performance1st

Hey there mb members, ive been on the forums a while but never posted. I decided now to post because i need some feedback and advice. Ive read a few threads dealing with damages done by the dealership so i thought some of the members could point me in the right direction. I have a 05 C55 and i brought it to the dealership this past week for A/C issues. It wasnt blowing cold and they found out it was low on freon so they recharged the system and its as good as new. This was all done under warranty by the way. I pick up the car and all is good until i stop at a gas station to fill up and notice this huge crack on my front bumper. I immediately called my service advisor and mentioned the crack and he told me to come back so he could check it out. I had to work that night so i went the following morning. He inspected the crack and said that they will repair it with bondo, sand it, repaint it, and give a clear coat. Now my question is, is this a quick fix or will it be a reliable fix that will last for years to come. I would rather they replace the whole bumper but im sure they're trying to get around going that route. I made an appointment on thursday to go back and drop off the car. What do you guys think i should do? Should i make them put in writing that if the repairs are not up to my standards that i reserve the right to another repair or a new bumper for that matter? What pisses me off the most is my service advisor acted like it wasnt a big deal and only said sorry once before i left the dealership...i attatched some pics of the damage to my front bumper. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

mdncn2762

Whoah....I dont think bondo will fix that. Its not a dent in metal. Its not a crack, its broken. I would demand that piece be replaced. How the heck could that have happened at the dealership?

SilverBulletAMG

That's a painful thing to look at! Definitely get whatever they tell you/agree to in writing. If you can get them to agree to it, then by all means add in that you want a new bumper if the work doesn't meet your expectations. They of course can refuse to sign as is their right, but then that should be a "simple" call the Benz headquarters to resolve that one. Why not just tell them you don't want a bondo job and go with a new bumper from the get go?
Call me greedy, but I think I'd have a few more things thrown in as well besides a bondo fix for their negligence. They need to (or should) keep you as a happy customer. Then again we all know how great these local MB dealerships are.....
Get it in writing and shoot for a new bumper to begin with. That's what I would do at least. Good luck and I hope it all works out for you. If they play hardball for whatever reason come back here and let us know. There are other options if need be.

tech_frog

you know, I've heard these stories a hundred times.

'took it to the dealer, it was perfect'.

If in fact this is true, you should stand your ground a demand a new bumper.

performance1st

i will call first thing in the morning...

DarkXerox

This is why I always photograph my car at multiple angles before bringing it on.

Quicktwinturbo

That is f--ked up... It's good thing that they are willing to fix it for you though..

tripower

That's a major bummer. As others stated, I'd demand a new bumper and I'd ask to see the old one to make sure they actually replaced it. I just had a similar incident happen at a Nissan dealer on my driver. They apologized several times and offered me a free rental. They repaired/repainted the whole bumper cover and warranty it for life. If I were you I would expect no less! Good luck.

FrankW

get them to replace it. you can fix it with plastic filler if it's only a crack, but that looks more like some chunks missing.

bmjdevelopment

OK I am wrong or his front tire mounted the wrong way.

Obviously, replacement is best for the bumper.

moosejaw

looks more than a crack, get it replaced
print out his thread and show it to them.
BTW where was this? Down here all of them are shotty dealers. If this happened here, they would of denied it.

Zeppelin

Have them find the leak in your AC and fix that too while they are at it. Freon does not get low without a leak. I have 14 and 21 year old vehicles with the original freon still in them and have never been topped off.

SilverBulletAMG

That's a valid point!

jmarais01

If I were you I would demand a new bumper. I had an experience like this a while ago, I took my boss's SL55 in for new tire mounting. When I dropped the car off i told them that my boss was very meticulous and asked them to be carefull. I go back the next day, looked at the car, it looks like someone had taken a screwdriver to remove the old weights. The service manager comes out and tells me that his technician did not do it, mind you this was the first time that the tires had been replaced.
I called my boss, told him that I was leaving the car there, I said it loud enough so that the service mgr heard it as well.
He eventually agreed to fix the damage, but it did not end there. During the repair process someone dropped one of the rims and messed it up beyond repair.
Bottom Line, don't let them tell you what they are going to do, tell them what you want them to do!!!

performance1st

what sucks though is i already had a small crack near the large one you see in the pic. My SA already noted this when he took the car in for my A/C service. I talked to him again and he said they wont replace the bumper since i had a crack there already. I wish i took pics before i brought it in but it was my first time bringing my vehicle to the dealership as i usually do my own matinence. He told me that once it is repaired and if your not happy we will go from there...should i forget the SA and go straight to the manager?

performance1st

in regards to the A/C he told me they couldnt find any leaks and recharged the system with dye so that if it does get warm again he could pinpoint the leak. I agree though freon just doesnt dissapear but they said no leaks were found.

performance1st

my dealership is in northeast florida...and thanks everyone for your input.

mikekuriger

my dealers all have done a thorough walk-around before taking my car in for service, noting every little minor blemish. If your dealer didn't do that, then it's possible that they will say it came in that way! i hope not though!

FLYNAVY

They could fix it basically w/ a plastic weld, and they are correct in saying that you won't ever know the difference if it is done properly. Same thing happened to the rocker panel on my w201, since it was a 16v panel replacement would have been relatively difficult (in terms of sourcing a new part), so they did exactly this and it looks like new. That said, being a dealership, and your car being brand new (w/ plenty of spares to be had) I don't see any reason why they shouldn't replace it. I don't think they are trying to shaft you, but you certainly do need to make your desires known to them.

c32 dan

demand for a new bumper mate..i understand cause i had this situation before but no damages,it was actually a year ago i took my subaru to the dealership for a oil service,they gave me a rental car cause we agreed that i will pick it up the nxt day due to my busy work schedule,popped round to mcdonalds for some lunch down the road and what do i see,my subaru blasting down the road then turning round going into the mcdonalds drivethrough..i was shocked man,i quickly went outside but the car blasted off,complained to the dealer and the oilservice was free but im still not happy,so from that day on i always wait for my car if i can at thedealerships

Mikegpr03

NEW BUMPER you didn't drop off a car with bondo so why pick it up with it!

In the dealers defense they will more than likely put an epoxy on the plastic that will be stronger than the original plastic.Its called a 3rd bond.

I took my car to Bill Ussary and got it back with a scratch stearing wheel. They fixed it good as new. They offered to change it but I had the 63AMG paddles installed so I would lose them. However I allways walk the car and take pics before and after.
Allways inspect
1. rims
2. body for new dents
3. bumpers (scuffs scrapes cracks
4. seats
5.dash
6. handles
7. stearing wheel

performance1st

ok imma demand a new bumper but in the case that they deny me in which the SA indirectly did what should i do from there? If they do repair it i want a document stating that if the repair is not up to my standards or if the repair is compromised down the road that they will repair it free of charge. I feel bullied by the dealership and its BS but im not getting screwed here.

SilverBulletAMG

If you leave the dealership with your bumper repaired you can pretty much forget about getting a new bumper in the future regardless of how it turns out (barring blatant negligence in the repair). That is also if more than a day or two goes by. Fight tooth and nail for a new bumper and as an absolute last resort take them up on the repair.
In all reality the repair would probably be fine and its on the underside of the bumper that isn't in plain sight so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. However, its the principal and if they broke it, they bought it. Go get'um tiger!

c32used

Ask your SA to get you detail of how they plan to fix it. Bondo sounds like the SA has no clue to what is required to fix it.An unpainted AMG bumper could easily be $1k plus so any damage they can fix for less then that is the route they will use. Labor is an added cost so believe me they will find the cheapest but adequate fix. GL

moosejaw

Northeast florida
Imma not suprised