Uncle Freddie

Hello MBWorld,

I am looking for guidance and advice.

Vehicle: 2008 E350 4MATIC Sport Package, approximately 97,000 miles.

Twice in the last 2 weeks I have taken the car to the service center at the premier Mercedes-Benz dealer in my city (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) for service.

Front suspension makes a loud "KNOCK" noise around some corners. It usually happens if the corner is taken aggressively or if there are bumps during the corner.

The noise sounds like taking a hammer and striking the frame somewhere under the hood.


First visit, they replaced the driver's side front transaxle.

Replacing the transaxle was $1,800.

They did a road test and claimed the problem was fixed.

It was not fixed. I noticed it immediately on driving home. The service receipt says that they performed road testing over some speed bumps. What they should have done was perform road testing around tight corners.


I spoke with my service advisor and requested another appointment for a week later.


Second visit, they replaced the driver's side upper control arm.

Replacing the control arm was $1,200 but I asked the service advisor for free labor, because this should have been caught during my first visit. Free labor was rejected. Then asked for a discount, for the same reasons. He resisted, but I insisted, and I was given 10% off parts and labor.

I pick up the car a couple of days later. And again, the problem is still not fixed.

The KNOCK noise still happens around corners. They claim that this time they extensively road tested after the repair. I do not know how they can not hear this problem.



At this point, I am $3,000 into 2 service visits that did not fix the problem I wanted fixed.

I feel like I did everything right. I described the problem exactly the first time and the second time. I went to the premier dealership's service center, not a fly by night mechanic. New, OEM parts were installed. At this point I am wondering if I SHOULD have gone to a fly by night mechanic...


If you are still reading:

1. Can anyone tell me what recourse I have?

2. What would YOU do in this situation?

3. I am in Michigan; are there any LEMON LAWS for auto repairs that I can consult with an attorney about?

4. What am I not taking into account here? What am I doing wrong?



Best regards,
Fred

cetialpha5

Your first mistake was taking a car that was out of warranty to the dealer. Find an independent mechanic. I'm not sure exactly what your problem is but over the years I've replaced many front end suspension parts. I did the sway bar links a long time ago and that might be it. Again, it's one of those things where you have to get the car on a lift and see if there's any play in them. Then it could be something like a broken spring, they can break at the top or bottom so it won't be immediately apparent if you just look at them. But I've already replaced my springs and struts. Then there's ball joints and tie rods but I doubt those would make that kind of noise. There's also a clip for the brake pads and maybe those are missing and you're hearing the brake pads rattle around.

My guess is that they're just kidding about doing the test drive, they just replace some worn part they see and figure it's fixed. This happened to me once at a Ford dealer, after some repair I said it sounds louder than before and they check it out and say no problem found. I get it back and it's still loud and they said it's just like that. I head out on a trip so I open the trunk to put my luggage in and I find the air cleaner assembly in there. They never opened the hood to even see what problem I was complaining about.

Also did the upper control arms. They're about $80ish for Lemfoder and I think after it was installed it was in the $200 range for one side so things are way cheaper at an independent mechanic.

I would look into the state consumer protection laws. We have one here that calls for triple damages for unfair and deceptive trade practices. Your key would be to talk to the general manager and mention it. Service manager would probably hope the whole thing just blows over. You normally have to do something like send a demand letter stating what you want which is a full refund because they didn't fix the problem you were complaining about and fixed something else.

tjts1

I don't get why you're taking it to the dealer. Are you trying to get screwed because that's how you get screwed.

Find an independent MB specialist.
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Uncle Freddie

Thanks cetialpha5. I have been taking it to the dealer because I want new OEM parts when parts are needed. How can I be sure that I get that from an independent third-party service place? Also, my understanding was that dealer mechanics are certified by MB. Best regards,Fred (no idea why my reply loses all formatting when I post it...)

Uncle Freddie

Thanks cetialpha5.


I have been taking it to the dealer because I want new OEM parts when parts are needed. How can I be sure that I get that from an independent third-party service place?

Also, my understanding was that dealer mechanics are certified by MB.

Best regards,
Fred

juanmor40

You have no idea the parts I have seen at dealer's parts department waiting to be installed on vehicles. I lost, whatever was left of, confidence on dealer's services standards.

it is all about the honesty of the service provider, and there is no mechanism to certify that. The Independent I use get parts either from the dealer (he likely gets a discount), or FcP Euro, Autohaus, or some other reputable euro parts provider.

One the car is out warranty, the certificate of MB mechanic is useless as support for a claim (to whom) except to bolster our trust.

You need to find a reputable MB Independent, who likely worked for a dealer in his youth.

cetialpha5

Well there are good and bad mechanics out there. I think at MB, you can ask to have a master technician work on your car instead of the basic one that probably did the work. At 15 years old, they probably don't get too many cars of that vintage anymore so they're really not the best ones to work on the car anyway. Find a good indy. The standard MB warranty is just one year on labor and two years on parts. Places like FCPeuro will give you a lifetime warranty on parts. I have an indy where I just get the parts for him and one of the drawbacks of that is that there's no warranty, but I never have an issue with the parts I buy anyway. Lots of indys out there will use MB parts on request and some will also let you bring your own parts but you have to ask. As you already found out, you paid top dollar for the worst service.

Oh and in addition to the sway bar links, there's also the sway bar itself, the bushings can go bad and then you have to replace the entire sway bar because they're glued and you can't just replace the bushings. But a competent mechanic can inspect those and see if they're ok or not. An independent shop is more like to be willing to go for a ride with you to identify the noise you're hearing and then do a proper diagnostic.

Heguli

You can ask where they get the parts, and also request to use OEM parts. I've bought parts from two different part stores, and got OEM parts. First one told that there's no aftermarket version so they'll order OEM, and second place is specialized in MB parts.

Heguli

This! I work at the dealer (big rigs and such), and sometimes drivers/customer complain about some specific noise or behaviour, on certain speed etc. Sometimes they are easy to identify, sometimes not. I go to test drive and try to hear that noise on a certain speed, but even if I drive the whole day, I can't hear the noise/sound. Then I ask the customer to drive and point the sound when I'm on the passenger seat. Because customer drives the vehicle, they get to know all the noise and sounds what their vehicle makes, and sometimes those are really hard to hear if you take just a short drive. Also how the vehicle is driven, matters.

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