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I have been having a laundry list of issues with my C450 but this one has to top the list. I've been hearing strange cracking/popping noises from the back drivers side area and today noticed this upon inspection of the car.
Car has never been in an accident and there is zero damage to the car. What the hell is going on here? It's like something in the steel/aluminum frame is going seriously bad. Please advise friends!
That looks like frame failure. I would not drive that car another minute. Have it towed to the dealership and demand replacement or refund. There's no way I'd accept a repair on a car like that.....
Cracking and popping sound from rear are normal for the c450...mine used to sound like I had a box of dishes and marbles back there..I don't think it's a frame issue though..I'm pretty sure your car got hit by something to make those dents.
I did take the car to a PDR guy here in Los Angeles and he told me nope I've never seen this before especially on a support beam area like this. Plus that's all I could get in the picture but it goes from the back side of the window to at least the middle of the car on the drivers side.
I would say it was vandalism if the windows where busted or something but this is very consistent in the same surrounding area.
I'm not sure what caused it exactly...vandals with a sloppy work ethic... a tree branch dropping on it, a kid with a hockey stick, etc... but that isn't an indication of underlying structural unibody damage. That's also not a structural part. It's the cosmetic skin over a structural part. Call your insurance company and report it as a comp claim, although my guess is unless your deductible is very low it's not going to be worth it.
But there's no "frame" or structural unibody damage and the car is absolutely fine to drive. Sometimes in hard rear end hits you'll see the quarter panel crease down where the sail panel (the part in the photo) meets the lower quarter. That crease can be an indication of unibody damage, but even when there is it's easily repairable.
In your case, based on what I can see it's a PDR repair. Try taking it to a PDR guy who's actually seen small shallow dents before.
BMW e89 Z4 sDrive 35i & MB S205 C200 AMG Premium Plus
Originally Posted by Stupidnewbie
That looks like frame failure. I would not drive that car another minute. Have it towed to the dealership and demand replacement or refund. There's no way I'd accept a repair on a car like that.....
Alright thanks all for the info! I will let my Lemon Law Attorney handle it he has advised me to not touch the vehicle.
Maybe I'm missing something. So the issue is that you discovered some dents on the sail panel extending across the upper roof rail, and your concern is that it's indicative of some underlying structural defect. Is that it or are there other signs (like the left rear door doesn't close or open correctly)?
I have been having a laundry list of issues with my C450 but this one has to top the list. I've been hearing strange cracking/popping noises from the back drivers side area and today noticed this upon inspection of the car.
Car has never been in an accident and there is zero damage to the car. What the hell is going on here? It's like something in the steel/aluminum frame is going seriously bad. Please advise friends!
The dents are not the reason for the Lemon Law suit that I have filed against Mercedes. The vehicle was purchased brand new and has been in the shop over 6 times for the same issues. The driver side and passenger side speaker have the worst buzzing/rattle sound coming from them and the dealer wants to claim this is normal.
This issue is far from normal I have test my theory with the dealer and all cars that do not have the upgraded Burmster sound system don't have this issue. Long story short the dealer has claim they cannot repair this issue and fortunately I live in California which protects consumers from issues like this. The dealer can have this crap back I didn't pay $72k to listen to rattles. I've had it Mercedes in not wanting to acknowledge they have an issue with there Burmster systems. Nothing to do with the so-called dents if that's what you all want to call them not sure where or how they would have gotten there but they can figure it out. I don't play games with the dealer I pay for a quality product I will get a quality product.
The dents are not the reason for the Lemon Law suit that I have filed against Mercedes. The vehicle was purchased brand new and has been in the shop over 6 times for the same issues. The driver side and passenger side speaker have the worst buzzing/rattle sound coming from them and the dealer wants to claim this is normal.
This issue is far from normal I have test my theory with the dealer and all cars that do not have the upgraded Burmster sound system don't have this issue. Long story short the dealer has claim they cannot repair this issue and fortunately I live in California which protects consumers from issues like this. The dealer can have this crap back I didn't pay $72k to listen to rattles. I've had it Mercedes in not wanting to acknowledge they have an issue with there Burmster systems. Nothing to do with the so-called dents if that's what you all want to call them not sure where or how they would have gotten there but they can figure it out. I don't play games with the dealer I pay for a quality product I will get a quality product.
Got it. Yes, six unsuccessful repair attempts for the same issue would trigger the lemon law for you. (It only takes 3, but they have to materially affect the car. Not sure the buzzy speakers would qualify.) California is an especially good state for lemon law stuff.
I know there's a technical service bulletin out and a fix (different speaker retaining clips) for the buzzing Burmesters. Although it sounds exactly like speaker distortion it's usually the metal grille vibrating at certain frequencies against the door trim. Several members have had success.
Unfortunately even without the buzzing the Burmester is weak sauce. I redid my system and it's very enjoyable now.
I want to lemon law my wife!! When I married her she was skinny!! Now she looks like hell.. I tried to fix her on diets at least 6 times but it's not working.. in fact I think she got even fatter!
The dealer can have this crap back I didn't pay $72k to listen to rattles. I've had it Mercedes in not wanting to acknowledge they have an issue with there Burmester systems. Nothing to do with the so-called dents if that's what you all want to call them not sure where or how they would have gotten there but they can figure it out. I don't play games with the dealer I pay for a quality product I will get a quality product.
I think I have a pretty good idea now why those dents showed up on your car...
2022 E350 Diamond White Metallic, 2016 GLC300 Dakota Brown Metallic
Originally Posted by Gungaslow
I want to lemon law my wife!! When I married her she was skinny!! Now she looks like hell.. I tried to fix her on diets at least 6 times but it's not working.. in fact I think she got even fatter!
That's Rude! Maybe, she wants to lemon law you or better yet find a divorce lawyer after she sees that you post derogatory remarks about her on a blog. I bet she would love to take your C43 off your hands.
Last edited by dieseldoc; Jun 2, 2017 at 07:31 PM.
I had a car that was damaged by hail. Looked pretty much like what the OP's car looked like. Maybe in this case, considering the location, coconut damage?
I want to lemon law my wife!! When I married her she was skinny!! Now she looks like hell.. I tried to fix her on diets at least 6 times but it's not working.. in fact I think she got even fatter!
Yeah but, in all fairness she was 12 when you married her.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
