mbsldallas

I bought two brand new 2020 AMG GTRs in the past six months. One in November 2019 and one in December 2019.

The 2020 AMG GTR Pro had exhaust rattling from delivery. I took it to my local dealer. They identified a bulletin on this issue. The first course of action was to lubricate the exhaust switch. It did not work. The second course of action was to replace the entire exhaust ($10K cost). It took a month for the parts to arrive. Took my GTR Pro back in to the shop to have the exhaust replaced. It did not work. The car exhaust still had a noticeable rattle (not even by me - the service department told me it sounded terrible and was not fixed). I asked what was next. Another exhaust? Nope. No fix. They don't have a fix for it....They asked me to pick it up and have not had any resolution since. So I am now five months into ownership and the exhaust has been defective since day one...

The 2020 AMG GTR Roadster had a check engine light come on with 140 miles. Took it immediately to my local dealer. They had to put several hundred miles on the engine to diagnose. First they thought it was a fuel injector issue. Then they thought it was a fuel pump (they replaced it). Still not resolved. They miraculously 2+ weeks later indicated this was normal behavior for the car in the first 1,000 miles and handed it back to me. Normal behavior for the check engine light to come on at 140 miles and to be out of service for nearly three weeks?

I reached out to MBUSA per my local service department. MBUSA suggested I submit buyback claims for both vehicles. So I did that six weeks ago. MBUSA was very polite and aplogetic about my issues on two brand new $220K+ limited production sportscars. They gave me a case number for both VINs and contact info. They said it typically takes 4-6 weeks for a decision.

I have left voicemails and emails for updates on the status several times. No response. It has now been six weeks. No response.

I am also an owner of a 2014 AMG SLS Black Series. How is this a way to treat a longtime AMG customer? I have also owned S63, G63, etc.

You have been warned! I am just looking for resolution and to move on. I'm not trying to cause trouble. These types of things can happen, I get it. But how a manufacturer handles it is what counts. Very disappointed I can't get this resolved. I just want to move on from these two nightmares.

ZephyrAMG

All I can say is cars 2012 on are manufactured like garbage. These cars are disposable. Cheap parts, horrible quality control, short term r and d testing...sorry to hear...

wizee

That's definitely a most disappointing experience you had. I saw in service records that my 2017 AMG GT S also had an exhaust rattle that was fixed by a dealer before I bought it last year, but I don't know how they fixed it. No rattles currently. The CEL in the roadster is also definitely not normal.

If you weren't trying to have them bought back, I'd suggest trying a different dealer to diagnose the exhaust issue. For the roadster, has the CEL returned or is it working normally currently?

P.S. This thread should be moved to the coupe/roadster sub-forum.

mbsldallas

I feel like the dealer has been thorough at trying to fix the exhaust rattle. They recognized there was an open bulletin and they called me to explain what they had tried and what the results were. The only thing I would have expected was to try one additional exhaust replacement given that not every GTR Pro has this issue...but they didn't want to do that.

Honestly I am just so disappointed I want to be done with the car but am not willing to unload the car until it is fixed (I won't pass along a defect to someone else).

mbsldallas

And I agree it should be in coupe/roadster subsection but don't know how to move it! Maybe an admin can move it :-)

LAsunset

mbsldallas, were you able to have another dealer diagnose the problem? I had a slightly different issue and went through 3 dealers and eventually got sorted. with the 3rd one being the most competent

Also, when you called MBUSA, did you have an executive customer service officer assigned to you for the case? I was assigned a direct number with such a customer service officer. She will always return my calls within a day.

mbsldallas

yes. I’m guessing I have an issue with my executive customer service officer because he never returns my calls or emails. I will bypass him tomorrow and see if I can get anyone using my reference number.

Wolfman

Moved. Sorry to hear about the disappointing experience! Frankly am surprised about these issues on both cars. There is no new tech in the roadster and plenty of Pro’s around...
Just hope that MBUSA takes care of this quickly and without anymore hassle. After the buy back, what’s next?

AMG 17GT

Third time a charm?

absent

Bad luck on your part, I was on both sides of the coin in the past.
My current car is virtually bulletproof (thank God, since I did the turbo upgrade and modified this car so much that warranty claim is a pipe dream for me) but was in your shoes a few times in the past.
You can wait for MBUSA to do something until we have a transgender satanist as President and even then they will drag their feet.
Usually, it takes one or two letters from a lawyer, preferably from one specializing in Lemon Law.

mbsldallas

Bought the Pista Spider as the new convertible. Just sticking with what I have for now until I get these resolved!

canucklehead

I have the rattle on my PRO as well. The initial rattle I would consider extreme. Car has been in 3 times to fix rattle.
What I found the most irritating was each time I was told it was fixed, 5 minutes down the road it started rattling again.

While it is still not fixed, it is a lot better. On the last time the car was in for service/repair, I was told there is currently no fix for the rattle but to expect a fix Q1 or Q2 2020 which is somewhat laughable.
Not something I would go to the extreme of a buy back though. Rattle is only noticeable at very low speed/RPM.
If I had more free time I am sure a little Hot Rod ingenuity and common sense would fix it easily as it sounds absurd that a rattle cannot be diagnosed.

NYCSoiL

Can you guys post a video? Thanks

kumizi

Yea I would think about taking it to a performance shop that I trust but I understand not wanting to do that on a $200k car or spending your own money when MB is responsible for the fix.

canucklehead

At least one more week of winter here
my driveway still has a few inches of ice and snow...

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

OP I would suggest getting the car(s) to another dealer and having them look at it. The rattle seems to be a ubiquitous thing but I’ve been told certain issues with my cars were “normal” at one dealer and got them fixed immediately at another.

ZephyrAMG

I wonder wth it could be?? The exhaust is welded pretty tight and it’s 16 or 18 gauge SS tubing, also as it heats up it expands, becoming more rigid. Could be the stupid aluminum heat shields? Is it faulty exhaust clamps or body anchors?

Being in 3 times for repair and each time not getting fixed is super frustrating. Seems like it could be a common sense issue...

cdk4219

Lots of lemon buybacks on these cars it seems, also lots of used amg gt cars for sale. After owning these German cars for 25 years, I am over them. I was going to buy a GTS but it certainly doesn’t look very robust. I would be extremely disappointed if this had happened to a new KIA, much less a 200k car. This is definitely one of the areas of life that paying more doesn’t get more quality.

It’s wonderful that the body gaps line up and the door hinges are marvels of engineering, but when the driveshaft comes apart, transmission grinds to a halt, or entire car has rattles and noises that shouldnt be in a car that is 20 years old, that really isn’t enjoyable.

It’s pretty bad that all the low mileage Porsche or amg cars I have are less reliable than a 1994 rusty Chevrolet c1500 that my wife’s uncle donated to my son. Can’t wait to see what these cars are like in a few years.

AMG 17GT

Haha. Performance cars throughout the ages have always been problematic because they have always been pushing the envelope. Don’t be so naïve. These are 600 hp cars and **** happens.

Wolfman

This rant somewhat non-sensical. By definition, low volume cars are more prone to issues due to their (less streamlined) production design and amount of manual labor involved. This has nothing to do with the cost of the car.
The issue is the speed and follow-up of the problem and appropriate resolution by AMG/MB.

mbsldallas

It is at the switch that controls the exhaust flaps. The device rattles and is more pronounced in loud mode (ironically). You can see and hear it for yourself when the car is up on the lift and that it is at the control. It's a shame as AMG usually does a phenomenal job with turbo exhaust. Such is life!

cdk4219

Just a basic overview of the over engineering of the German car that makes it much more prone to problems. Even in the German production cars there are lots of unneeded issues. I enjoy them when they work, but they fail at high rates. Not a rant, but a wake up call for me to stop buying German cars.

rt7085

There is probably some play in the axle from the exhaust flap actuator to the exhaust flap inside the exhaust. I have seen that before on other exhaust. As thing as simple as a spring washer can provide an intermediate fix. But I wonder if dealer are not allowed to make sure small mods to make the customer happy.

mbsldallas

I asked them if there was a workaround in the meantime and they said no.

thebishman

I see you are in KC. Are you using Aristocrat for service? Iirc they are the only dealership with an actual AMG Tech.

Sorry to hear about your issues on the cars. Mine has been bulletproof since new, of course it’s not a Pro but I would suspect that the exhaust, especially the mechanism controlling the valves would be no different between a normal GTR and the Pro. Hence I suspect that the issue is defective parts from the supplier to the factory and new stock is needed.

Good luck getting this fixed, or the cars LL’d ASAP