Mr.Gearhead

Hi everyone,
I am having a lot of trouble with my local MB service shop. I live in the Richmond area and it is basically the only dealer I can take it to. I bought a 2002 ML320 new at this dealer. They delivered it with a long scratch on the door and said it was hardly visable and they would paint it if we wanted. I did not want to paint a SUV with only 4 miles on it. A few months later I decided to purchase a new 2002 E320 for myself. I got it in PA. due to the issue with delivery on my wife's ML320. PA dealership had a GREAT DEAL and delivered it flawlessly. (I had just moved to VA so I knew of a good dealer in PA where I lived for 31 yrs.)

Okay enough history... EVERYTIME I bring one of the vehicles to get serviced or warranty work, it is trouble.

1.Window seals in ML replaced - grease everywhere.. inside too
2. Interior light glitch in ML- fixed but panels were not put back correctly
3. Had tires rotated and balanced on ML320- 17 ... YES seventeen wheel weights on back wheel "for proper balance" Took it to Firestone to fix wobble and they only needed two weights????
4. Rust on trunk of E320- Sanding marks evident from repair-
5. Inspection on E320. THEY SCRACHED MY NEW 18" AMG MONO Wheels. Said it was from lug socket and it is common. NEW RIMS... NEW RIMS>>>
6.Fixed seat on E320- broke hinge moulding in the process. Gave it back to me. As if I would not notice??? They fixed it finally!
7. Took ML320 in for new tires and inspection. I spoke to service advisor at length of the disappointment with the service history and BEGGED them to be careful not to scratch wifey's wheels. GUESS WHAT? EVERY WHEEL is scratched from impact socket. Furthermore, one has a sizable dent from what looks like the impact gun hitting the wheel spoke.

WHAT CAN I DO? Can I report this to anyone important in the MB organization? I spent approximately $100K in 2002 for two MB vehicles and no one seems to care. I know there are more expensive models and people spend more for cars, but I don't think I should have to go through this EVERYTIME I bring my car in for service. WHAT A HASSLE. They can't even provide me with a rental most times. And when they do, it is a beat up Camary. Not that I am a snob and will not drive a Camary, but don't other dealers atleast give you a car all the time for warranty work and maybe it would be another MB? HELP ME PLEASE!


update: I just spoke with a customer representative from MB webpage. She was very polite but could not offer assistance. She stated that the dealership is privately owned and all service issues need to be addressed through the dealership. MB would only get involved if there was an integrity issue with the actual car! By the way, the dealership is McGeorge Mercedes Benz located in Richmond.

E-Klasse

The loaner cars at the dealerships here give me at least a C-Class. I would wright to the Customer Relations Dept. for MBUSA.

MikeyE430

Dude, I sympathize with you totally. I have the same deal here in Nashville. The only dealer in town. 1 out of every 3 services, you have to take it back because something wasn't fixed right the first time.

They scratch wheels, claim they cannot align my car with its aftermarket wheels, etc., etc. Very frustrating and very scary. My dealer is a good 40 minute drive.

What to do:
1) After warranty, try to find a decent independent which thank God, we have several in my area.

2) By an Infiniti

Benz quality and dealer service SUX!

sosh

Sorry to hear of your issues. I would not have accepted the E Class till the scratch was fixed to my satisfaction. My dealer here in suburban Phila is excellent and is almost totally responsible for my satisfaction with the 2 MB's I own. There must be another dealer in your area that you can go to, even if it means a slight inconvience to you.

F1Fan

Nothing makes a business listen except when lawyers start to get involved. If you're not willing to back up your claims with legal action, then they will just ignore you forever.

On the other hand, driving the extra distance to the other MB dealer could be worth the time and money since you will have peace of mind knowing they won't (hopefully) screw up your ride as bad as this one did.

ruffrob

F1 is right,sue their asses,you spend your hard earned money for that? It shouldn't happen,have your lawyer call the dealership,that should get the ball rolling.....Good Luck!!

stealthe430

Wow, sorry to read about your trouble with your dealership. Sounds like a lawsuit to me also. I would not be pleased with getting my rims messed up. You should never go back to that place again. Good Luck.

Mr.Gearhead

MB dealership is pickuping the ML320 up at work today. The front wheel actually flaked while driving yesterday. The dent is now a crater the size of a quarter. I was given the District Service Manager's name, Tom Ishler however his contact number was refused. I asked how to contact him and I was told the dealership service manager would need to do this.... sure he will... I just want to speak with someone who actually gives a damn if I am a satified customer. I know accidents happen, but they should not happen this frequently.

As far as legal goes, my Dad is a lawyer. He stated as long as they continue to "try" to provide customer service, I really have no other recourse. I just need to stay on them. I asked if the dealership could refuse to work on my car if they considered me a "complaining customer". He said if that happens then he would get involved.

My wife wants to dump her SUV now because she is tired of the continuous hassle with this dealership. A friend of ours did just that. He traded in his C320 for a ...... 2004 Maxima and is very pleased with that dealership. I think I will just be diligent with McGeorge and keep my cars. To me, hands down, my E320 is a great car.

stemags

I had a similar issue with my dealership in Bklyn,NY.When I got the car back from several different services,I had scratched and dented wheel,scratched wood panel(around shifter)greasy hand prints on ash leather seats and dash.Also discovered they didnt rotate the tires.I brought it to the attention of my service rep,who felt awful and it didnt happen after that.My problem is,IT SHOULDNT HAVE HAPPENED AT ALL.If I didnt love this car,I would trade it for a BMW or something else just to get away from the monkeys with the bats.

RTR

I had my 2002 E320 sericed at the Mc George on Broad Street without any problems. I do not trust dealerships and asked the service writer to inspect the condition of the car before giving him the keys. I requested a specific technician and refused the complimentary wash to limit the number of people handling my car and to avoid scratches. Also I waited for the car and inspected it thoroughly upon receipt. However that was more than a year ago, (I do my own maintenance) and MC George could have changed.

You can try talking to your salesperson I don't know what results you will get. Obviously he won't be selling another car to you if this is the way the service department works.
If the Broad Street dealership is the problem then the other Mc George dealership on Midlothian Turnpike is a possibility. However Mercedes Customer Service (MBUSA) should recommend another dealership for service repairs and maintenance because you are no longer "comfortable" at the current dealership. You want to start with a clean slate at another dealer but only with MBUSA guiding you and following up on the results.

Good luck

MikeyE430

Good tip from RTR. I also ALWAYS refuse the wash. They generally screw that up too. 90% of the time, my car comes back from service dirtier than it went in.

From what I have heard, this stuff rarely happens at Infiniti and Lexus dealers. Should NEVER happen at a Mercedes dealer.

Back to loaner cars: one time my dealer gave me a pitiful, used-up, wheezing Pontiac Sunfire with 80K miles and roll-up windows. I parked it in the garage and never drove it. Sad. The dealer must have gotten tons of complaints, and now uses all Mercedes loaners.

MikeyE430

Here is another story typical of my dealer. Yesterday, I called my service advisor to see if I could make the 40 minute drive and wait to have my new Brabus steering wheel installed. Left voicemail. That was 1 pm on Wed. It is now Thursday morning and I have not heard a thing from him. OK.....I will take my business elsewhere, thank you!

They are really bad about ignoring e-mail and phone calls.

MikeyE430

One more rant:

I have 18" custom wheels on my car. My dealer refuses to balance them or align the car because they cannot guarantee not to damage them. I asked why they do not buy the proper equipment and they always say: we are looking into it. Meanwhile, an local independent tire dealer gets all their wheel/tire business (recommended by the dealer). All the Titans football players that drive Benzes with custom wheels go to this place. The dealer loses thousands of dollars of wheel/tire/alignment business every year.

stemags

I think it would take you 30 mins to put that wheel on Mike.2 torx screws in back of the airbag.1 nut in the middle.zip zip.it is done.Let me know if you need step by step.
It sounds all too familiar to me,I have to remind the service rep every time I have something done,to ask the monkeys not to mess up the car.4k miles to go for another A service.

MikeyE430

Stemags:

Thanks...yes, I would really appreciate some step-by-step instructions to install the steering wheel. Does the air bag come off by hand easily? Do you just pop/pry it off? You can e-mail me the instructions if you don't mind.

mikebarnette@comcast.net

stemags

The bag comes off after 2 t27 bolts come out.You have to disconnect the wires,set it aside.I sent you an email,you should be fine.