28 Days in the Shop...
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 468
Likes: 0
From: Houston. TX
2013 S550
28 Days in the Shop...
Well, I finally got my car back today - with the caveat that it's not completely fixed. It's been in my possession about 9 complete days since I took delivery the night of 10/21.
Drift to right - Appears to be fixed. Too much traffic now to get on the freeway and check.
Ticking noise - Fixed. Service advisor told me there are 2 motor mounts. The first came quickly, but it was three weeks from the order date to get the second one. He also said that another E500 just came in complaining about the ticking sound. Of course, now they know how to fix it...
Keyless Go - Not fixed. The starting is fine, but the entry/exit does not work well. They thought it was the keys, and ordered new ones. They got here this week, but the problem remains. (I told them that would be the case.) This morning they said the problem is in an "antenna send/receive unit". He suggested I take the car because it might be 3 weeks for that part to come it. He said it was frustrating because the cars are so new and so much has changed -- it's difficult for them to even diagnose some problems.
Wood/Leather steering wheel - installed. I can't recommend this highly enough. I love it.
The rest of the things were minor and easily fixed. If I can just get 1 good day over the holiday weekend, I'm going to see what Zainoed Pewter looks like!
Drift to right - Appears to be fixed. Too much traffic now to get on the freeway and check.
Ticking noise - Fixed. Service advisor told me there are 2 motor mounts. The first came quickly, but it was three weeks from the order date to get the second one. He also said that another E500 just came in complaining about the ticking sound. Of course, now they know how to fix it...
Keyless Go - Not fixed. The starting is fine, but the entry/exit does not work well. They thought it was the keys, and ordered new ones. They got here this week, but the problem remains. (I told them that would be the case.) This morning they said the problem is in an "antenna send/receive unit". He suggested I take the car because it might be 3 weeks for that part to come it. He said it was frustrating because the cars are so new and so much has changed -- it's difficult for them to even diagnose some problems.
Wood/Leather steering wheel - installed. I can't recommend this highly enough. I love it.
The rest of the things were minor and easily fixed. If I can just get 1 good day over the holiday weekend, I'm going to see what Zainoed Pewter looks like!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,753
Likes: 3
From: South Orange Co., CA
'03 W211 aka E-500
hmmmm
28 days in the shop and they released it to you not-entirely-fixed. In CA, after 30 days in the shop, it's "lemonable," I have to wonder if it is the same in TX, and that may be why the dealer wanted to get it back to you.
EDJ, just mind-wander wondering, that's all.
EDJ, just mind-wander wondering, that's all.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 468
Likes: 0
From: Houston. TX
2013 S550
I probably could have kept it for some of the time, but I left for Hawaii for 10 days during that period so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Also, I don't like having to worry with all the scheduling and logistics. Plus, I didn't want to drive on the poor Houston roads with a defective motor mount design -- it might not have hurt to drive it but I was pretty sure it wasn't going to help anything either. So I put some wear & tear on the little C230 they gave me. The Service Advisor thanked me for being a "patient man".
Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 113
Likes: 0
From: Milwaukee, WI
1992 Ford Taurus with 13" rims
Re: 28 Days in the Shop...
Joe is right, here in Wisconsin it's the same thing...if your car is in the shop for 30 days in the first year--it’s considered a lemon. I would not in a million years let them get away with that. You should call MB USA; reiterate your states lemon law to them and demand that they compensate you some way. If they can fix the rest of the problems in a reasonable time....you shouldn't car as far as sending them a buy back letter....however, you should make them pay at least one of you finance/lease payments, if not more. And yes, they will do this...it seems you have a very strong case.
The problem with the Keyless-go seems to be your dealers fault. I had the same exact problem with my car, and my dealer found it to be an amplifier/receiver right away -- looks like your dealer dropped the ball on that one. They could have used a key from another 03' E (im sure they had one) if they thought the key was the problem.
The problem with the Keyless-go seems to be your dealers fault. I had the same exact problem with my car, and my dealer found it to be an amplifier/receiver right away -- looks like your dealer dropped the ball on that one. They could have used a key from another 03' E (im sure they had one) if they thought the key was the problem.
Last edited by wesam; Nov 28, 2002 at 03:11 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 454
Likes: 0
From: NC
'03 Mercedes E320
keys not swappable
I had a '01 C320 with key problems and was told by the dealer that the key must come from the MB parts depot, coded for the particular car, and then the dealer must train it by leaving it in the ignition for about 30 minutes to interface to the key module in the vehicle. The new keys did not fix the problem so they ultimately had to replace the key module in the dash. I think MB keys have had to come from the depot ever since they began installing chips, which pre-dates the Smart Key by several years.
Last edited by jim256; Nov 28, 2002 at 06:22 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 468
Likes: 0
From: Houston. TX
2013 S550
I appreciate the replies and they certainly bring up some points for me to consider. I'd like to think MB USA would provide some cash compensation for delivering a car that's not quite out of Beta, but I wonder if it would be worth my time and trouble.
I don't think the car is a lemon at all. And, had I been demanding, they would probably have kept the car three days, given it back to me, waited for all the parts to get there, and then kept it a couple more days to finish up. I do think they dropped the ball with the Keyless Go. I wrote up half a page of examples that pointed to a transmitter/receiver problem.
I looked up Texas' lemon law, and there are a number of caveats in it. Two of particular interest are listed in Section 6.07 (d) (3). It does make reference to the 30 days in the shop rule, but there must also have been two previous unsuccessful attempts to fix the problem within 12 months/12,000 miles of the original purchase. Additionally, this same section states that if the dealer provides a "comparable motor vehicle" during the time in the shop, the 30-day provision is basically invalidated.
Just thought I'd share that little tidbit. Certainly, if the car presents continued problems, I will become aggressive. In this case, I really think everything will be fine -- I am a bit disappointed in MB quality control and with their communication to dealers and preparation and training for mechanics. These areas need immediate attention if they wish to remain competitive at the highest level.
I don't think the car is a lemon at all. And, had I been demanding, they would probably have kept the car three days, given it back to me, waited for all the parts to get there, and then kept it a couple more days to finish up. I do think they dropped the ball with the Keyless Go. I wrote up half a page of examples that pointed to a transmitter/receiver problem.
I looked up Texas' lemon law, and there are a number of caveats in it. Two of particular interest are listed in Section 6.07 (d) (3). It does make reference to the 30 days in the shop rule, but there must also have been two previous unsuccessful attempts to fix the problem within 12 months/12,000 miles of the original purchase. Additionally, this same section states that if the dealer provides a "comparable motor vehicle" during the time in the shop, the 30-day provision is basically invalidated.
Just thought I'd share that little tidbit. Certainly, if the car presents continued problems, I will become aggressive. In this case, I really think everything will be fine -- I am a bit disappointed in MB quality control and with their communication to dealers and preparation and training for mechanics. These areas need immediate attention if they wish to remain competitive at the highest level.
