get something for nothing. Stan, in contrast, has been exceedingly patient and reasonable.

vic viper

When making any retrofit you always update the vehicles datacard, thus updating EPC, WIS and other MB related databases.


However I dont think it is as easy as just replacing the MB Tex with leather, you may also need to replace the bolster foam and different fasteners.

goherdibg

I was thinking the exact same thing. And, yes, Stan has been the trooper guinea pig for everyone here having his seats worked on first. Based on the wording in his posts it sounds like he has been reasonable in talking with the dealer and MB Corporate. It doesn't sound like he has demanded anything at all - unlike some others (even those who have not experienced the bleeding).

I am fortunate enough to not have experienced the bleeding even though the climate where I live is supposedly perfect for it to occur. At this point, if I do not have any seats that bleed I am leaning far towards NOT having anything replaced and hoping I was lucky enough to get a rare good batch of MBTex even though the TSB says all vehicles manufactured prior to 1/5/15 are susceptible.

floridadriver

If you bought a car concerned with resale value, much less a Mercedes concerned about it, you didn't make a wise choice. The Japanese and now Korean cars statistically do a bit better, but if $$ the concern, get something basic that will make you happy and put the rest in an investment.


AND.. I think you've been patient Stan. Anyone with a car in such an extremely short period from brand new with more than 1 significant problem or two deserves a new car at this price level. If that's asking for something for nothing...I'd show them my cancelled check written to Mercedes next to their marking slogan.

miketc

Stan,

Things don't add up. The areas that are affected now, were they bleeding before the retrofit?

If they were bleeding, how did they look so good when you got your car back if they were not replaced? Dealer clean it without telling you perhaps.

If they weren't bleeding, how did MB know exactly what not to sent to the dealer? The 'kit' maybe not be a kit after all but areas specifically ordered by the dealer.