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So this was the sight that greeted me Monday morning as I took the dog out for his morning business...
Water came in on the passenger side only, but it was enough to cover the seat electrics. I bailed the water with a red Solo cup as I had no power for my wet/dry vac. After getting as much water out as I could, I drove the car to a gas station with a working vacuum and sucked the rest out, then drove back to my house, about a mile away. Amazingly, no error messages or dummy lights, but the passenger seat power/memory did not work. Joyeauto CarPlay still worked.
Next morning, I took my wet/dry vac and vacuumed the remaining water. It filled the 5 gallon container about an inch. I couldn't believe there was that much water left, but the power seat seemed to work, though it was only intermittent and the memory seats were non-functioning still.
I tested the top and that seemed to be fine, so I drove it to the dealer to have it inspected, but then, I noticed the HVAC was pumping out warm air, almost like vent air, even though I set it to Max Cool. Then the coolant dummy light came on.
At this point, I have no idea how many different systems are impacted, but this repair bill is already at 2K and growing. I'm still waiting for the insurance adjuster to look at the car, and in the meantime, I have a Nissan Altima instead of the MB loaner I would normally get if this wasn't an insurance job. At least the AC works in the Altima...
Sad to see, but I've actually rebuilt a 2012 W207 in recent months with similar water damage. Got if from Copart as a Salvage title and the fix was quite easy. Your symptoms sound nearly identical. Here my short list what to consider:
New seat module for passenger side ~150 on Ebay
New floor mats and liner. This will be the biggest part of the job, but absolutely necessary as your liner backing foam will be soaked and never get dry again. ~500 on Ebay and ~1000 at the dealer (if they can order, rather rare part)
Engine oil change. Check if your oil has been contaminated with water (will turn yellow). Easy DIY to fix, should be replaced twice to make sure water is out. ~100
Transmission oil change. Probably not necessary but for safety yes. Also DIY for ~200
AC service necessary. My system was completely empty, but charging got it back working.
The prices are all just estimates and DIY. Dealer will probably pile up couple thousand dollars.
Had mine now for ~4 months and driven ~2,000 miles and no more issues came up. Check with your insurance as they'll probably total it, but I believe its worth to save and cash the money.
...Check with your insurance as they'll probably total it, but I believe its worth to save and cash the money.
Excellent points, I'm definitely following up with the dealership on these. The SA at the dealer called earlier and told me the adjuster had green-lit the diagnosis (8 hrs), so for now, it hasn't been totaled. My guess is that it will take 25-28k of repair before they total it, but I'm hopeful it won't go anywhere near that high.
Funny thing is, I always viewed this as my temporary car, as I wasn't a fan of the triple black, but I could never find a white with blue/tan interior, and Premium 2 package. I also was looking only for a 2015-2016 MY. The 2017 & 2018 interiors just did not appeal to me, but I see that 2019's can be had with analog instruments, which I think is a much better aesthetic from a proportion perspective. I really can't stand the long flatscreen, it's almost as bad as the huge screen in Teslas.
This one had low miles, plenty of warranty, was priced right about MMR, and was available, so it was too hard to say no. Then, I added wireless CarPlay, so now, I'm kind of attached to it. Plus, I just don't have the time to look for a replacement nor do I want to put the old RRC back to DD duties.
So, my car has been at the dealer for over a week now, and I'm very frustrated with my SA's lack of communication. Yesterday, he told me that the AC condensor needed to be replaced and he said that he would send a copy of the revised estimate to both myself and the insurance adjuster. He promised to e-mail 'right away'. This was after me calling him Friday afternoon, multiple times, leaving VMs for him and then on Monday. He never returned my calls, then he promises to e-mail me a new estimate and fails to do so. My insurance adjuster hasn't received anything yet either. I've sent him multiple e-mails and left VMs, but no reply. I really have no patience for this kind of stuff and I really don't want to have to get combative, but my ire is rising...
UPDATE: so after blasting Yelp, FB and Twitter, I finally hear back from the service manager, then the SA. Apparently, they have in their records my primary e-mail as 'danh@a.com'. I have no idea where they got that address. The domain doesn't even exist. At any rate, they finally sent the estimate to the correct e-mail, but I've lost another day. I'm incredulous that anyone would think that 'a.com' is a valid domain, Still doesn't excuse why he never returned my phone calls until I made a stink... Tab is now at $4.4k, but this should be it. Hopefully, I won't have to fight the insurance company on the AC condensor, but I'm not holding my breath.
Last edited by pl626; 07-16-2019 at 06:02 PM.
Reason: Update
The pain just keeps on keeping on for you. It will eventually all get sorted out. I think i would look at getting rid of it once it is all fixed. Sometimes water damage will not appear for quite a long time. Had a mate that bought a motorbike that had been submerged and fixed, he had 1 year of problems and then he sold it and lost money.
Good luck.
The pain just keeps on keeping on for you. It will eventually all get sorted out. I think i would look at getting rid of it once it is all fixed. Sometimes water damage will not appear for quite a long time. Had a mate that bought a motorbike that had been submerged and fixed, he had 1 year of problems and then he sold it and lost money.
Good luck.
I thought of that, but I just don't want to deal with looking for another car right now. I'm thinking if I do, I may look at the 2020 but with an analog instrument cluster. I really can't stand the huge flatscreens.
My neighbors' 3 Series Cab was totaled with a 25k estimated repair bill, but it took in much more water than mine, in fact, it was moved into the middle of the street.
Dealer went through my car pretty thoroughly and told me only the AC condenser and the passenger seat motor were bad. They're changing the oil, even though there was no evidence of water penetration.
So it's been almost 3 weeks now, the car has been sitting at the dealers for most of the time waiting for the Geico adjuster to get their act together. They finally made it out to the dealer and approved the supplement for the AC condenser. SA told me I should have it back Monday or Tuesday at the latest. This whole experience has been a communications comedy of errors, but both Geico and the dealership have apologized and made strides to make it right. Geico has been good about claims in the past, and they've probably paid out more than I've paid in premium, so I can overlook this one.
I've had three E classes, two sedans and one cab, and each one has had a claim or two. Four claims over 16 years, starting to feel cursed...
20 days later, I have my E400 Cab back. Dealer changed the oil and detailed the car. SA said the carpet was really stinky before. In the heat & humidity we've had, I don't doubt him. Passenger seat has full power again and memory, AC blows cold as it should, possibly colder than before, not sure. Top still works without a hitch and wireless CarPlay still works. Life is back to normal.
Now, I just need to teach the doggo to NOT chase cars when we go for a ride with the top down...
2017 Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 Cabriolet, 2014 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S
Sorry to hear that. Not a fun situation to have to deal with for sure.
I think your total loss estimate is too high though, my wife had a 2013 CLS550 that was totaled with accident damage that was estimated at $27k to repair. Insurance gave us $30k for the car and totaled it. Now we have a 2019 CLS450.
...I think your total loss estimate is too high though, my wife had a 2013 CLS550 that was totaled with accident damage that was estimated at $27k to repair. Insurance gave us $30k for the car and totaled it...
I don't know what Geico's formula is for determining when to total, but I figured if it came close to KBB, they'd total it. Thankfully, the total bill was only $5k.
I have to say the thing I missed most about my E400 was the brake hold function. That's really spoiled me for driving cars without that feature. I find myself double tapping the brake but I quickly get frustrated when I realize the car doesn't have brake hold...
I have to say the thing I missed most about my E400 was the brake hold function. That's really spoiled me for driving cars without that feature. I find myself double tapping the brake but I quickly get frustrated when I realize the car doesn't have brake hold...
LOL, that is so true! It's one of those little conveniences that you never knew you needed until you didn't have it!
07-10-2019, 12:07 PM
