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It actually wasn't a custom order, it was simply a transfer from another dealer. There are no post 1/5/15 c300s in my area with my preferred options either. :/
I agree with this comment. Sadly being on this forum & in the public "eye," so to speak, might have jeopardised you chances for a better offer. I would continue on your present path with the dealer. I believe they will resolve to your satisfaction. Your dealer's response has been pretty good thusfar for what some believe to be "stealers" & a thinly disguised bunch of hoodlums.
I was thinking the same thing. If he got a killer deal and stated it here, MB would be on the hook to repeat.
I agree with this comment. Sadly being on this forum & in the public "eye," so to speak, might have jeopardised you chances for a better offer. I would continue on your present path with the dealer. I believe they will resolve to your satisfaction. Your dealer's response has been pretty good thusfar for what some believe to be "stealers" & a thinly disguised bunch of hoodlums.
I was very objective and vocal on this and the other Benz forum and I got excellent compensation. Two Buybacks
Others with exactly my problem were not so lucky. Mbusa handles each case uniquely
They are not obligated to do anything in a non lemon scenario
Most of you commenting have never gone through real arbitration or lemon law proceedings... I've done both and there's a good amount of good and bad info here, but that's the internet
Last edited by PeterUbers; Feb 14, 2015 at 07:26 PM.
Saying that MB has put out a "shoddy product" in the last few years because you had an electronic glitch with no drivability issues is a gross generalization and rather laughable. It's great that you are enjoying your 335xi, but remember that when the first iteration of your car came out it had issue after issue that took years to sort.
Well, my opinion is only my opinion. But it is based on my experience and on just a quick perusal of the various complaints about this model on this forum.
Yes, my W204 had an electronic problem but was still driveable. Mercedes could not solve it and it made what has become almost a standard feature on most cars unuseable for me. I spent weeks without my car while they unsuccessfully tried to fix it.
As for W205 - I had six issues in 24 hrs. On this forum there are complaints about steering column recall, tires, evaporator, bleeding seats, wind noise, poor bumper fit, poor taillight fit, keyless go issues, electronic issues, lighting issues, sunshade fit, etc. Did I miss anything?
This on a $60k Mercedes? Seems shoddy to me. Has "the best or nothing" become " pretty good or nothing"? Or maybe "driveable or nothing"? "You'll love our loaners or nothing"?
To be honest - you may be right - the first year or two of the F36 BMW might have been problematic- but I don't see thread after thread about problems on Bimmerfest. And my car has been absolutely trouble free so far.
I wish I could say "this is unbelievable!" but unfortunately it is very believable - even expected from MBUSA. I'm not surprised at the end result - just surprised at exactly how cheap they are being. This is a failure of corporate culture for them here in the US - not to mention a huge failure of quality control at their new multi-million dollar investment - the new assembly plant in Alabama. Despite "The Best or Nothing" and all the marketing and advertising hype, the MBUSA corporate culture is definitely NOT customer service or loyalty orientated. They don't give a sh*t about current customers as long as they can keep attracting new ones thru effective marketing.
Stan - I empathize with you and completely "get" the emotional roller-coaster that MB has subjected you to in the last few months - I have been there.
I have posted here before - I was a loyal MB customer who bought or leased 6 new vehicles in the last 14 years - the type of customer you would think MBUSA would want to keep. After my experiences with my last 2 cars I now drive a 2015 BMW 335xi - I only come back to this forum out of some kind of perverse Benzenfreude - it's like driving past a highway accident and craning your neck to see the blood.
I can't believe how many people make excuses for the poor customer service and shoddy product that Benz has been putting out in the last few years.
Driving a service loaner is better than not getting a loaner but basically sucks when compared to driving the car you have paid for.
My previous 2012 fully loaded C300 4matic (a $54k car) - had numerous problems - the most significant being the completely random operation of the KeylessGo system which the dealer and MBUSA were unable to fix. Why is it so hard to get this right? My wife has a Prius with KG that worked right first time everytime - so does my new BMW. At one point they had my car for almost a month total and 6 or seven visits to the service center. They actually had put more miles on my car than I had. Special tech rep from MBUSA didn't have any more of a clue than the "best of the best" service manager. End result - they refunded me the cost of the KG option along with about $1500 worth of lease payments for the inconvenience.
Even though I qualified for Lemon Law here in CT - I chose to accept the financial settlement - and later regretted it - because I am suspicious of the arbitration process being stacked in the manufacturer's favor. You have to qualify, then get on a waiting list for a hearing, present evidence, go thru the process and then the decision of the arbitrator is .. well .. arbitrary. There are no hard and fast metrics or rules that say once you've met this hurdle of inconvenience or lack of vehicle performing to the advertised specs you get compensated in such and such a way. In my case with a primary complaint being that KG was inop 50% of the time but the car was always driveable - no safety or driveability issue - my loss was inconvenience, failure to deliver promised functionality and loss of value (which are all part of the LL criteria). I wasn't confident that this would be counted highly enough in arbitration to get me a different car. So I ate my frustration.
Yet despite all this and because the first 4 cars were trouble free I gave them another try in the hopes that this was a one off and things would be better the next time (it's like an abusive relationship - he won't beat me anymore because he really loves me and besides he's so handsome...). In September I traded my 2012 C300 in and took delivery of a loaded 2015 C300 ($60k car) and within 24 hours had 6 distinct issues - 2 of them caused by the dealer, one of them a KeylessGo problem!. I was lucky - I was able to get out of the deal but then had to spend a month without a car while I waited for the Bimmer to arrive.
Bottom line is they offered me far more in compensation than they offered Stan for a problem that could be considered less serious - all I had to do was remove the KG thingy from the ignition and use the key - Stan can't do that to make his seats stop bleeding and they are basically offering him nothing for the inconvenience.
MBUSA does not care. It doesn't matter if you are nice to them or if you yell at them - I tried both approaches. At the end of the day all that matters is if you fall within the criteria of Lemon Law for your state and if they are convinced that you might invoke it. They spend a fortune on marketing trying to get the next new customer but won't spend a thousand or two to retain the ones they already have. They could have easily offered Stan a couple thou in trade-in allowance and kept his butt in a Benz now and into the future. Instead I'm sure he's considering (I HOPE he's considering) making this the last Benz he buys.
So I'm sorry to hear about all of this - at the same time I am breathing a huge sigh of relief that it's not me! If I had to live thru this MBTex issue I would be seriously thinking of driving the car thru the dealer's showroom window (oops! my foot slipped off the brake!) or attending anger management classes. Instead I walked away from Benz and am enjoying my trouble free 335xi - which kicks serious butt and was cheaper that the Merc to boot.
Dear Mr. Emmotto,
What's wrong with you, sir? As long as we get you from point A to point B you should be happy. You really expect all these electronic gizmos we put in our cars to actually work? Are you too good to take your key out of your pocket, insert it into the ignition and turn? You silly customer.
Why don't you go buy one of those fancy pants BMWs? You will be sorry. They offer keys with memory. That will just confuse you more. Our customers are confused enough already. They keep mixing us up with a company who cares. So, to protect them from further confusion we don't offer such a ridiculous contraption in our Best or Nothing C class. Instead, we offer the class-exclusive Self-Lubricating seats!
Random question on getting issues like bleeding seats fixed: I bought my car from a dealer over an hour away from me, but there are other dealers closely. Could I get issues fixed by them?
Random question on getting issues like bleeding seats fixed: I bought my car from a dealer over an hour away from me, but there are other dealers closely. Could I get issues fixed by them?
Short answer yes; long answer is that you'll be received better and more service advisors will go the extra mile for you at your dealer you purchased from. You have more leverage there and can involve the sales manager and general manager if things don't go smoothly or if Mbusa needs to get involved
Random question on getting issues like bleeding seats fixed: I bought my car from a dealer over an hour away from me, but there are other dealers closely. Could I get issues fixed by them?
I bought my car out of state and had my seats fixed by my local dealer. No issues.
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Originally Posted by PeterUbers
I was very objective and vocal on this and the other Benz forum and I got excellent compensation. Two Buybacks
Others with exactly my problem were not so lucky. Mbusa handles each case uniquely
They are not obligated to do anything in a non lemon scenario
Most of you commenting have never gone through real arbitration or lemon law proceedings... I've done both and there's a good amount of good and bad info here, but that's the internet
Thanks for that. I have an observation over the years on this board that MBUSA is highly erratic with treatment of issues. Seems to depend on who handles your case & relationship & servicing at your dealership.
As an example your treatment is frequently not mirrored by others treatment.
2 major issues come to mind. Early 722.9 Siemens conductor plate & turbine speed sensor failure issues & early M272 balancer shaft sprocket wear issues. MBUSA handling of these was all over the place. In SA, as an example, MBSA, if the car was under motor plan (which all are for 6 years with 2 year extension on exotics available) & had never missed a service they got sorted out at Benz cost. Was everybody happy ~ no. Some always want more but at least there was a policy.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Feb 15, 2015 at 08:26 AM.
Well, my opinion is only my opinion. But it is based on my experience and on just a quick perusal of the various complaints about this model on this forum.
Yes, my W204 had an electronic problem but was still driveable. Mercedes could not solve it and it made what has become almost a standard feature on most cars unuseable for me. I spent weeks without my car while they unsuccessfully tried to fix it.
As for W205 - I had six issues in 24 hrs. On this forum there are complaints about steering column recall, tires, evaporator, bleeding seats, wind noise, poor bumper fit, poor taillight fit, keyless go issues, electronic issues, lighting issues, sunshade fit, etc. Did I miss anything?
This on a $60k Mercedes? Seems shoddy to me. Has "the best or nothing" become " pretty good or nothing"? Or maybe "driveable or nothing"? "You'll love our loaners or nothing"?
To be honest - you may be right - the first year or two of the F36 BMW might have been problematic- but I don't see thread after thread about problems on Bimmerfest. And my car has been absolutely trouble free so far.
I'm certainly not denying the fact that there have been too many issues with the new W205 and that when mine arrives I may or may not need to deal with them as well. However for you to say that MBs products have been "shoddy" for the last "few years" is simply not true. Again, many, many manufacturers have first year teething problems, many far worse than MB. For instance, many early 335s were losing power on the highway at highway speeds due to the faulty HPFPs. Much more scary than the keyless go not working..but that's just my opinion. Hope you enjoy your 335xi. I am not a fan of newer BMWs but adore my 2001 Z3.
I'm certainly not denying the fact that there have been too many issues with the new W205 and that when mine arrives I may or may not need to deal with them as well. However for you to say that MBs products have been "shoddy" for the last "few years" is simply not true. Again, many, many manufacturers have first year teething problems, many far worse than MB. For instance, many early 335s were losing power on the highway at highway speeds due to the faulty HPFPs. Much more scary than the keyless go not working..but that's just my opinion. Hope you enjoy your 335xi. I am not a fan of newer BMWs but adore my 2001 Z3.
The HPFP problems were with the previous generation 3 series, the E9x platform. That problem, if I remember correctly, was pretty much restricted to the U.S., and partially blamed on inferior gasoline here. It took BMW a very long time to remedy that problem.
There were no such problems with the current generation, the F3x series, to my knowledge. The F3x debuted with the MY 2012. The biggest problem that I remember with its release was rusty seat frames. Fortunately for me, both of my BMWs have been pretty much trouble free, but I realize that is not the case for all. Every manufacturer produces its lemons, with the first year of production bringing the highest risk of getting one.
After following this forum for a couple of months now, I would have no problem picking up the new C when the lease ends on my 335i. Alas, I've got 14 months to wait, and by then perhaps the relatively minor problems I'm seeing with the W205 will be cleared up.
The interesting thing about the slew of issues being reported here, is that almost none have seriously affected the drivability of the car. Yes, there have been electronic issues and cosmetic issues galore, but very few mechanical or systems problems. It's very annoying when your fob decides to go into hibernation, shocking when your seats look like someone threw up on them, and disappointing when you hear wind noise or your panels don't fit quite right .... but the car will still start right up and drive fine. There are very few cases where a W205 has ever left a driver stranded or unable to use their vehicle.
I had a Dodge Interpid that cut through a wring harness, leaving me stranded. That car also lost its heater in 30 below zero weather. I had a BMW 5 series that ate wheel sensors every few months, and a Corvette that sucked it's battery down every 48 hours. The many issues I've had with my own C300 are troublesome not because of their severity, but rather because of their frequency. Even a first year car should be less bothersome than this ... and the problems that did appear should have been addressed by the factory much more quickly.
I'm still hopeful that MB will get this car straightened out and be able to provide build quality that matches the design excellence of the W205 series.
The HPFP problems were with the previous generation 3 series, the E9x platform. That problem, if I remember correctly, was pretty much restricted to the U.S., and partially blamed on inferior gasoline here. It took BMW a very long time to remedy that problem.
There were no such problems with the current generation, the F3x series, to my knowledge. The F3x debuted with the MY 2012. The biggest problem that I remember with its release was rusty seat frames. Fortunately for me, both of my BMWs have been pretty much trouble free, but I realize that is not the case for all. Every manufacturer produces its lemons, with the first year of production bringing the highest risk of getting one
In the case of the injector, BMW eventually extended the warranty. The process may be long due to various debug. This is not the case with the seat problem. The problem is known and a solution is there. Owner does not get notified at all and may find it years later.
On a side note, I wonder if this problem goes away in a few years because it seals it in finally? That may be my wishful thinking.
Stan, sounds like you’ve been through a lot but I’m glad you got what you wanted at the end. I however, just recently had the MB-Tex repaired on my 2015 C400 Sport and unfortunately, due to an incompetent dealer in Westwood, MA, I have numerous interior damages which include kinks in the front two seats, scratches on the bumper and the interior door frame, in which they tried to hide by touching up with black paint. I’m lost for words and would never expect a Mercedes dealership to perform like this. The dealer has offered to correct the damages but I have zero confidence in them and there are no guarantees that they’re not going to damage something else. How can I when a dealership makes damages and tries to hide them on you?! I’ve attached photos.
Call MB-USA and tell them what happened. Ask for some form of compensation for the damage the dealer caused, plus a full and satisfactory resolution of the issues. I don't know what they'll offer, but at least you'll get the process started.
Most likely caused by removal of the seats, it is pain to remove the entire seat from the 205 and the door openings need to be properly protected in the process,
a coworker of mine unfortunately scratched the inside door panel of a car while removing a seat but of course we told the customer what had happened and replaced the door card.
Sorry to bump this thread but just wanted to see if the bleeding MB-Tex seat issue has been totally resolved for 2016 C Class?
My mom just ordered one & after reading about the issues she wanted to switch to Beige Leather but turns out she can't with the sport pkg Beige Leather here in Canada is not allowed with the sport pkg. but Beige Artico (MB-Tex) is allowed, makes totally no sense
BTW lots if great info here, looks like I'll be spending some time here now, on her behalf ofcourse
Sorry to bump this thread but just wanted to see if the bleeding MB-Tex seat issue has been totally resolved for 2016 C Class?
Non-issue as of 5 January, 2015 production in the US plant. Cars built before that date, with signs of bleeding, can have the seats recovered and the headrests replaced under warranty. Cars built after that date use MB-Tex from a different manufacturer and have no problem.
Non-issue as of 5 January, 2015 production in the US plant. Cars built before that date, with signs of bleeding, can have the seats recovered and the headrests replaced under warranty. Cars built after that date use MB-Tex from a different manufacturer and have no problem.
Thank you very much for replying! That does help knowing it's been resolved.
[QUOTE=emmotto;6331336]Well,This on a $60k Mercedes? Seems shoddy to me. Has "the best or nothing" become " pretty good or nothing"? Or maybe "driveable or nothing"? "You'll love our loaners or nothing"?
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Beige Leather here in Canada is not allowed with the sport pkg. but Beige Artico (MB-Tex) is allowed, makes totally no sense 
