My Experience so far.. Not good
06-09-2017, 11:09 AM
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w212 2014 e class convertable
My Experience so far.. Not good
I have owned a 2013 E-Class cab face lift model since December. Purchased with 60k Miles car now 65k miles
Since December it has gone back for a Command update as RDS does not work. Update did not fix the issue and no further updates..
Gearbox started getting rough in down shifting from 4th to 3rd. Went back for a gearbox update. Did not fix the issue
Went back again and they decided to change a solenoid valves and replace gearbox fluid and filter.. Yep that fixed it. this was 3 weeks ago.
This week failure. Started car in morning no radio and auto headlights not working. Half way to work and radio starts working. Stopped off at garage to fill up with fuel and all is working as it should .. Great wont worry about that.. My drive to work is only 9 miles
Went out in the car lunchtime roof down and everything perfect.
After work went home started putting roof up and radio goes off. Roof Stops mid flow. Ahhh and rain is coming.. Tried waiting with engine running... Nothing .. Restarted engine.. Nothing but more errors.. Left airbag failure, right airbag failure, auto light failure, park assist failure, indicator failure, and more.. Still no radio and roof stuck open..
RAC come out connected reader up 100s of failures.. More red than green...
After an hour eventually poking about got the roof 90% down. just had the rear glass stuck up about an inch..
Anyone got any ideas of what could case the complete electrical melt down?
Since December it has gone back for a Command update as RDS does not work. Update did not fix the issue and no further updates..
Gearbox started getting rough in down shifting from 4th to 3rd. Went back for a gearbox update. Did not fix the issue
Went back again and they decided to change a solenoid valves and replace gearbox fluid and filter.. Yep that fixed it. this was 3 weeks ago.
This week failure. Started car in morning no radio and auto headlights not working. Half way to work and radio starts working. Stopped off at garage to fill up with fuel and all is working as it should .. Great wont worry about that.. My drive to work is only 9 miles
Went out in the car lunchtime roof down and everything perfect.
After work went home started putting roof up and radio goes off. Roof Stops mid flow. Ahhh and rain is coming.. Tried waiting with engine running... Nothing .. Restarted engine.. Nothing but more errors.. Left airbag failure, right airbag failure, auto light failure, park assist failure, indicator failure, and more.. Still no radio and roof stuck open..
RAC come out connected reader up 100s of failures.. More red than green...
After an hour eventually poking about got the roof 90% down. just had the rear glass stuck up about an inch..
Anyone got any ideas of what could case the complete electrical melt down?
06-09-2017, 05:11 PM
#2
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Not a lot of miles on the vehicle for its age, so it should have plenty of life left in it. Is this car stock or was it modded? Any accident history on the vehicle? What you're describing mostly are a series of intermittent electrical malfunctions (radio, roof, lights, etc.), which is why I ask. Do you get any type of extended warranty or third-party warranty with this vehicle?
06-12-2017, 04:44 AM
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w212 2014 e class convertable
It was totally standard except a tow bar that I had fitted..
Merc have come back to me and said that the main cable was damaged and someone cable tied it to try and fix it.. and guess what they are blaming the tow bar fitter. I even used the dedicated wiring for it as well.. Guess what they are blaming the tow bar fitter.
As I have had the car less than 6 months this is my rights
Between 30 days and 6 months
If a fault comes to light after 30 days but before 6 months you’re entitled to a repair, replacement or refund.
It’s assumed in law that the fault was present at the time of purchase unless the seller can prove otherwise.
Unless you’ve agreed otherwise, the seller (dealer) has only one opportunity to repair (or replace) the faulty vehicle after which, if they fail to repair it, you’re entitled to a refund.
In the event of a refund following a failed attempt at repair during the first six months the seller may make a 'reasonable' adjustment to the amount refunded to take account of the use that you’ve had of the vehicle.
Anyone had any experiences like this.
Thanks
Merc have come back to me and said that the main cable was damaged and someone cable tied it to try and fix it.. and guess what they are blaming the tow bar fitter. I even used the dedicated wiring for it as well.. Guess what they are blaming the tow bar fitter.
As I have had the car less than 6 months this is my rights
Between 30 days and 6 months
If a fault comes to light after 30 days but before 6 months you’re entitled to a repair, replacement or refund.
It’s assumed in law that the fault was present at the time of purchase unless the seller can prove otherwise.
Unless you’ve agreed otherwise, the seller (dealer) has only one opportunity to repair (or replace) the faulty vehicle after which, if they fail to repair it, you’re entitled to a refund.
In the event of a refund following a failed attempt at repair during the first six months the seller may make a 'reasonable' adjustment to the amount refunded to take account of the use that you’ve had of the vehicle.
Anyone had any experiences like this.
Thanks
06-12-2017, 12:05 PM
#4
Super Member
OK, so you know the main electrical cable harness that effects all these items is damaged. So why are you asking forum members if they know the cause of your "electrical melt down" when you already know the cause? Not trying to give you a hard time here, but if the main cable harness is damaged it either has to be repaired or replaced. At some point, those intermittent faults you're experiencing will permanently fail as the harness further deteriorates from vehicle vibration. Depending where the damaged area of the harness is located and how much physical access you have to it, will determine if a repair is possible or whether the harness will require full replacement.
Your question seems to be that MB has troubleshot the problem, but they are refusing to repair or replace the damaged cable. That you're essentially now in a p**sing contest with the dealership over whether the harness was damaged when you bought the car or if it is the result of the installation of your tow bar. That's why I asked my modding question. When you change or add anything, you open the potential possibility that you'll get into a finger pointing exercise with the dealership over future repairs under warranty.
You seem to have a very different lemon-style law wherever you are located than here in the United States. Never heard of having one shot to fix a problem or you being entitled to a full refund of your purchase price if so desired. Where are you at?
Anyway, back to your problem. Did the MB dealership show you where the electrical harness was physically damaged and is it near where your tow bar is installed? In other words, can they make a reasonable case that whoever installed your tow bar (I'm assuming NOT MB dealership where you purchased the car) could have damaged the cable or is the damaged area so far away from where the tow bar is located as it to be completely unlikely that whoever installed your tow bar would have been in that area of the vehicle? If the answer is the damaged area is no where near where the tow bar is located and your installer would have not needed to be in the area to install it, then you can escalate the issue to MB corporate to fight the denial of warranty repair. That is the next step in the process for this type of thing. A case manager will be assigned to your complaint and they will see what can be done to resolve it.
If on the other hand, if the damaged area of main electrical harness is located adjacent to where the tow bar is, you may be out of luck in terms of getting the cable fixed under warranty. A third-party tow bar installer damaging your main electrical harness is NOT covered under MB's warranty. At least not in this country. For the matter, I don't know of any of the luxury brands that would eat the cost of repairing damage caused by a third party.
Your question seems to be that MB has troubleshot the problem, but they are refusing to repair or replace the damaged cable. That you're essentially now in a p**sing contest with the dealership over whether the harness was damaged when you bought the car or if it is the result of the installation of your tow bar. That's why I asked my modding question. When you change or add anything, you open the potential possibility that you'll get into a finger pointing exercise with the dealership over future repairs under warranty.
You seem to have a very different lemon-style law wherever you are located than here in the United States. Never heard of having one shot to fix a problem or you being entitled to a full refund of your purchase price if so desired. Where are you at?
Anyway, back to your problem. Did the MB dealership show you where the electrical harness was physically damaged and is it near where your tow bar is installed? In other words, can they make a reasonable case that whoever installed your tow bar (I'm assuming NOT MB dealership where you purchased the car) could have damaged the cable or is the damaged area so far away from where the tow bar is located as it to be completely unlikely that whoever installed your tow bar would have been in that area of the vehicle? If the answer is the damaged area is no where near where the tow bar is located and your installer would have not needed to be in the area to install it, then you can escalate the issue to MB corporate to fight the denial of warranty repair. That is the next step in the process for this type of thing. A case manager will be assigned to your complaint and they will see what can be done to resolve it.
If on the other hand, if the damaged area of main electrical harness is located adjacent to where the tow bar is, you may be out of luck in terms of getting the cable fixed under warranty. A third-party tow bar installer damaging your main electrical harness is NOT covered under MB's warranty. At least not in this country. For the matter, I don't know of any of the luxury brands that would eat the cost of repairing damage caused by a third party.
06-14-2017, 10:28 AM
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w212 2014 e class convertable
Both parties are denying responsibility. I have opened a case with Merk UK and have a solicitor on board as well now.. In the mean time Im renting a crap car and the costs are mounting up.
The cable in question is the large red power cable that comes from the battery and goes to the sam unit at the back which powers everything in the car.. it was cable tied up. So someone has broken it and bodged it up.. Over time the movement of the cable caused it to ark. Burning the cable connectors and melting the connector in the sam.
Im not asking for technical advise but if you have some good advice great. Im asking if anyone has had a similar issue and how did things go.. I have never been in this position and not sure what to do.. Wait for solicitors is the first im sure.
The cable in question is the large red power cable that comes from the battery and goes to the sam unit at the back which powers everything in the car.. it was cable tied up. So someone has broken it and bodged it up.. Over time the movement of the cable caused it to ark. Burning the cable connectors and melting the connector in the sam.
Im not asking for technical advise but if you have some good advice great. Im asking if anyone has had a similar issue and how did things go.. I have never been in this position and not sure what to do.. Wait for solicitors is the first im sure.
06-14-2017, 12:11 PM
#6
Super Member
I did a skim of your messages, but it sounds like someone damaged the power cable. MB is not responsible for someone else screwing up. So it sounds like it falls on either the seller or you, the buyer. Good luck.
06-14-2017, 03:27 PM
#7
Super Member
Hi Richard,
From what you have just described, I would say you are stuck between two vendors pointing fingers at each other and saying "Not me!" with you now stuck in the middle with a damaged vehicle and a sizeable repair bill. Don't know how your legal system in the UK treats this type of issue, but I would imagine you have to narrow down when the damage to the cable actually occurred for any judge to determine which, if either vendor, is viable for the damage. That being proof not merely supposition.
Unless you have photos of the underside of your vehicle before the tow bar was installed and that show the main harness was already damaged, you're out of luck getting Mercedes Benz to warranty repair the cable and whatever else the electrical malfunction / arcing damaged. This may be a case where you are ultimately going to have to foot the bill for MB to repair this damage, if the judge can't determine which vendor is responsible. I'm sure your lawyer has already discussed all this with you regarding what you need to do to establish a burden of proof to win your case against either vendor. At least he or she should have if they are any good. Otherwise, you may just end up a hefty legal bill on top of your repair bill and the cost of the crappy car rental.
By the way, the same would hold true for virtually any other car manufacturer.
From what you have just described, I would say you are stuck between two vendors pointing fingers at each other and saying "Not me!" with you now stuck in the middle with a damaged vehicle and a sizeable repair bill. Don't know how your legal system in the UK treats this type of issue, but I would imagine you have to narrow down when the damage to the cable actually occurred for any judge to determine which, if either vendor, is viable for the damage. That being proof not merely supposition.
Unless you have photos of the underside of your vehicle before the tow bar was installed and that show the main harness was already damaged, you're out of luck getting Mercedes Benz to warranty repair the cable and whatever else the electrical malfunction / arcing damaged. This may be a case where you are ultimately going to have to foot the bill for MB to repair this damage, if the judge can't determine which vendor is responsible. I'm sure your lawyer has already discussed all this with you regarding what you need to do to establish a burden of proof to win your case against either vendor. At least he or she should have if they are any good. Otherwise, you may just end up a hefty legal bill on top of your repair bill and the cost of the crappy car rental.
By the way, the same would hold true for virtually any other car manufacturer.
