MIKESV8

hey everybody, i purchased a black 2006 c55 amg from MB of San Francisco in october with 35k miles and a clear title. I finally got in my license plates about a month ago and before i put any of them on, i took of the whole front license palte holder becuase i was just gonna leave it off and noticed that there is about 3x5 inches of chipped away paint. i called the dealership and the first time i called they said they would take care of it (care is still in warranty) and my spring break is next week so i call to make sure i can bring it and he says he has to talk to the serivce advisor and this is what he emails me:

Dear michael

We did not repaint the front bumper of your vehicle which means the previous owner must have. The CPO inspection process does not call for technicians removing the front license plate bracket to inspect the bumper area underneath it so we would not have known there was an issue with it. Because of this we cannot offer to pay for repainting your front bumper. We can set you up with someone who could paint it for you if you'd like.



this email has ruined my life. i do not want to bring them to court, but someone please give me advice on what i should tell them.

02C32guy

Talk to a manager. That's bull****, plain and simple. They sold you a car with a portion of the bumper unpainted. What if you were transferring it to a state that didn't require a front license plate?

Quicktwinturbo

**** that ****....Tell them to take your car back... That's ****ed up
Contact MBUSA as well.

kjb55

Before I'd let such an email ruin my life - I'd mount the front plate and forget about it. It's plastic, not a rust issue, and if you ever end up in a state that doesn't require a front plate... paint it.

Life is short, enjoy the car.

MIKESV8

thanks guys. if i ask them again and they say no i am definately going to contact mbusa. if they still don't, it's not an expensive fix, but i just don't think i should pay a penny. i like the enthusiasm about life being too shart kjb55, but hell, i just turned 19 and this is going to be my litttle show car so i'm trying to make the best of it while warranty is still in.

moosejaw

Screw that.....
You pay a lot of money for a CPO car
and the inspection process doesnt include a thorough inspection of the car?
Thats **** poor quality management.
You dont think a peek behind the plastic license plate holder to check for paint dameage part of the CPO?
How did a repainted car make it past the CPO process in the first place.
Get back your money! You have no idea where that car has been.

BryanW203

Repaint of the bumper of a car does not disqualify it for CPO. Why would an tech remove the front plate bracket when CA is a front plate state? The car would have to have major repairs, such as those that would be on a Carfax to disqualify it from CPO.

For the OP, got to the used car manager, even if he agrees to have the bumper painted, it will more than likely be painted by a on the lot painter, and not taken to a body shop. If the paint on the bumper is good, I would just leave the front bracket on and go on with life. If it bugs you that much get a quote from a body shop for a front bumper repaint and see of the used car manager will help in the cost of the repaint. Good luck.

I bought my C55 with a front plate bracket, but I live in a non front plate state, so I have to pay for refilling the holes.
IMO enjoy the C55 it is a great car, and dont worry about it, because within the next 15k you will probably get hit or run the bumper over a curb and need a repaint anyway!

moosejaw

What are you? A CPO expert?
What does Certified Pre-Owned mean to you?
If the car's bumper was repainted, 75% chance it was in a front end collision.
Even if it was cosmetic, you wouldn't be concerned that the bumper was painted in such haste that the body shop couldn't take the time to remove the plate to properly paint it? Youre seriously okay with that?
Do you know how much of an upcharge to earn a CPO status costs the consumer?
I would be frickin' livid if i found the bumper in that condition but thats just me.

02C32guy

+1 Even if you dismiss the fact that the car has been damaged; for them to tell you you're out of luck is unfathomable to me. I don't expect them to inspect behind the plate, but I do expect them to rectify the situation.

JonMBZ

The cars are inspected for collision damage during the CPO process , but they do not take the front bracket off. They check for all the stickers under the hood and and core support and use a tool to check if all the seems of the car are aligned. The car is still sold as-is minus the warranty and they do not have to do anything in this situation. I would suggest you look for other items that could have been missed by the CPO process and make sure everything is in line with the policy. You should have a book that came with the car, if you find something was not done to MBUSA's specs then you have a valid claim and they will most likely take care of your concerns without as much hassle, if you cannot find any more issues speak with the general sales manger. Also it might be worth a shot trying to find out what body shop did a half *** job painting the car maybe they will be willing to finish it.

MIKESV8

thanks guys you're all really helpful. i'm calling up the service manager tomorrow and if he still refuses, all hell is breaking lose. believe me, i'm furious. i want it repainted cus here in california, cops don't enforce the front license plate law on high end cars. that's the reason why i'm pissed. it's just all way to much hassle for me as a full time student to have to worry about. i really don't have time to be BSing with the front license plate any other week besides my spring break(which is next week) and here they tell me "no, you seem like a nice guy so go screw yourself" i got a handbook as you said, i'll look at it right now.

SGTzAMG

i THINK i know which C55 u got form MB of SF =]

anywho, contact them one more time regarding it, otherwise, i would give the car back, if no actions is made, contact MBUSA.

JonMBZ

ha, I am in cali and sell front license plate brackets like hot cakes, cops are always giving tickets out for this!

14cue

if this ruined ur life, you have one hell of a life.
i envy you.

BryanW203

Yes!

I will be a Master Certified Advisor for MB in about 20 days. I have been with MB for almost 4.5 yrs.

We repaint front bumpers all the time on CPO cars. Have you never had a rock chip or someone back into you in a parking lot?


He also said there was a chipped portion of paint, he said nothing about the bumper being repainted. Maybe the previous owner was hit by somthing just hard enough to remove paint, so instead of repainting the bumper they put the plate bracket on.

dkflipse

LOL. Wait 'till he gets his first repair bill... suicidal...

MIKESV8

yea guys i'm definately not looking forward to when my warranty is up and i get my first repair bill, but i honestly don't think i'll ever have a problem with the car. i had a bmw x5 4.4 for my first car that we bought brand new and it was just TERRIBLE i'll never buy one again. my sister bought a w203 c240 in 2005 and she put about 70k miles on it and has had no problems at all. mercedes is in my opinion the most reliable car out there. if you treat them right, they'll treat you right. one problem, on my amg, every month or so a message will come on the dash saying to put a quart of oil at next fill up. is it normal for it to be that frequent? i'm positive i have no leaks or anything.

indyjoe

This has to be an April Fool's prank.

MIKESV8

haha believe me man i would do anything to wish it was just a joke. i'm calling them up today and hopefully getting through to them.

Viper98912

I'm confused? Just tell your parents to pay to get the bumper repainted?

cdd

zing!

Dingleberry

he's a teenager...

MIKESV8

it's okay, the dealership after all the complaining from me is sending me a check for $175. and they're gonna take the front bumper apart and repair some cracks and fill in the screw holes. thanks for the support guys. p.s. my parent sdidn't pay a penny