My CPO Horror Story and why I left the brand
 

Let's start with the facts: I'm no newbie. I've owned 10 cars in my life and 4 of them have been Mercedes. I had a new 2004 E500, a new 2007 CLS550, a new 2008 GL320 CDI, and finally, a CPO 2009 E320 Bluetec.

I purchased said Bluetec from Mercedes of Buckhead in Atlanta on May 7th of 2011. Alpine White with Premium 1 and Full Leather Packages, a Florida car with 26,199 miles. I flew to Atlanta from Raleigh to pick up the car, inspect it, and drive it home. Visually, it was great. On the test drive I suspected the tires were overinflated (which they were) and the car was out of alignment. I was told the car had been aligned when the new tires were put on and it was probably just flat spots. I purchased the extended CPO warranty to 135K miles and went on my way. On the ride home, the car shook violently over 70mph and the satellite radio and Tele-Aid/mbrace, were both non-functional.

Upon my return home, I emailed my salesperson to say that the car was still shaking and the Tele-Aid and Sirius weren't working and that I would be taking it to have the alignment and balance checked. The response I received was: "Thanks for the update and I know you will enjoy the car. Wow...36 MPG...that's great. Keep me posted and have fun with your car! Thank you again for your business! John"

Definitely not concerned.

A month later when my tags hadn't shown up and I called the dealership, no one knew what was going on. The paperwork hadn't been sent to NC, the taxes hadn't been paid. Nothing had happened. At the end of it all, I paid a 600 DOLLAR doc fee all so I could go down to the DMV myself, do the paperwork and get my own tags. This was after they REPEATEDLY assured me, "We do this ALL THE TIME."

Over the next 11 months, I had the tires replaced, dash rattle fixed, the satellite radio module replaced (twice), 4 alignments, 4 visits to have the transmission repaired (3 times it was re-adapted and on the 4th, solenoids, the K1 clutch pack and B1 snap rings were replaced), COMAND system replaced, the antenna replaced, rear differential replaced, camber bolt kits installed on the front end to rectify pulling to right on a car that was supposedly perfectly aligned, the sunroof refused to close and was repaired.....

And much of this only happened AFTER I involved MBUSA in the process. Previously I was repeatedly told, "there are no codes" or "we can't duplicate the problem". After the last transmission repair, I told myself if it wasn't right, I was getting rid of the car. Well, after having my car for over 2 weeks in the months of March and April, I drove off the lot and the transmission banged around just as it always had.

There are 48,000 miles on the car and as a side note, I meticulously maintain my vehicles. In less than a year I spent over 1,900 dollars on oil changes, flushes, filter changes and every manner of "preventative maintenance".

I drove straight to the Lexus dealer to find a less worrisome means of transportation. Upon their inspection of my car, they noted something interesting. The paint meter indicated the paint on the fender and hood to be "thinner" than the rest of the car. Upon further inspection, they noticed the VIN numbers on those panels didn't match the rest of the car.

Bottom line: The car had been in an accident, it was never reported to Carfax, Auto Check or noted by Mercedes of Buckhead in their CPO inspection. Next thing I know, I'm dealing with diminished value of my car b/c it's been wrecked.

I emailed Mercedes of Buckhead requesting a conference call with my salesperson (whom I HAD NOT heard from ONE time in a year of owning the car) and the general manager. He replied the manager was out of town, but I could contact him (the salesperson), or he'd have the manager call me when he got back to town. I emailed back, outlining ALL of my concerns, from day 1 to today, continued to insist on a conference call, and lo and behold..... NO RESPONSE.

2 Weeks later, NO RESPONSE.

I write this as a former Mercedes loyalist, and someone who doesn't want to see anyone end up in the same position I did. Certification is NOT the holy grail of pre-owned cars. They are lazy, and things probably make it through that shouldn't. In the bigger picture, the dealers don't care. They made the sale.

Caveat Emptor! (Buyer Beware)

mafitch, I feel bad for your troublesome experience. Being in the used car field my self there are a lot of tricks and sneaky things dealerships could do.

1) The paint on the meter prob was "thicker" meaning it was repainted. Usually 5.0-5.5 is clean, anything above 6.5-8.0 I would be worried.

2) Car fax and car check only record accidents when police are involved. Perhaps the previous owner used the car as a lease and was fixed up to be brought to acceptable condition, doesn't necessary mean it was in accident tho. When buying a used car instead of asking for carfax, ask if the car had any previous paint work done to it, and if they don't know, ask them to check it by meter, if they seem reluctant. Please move on, that's just unprofessional.

3) About the electrical and mechanical problems, i can't say anything, that's just... too much. Especially for a car with 30,000ish miles.

isn't the blutec diesel? I thought those things run till infinity 300k+

That was the plan...., but apparently not.

Buckhead is waiting for your lawyer to speak to their lawyer. I don't think they're going to say anything to you. It sounds like some major fraud occurred and the dealership is going to avoid saying anything to you that may boomerang back to bite them in the butt. I don't know anything about this other than what you posted ... but it sure sounds like Buckhead has screwed you over.

Man, sucks. I was looking far and wide for a good CPO W211 last year, thinking the CPO warranty and inspection would be enough to ease my worries. Unfortunately, almost every single W211 I drove had at least one glaring thing wrong with it and that made me disbelieve they could possibly have passed a "rigorous" inspection. What a load of bull.

Sounds like MB has done a ton of warranty work for you though. You should try to get MBUSA on your side against the dealership by sending them documentation about the paint.

I say take them to court (the dealership) or take it to MBUSA. If it was CPO and they didn't check the paint work, they should have stated something was wrong with the car.

Def a valid case for fraud/deception on the dealer. So called 150pt inspection and none of the problems were found?

Hold their feet to thet fire, and see how long they scream !! As they will do this again to others.

Think your problems are not with the brand but with the dealer. As stated by others I would report this to MBUSA and also take legal action against the dealer. They will most likely roll over and offer a refund.

I bought a CPO 2008 w211 from Beverly Hills MB about 1.5 years ago and had problems myself.

Within the first week, the car flashed the warning for the car overheating. Took the car in and they claimed rodents had damaged the fan. Marked my car in their system and since it was outside influences, they stuck me with the repair bills. Since that first week, the car overheated again two more times within the first month of ownership. Took the car in each time and they stuck me with the bill for repairs to this and that. Each time i had the car in service, i tried getting the help of the salesperson, manager, and head of service to help with no luck. The car overheated again for the fourth time and i got a lemon law lawyer involved.

Got all of my money back minus the money i spent to repair the car and money spent to mod the car and then unmod the car.

I looked around for another CPO w211 after i got paid and decided to spend the extra 10k and get a new w212 back in the end of 2010. Nothing beats the peace of mind i have now from making that decision to buy new.

CPOs dont mean **** and unless u get lucky with a cool tech at the stealership, they can make anything your fault and stick you with the problems.

Refund?! You are entitled to other compensation. You time, effort, and most importantly the fraud is worth $$$.

Also hit more sites (6speedonline.com, etc) and share this ALL over the net. The more the better. MB of Buckhead needs to make amends. If MBUSA does not help, F them too. This is a fight worth pursuing.
Please keep us informed.

BTW my friend is a president of a community bank in Atlanta, Im going to tell him to stop doing any biz w/ this dealer.

This is all too common lately, and not just at MB. This is why I have my business and people hire me to get them cars. Because like a lawyer, when I am retained to buy a car for a client, it's YOUR interests I am lookjing out for, not some dealership profit.

When CPO was first introduced, the checklist and warranty were geat. Now with program more mature, lots of competition, and bad economy, many dealers take shortcuts; they don't do the full inspection, buy weaker cars and 'improve' their marketability by putting the CPO stamp on them, let problems slide knowing MB will pay for it while under CPO, etc. At the same time, the manufacturers like MB are cutting back on CPO (from two years to one year, no longer including airmatic or ABC struts, etc).

I stand next to the buyers from franchised dealers at the auctions. They buy cars I would NEVER buy for my clients, because they get them cheap, fix them up cheap, and sell them for huge profit.

Also, CPO does not mean your car was never in an accident, and never had any body or paintwork. It just means that the title is clear (no salvage, junk. flood, rebuilt, etc) and it was not in an accident worth over 50% of its value to repair.

Buyer beware.

Bruce

Bruce youre right.
I hate the fact that MB's cpo is piss poor at just 1yr. BMW and others are like 2 yrs.
What wrong w/ them.

Even Audi offers two years (and their reliability is hardly stellar),or Lexus for instance, already known for reliability, and willing to CPO their vehicles for 3 years or 100,000 miles.

Just curious, when did the CPO program start not including Airmatic and ABC? I thought those components were covers as they are integral components of the car.

I can agree with some of the comments above regarding the CPO warranty. When my Airmatic failed once I was given the run-arund by both the dealer and MBUSA. This issue has yet to be fixed. You can see the details at: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w211...aler-cant.html

They can keep screwing customers over only for so long. Look at what happened to the American auto industry when customers finally got sick of things. Same will happen to the Germans if they are not careful in handling customers in a responsible and fair way.

How do you know whether your vehicle qualifies for relief under the NC Lemon Law? If your vehicle was new when you purchased or leased it in North Carolina, you may be entitled to a replacement vehicle or a refund if any of the following apply:
A defect or condition which occurred no later than the first 24 months or 24,000 miles after delivery of the vehicle to you has not been repaired within a reasonable number of attempts; OR

The same problem with your vehicle has been presented for repair four or more times but continues to exist; OR

Your vehicle has been out of service because of repairs for 20 or more business days during any 12-month period of the warranty.
In order to qualify for relief under the NC Lemon Law, the defect that is the basis of your case must also “substantially impair the value of the vehicle to you.” While these qualifications may seem simple enough, there are many ways a manufacturer can contest your case. That is why you need an experienced NC Lemon Law attorney on your side. Because the NC Lemon Law provides that a court can order the manufacturer to pay your attorney fees, we are able to offer our services at no cost to you while your case is ongoing. We receive no attorney fees unless and until your case is settled or won!
Even if you don’t think your vehicle qualifies under the NC Lemon Law, you should still contact us for a free case review. In many situations, we are still able to represent consumers under a Federal law called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. This law looks at all of the repairs over the course of your vehicle’s warranty, not just the first 24 months or 24,000 miles. Many consumers you do not qualify under for relief under the NC Lemon Law are still able to obtain a substantial cash settlement under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Fill out our form to be contacted by an attorney or call us at (877) 846-1209 for a free consultation and review of your vehicle’s repair history.
To read the entire NC Lemon Law, click here. To read the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act



http://www.northcarolinalemonlawlawy...FYRM4AodOhhLbA

holy S|-|it. i thought i had problems with mercedes. i cant top that. this is probably my last mercedes as well because of some incompetent service advisers. well, i take that back....i probably will get another mercedes but it will be from a different dealership. im going to try out porsche next :)

Someone should forward this thread to Mercedes of Buckhead so they can see the damage they are causing to themselves and the brand.

From what I remember on CPO cars they weren't suppose to have been in a wreck or body repairs for accidents. If yours was it could not be a CPO but was sold as one. Reduction in value is also a loss due to this sale.

This is clearly a case for the attorney. I would have documentation (If the Lexus will document it on the sheet) and begin the process.

I read the CPO fine print and the bottom line is that the car is to be sold under the exact same specifications it left the factory. I would say that constant alignment and driveability issues are contrary to factory specs due to some accident so the car should not have been sold CPO to begin with and if they are not willing to make this right it is fraud as they misrepresented what they sold.

More than Mercedes of Buckhead, someone should forward this to MBUSA. Wow I really feel bad for you, I was nervous about my used vehicle but luckily the minor issues with the car initially (just a cracked handle and bulb out) could be mitigated quite easily.

Beware though, I know suing can seem like the easiest option as they DID commit a tort against you under civil law, but it can be a lengthy process and not worth the money and time. Explore your options wisely that's all the advice I can give.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and support. Obviously, I'd rather not mount a full on legal battle, but I feel like they bank on that. I have the resources with which to do it, so it's not out of the question if the end result is keeping the same thing from happening to someone else. The validation is worth more than any settlement. I'm scheduled to talk to the GM at MB of Buckhead on Monday. I will, of course, keep everyone posted.

Thank you for doing so, and I truly get the motivation behind it - it's the principle not the money necessarily but what they did was unjust. Good luck!

CPO programs are hit and miss. I went through a similar, although less egregious experience with a GM CPO vehicle. I bought it and it needed a lot of work that their zillion point inspection should have made apparent. In my case I got the dealer to kick in for the repairs the car needed.

That's what I thought too--no accidents for CPO or else wouldn't qualify.

Wow.. airmatic and SBC not covered under warranty. Shows how much faith MB has in the product they sold me!. It will be the last one though. "fool me once shame on you"

Won't be a fool me twice!

If you read the fine print, that's not what it says. It says the car is sold with identical specs to a factory new car and any defects are repaired to meet factory specs. This provision allows for a car in an accident to be sold as a CPO car. But the extent of the accident makes a big difference...

Bottom line is before buying ANY used car, CPO or not, have the car inspected by a reputable body shop while it is up a lift for any major damage or painting.

When I bought my car I did not have a mechanic check the car since it was CPO and I figured I will have any mechanical stuff that come up fixed under warranty.

Thansk SRFR...good to know! Funny how this "lore" gets spread around--I swear a salesman told me CPO means no accidents.

I thought the same...

This is an amped up version of why I sold my Mercedes. While the dealer is certainly culpable it's not the reason that the car had the electrical and mechanical issues. Very disappointing for an 09 Bluetec...

Please back this statement up

Yes, I am pretty sure Airmatic is covered by my CPO warranty.

Any update?

Glad I came across this thread and your comments. I started looking for a CPO 08-09 E320 Bluetec last spring (or cars not at M-B dealers for which I could get non-MBUSA extended warranties) and never pulled the trigger. Came very close last month but had a couple cars sold from under me while I was getting Carfaxes and checking with service managers at local M-B dealers to find out repair histories.

I'd still like to find a CPO 09 but I doubt I'll find one equipped as I'd like now. At this point I imagine I might wait a year or two and look at the reliability record of CPO W212 Bluetecs... or maybe I should just not consider CPO M-Bs at all. :nix:

(edit: just realized this is my first mbworld post... have lurked for a long time. Only have a few posts at benzworld, pretty much also on the same subject of CPO E320BTCs.)

Hey welcome to the world of posting! Haha, trust me I love Mercedes-Benz and everyone I know personally who owns a new or used but well-maintained cars have NEVER had any issues of this scale. While you can't completely dismiss these concerns, I would recommend not being set on a CPO - you come to rely too much on this warranty it seems rather than saving money, looking for a GOOD used Mercedes with clean history, and putting that money towards paying for maintenance and issues yourself.

I always caution using the word never, but we have never met so you are probably right in your association.

New 2003 E500 and we don't have enought space for the parts replaced or miles driven to dealer including total down days in shop. Mine has used nothing but MB parts and dealer service and maintained by the book.

So far my average is one failure between each oil change or about every 6000 to 10,000 miles. People on the site say I bash the brand. I only provide DATA from actual experience and you draw your own conculsions.

For 50 yrs of auto ownership there are much more reliable vehicles. Granted now at 120,000 my E500 still drives like a new car but the $20,000 in repairs to keep it this way for 120,000 miles of driving plus the initial $65,000 purchase cost totals $85,000 for 120,000 miles and not to mention the inconvience of driving 200 total miles for each repair is IMO what I would call excessive. :smash:

i agree with u. the amount of repairs thrown into these cars and on top of that the depreciation in value downright just sucks (have any of u ever looked up how much it costs for a new pano roof!!!). the W211 was really a bad car for the brand (at least the facelifted ones are better).

regarding CPO, i have seen a few for sale now and then with an accident reported on the carfax, but very rare. i've seen many more bmw cpos for sale with accidents on them (a friend of mine even bought one and it turned out to have an accident and had a ton of problems with it. luckily he was able to lemon it). bmw also gives 2 years like lexus and audi. however, from when i remember purchasing my car in 07, the MB cpo warranty covered more stuff than the bmw or audi (idk about anymore though as they probably change every year).

when my car's transmission failed due to glycol, the service manager and gm at the MB dealer wanted to deny my warranty and claim to MBUSA that i intentionally damaged my car, since they found "metal particles" in the transmission fluid (which many others have had the same on here). Between the tech and the two service advisers i know, they convinced them to ok it.

I am very surprised you would go so far as to say it was a bad car for the brand, giving its widespread use in many EU states as taxis, police cars, and other commercial vehicles as well as its high popularity in the United States. While earlier versions of any car are likely to have known and repeating issues - much as the W211 did in the earlier pre-facelift period - it really lead to a mature vehicle that is built like a tank in my opinion. I know I am saying this with having only owned a W211 that is a facelift model, but still I would have to disagree with such a strong statement. Our opinions are very divergent, but I still stand along side my impression that the W211 is a very respectable and dependable vehicle.

it was though, for the brand itself. the 03 and 04 models were plagued with issues:
-the SBC system was a catastrophe for both MB and Bosch
-glycol contamination issue on 03 and some 04 models (including mine. and even still after a new transmission, the car still doesn't drive right, ie shutter at low speeds)
-premature airmatic failures due to bad quality rubber used
-other suspension components like ball joints, bushings, and control arms prematurely wearing
-motor mounts and transmission mounts (my motor mounts broke twice within 100k miles)
-tons of squeeks and creeks (the only noise i hear on my 02 cl500 is the brakes and it's cause the rotors and pads need to be changed soon)
-And now you have the whole fuel tank leaking issue which is gonna by far top all the others since they don't even have a solution for this (and in my belief will not bother to come up with one at this point)
-Oh and over 4 grand for a new pano roof plus labor??? Are you serious!!! We own a 02 CL500, 08 land rover lr2, and have owned an 07, C230, 94 S420, 83 420SEL, 05 chrysler 300, 06 gmc yukon xl denali and none of them ever had an issue with the sunroof, but in my case the damn thing is completely inoperative (at least i was able to get it closed and it doesn't leak or anything) and out of all those cars listed this one was the poorest in reliability

I'm sure there is more I just can't think of off the top of my head anymore. Just from all the activity on this forum you can see (just look at vettdvr's posts). I've And on top of that, the service experience was not even that up to par for handling those issues. Like i said the facelifted ones are a world different than the earlier models. If I had the choice, I would've have honestly picked another car.

I understand it had issues, sometimes serious issues - the early models did. But I still disagree with the blanket statement saying the W211 - ALL W211s were bad for Mercedes-Benz and associated part manufacturers.

While this is a W211 (E-class) discussion, I would like to add that I just bought a 2009 ML320 BlueTec and have a horror story to share. My CPO was delivered to me with bold tires, panel scratches, dents on door moldings and and rear skid plate. Mismatched, non-original floor mats, worn out BlueTEC logo on passenger side, missing cargo hook cover and 12V receptacle cover.
MB official MB dealer "never heard" about CPO state of car: bringing it to factory spec and want me to absorb all the cost!
Since nearly 4 weeks now, they play games. I finally had enough and contacted MB Canada to intervene.
I am loosing my faith in the brand... and honesty of authorized dealers.

Just read the CPO contract...it says struts (not just shocks) are excluded. Therefore, airmatic and ABC struts are excluded. My local dealer CPO rep confirmed it to me.

Bruce

I know for a fact that the Airmatic shocks of my E550 are covered by the CPO warranty. My dealer says so.

If you look at the out of US operated 211's you will find 4 cylinders and no airmatic or sbc brakes. Most of the systems that fail are gone and the car is a bare bones vehicle. Not the performance of the US models.

I spend a month in Germany and actually saw them, toured the MB museum.

The cars adjusted for the Euro were VERY expensive. In the show room if I did my math correctly an E V6 was about $100000 us. Remember the VAT one each vehicle included.

So I would not compare the taxi to the US sold "luxury" 211.

If my E500 had conventional vacuum booster vs, SBC, coil over shocks, and no airbags reliability would have been higher. I knew there might be issues when I purchased it but never owned a MB before and believed the "hype" from the dealer about being reliable. The dealer even attempted to have me NOT buy the extended warranty.

It is unfortunate MB rushed items to market without determining the reliability factor. It did in fact damage the brand even if people don't admit it. For one I won't buy another MB because they sold out their trust on my car. Next time I will be looking for something that doesn't spend 3 days in the repair shop at each oil change.

BTW since my last oil change the starter failed and it was replaced. I still have 4000 miles before my next oil change. Then I'll look for something else.

The previous oil change it was the AC while on the Interstate to NM in 50 mph winds 98 F so I had to open the windows.


Yes the brand IS in fact damaged until MB can earn customers trust again. :smash:

But then this is my opinion only and as we all know each of has our own. So your results may of course vary.

To each his own - and yes, I think we can agree that a segment of W211s have damaged the MB reputation from the customer trust perspective and even the reliability realm, but the real question is to what extent and that's hard to assess. It maybe 4-5% of owners, or 40% of owners that would not buy another Mercedes or have lost trust in the brand. It's impossible to truly quantify so you can debate this from many perspectives. Personally I would not dissuade anyone from buying a facelift W211, nor have I found anyone on the street that has extensive car knowledge that would say, "Oh the W211, what a problematic car I would NEVER buy a Mercedes." Only time will tell but my impressions from owning this car for 5 months are excellent.

That being said, I see myself owning only Mercedes-Benz vehicles in my lifetime. Yes, that may change but as a daily driver I love the security and reliability that a Mercedes offers above any other car my family has ever owned (a few other German cars but more recently Japanese). To me, this car is built like a tank and very reasonable as far as regular maintenance goes - with GREAT service here in the Colorado area from MB of Littleton.