Ultraman, i read your post and i HOPE you dont see this as a hi-jack of your topic/thread, because it is not meant to be one. I do however, feel that i have to post this one.

I was one of the earlier c32 purchasers and, over the years, this car gave me some of the GREATEST Smiles (and shocked looks from drivers of 911s, Ferrari 348's, Vettes, Subi's, etc. etc) ever in an automobile. AMG builds some of the BEST Engines EVER! PERIOD! These are shoehorned into the front of one of the Best Autos in the world, Mercedes.

So where did it all go wrong?? Sadly, the LACK of COMPETENT Service. (i am writing this in part, because i know that Mercedes Canada reads this forum -as i'm sure does Mercedes NA, etc.)

A car is a KAR it is mechanical and things break down. We ALL know that MB Canada....just FIX it and fix it right. Unfortunately, unlike FrankW's experience, things were replaced many times on my vehicle (with under 40miles / 64k kms) whether they needed it or not.

For example: A few months ago i got fed up with the failure of my IC Pump and brought it into the dealership. The following conversation, in brief, ensued:

ME: Hello, i just saw your (new) dealership accross the street as i was replacing my winter tires and thought i would give you the opportunity, if you like, to do the next service on my car as I have not had any luck with 3 other GTA dealerships

Service Advisor (SA): Really, Absolutely Sir!!

ME: do you have a trained mechanic / staff that understands the c32?
SA: of course!!
ME: Good! so what is the cost and what is involved in my next service?
SA: we start by rotating the tires..
ME: Uhmmm, you cant because..
SA: of course we do, you have to so that you get extra mileage out (i let him continue...)
ME: Dont think you can put the big fat tires in the front and the little ones in the back, albeit you are partially correct for my winter setup... Regardless, please do the Service, Oil, etc and check the Sunroof as it still seems to stick. By the way, my CEL is on and i believe that it is attributed to my IC Pump failing, as this seems to be quite a common problem..
SA: Dont worry Sir, we know our vehicles and we will take care of it, i have not heard of any of these pumps failing...
ME: well i can tell you mine has already been replaced at least once (he cuts me off saying then it definitely would not be the case again)

They have my vehicle for almost 2 weeks... and I get called in again. At the dealership

SA: Sir we have some good news / bad news
ME: ok..... lets have the bad first
SA: the Emission Pump Relay had to be replaced and is not covered
ME: Why? i thought anything related to Emissions had to be covered, under Government Regulations, for at least 7 or so years, no??
SA: uh...... im not sure this falls under that category Sir...
ME: ok...what else??
SA: The Supercharger had to be replaced...
ME: Whaaaat???!
SA: it is completely covered by warranty though...
ME: that is good because i did not authorize that, and i didnt believe it was damaged..i really thought the culprit was the IC Pump...
SA: it was the Supercharger Sir, that is why you had the intermittent power problems..
ME: and, the Sunroof?
SA: that is one hour labour adjustment cost
ME: Why?? the last dealership recently replaced the WHOLE sunroof system (or so they said)
SA: well , Sir, you have to take that up with them (for compensation)
ME: I don't understand.. when i plunked down $90k+, i thought i was buying a "Mercedes", not a Dealership.. Anyway, so it was not the IC Pump?
SA: Absolutely not Sir.

more small talk and i pay the bill and leave... THE CAR IS A ROCKET!!!!! ....for the first 15 minutes I gas up and the CEL comes back on

I call the SA from the car.

ME: same problem with the intermittent power, and the CEL is on again
SA: Wow.. did you put gas in the car
ME: (a little sarcastical, now) Well..... didnt put Diesel, hahahaaaa
SA: (laughs and gives me the Gas Cap not closing properly will trigger the CEL talk)
ME: so WHAT explains the LACK or Intermittent Power
SA: maybe bad gas...
ME: ok, will drive it for a few days and see what happens, you never know, stranger things have happened...

Few days later the car is back in....for another few days, until get another call

SA: Sir we have diagnosed a failure in you Hydraulic System which is not covered by Warranty and would like your confirmation to proceed with the work

ME: "hydraulic"???? are you telling me it is the Waterpump??
SA: I believe so Sir.
ME: the one that is located in the front fender cavity on the passenger side, just behind the bumber
SA: (checks with Technician) Yes Sir.
ME: and it is not covered, and MB Canada, nor your Dealership will do anything for me?
SA: No Sir, i checked already, it will be roughly $1000
ME: Even though i have DOCUMENTATION of this issue with 3 Dealerships for amost a year (when the car was still under FULL Warranty)?
SA: you would have to take that up with the other dealerships.
ME: are you kidding me?
SA: No Sir, would you like us to proceed?
ME: can you give me any sort of discount...
SA: No Sir
ME: then please leave the car alone i will pick it up!

Get there and the SA has the ....uhmm.... Collosal AUDACITY to present me an invoice for almost $200..

ME: and this is for??
SA: that Sir, is to re-engage the car onto the STAR Diagnostic to determine the problem.
ME: HAHhhahhHHAHhahahaha..... Please do me a favour, Keep the car! Really, have someone from MB contact me whenever they like.
SA: (a little surprised) What do you mean?
ME: look, i have NO Problem paying for something that breaks within reason, and even sometimes something that I shouldn't pay for (including the aforementioned relay, etc) BUT i take great exception with being taken advantage of by Dealerships which have NO Clue as to the product they Sell/Service. I walked in here 3 weeks ago and Diagnosed the problem for you... yet you replaced a Supercharger and now tell me that i have to pay again for being right in MY Diagnosis! Please, lets all have this conversation with a MB rep, because i also have other MB products, including an older Supercharged MB with virtually NO problems!
SA: ok Sir, we will take care of the bill... GOOD LUCK!!!! (angrily)
ME: Please dont patronize, i get that enough at home (smile)! Thank You.

My c32 was sold a little while ago. Everything was fixed and the car ran AMAZING, once again. Why did i sell it? Because i got frustrated with MBs service with THIS car. Why would MB treat me better as a c230k customer rather than one with a c32? Who knows.. A better question is actually.... Why would MB treat ANYONE who buys any of their products like this?

Sorry for taking up so much space.... i truly hope that this experience wakes up someone at MB Head Office(s). THEY pay for this too!

IMHO the c32 is one of the BEST VEHICLES in Automotive History, the Service and Lack of Knowledge from the GTA Dealerships (with respect to this car).....one of the WORST...

Shame on you Mercedes..... you have killed a Legacy before it had a chance to flourish.

 

It's all good... no feelings of being thread jacked.

I do feel for you with what you went through. It's already frustrating dealing with issues on the car and then having to deal with incompetent dealerships on top of that. All I can say is... I thank my lucky stars I have such a good service department at my local dealership. And I am definitely glad I have the starmark warranty.

GL with your future dealings with those dealers.

 

competent dealership FTW!!

the good thing about SoCal is that there are tons of dealership around within 35min of traveling range.

 

So which dealership are we talking about here? I'm about to go to MB Markham for service after a brutal experience at MB Downtown (basically similar to yours).

I swear, if they give me the "we couldn't replicate the problem" speech again, I'm going across the street to Town & Country BMW to dump the C32 and get on the M3 waiting list.

 

"SA: it was the Supercharger Sir, that is why you had the intermittent power problems.."


Classic. How is it that a bunch of amateurs like us, with day jobs, can aggregate our experiences and identify recurring problems in our cars. Yet Mercedes cannot seem to aggregate and provide that information to their dealers?

So, once again, a supercharger gets replaced instead of a $100 pump. THAT's why resale sucks, and THAT's why we can't get aftermarket warranties.

 

Fifth, what is your day job?

 

Stupid SA!

 

The more expensive your car, the more expensive the 'problems' the dealership will find.

 

I have got similar experiences through several GTA mercedez dealerships.
The one at downtown used to be very good when their top 2 SAs were still there. But now i won't even try downtown. Last week, my alternator went south, and i just paid $1800 dollars today at the Thornhill dealer for them to replace my battery and alternator. and that's after a "gennerous" 25% discount.
This car was great fun, especially after the Stage 1 setup was installed. but now i am also fed up with all it's issue and i really regret not getting the extended warrenty. looking foward to get a used C55 now as i heard it is mostly problem free. or i might switch back to bmw soon for the 335i

 

problems are problems but theses cars when problem free are great to own..........now i haven't had your sa issues but not to happy with the fact the cars been in the shop at least 5 times for several different issues the norm and extra. this car really makes me appreciate the older and new lexus i had. i am a huge mb fan now but to be honest scared to death of this car without warranty. will replace hopefully with a lessor mile e55 2003 up or cls55 with extended warranty. i really like the looks and compliments but it still doesn't overshadow the ownership worries. why continue mercedes well i really haven't heard major issues with e55 or cls55 so i want to continue with amg.

 

I know what you mean. I've been in the shop almost as many times within 6 months period.

 

The best part about losing the warranty is that you lose all incentive to go to a dealer. Once you find a talented MB independent technician, you'll stop wishing for a warranty!

 

An automotive version of the Cathedral and the Bazaar.

Car forums have saved me countless $1000s.

*raises a glass to car forums everywhere*

This one's for you Mr. car-forum-advice-giver-guy.

 

Most dealers in Toronto (and BC as well...now) suck. There is no real way to say it. When I had the C230 I had to fight for everything it's bloody annouying especially after living in FL. The SA went and looked at the car and said hey the arm rest is peeling well fix that no problem as well as your trim and I just went in for Service!
Same thing the SA asks me how is it our fault...MB MARKHAM MADE ME REALLY REALLY REALLY MAD!!!
MB Thornhill, I still don't want to go
What's sad is that Chevy treats me better than they do!

OP: It's unfortunate you had to sell the car, however have fun with your new car (did you choose one already?)

 

I've been there. I understand your feeling totally. It was the right move on selling the ride..

 

yeah i bought my c32 last june 2006 and the issues were in the first 5-6 months. its pretty much good and no issues since last time in shop. i owned it almost a year and its been good atleast 6 months out of the year. hopefully now it will be issue free with all the work they done so far.

 

hey i have a mb tech that does all the work like maintenance but still would hate owning this car without warranty. before i decided on buying this car i researched this forum and knew what i was getting into that is why i bought one with warranty so thanks mbworld.org/forums

 

Okay good to hear, I am hoping mine will be the same. If you don't mind me asking, when is your extended warranty up? Mine will end on 02/08.

*OP: sorry for thread-jacking*

c32used - you can go on my thread to discuss further if you wish; although I am not very popular at the moment for that thread.

 

warranty up 6/2009 or 75k which i have 54k now. it was a 3 yr 75k miles warranty

 

I totally sympathize with you. I bought my C32 at 6 months old in 2003. It only went to the dealer once, when one of the steering wheel buttons failed. They told me it was fixed, but it failed again on my way home. I decided to look myself, and found they had torn the head round on the airbag fastening screw. I am in the fortunate position of owning a motor repair shop here in the UK, so the car has never been back to a dealer since. I have had one or two problems, but nothing serious, but I believe that dealer ignorance is what has gained a poor reputation as a brand for Mercedes in the last 5 or so years. Don't get me wrong, some of the guys are absolutely on the money in terms of knowledge, but there are a few who cannot admit that they don't know the specialist stuff as well as they would like, and I think they are the ones we hear about time and time again. A good reputation takes years to earn. A bad reputation takes minutes.

 

For guys in the GTA. u should head down to the oakville dealership and deal with Frank.. he is an AMG specialist.. Unfortunately dealership prices still apply...but he knows his stuff.. he recog... all my mods and from which company..He is european and knows foreign race engines..

 

Why were you going to a dealer for service with out a warranty anyway?

I had an issue with a loose foglight and they wanted $350,

I took it to a private benz repair shop and for $60 they replaced the screw holding it in place


goto an honest private dealer!

 

That's a common problem with mercedes dealerships...they suck. They replace everything. That's why I found an independent mercedes dealer and they do a GREAT job. They find the REAL problem right away and I have NEVER had a problem with them (HIline Mercedes). They also cost about 3/4 the price of the actual dealer.

 

There is a limited number of competent tech's in the industry. They go where the money is being paid. Right now Lexus and BMW are putting the most sheckels in the pockets of the talented service people.

Mercedes in North America is run by a bunch of talentless accountants who see cost cutting as a way to increase profits. That of course is false economy in the service business.

Service Technicians, Service Advisors, and patrs men are just like the rest of us. If you pretend to pay them, they pretend to work.

Dieter has been concerned with the faltering service satisfaction for some time as reflected in the JD Power surveys. He cannot, however, make significant changes in North America because they have done well on the sales side. With unions controlling half the board of management they want to see sales to keep their members working.

Lap's experience should be required reading for the Board of Management to help them realize future sales are dependent on satisfactory sevice experiences. They must realize it is much easier to sell a Mercedes car to a current owner, but not an unhappy current owner.

 

Might be looking at a C32 AMG soon. Anything I should look for on the car, or questions I should have for the dealer that is selling it? Just want to make sure I get a good car without any problems.

Also can someone tell me the differences of the 02 and 03 models if any? TIA!