MB500

Picked up a gorgeous 2011 E350 Bluetec with 21000 miles last week and drove it all the way from San Jose to San Diego with no major issues. After driving the car for two-three days around San Diego a guy at a gas station pointed at my rear bumper and told me that someone had hit my car. I couldn't believe it and upon closer examination, I figured that the bumper on one side of the car has melted due to exhaust. When I looked under the car, I saw that the exhaust pipe got stuck on top of decorative chrome piece that comes with AMG-style bumpers so the exhaust was essentially blowing right into the bumper cover and melting it. I figure that I might have hit a bump, the car frame flexed and this is how the pipe came on top of the chrome piece.

Took the car to MB dealer this morning and already getting a pushback from SA claiming that melted bumper was not covered by warranty since it wasn't really a manufacturing defect. He said that the car might have been hit in the past or I might have hit a large bump on the road making the chrome piece to come loose. The shop foreman also claims that rivets that hold chrome piece in place are broken.

I have no knowledge of this car being in any accident in the past but since I am the second owner it really comes down to my word against the dealers.

Most damage has been done to the black plastic piece (diffuser) around the chrome tip and the actual bumper cover could be salvaged (I think). What would you guys recommend? Do I have any recourse against the dealer. The worst part is that I have been servicing my cars with this dealer for the last 10 years and I am getting very frustrated and disgusted with their attitude toward a loyal customer.

Any advise would be highly appreciated.

Alex

cascade

How about taking it into a second Mercedes Benz dealer, this time with a CARFAX in hand that presumably shows no prior accidents recorded?


If this does no work what about taking it to the Mercedes Benz dealer with the no-accident CARFAX and having it taken care of there, where you bought it in the first place?


And can you disclose the name and location of the dealer that sold you the car, and the one in So Cal that denied liability in the incident, to us on here ast this time?

marinecraft

Call Ken Brown parts manager at Mercedes Benz of Monterey (the first MB deaker in the country) @ 831-375-2456 and ask him to look it up on his computer (have your VIN ready). He's a great guy and they are the best. I go all the way to them from Florida if that gives you any idea.

BM2BZ

first time i've seen something like this ! hope one of the dealers could possibly solve your issue but there are tons of excuses for them not to. good luck.

hyperion667

very lame, but not shocking......

good luck, let us know how it all works out

EmE247

If u end up having to pay for it to fix it, buy an aftermarket rear diffuser. Possibly one of the carbon fiber pieces. Will probably end up costing less than the dealer and a great reason to buy one.

O and let me guess as I hate the stealership so very much... Was it either Downtown Los Angeles MB or Beverly Hills MB? I had a problem with both of these stealers on my other car and they gave me the same not covered by warranty BS. Ended up having to pay for all of the work myself and had to lemon my car. Was never reimbursed for the repair work by lemoning.

boschk

Carfax only picks up accidents reported to the DMV. If I back into a pole and have it fixed by some hack, there's no record.

MB500

The car came through Manheim Auto Auction and the seller was MB Financial. Looks like the car was a repo. CARFAX is clean and free of any accidents. Also, the car is in perfect condition so I have no reason to believe that it's ever been rear ended. Since I purchased the car through the auction I can't really take it back.

My dealer is MB Escondido and is the one who has been servicing my cars for the last 10 years. I will try to take the car to MB San Diego if the one in Escondido keeps coming up with excuses for not fixing it.

Alex

Busta Riles

I would be very surprised if you get this covered under warranty.

If you purchased the car from a dealer, it would generally be the sales dept. that would eat the repair cost, if you could come to an agreement.

You bought the car at auction, so there's no chance the sales dept is helping you out.

Good luck though...you never know.

Raymond Lee

I would doubt very much your dealer in Escondido would fix free under warrantee becasue MBZ would not OK it.

EmE247

Ya forget about having the dealer cover it under warranty. It's not like you purchased it as a CPO or brand new from the Stealer. If i'm not mistaken, buying from auction is basically buying AS-IS.

Like I mentioned before, get a low cost alternative to Stealership and go aftermarket with a CF diffuser. IMO looks better than the stock piece anyways.

Raymond Lee

EmE247
You are keeping this site alive with the picture. I don't mind at all. Actually, I enjoy it!!!

MB500

I have an update -- the SA called this afternoon and said that they put the car up on the lift and determined that someone had taken the rear bumper off and did really crappy job in putting it back on the car. They found several bolts missing, rivets broken off, etc. Plus, the heat from the exhaust melted the harness that goes to one of the blind-spot sensors inside the bumper making the pre-safety system non-operational. I am very disappointed and have no-one to blame but myself. I bet there was a small scratch on the bumper and Manheim took the car to a body shop to have it fixed so the car looked pristine at the auction floor. The worst part is that I might have to get a brand new bumper cover ($644) plus the diffuser ($240), have it painted and mounted on the car. I am probably looking at spending at least $1500 (if not $2000) as best case scenario. SA suggested that I make a claim to my insurance. I have no experience in dealing with insurance and doubt that it would cover it. Any thoughts?

MB500

The only good news I have at the moment is than upon close examination it looked like the car has never been rear ended (according to the shop foreman) and they think that the bumper was re-painted for purely cosmetic reasons.

K-A

That sucks.

I'm sure you got a killer deal on the car, so I don't think we should feel too bad for you.

I've been around my fair share of Auction Cars, and gotta say that it's been rare for me to find one without some "story" behind it, or something "off". Seems that process is pretty tough on cars, or whatever it took for them to get there. If your "story" is hopefully just a replaced bumper (for hopefully not too tragic reasons) that was put on wrong causing it to partially melt, that could be good news.

Raymond Lee

I agree that you must have gotten a killer deal so you spend $2K but you are still OK. You will love the BlueTec for many years to come! Good luck with it and enjoy it.

sosh

Manheim would not take the car anywhere. The seller would have to do that himself or hire a representative to do it. If you have ever been to Manheim you would see a myriad of small and some large shops in the area that do nothing but prepare cars for the auction most of which is in a way the any of us would consider half assed. As far as making an insurance claim don't think that would work as the car was in that condition when you bought it. In fact just putting in a claim could be considered insurance fraud if you were caught.

Raymond Lee

sosh
I agree with you. The seller sold the car as is most likely and it may be in writing.

MB500

Well, the deal wasn't as sweet as I hoped for. Here is what I've got, and you guys tell me if I should feel bad about this car:

2011 E350 Bluetec with 21200 miles, P2, Panorama sunroof, Drive Assistance Package, Sport Styling Package, Rear side-impact airbags, split-folding rear seats. Original sticker price in 2011 was 63200 but it would have been about 63900 in 2012. Got it for 48k plus 600 auction fee. There was also outstanding DMV fine of $244 that I would have to pay. Overall, it was close to $49k. The guy who bought the car for me at the auction waved his $500 fee last night considering the ordeal I am going through....

So, do you believe I am still ahead even if I spend 2K for fixing the darn bumper?

sosh

Maybe a little ahead but was not really worth all the grief. Should have bought a Starmarked car at a dealer. I also have heard that Manheim and the other auctions are starting to crack down on phantom buyer reps and will ban them from auctions if caught. Dealers are complaining about them and dealers are their bread and butter. In addition I believe your "rep" could have taken the car to arbitration if he had been alert and sharp enough to spot the problem but he obviosly was not.

MB500

Agree with you Sosh.

I never thought that the car would sell for this much -- my 'rep' was telling me that it wouldn't be more than $45k. Two minutes before the auction he encouraged me to incase the bet to "make sure that we got the car". That's how I ended up buying it for 48k. According to my rep every MB dealer in the vicinity was bidding on this particular car (not sure if it's true) and therefore the price has gone up. My rep was sitting in San Diego and the car was selling up in the Bay Area. He couldn't physically inspect it and I was the one driving it back from San Jose where I happened to be on business.

I might have been better off going to an MB dealer and buying the car off the lot. May not be worth all the grief I am going through right now, but what's done is done and I have to live with it now.

ImInPA

Once you get the bumper fixed, you are going to love the car. Don't let the little stuff get you down. Live and learn.

michael10128

just bite the bullet. car is awesome and you are still ahead of the game.

EmE247

Wow. And I thought there were things like drive off depreciation and stuff.

I bought my 2011 brand new e350 w/ sport styling, p1, pano, and option wheels out the door for 49... Invoice was like 59. Wonder if I can sell and get all of my money back plus sum w/ mods...

MB500

The gasoline 2011 E350 runs anywhere from 38k to 42k at Manheim (depending on mileage and options). Diesel is obviously rare and, arguably, holds its value better in the long run.

By the way, I just a call from the dealer -- they are quoting me 2500 for the new bumper painted and installed. I am going to take the car to the body shop I dealt with before to see what they say.