#!£$&@!!...First ding...sorta...
Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Canada
C220, E350
I agree with you. That happened to me this week. I was at home depot parked way out in the back. When I came back to my car, some piece of s**t had rammed two carts across the passenger side of my door, causing scratches on both doors on the passenger side and a dent above the right rear wheel well.
I mean who does that. I was so angry. Now I have to find someone to repair the damage.
I mean who does that. I was so angry. Now I have to find someone to repair the damage.
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 639
Likes: 14
From: Suburban Phila., PA
2012 E350 Coupe
When you think the worst has happened to YOU.
Here’s my tale of woe regarding first “dings.”
My first Benz ever, the CLK I’m driving now until the ’12 is ordered and received. Car was four days old. Pulled into the local Home Depot at the farthest unoccupied end of the cavernous lot and parked. Came out an hour later –everything looked fine. Started the car, backed up and, well, that’s when I heard it. A sickening grinding, tearing sound from the front of the car accompanied by a weird feeling of rolling resistance, followed by a loud crunch, then the sound of things hitting the ground.
Perhaps you've already guessed?
One of the iron posts that hold the concrete parking slabs in place was sticking up about 10 freaking inches above the slab. I had not seen it pulling in and, because of the bumper’s front contour, the lower portion easily slid over it. On the way back out the rear contour was not favorable to say the least; the iron post caught the bumper, ripped the lower fiberglass add-on sport trim portion (new that year on the CLK320) away from the upper portion and leaving it at about a 45 degree angle to the upper bumper, causing the right front fog light and all the associated wiring and connections to be ripped out, littering the ground along with other miscellaneous bumper and grille parts and fiberglass shreds.
I had waited seven months to get the car. I am usually a steady, calm guy. That day, I was not. I stormed back into the store, both furious and somewhat emotionally “unstable.” I demanded to see the Manager and told him what had happened. He was very nice about it (and probably a little scared too at being confronted by an apparent looney-tune customer) and he gave me the store’s insurance info; I intended to claim negligence on their part (good luck, right?) Then he grabbed some items from the store shelves, came out himself and temporarily secured the damage as best as possible so the car was drivable. It was not pretty, my friends.
Happy ending: I had a friend in the body shop business who owed me a big one. Although I was loathe to have anyone other than my dealer fix the car, I knew he was good and I gave it a shot anyway before pursuing a contentious, doubtful insurance claim and the job came out perfect.
And get this, my dealer’s service department (from whom my friend bought almost all of his MB parts) donated a new set of fog lights and all the wiring connectors and hardware to the job gratis. They wrote it off as a warranty repair item as a short circuit in the system. There certainly was.
I guess injury, major collision damage to or totaling a four day old Benz would have been worse for sure but, for me, this was bad enough.
Watch those parking lot strips guys and gals! I've learned my lesson.
My first Benz ever, the CLK I’m driving now until the ’12 is ordered and received. Car was four days old. Pulled into the local Home Depot at the farthest unoccupied end of the cavernous lot and parked. Came out an hour later –everything looked fine. Started the car, backed up and, well, that’s when I heard it. A sickening grinding, tearing sound from the front of the car accompanied by a weird feeling of rolling resistance, followed by a loud crunch, then the sound of things hitting the ground.
Perhaps you've already guessed?
One of the iron posts that hold the concrete parking slabs in place was sticking up about 10 freaking inches above the slab. I had not seen it pulling in and, because of the bumper’s front contour, the lower portion easily slid over it. On the way back out the rear contour was not favorable to say the least; the iron post caught the bumper, ripped the lower fiberglass add-on sport trim portion (new that year on the CLK320) away from the upper portion and leaving it at about a 45 degree angle to the upper bumper, causing the right front fog light and all the associated wiring and connections to be ripped out, littering the ground along with other miscellaneous bumper and grille parts and fiberglass shreds.
I had waited seven months to get the car. I am usually a steady, calm guy. That day, I was not. I stormed back into the store, both furious and somewhat emotionally “unstable.” I demanded to see the Manager and told him what had happened. He was very nice about it (and probably a little scared too at being confronted by an apparent looney-tune customer) and he gave me the store’s insurance info; I intended to claim negligence on their part (good luck, right?) Then he grabbed some items from the store shelves, came out himself and temporarily secured the damage as best as possible so the car was drivable. It was not pretty, my friends.
Happy ending: I had a friend in the body shop business who owed me a big one. Although I was loathe to have anyone other than my dealer fix the car, I knew he was good and I gave it a shot anyway before pursuing a contentious, doubtful insurance claim and the job came out perfect.
And get this, my dealer’s service department (from whom my friend bought almost all of his MB parts) donated a new set of fog lights and all the wiring connectors and hardware to the job gratis. They wrote it off as a warranty repair item as a short circuit in the system. There certainly was.
I guess injury, major collision damage to or totaling a four day old Benz would have been worse for sure but, for me, this was bad enough.
Watch those parking lot strips guys and gals! I've learned my lesson.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 20
From: Toronto
MY17 E43 Matte Selenite/Macchiato Beige, MY16 GLE350d Tenorite/Crystal Grey, MY17 B250
Easy repair - the door panel has to be removed to access the connector, but otherwise the tweeter triangle is just held in with 3 compression pins.
