jackr1039

I can't access the EPC website on my mac to check my 2007 C230. My mechanic thinks it has the balance shaft issue and I would like to confirm. The VIN is WDBRF52H17E027970. Thanks!

cetialpha5

Engine number is 272 920 30 490401 with a build date of 2/22/2007. So it shouldn't have the balance shaft problem.

62bassman

I just got a letter notice from US District Court .
Notice of pendency and proposed settlement of class action.

Did anyone else get same?

Lots of legalize and some choices offered.

gfmohn

I received one, too. But I have received my 2015 C300, and I no longer own my previous 2007 C280.

There are no choices concerning the proposed settlement. The proposed settlement is:

• for 8 years or 80,000 miles (whichever is less) from the In Service Date, MBUSA will pay 70% of the "reasonable" [as defined by whom? MBUSA?] cost of the repair and
• for 10 years (but over 8 years) or 100,000 miles (but over 80,000 miles), MBUSA will pay 37.5% of the "reasonable" cost of the repair.

This settlement does nothing for previous owners who no longer own the car (like myself). There is no compensation for loss of value, either potential (for present owners) or actual (previous owners). I know I lost one potential purchaser for my C280 because of this problem. At first, he was very interested. But after he returned home, I didn't hear from him. He is a mechanic on high-end cars, so I figured he had checked the engine number. It was not until then that I checked the engine number and found that my car was affected.

Not only did I lose a potential purchaser, I realized that I could not in good conscience sell my car to any friend or relative. Even if I told them about the defect (and took the hit on the price), I would not want to hear later that one of them had suffered the high costs of this repair, let alone had been stranded on the road because of this defect. I was not much more interested in selling to a stranger. A stranger might come after me, as MBUSA customers have come after them. So I could only trade in my C280. (Oddly, there was no mention of this defect at the dealer. I assume it was factored into a lower price they offered me.)

Present owners are the most likely future buyers of an auto maker's products. Compare MBUSA's treatment of their future customers with how Pontiac treated a former landlady of mine. This was 20 years ago, before American auto makers had been humbled. Her Pontiac had a cracked cylinder head. Pontiac had already extended the warranty on this repair to 100,000 miles(!). Her car had 110,000 miles. However, it was not very old. (She had a killer commute.) So Pontiac covered the repair anyway. There is no way that Mercedes should be given a lesson on customer service by an American auto maker!

(Someday I will get around to updating my signature with my present, much appreciated 2015 C300.)

Hsg08

I got one too in the mail. My DD 07 E350 is in the affected range.

harperb

I actually just bought a 2006 E350 with 55K miles last week (my local mechanic mistakenly diagnosed the CEL during the PPI as a oil change issue at first), and it turns out it has this issue. Could someone post or PM me a copy of what you received, so I can pursue action on this?

Also, for those who have hit this, what has been the general repair cost you've been quoted?

gfmohn

I feel for you. You do want to know about this class action, but you are almost beyond the very limited relief it offers. As I wrote above,

• for 8 years or 80,000 miles (whichever is less) from the In Service Date, MBUSA will pay 70% of the "reasonable" [as defined by whom? MBUSA?] cost of the repair and
• for 10 years (but over 8 years) or 100,000 miles (but over 80,000 miles), MBUSA will pay 37.5% of the "reasonable" cost of the repair.

I am assuming the the "In Service Date" is the date the FIRST owner took delivery. So you are beyond the first level (70%) of protection. For me, that was the end of Sept. 2006, at the beginning of the MY2007. So, if I still had the car, 10 years from then would be Sept. 2016. For you, it would be that much earlier. Sorry for you.

ebtech

I would like to please know if my Benz is under this law suit... my vin is WDBUF56J66A923548

jiyun12

So I received this mail today as well, I am not a lawyer and I read enough of the legal writing as I can, which has left me with a question.

If I were to get my car repaired this week for the said $8000.

Does that mean if this lawsuit passes I will ONLY be getting a 37.5% deduction on the bill?

My car is under 100k miles but over 80k. Less than 10 years old.

Thank you

mehmetaksoy

My car is 2006 Mercedes C230
VIN# WDBRF52H36A915187
I would like to know if my Benz is under this law suit... Thank you...

jeffmo32

Based on my review of the settlement terms, I wrote the following email to the plaintiff's attorney. If you have not had any repairs done, you may want to opt out and preserve your right to claim for this defect at a later date. If you have had repairs done previously, you should attach to the settlement and get some of your money back.

Dear sirs –

Upon reading the proposed settlement in the abovementioned case, I request further clarification of the terms from you.

The settlement appears to exclude all vehicles whose repair is not within 10 years of the In Service Date. My understanding of In Service Date, as defined in the Settlement Agreement, is that date which the vehicle is delivered to the original purchaser. I note that original purchaser is not defined. This provides for unnecessary ambiguity. Please clarify if I am to consider the date the dealership took possession of the vehicle; or the date the car was sold or leased to its first private owner?

You will note that almost all 2005 & 2006 Mercedes models will have In Service Dates that will precede the date of the proposed Final Approval Hearing by 10 years or more, regardless of the answer to the question I pose above, thereby eliminating all claim, should the suspect parts not have shown any signs of defect prior to the Final Approval Date.

So, at the risk of sounding inflammatory, I am unable to see how the settlement substantially benefits the Settlement Class Members, as you have stated in your notice . Other than $2,475,000 in fees to yourselves and $21,000 to the plaintiffs, most class members will receive nothing for the alleged defective parts and failure to notify.

I do note that if 1,750 individuals within the Settlement Class elect to be excluded, Mercedes can withdraw from the settlement. Based on my assessment of the terms, I feel that is an extremely possible outcome.

bchalou

I agree, I just can't see how this helps most of us. Most of us are over either 80K or 125K. My car is a 2006 E350 but it has 137,000 miles.

surferchick2

My mom's 2006 falls within those numbers and has 63,0000 miles. However I'm not clear on what the 'In Service Date' is. If it's when when the car was originally purchased then who would now fall under the 8 year/70% reimbursement category unless it sat in the lot for a couple of years?

cetialpha5

Your question is a little unclear. The in service date would be the date that the car was first registered. That's when the warranty would typically start on a car. So it's 8 years from when the car was first registered, not when it was made. Keep in mind that some 2006 vehicles were made in 2005 and could have been registered in 2005.

surferchick2

Ok that's what I thought. It just seems like the first warranty cancels out a majority of owners who have this yet to face this problem (even if it's within the next month) unless it happened atleast a year before the settlement. Most cars would be registered in 2005 or 2006 which is already 1-2 years past the 8 years/70% reimbursement as it's 2015. Maybe I'm making it to sounds more confusing than it should.

buy1178

Hello, we just got a letter about this lawsuit and are trying like mad to figure it all out. It is my wifes car and she is really worrying about this, for good reason. Would anyone be kind enough to tell us if her car is affected by this lawsuit? It is a 2006 SLK 280. So far no check engine lights and all is well but.... we would love the piece of mind and I know my beautiful bride would sure sleep better if her baby wasn't part of this issue.

thank you very much in advance for any info!

buy1178

forgot the VIN!! WDBWK54F16F104694 2006 skl 280

gfmohn

If you got the letter, you are part of the lawsuit. It's official that your car has the problem part!

buy1178

oh boy.....not good. okay, thank you for the reply. now its time to figure out which way to go. fun stuff!

surferchick2

I used this link to pull up my engine#

http://carinfo.kiev.ua/cars/vin/merc...ck?su=sfyg2x0u

gfmohn

In most cases, this problem is about money. In a few cases, however, a breakdown has left people stranded by the side of the road. Obviously, this possibility is of much greater concern to women, including your bride. So I would not take a vehicle with such a problem on a long trip. When I drove my bride across this great land of ours to Denver, I looked at the MBUSA dealer directory. There are no MB dealers between Lincoln, Nebraska, and Denver, and it's a long way. Google Maps shows only a handful of MB repair shops!

In every urban neighborhood there are people to whom car owners turn when they want car problems like this to "go away." I do not recommend contracting their services, unless you come from a family with a couple generations of experience with the rules of this game. The only remaining question, then, is to whom one should unload the vehicle legally. The choices are: a friend (or, worse, a relative), a stranger, or a dealer. I stand by what I previously wrote, "I realized that I could not in good conscience sell my car to any friend or relative. Even if I told them about the defect (and took the hit on the price), I would not want to hear later that one of them had suffered the high costs of this repair, let alone had been stranded on the road because of this defect. I was not much more interested in selling to a stranger. A stranger might come after me, as MBUSA customers have come after them. So I could only trade in my C280."

Only at a dealer would I be comfortable in not mentioning this defect (as, in fact, I did not, because I did not know about it). I would feel justified in assuming that they knew about it already and would factor this defect into the price they would offer. After all, in the pre-Internet world, one would have to go to a dealer to find out this information.

buy1178

Thank you gfmohn, I think what you just said is spot on an absolutely agree with your sentiments on selling the car. My wife is heading down the path of trading it in. We haven't had it that long, this issue has been known by folks longer than we have owned the car so it was sold by a dealer and I feel they had to know the issue was out there. Its a brutal world we live in now where a handshake holds none of the grace it used to. I guess to sum it all up we were quite let down to realize Mercedes Benz was but another car maker who values their product less than the profit they make,

thank you again for your views, I appreciate them.

Benz_Guy

Can you please check our family's 2008 ML350?

VIN is 4JGBB86E98A369428

Thank you so much in advance!

konigstiger

Fine, well past the clean point.

GoatManB

Hi, I'd appreciated very much if someone can let me know if WDBUF56X87B027557 is affected, thank you.