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I took the first couple of issues to be insignificant nonsense. Busted subwoofer and a message of too much oil in engine. After 2 visits (one for diagnostics and one for the actual repairs), I got the car back with the buzzing subwoofer replaced. The oil message according to the shop would go away. Imagine every time you hit the gas, getting a loud warning... yes I hit the gas frequently...10 months later and it was still there, at which time I told them yet again to fix it and they finally did). After the subwoofer was replaced, I could finally turn the volume up, at which point I noticed the audio distortion.
A month and a half later, I got my first engine light. Took the car in, they cleared it gave the car back to me. A week later, same thing. Car also had a knocking sound coming from the dash and a weird rattle every time I would go over a minor bump. Add to that a weird squeak anytime any tension along the long axis of the car (almost like twisting metal). Kind of concerning to think that any torsion along the long axis of the car elicits a groan of strain... I also asked them to check the audio. I took a screenshot that morning of mileage on my car. 5-6 hours later, my car had ~65 miles more (I have never had that kind of mileage put on any car before during 1st day of service or during the duration of service for that matter…). I contacted MB USA and asked for a detailed map of where my car had been during the day (I had seen the car being more than 10 miles away from the dealership at some point during that first day). I also asked them at that point for the first time to take the car back. After about 50 phone calls which they ignored (phone records below) and multiple emails which the ignored as well (emails included), they told me 'no can do'. They also obviously called the dealership and warned them that I was aware of the mileage so when I finally got the car back a week later, I was offered a very idiotic explanation of car being test driven extensively to make sure all issues were corrected (because you know all issues were corrected on day 1 within 5-6 hrs of car being dropped off and the rest of the 6 days that the car was sitting at the dealership they were just admiring the paint job). They also could find nothing wrong with the audio, despite the fact that the audio distortion is blatantly obvious. I actually sat with them in the car and played different songs with the distortion noticeable even at low volume. I have a video included of Queen Mariah's Christmas music playing, you can hear the distortion loud and clear... They offered me a laughable explanation about acoustics, because obviously when the car audio was being designed, the acoustics of a small space were not taken into consideration. They also told me that a rep comes in twice a month and they would call me and let me know when the regional rep was in so I could bring the car in to be assessed. 2 months passed, no calls and no reps... The knocking sound was fixed, the rattle and groan was not… So basically I couldn’t use my optional premium audio because it sounded like crap and as my musical accompaniment while driving, I just enjoyed rattles and squeaks.
A month after that, I got 4 lovely error messages on my dash. Basically half the safety systems were inactive. Another trip to the dealership, another 50 calls to MB USA that remained unanswered. Finally spoke to a rep who again told me basically ‘too bad’. No apologies, no mediation, no nothing. Apparently all this is to be expected and my car being out of service for a month is perfectly normal. A few days after I got the car back, I also noticed the carbon fiber peeling off! At which point I emailed again, and yes you guessed it, I got no answer. On one of the calls I did manage to get a response. I asked the guy, if he could honestly tell me that any of these issues are acceptable. Not as MB USA representatitive but as a human being speaking to another human being. He finally admitted they were not, of course that was his personal opinion, not the official response from MB USA... I wasn't mad at the dude, I understand he was doing his job, which is what MB USA corporate tells him to do and that is to basically ignore and minimize consumer complaints...
On 12/8/21 at 6:50am about to head to work, start the car on and yes, new error message… Coolant now. How in the world could coolant be low on a car with 7000 miles is truly a mystery. Driving since 18 yo, have needed to CHANGE coolant at 60k miles or at some prespecified interval. Never had coolant low and surely not after 7k miles... Took the car back in, this time for coolant level, engine oil error message, peeling carbon fiber, rattle. Got the car back after a week as I was without a car since dealership did not bother to provide a loaner without the carbon fiber being replaced and without the rattle fixed. I was told they would contact me once it was in so I could drop the car back to replace it. A week later, as no one had contacted me, I called them back, only to find out that they did receive it, but did not call. The rattle, they attributed to personal items in the car and according to them, rattle corrected after they removed them. To be clear, the only personal item in the car, was the attachment to the garage door opener that was in the cupholder. I am including a video of the rattle they said they repaired. If anyone thinks that is a personal item in the cupholder making that noise please let me know lol Also worth mentioning, that this time, during 7 days of service, I had a grand total of 5 miles added. Very interesting that during this exhaustive test drives to isolate the issue they put 5 miles on the car whereas previously they did 65... Very consistent...
10 months of ownership, 1.5 months in service, 0 months trouble free. Still no apology from Mercedes AMG.
I have contacted the attorney general in Louisiana, Mercedes Benz USA refused to respond to my complaint. Of course, AG of Louisiana is too busy politicizing rather than doing his job, so no follow up from them either...
No, I am not looking for sympathy. No, I don’t expect that magically Mercedes Benz USA will have descent customer service and actually address the totally unacceptable issues this car has and apologize for the crappy experience and months of BS they have put me through. Their products are unreliable junk and their customer service should be used as an example of what not to do in training workshops.
2020 GTA; 2022 Audi e-tron GT, 2022 Ford F-150; 1926 Rolls-Royce Springfield 40/50 Playboy roadster
Dear Thread Starter: Paragraphs are your friend. The more the merrier. I can't read a solid wall of text and I suspect others have the same problem I do.
Did you find any info on the Lemon laws in your state? Always thought MB was a quality vehicle? Surprised you are going through all this. Did you consider going to another dealership?
2020 GTA; 2022 Audi e-tron GT, 2022 Ford F-150; 1926 Rolls-Royce Springfield 40/50 Playboy roadster
Thanks for paragraphing.
I listened to the first of the videos. Sounds like my Burmeister. If I want to listen to music I don't do it in a car. (I assume you have adjusted the volumes for bass, treble, etc., to your liking. If not, give that a shot.)
The other problems are more significant although filling the radiator and taking out some oil will resolve two of the problems. The oil overfill occurs when the Mercedes shop does the oil change incorrectly, usually by not warming up then car first and doing the change within a few minutes after the car is warm. We have a few threads on that issue.
I wish you good luck in getting Mercedes' attention and being able to enjoy your car!
I listened to the first of the videos. Sounds like my Burmeister. If I want to listen to music I don't do it in a car. (I assume you have adjusted the volumes for bass, treble, etc., to your liking. If not, give that a shot.)
The other problems are more significant although filling the radiator and taking out some oil will resolve two of the problems. The oil overfill occurs when the Mercedes shop does the oil change incorrectly, usually by not warming up then car first and doing the change within a few minutes after the car is warm. We have a few threads on that issue.
I wish you good luck in getting Mercedes' attention and being able to enjoy your car!
Appreciate the response. I didn't think the oil message was something mechanically wrong, it was just irritating hearing a ping everytime I stepped on the gas. I knew the issue would resolve once they bothered to do oil change which is what I asked them to do 10 months ago, instead they told me it would burn off... the coolant issue was more concerning given what I've seen on this forum about the gts previously. I do not remember ever topping off coolant in any car. It's a closed system and the car had a little over 7k miles at the point that error popped up.
The audio, if it truly sounds as intended, is just offensive. I had a 2018 c43 with burmester ($800 option on that car...) that overlapped for a couple of months with this one and it sounded drastically better. When I play the same music in the B&W in the BMW the quality difference is absurd. The burmester in a Taycan I test drove was also massively better. I cant possibly believe this is what the system is supposed to be! How can they change 3400 or whatever it is for audio that sounds like it belongs in a base Toyota corolla? Anything high frequency is distorted and every vocal sounds like the singer has a lisp.
The overall lack of customer support is what's driving me nuts. I can accept a machine having issues...
Did you find any info on the Lemon laws in your state? Always thought MB was a quality vehicle? Surprised you are going through all this. Did you consider going to another dealership?
My thoughts exactly. This is what lemon laws are for. I've had a similar circumstance with a Maserati and the dealership bent over backwards to help me. The lack of service you are getting makes no sense. Usually just threatening a Lemon Law action results in an offer from the dealer to "make it right."
Appreciate the response. I didn't think the oil message was something mechanically wrong, it was just irritating hearing a ping everytime I stepped on the gas. I knew the issue would resolve once they bothered to do oil change which is what I asked them to do 10 months ago, instead they told me it would burn off... the coolant issue was more concerning given what I've seen on this forum about the gts previously. I do not remember ever topping off coolant in any car. It's a closed system and the car had a little over 7k miles at the point that error popped up.
The audio, if it truly sounds as intended, is just offensive. I had a 2018 c43 with burmester ($800 option on that car...) that overlapped for a couple of months with this one and it sounded drastically better. When I play the same music in the B&W in the BMW the quality difference is absurd. The burmester in a Taycan I test drove was also massively better. I cant possibly believe this is what the system is supposed to be! How can they change 3400 or whatever it is for audio that sounds like it belongs in a base Toyota corolla? Anything high frequency is distorted and every vocal sounds like the singer has a lisp.
The overall lack of customer support is what's driving me nuts. I can accept a machine having issues...
I have the high end 1,000 watt Burm. and it is the best sounding car stereo I've ever heard and I'm an audiophile. I haven't listened to the standard issue.
I’m not a real fan of Burmester, But it’s not unlistenable.
If you are listening to FM or crap satellite as a source then it will not sound good The source is the most important part of any system, especially in small spaces.
I have the entry level Burmester and playing Losless music really wakes up the system and it sounds OK. So check your source.
I’m not a real fan of Burmester, But it’s not unlistenable.
If you are listening to FM or crap satellite as a source then it will not sound good The source is the most important part of any system, especially in small spaces.
I have the entry level Burmester and playing Losless music really wakes up the system and it sounds OK. So check your source.
Good point. I only listen to HD or lossless music on my system and it is exceptional. The 3D UHD music is "better than live." But again I have the 11 speaker premium sound. The stereo in my Ferrari 458 was an absolute piece of garbage. But I knew that going in and everyone just seems to accept the poor quality sound in Ferraris.
I have the high end 1,000 watt Burm. and it is the best sounding car stereo I've ever heard and I'm an audiophile. I haven't listened to the standard issue.
I have the high end burmester as well... which is why I find the audio quality to be absurd. To me it sounds like either speakers are blown or the amp is blown.
I have the high end burmester as well... which is why I find the audio quality to be absurd. To me it sounds like either speakers are blown or the amp is blown.
Yeah, you just need to get out of that car and into something else. Sorry for your hassles!
Yeah, you just need to get out of that car and into something else. Sorry for your hassles!
lol yes I agree. Does anyone have those groans and squeaks in their cars? They are so loud in the car, I keep thinking it must be either a suspension component or something with steering. It's such an odd noise. The rattle seems to be coming from the roof mechanism, hard to isolate while I'm driving, feels like it's coming from right behind the passenger seat... I miss my c43...
lol yes I agree. Does anyone have those groans and squeaks in their cars? They are so loud in the car, I keep thinking it must be either a suspension component or something with steering. It's such an odd noise. The rattle seems to be coming from the roof mechanism, hard to isolate while I'm driving, feels like it's coming from right behind the passenger seat... I miss my c43...
If if I were a betting man, I'd guess that it was your rear wheel steering. Mine makes a little noise when I first start the car up if I have to crank the steering wheel all the way. That makes sense to me. it shouldn't be making any noise or vibration once you are rolling.
If if I were a betting man, I'd guess that it was your rear wheel steering. Mine makes a little noise when I first start the car up if I have to crank the steering wheel all the way. That makes sense to me. it shouldn't be making any noise or vibration once you are rolling.
The noise in my case is during motion and basically anytime I hit a minor bump or the car is under any strain along its longitudinal axis. It's a weird metal groin kinda noise.. the rattle is also under motion
01-05-2022, 04:14 PM
