stim141

Owned my CLK430 since May 18th of 2000 and have less than 18,000 miles. On the day the warranty expired, last Thursday the fuel gauge starts to report a full tank, though I know it has about 3/4 of a tank. It also will sometimes report Empty until I restart the car. Called the dealer at 4 pm on the day the warranty was expiring and explained that the warranty is expiring today and he scheduled an appointment for Tuesday of this week (tomorrow). My question was would the repairs be covered under warranty. The answer he gave was NO. So I called MB and they said it could be covered under a goodwill provision but I would have to have the dealer call an get an authorization. So I called back to the dealer the following day and reexplained the situation. Again emphasized that my warranty was expired and it wouldn't be covered. So I told him what the MB Customer relation person said and the dealer then said he'd call Benz and see if he could get a confirmation and would call me back with an answer - still hasn't called.

What would my recourse be if he tells me tomorrow that it isn't covered - talk to Benz again - talk to the service manager or am I screwed?

mbtech208

If the car only has 18K miles on it and it just went out of warranty, they should goodwill the fuel level senders as a nice gesture. They don't have to do it of course. If you've been a bad customer they probably won't, but in most cases they will at least cover the cost of parts or labor, or half the total bill.

jddumas

I'd say that since it broke while still under warranty, and it was reported to them while still under warranty, then they should have to cover it. Even though it was late in the evening when you called for the appointment, it was still within the warranty period. It's not your fault that they couldn't get it in that evening.
I'm not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express! LOL

Seriously though, if they don't do it, let me know and I'll ask one of my lawyer friends for a free opinion, and maybe a referral.

2Pac

I would say that the warranty does not state a time, just the date. So technically, it's still under warranty, but it's going to get fixed on a different day. Always speak to the manager, and tell them that you may be in the market for a new MB in the future so they better treat you right!

stim141

Fortunately it was resolved. Took it in yesterday and explained the situation again. Service advisor said they'd look at the problem and call Mercedes - picked up a loaner and drove away expecting some kind of problem. About 2pm had a really major hailstorm in the area (St Louis, Missouri) - like hail the size of golfballs. Loaner car got pretty trashed - hood and roof totally pockmarked and the windsheild was also broken in two spots. Called the dealer and they didn't have hail but the car was inside. A new Porsche Carrera 4 was totally trashed and I saw an Audi A4 with its rear window gone. Not a good day to be out! Returned to the dealership and he handed me a bill - NO CHARGE! The only thing I'll probably have to pay is my comprehensive deductable for the damage since I'm responsible for any damage to their loaner car when I'm in possession - although my insurance company isn't too sure. Was a good day to have the car serviced for a change.

Chappy

WOW! Double wammy Lucky AND successful!

rajah996

Im glad they worked it out for you. I am 100 miles
out of my warranty, and am having a serious situation
with my MB dealership trying to get some work done.
Actually, I am in the process of writing a letter to MBUSA,
and the president of my MB dealership. Wish I were as
lucky as you.

stim141

Maybe not so lucky. Got a call from my insurance company and said my policy didn't cover cars that are NONOWNED/BORROWED. Basically said the "agreement" that I signed at the dealership which requested my insurance company's name and my credit card in case I didn't refill the tank isn't covered by Liability/Collision or rental coverage since the car isn't a rental but is simply borrowed. My agent also said the the majority of policies written won't cover this type of damage and it should be on the auto dealer's policy to cover any damages. The agent said that my insurer (State Farm) seems to be going to bat for me and dealing with the dealer since they believe the contract isn't valid and it shouldn't be my responsibility. Just bewarned when accepting a loaner car that requires you to sign anything that says you or your insurance company is responsible for any repairs - most likely you won't be covered and have the same problem unless of course you purchase some sort of esoteric coverage that would handle such an indicident. Just think what would happen if you totalled their car or got in an accident that totalled someone else's car where they had injuries and you aren't covered. Either have some sort of personal umbrella policy, a good lawyer or head straight to bankruptcy court!

jddumas

My insurance agent with State Farm, who is a cousin, said I'm covered for any rental or loaner car.

stim141

Curious what State Farm options you have on you policy. The claims office said that the Rental coverage won't apply since the car technically wasn't a rental but a loaner.

jddumas

I'll check later on and let you know.

Chappy

I just got off the phone with my agent (State Farm - been with them 10+ years). They advised my policy (liab., coll., comp.) WOULD cover me for the loss you described. Loaners are covered, same as if I was driving my own car.

Perhaps each state is different?

jddumas

According to my insurance card, I have the following with State Farm:
A: Bodily Injury/Property Damage Liability
C: Medical Payments
D: 100 Deduct Comprehensive
G: 250 Deduct Collision
H: Emergency Road Service
R1: Car Rental
U: Uninsured Motor Vehicle
UNOC: Use of Nonowned Cars

The purpose of the UNOC is because I stay in rental cars the majority of the time due to traveling nearly every week for work. Apparently there is a limit to the number of days you can use a rental car in a calander year so if one is going to exceed that limit then this has to be added. In nearly every case the average person would not need this.
Also, my CLK is a company car for my business, so we have higher coverage limits than the average person to cover the business.
If you don't get satisfactory results from your agent then call the home office and get the results you need.
Let me know if I can help any further and good luck!
In my experiences State Farm may be a little higher with their premiums, but they will take care of you when others won't.

Chappy

Nothing too major with the vehice itself, I hope.

rajah996

Well, it depends on what you consider major. I have
no clue how much fuel is in the gas tank right now. I
drive alot, so this is a serious situation for me. Till it gets
fixed, I am just driving one of my other cars.

The funniest part is how the dealer claims "it is totally
unusual," then I come on here, and find out that it is
a fairly common problem. Yeah I cant wait to hear what
MBUSA has to say. I might just go back to an infiniti or
lexus again.

Chappy

This is on the CLK55??

stim141

Thanks guy, appreciate the State Farm info - will definately talk to my agent when this is resolved and totally review my coverage options. My agent said the same thing about the UNOC option that is rarely is even discussed when doing a policy and it is highly unusual for the average motorist to carry.

rajah996

Yeah, fun car, drinks alot of gas, and I cant
monitor it.

Chappy

Sorry to hear that...I believe this is a known problem on all 208s.

stim141

The parts cost about 168 and 65 for the left and right units and the total number of hours to replace at the dealership was about 1.2 hours. Granted mine was covered under warranty but you are looking at about 350.00 from the dealer to have both replaced - they'll replace both even if one of the units is bad. They didn't seem to drain the tank unless they replaced the gas as my tank was about 3/4 when it was returned to me.

Since my car only has about 18500 on it and it is in perfect physical and mechanical condition (knock on wood) I'm probably going to purchase an extended warranty from either WarrantyDirect or AutoWarrantyBroker for about 2000 for 4 year/48000 or 7/100000 as they would roll back the contract date to put me in a "still under warranty" condition for the same price its pretty much a decent deal - total bumper to bumper no deductable and its transferable. Since I'll probably keep it for a few more years (ITS PAID FOR IN FULL!!!) I'd rather have peace of mind if anything unexpected pops up that will cost a fortune to fix down the road and I can still use my existing dealer without feeling ripped off when I take it in.

rajah996

$350!?! Are you serious? They told me just under
$1,000, which they were "willing to split with me"
so I would pay just about $500. Talk about really
trying to take advantage of a new MB customer.

stim141

I'll scan a copy of my receipt - doesn't show the prices of the service just the part description id and number of hours to do the replacement and post a link to a website.

Heres the link and you'll need Adobe Reader


http://home.swbell.net/stimins/Untitled-1.pdf

rajah996

Thanks for the pdf. I will see what part numbers
they claim need to be replaced.