SydBenz

So I got the SRS warning and Visit Workshop coming up on the dash so I went straight to my local dealer (who happen to be factory owned). They keep the car for three hours and tell me its as good as new. However, as soon as I turn the car on the message comes up again. Embarassed they rush the car back in and come out ten minutes later saying they need to order a part, which one they couldnt tell me. However, they tell me that the airbags are fine and that its just an error with the message? They tell me the car is safe to drive. They then tell me they are trying to locate the part but its probably going to have to come from Germany and that it will be a month wait. So I leave and as im pulling out they tell me to drive safely as I may only have side airbags. So I ask them if it is Mercedes policy to have their customers drive around for a month with potentially defective airbags and the response is a yes. This seems strange to me???

In addition to the airbage problem the transmission is suffering from the heavy thunks when down shifting, I have an annoying squeak in the drivers seat, and since they tried to fix the SRS I now have a window rattle. Not to mention I have already had the steering wheel monitor break and had to also wait a month for it. Is it time to take these matters up with head office?

If I push for a loan car for a month whilst I wait for the airbags to be fixed I am under the impression that the only loan cars are A170's with no options. Shouldn't mercedes have to give me a car with at least some of the features that my broken car has? eg Sat Nav?

In saying all of this the dealer and the staff have been beyond polite hence the reason I didnt argue initially but im beginning to think that it is unnaceptable to have no airbags for a month without compensation. Am I right?

burkettamb

id push mercedes to replace the car, there taking a real risk letting you drive that car.

SydBenz

Unfortunately this isn't the US we dont have lemon laws we are a country of work shy peasants. I might ask to see how long the dealer laughs for. They have said it will be a minimum of two weeks and have offered me an A Class for 50 bucks a day! No way should I have to pay on a warranty repair and have to drive an A170.

burkettamb

Id tell them to take that $50 charge and shove it up there ***. Id go in and make it very clear just what the hell there going to do, i don't take no for an answer.

egxpimp

Hmm defective car, and you have to pay for a loaner ? Didnt you b low about 80k on the car -and it has all these problems? the least Mercedes can do is give you a loaner car f or FREE for crying out loud!

SydBenz

I wish it was 80K try 130,000USD. I am now dealing with the GM of the dealership and I have three cars from them and this is the cheapest one but still no loaner!? They dont seem to understand the concept of service. They were offering me the car for a fee and now they are claiming that they dont actually have any available for the next month. So they have changed their story three times in the space of a day. They said they were going to call MB Australia and get back to me by the end of the day but they never called. I have also asked three times to be told the exact part they are ordering with no response???? I am starting to loose my cool.

konigstiger

SRS warning:

P-B-91.60/99b APR06 SRS Light Illuminated – Addresses fault codes and replaces airbag line to steering column module. BTW, the airbags are, in fact, fine.

Transmission:

P-B-27.60/61c JAN06 Rough Shift Quality – Rough 1-2, 3-2 and 2-1 gearshifts. Addresses any mechanical causes and performs shift adaptations.

P-B-27.50/59a MAR06 Transmission in Limp Home Mode with fault codes – Replaces flange (clutch) and valve body and addresses shift adaptations.

(As a precautionary measure)

P-B-18.40/29a MAR06 Leakage Between Oil Level Sensor and Oil Pan - Replaces oil level/oil quality sensor.

Loaner:

Here in the U.S. most if not all dealerships would supply a no cost C-Class no questions asked. The transmission repair(s) as per MBUSA bulletins should entitle you to a loaner. Let us know how it unfolds.

SydBenz

Thank you for the help.

They ended up giving me an A200 as a loan car which I've had for a week now at no cost. The part just came in today(it is the steering column replacement as you suggested) and I am dropping the car in tomorrow morning.

I mentioned to them that I want the Transmission looked at and they replied that my car didn't need it. I told them that it clearly does as I get whiplash every time I start it up. So they said they would look at it but im not optimistic.

I will provide them with the details that you already posted but is there any other info I can give them to convince them to take this seriously?

Thanks Again

konigstiger

Request a test drive with the shop foreman. While riding along as a passenger, have him duplicate the driving characteristics that repeatedly cause the rough shift qualities in the transmission.

SydBenz

I dropped the car in this morning and told them to also look at the transmission. I got a call back saying that they have found an oil leak in the transmission and that they are waiting on a part and need to keep it overnight. They also said that there is nothing wrong with the transmission and the shifting is to be expected as it is a "powerful" car, I of course disagreed but they are saying if theres no fault code then theres nothing wrong with it. They also saif that they had readapted the gearbox which i take to mean they just reset it to factory defaults.

My feelings about the oil leak are a bit of a chicken and egg situation. As this is a common fault I get the feeling the harsh shifting came first but fingers crossed it has improved when I pick it up tomorrow.

Should I still be unhappy with it and they refuse to admit there is anything wrong with it then I am as konigstiger suggested take the technician in the car and demonstrate the problem. For some reason they say that MB Australia has had no service bulletins regarding the problem. Doesn't this seem strange given the prevelance of the problem in other markets?

ppilot

That harsh downshift problem showed up on my US CLS500 at 10,000 miles. Konigstiger (a great source of information for all of us- really appreciated) advised me as he did you of the “P-B-27.60/61c JAN06 Rough Shift Quality – Rough 1-2, 3-2 and 2-1 gearshifts...”

I took it to the US dealer and he confirmed the harsh 3-2 shift. They said I had the latest software, checked the oil level and checked "adaption values" which were all within range but still harsh shift. I did not have the latest Valve Body hardware 220270140628 which they obtained and installed. Everything has been fine for the last 1,500 miles.

SydBenz

Picked the car up on monday. They replaced the airbag control module, and also found an oil leak then replaced my oil sensor and a sump plug, had to reseal everything. They also 'adapted' the transmission.

This all sounds good until I drove it. The transmission now holds gears until red line on every change. It no longer has the problems with the downshifts but they have created this new problem. I am going to ask them to reset it back to factory.

The other BIG problem is that I just got into my car and the SRS warning is back up AGAIN!!!!! They are telling me they are just going to replace the same part again and its a month wait for the part to arrive from germany. They didnt even want me to bring the car in for daignosis? CRAZY?!!!

Any help on this one. I am at the point where im getting ready to write a letter to MB Australia since the car will have been off the road for three out of the first nine months of its life. Any advice on how to approach this situation?

Problems So Far:
Steering Wheel Sensor, ESP, Cornering Xenons Inoperative, 4 weeks for parts
SRS Warning, 3 attempts to fix and still not rectified
Oil Leak
Replace Oil Level Sensor and sump plug
Transmission Problems

AND COUNTING

konigstiger

Have you placed any items containing memory cards on the passenger seat? Believe it or not this could interfere with the SRS system: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/147752-memory-cards-passenger-seat.html

As mentioned, request a test drive with the shop foreman. In the mean time it’s time to contact MB for assistance emphasizing that this vehicle has been out of service for one third of its ownership.

SydBenz

Thanks for all of the help but the saga continues.

The SRS problem has been fixed as they replaced all of the wiring to the sensor and has been fine. The gearbox still isnt working, and on downhills when not touching either pedal the car 'bunny hops' and jerks all the way down.

Then last night when pulling into my driveway at about 10mph I lost all power. The dash went dark with the exception of a bunch of warning lights. The steering wheel locked up and i couldnt move anywhere. Nearly got rear ended in the process. I turned the car off and back on and it seemes to work fine without even a warning light or error. I dropped it off at the dealer and they are going to look at it tuesday, unfortunately we have a long weekend.

Any advice on what could be causing it? Is the transmission so bad the engine just decided to shut down?

Thanks

SL65AMG V12

You ran out of power? Thats crazy. I am astonished at reading your ownership experience.

Regarding the gearbox issues - I think you should reset the ECU yourself. You know how with the car "learns" how you drive and the transmission changes itself to adapt to your driving style? Reset it back to factory settings yourself:
https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c55-amg-w203/148135-makin-sure-c55-32-brothas-hooked-up-ecu-reset-smokes.html

Anyway, keep updating us.

Stiggs

Oh my God that is funny. They realize you have a 350 right and not a 55?

SydBenz

I made an official request in writing to MB Australia which the dealership is going to pass on to head office for either a new car or a full refund. I then spoke to the dealership again when they re opened on tuesday and to my astonishment they told me that they hadnt even looked at the car due to my request to head office. So I asked them to simply do a quick diagnostic to find out why the car lost power. That was 24hrs ago now and no call back. I understand that if MB Australia is going to do a buy back that the service people wouldnt want to waste man hours trying to fix it but you would think that they'd at least hook it up for a few minutes and do a quick diagnostic check?

So I've decided at this point to give them until the end of the week to get back to me before I speak to them again. Any ideas on what my chances are of getting rid of this lemon of a car?

If they are unresponsive to my request then I don't have much choice but to launch legal action.

In the mean time im in my 'beautiful' A170 loan car, YAY!

SydBenz

I Think Its Time To Get Denny Crane On The Case!

ppilot

Sydbenz...I do feel for you and your problems with your car.
This from an e-bay listing...

"Due to the overly stringent buy-back, otherwise known as Lemon Laws, in California and Florida you as the consumer have the opportunity to save thousands of dollars. This car was reacquired or bought back from the consumer due to warranty issues (Transmission downshifts harshly). The warranty items were corrected (Car was inspected by authorized Mercedes Benz dealer and found to meet manufactures specifications) and the car CONTINUES to HAVE the REMINING 4-year 50,000 mile Mercedes Benz FACTORY warranty. Due to this Manufacture reacquisition or, Lemon Law, buy back you can buy this car for only $59,888!This car is priced to sell Quick for only $59,888! We welcome pre-buy inspections and guarantee that this is a no smoke, no accident and no paint work car!! "

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT

SL65AMG V12

As much as I truely want YOU to win the case and ideally get a new car, I'm not sure if MBAus will give in.

I once read a case in Drive newspaper where a man who had a S500, expirienced major electrical problems and after sending a letter, the best offer he got was a new E500 which is not the same as an S-Class.

So good luck...

SydBenz

Well they have now had the car for over two weeks. The state service manager has said that he has driven the car and that as far as he is concerned there is nothing out of the ordinary about the transmission. This seems strange since it happens every time I drive it. We have told him to take it for another drive and if he can't feel it we will take it out with him and show him. They offered an aditional 6mth warranty as compensation. But they have been unable to determine why the engine shut off. I believe it is related to the gearbox as an E-Class owner on the forum has the same transmission problem and also had their engine shut off in the same circumstances.

Doesn't it seem strange they would say "oh that problem with your gearbox doesnt exist (even though we have made several attempts to fix it) and we don't know why your engine shut off but just take it back now and we'll give you six months extra warranty"

Getting desperate at this point any suggestions would be much appreciated.

I have an ad im ready to run in the Fin Review detailing how herrendous the car has been. I also have a connection at Ch 9 who has said that they would be happy to run a story on it. Should I resort to this?

konigstiger

A test drive with the dealer’s shop foreman should have been done a month ago when I suggested it. Demand a test drive with the shop foreman and point out the problem you’re experiencing. He must comment one way or the other. If the dealer’s personnel continue to play the normalcy card step up your MB Australia (MBA) inquiries! BTW, what’s going on with MBA?

Note: If and when they (dealer and/or MBA) solve the problem in addition request an additional twelve month warranty from the date it’s resolved since six months was already offered.

SydBenz

The shop foreman is no longer in the picture. They had admitted a month ago that there was a problem and were trying to fix it, so there was no reason to take it out with them. Now that the head technician for NSW has driven it along with the Service Manager for NSW (both of whom work for MBA) they claim theres no problem, thats what is stupid about it one minute their doing their best to fix it and then when they can't they turn around and say theres no problem at all.

Im convinced that they know exactly what the problem is so I responded by saying drive it again if you dont notice it i will take you out and show you.
MBA initially offered us nothing, then they upped it to an additional 6 months warranty. As of yet they have no idea why it stalled, and im not optimistic about them figuring it out. If they cant determine the problem i will refuse to take the car back, simply saying we can't replicate it doesn't cut it.

SL65AMG V12

I think so. At least threaten it with them as they wouldn't want that sort of publicity. Who knows what sort of compensation they'll hook you up with.

konigstiger

So the dealer’s shop foreman admits there’s a problem, and MBA disagrees. Since you have no other alternative I would suggest that you start your publicity campaign and hopefully set a precedent for other MBA customers that have been victimized by these shameful tactics.