Hello and welcome to the Great Rust Debate.

According to my dealer, the enclosed pictures of this meticulously looked after Mercedes Benz E with 21,000 miles, illustrate flaws to the vehicle which are not covered by Mercedes as "they do not cover cosmetic corrosion".

I am partial to a dealer informing me of what can't be done, rather than what can aren't you?

"Ah yes Sir, ah the wheels Sir, oh dear Sir no Sir that won't be covered Sir, absolute no no Sir, no way Hose, give up Sir, you won't win, it's futile, I can tell you now, its not worth it Sir, don't do it Sir, I can tell you what they will say Sir, cause I know, its a no no"

Really?

Ooh I do like a bit of fun don't you.

Anyway before we begin, I will say that despite the dealers wisdom, I have had a polite conversation with the Gods at Mercedes Benz who seemed to agree with the peculiarity of a £50k Mercedes rusting ANYWHERE after 2 years and 21000 miles. The nice lady on the phone did seem to note the irony of a much promoted anti corrosion warranty being about as much use in this case as a free Mercedes cushion.

Had I listened to the dealers original eloquent wise and diligent fob off expertise I would be driving around in an increasingly untidy slug of rust.

Anyway place your bets now please. Will it be:

a. MB will not support me by giving me a warm German quality hug. They will simply say that due to adverse weather conditions effecting only my car and the fact that I park overnight in the Sea renders them unable to replace the parts.

b. MB will agree to immediately replace these parts so that my car doesn't later turn into the picture attached. They will agree that a Mercedes in Asda car park being the only car with Rusty wheels is not quite the best advert for the integrity of their repute.

Vote carefully I have a feeling its B

.... and so...... ( voice over ) ... it begins....

 

That's a brake caliper/caliper bracket.

 

Should be covered under warranty.

Just talk to your SA. If they don't, talk to MBUSA and get someone involved!

 

They should replace it under warranty considering it is still valid but your calipers look like you have driven your car under massive snow and salt taken its toll
Looking forward to hearing good news

 

LOL. I thought the caliper pics were from that old old old rust bucket MB you have pictured in your post and didn't think twice.

Not sure about warranty covering... Fail attempt at sarcasm...

 

replace or not, don't know. but they have to at least do something about it.

 

they will have the rusted parts replaced for sure ....

 

they'll probably just sand it and paint it.

 

Since the dealer is being technical, does the car not ship with a corrosion warranty?

 

It is a corrosion perforation warranty - ie: surface rust is not covered. The metal has to actually be impaired.

This is purely cosmetic, and while as I customer I would deem it unacceptable, you won't get corrosion warranty coverage on it. IMO this is either a goodwill item (doesn't sound like the dealer is biting), or a can of Tremclad rust paint and a couple hours of time.

 

I think this was caused by poor maintenance ie:never washing car. I live in a high road salt area and my 2010 is still in good shape because I have the car washed frequently during Winter months.

 

If you want a company that stands behind its vehicles, you'll have to purchase one from Asia.

 

Thats not a fair statement. MB has stood behind any issues that I have had. Secondly, the warranty usually refers to the "body sheet metal" and not to parts under the body... (contol arms, brake housings, drive shaft and the like. . )
Those have been rusting up for a while due to the amount of rust in those pictures. That did not happen over night.
My guess is that those areas were ignored and to blame MB for that is not right (2 cents).

I live within minutes of saltwater and show no signs of the kind of damage because I wash or rinse my vehicle every week.

 

I feel badly for the OP. He can't tell the difference between a brake caliper and a wheel. In any event, I hope it is resolved to his satisfaction.

 

wow, the grill on this thing iis astounding!!

 

The OP does not appear to be in the US, so referring him to MBUSA is probably futile.

Surface rust is just that - on the surface and - while an eyesore - actually protects the part from rusting farther.

It is not covered under warranty but the dealer or MB corporate may repair or replace as a goodwill gesture - but the new bits will just look the same shortly.

 

Right. And except for those bits that traditionally rust in that era MB (around the headlights and (presumeably) around the doors, none of that rust would be covered by the corrosion warranty (then or now) as that is also surface rust.

 

So basically the rust warranty means nothing

Isn't the rust warranty for 10 years? Unless you physically peel away the paint or dip the car in the ocean it is unlikely that you will get "perforation rust" on your car to satisfy Mercedes warranty standards for rust...

 

Correct. It has to be perforation and must be from the inside out. Modern galvanization methods almost eliminate rust on any protected surfaces anyway so they could offer a much longer warranty.

In the OPs case, he is looking at surface rust on untreated surfaces that isn't covered.

 

I live on the coast, my 2010 has about 22k on the clock and there is not a hint of rust on the calipers. Not the same as driving on salt covered roads in the north in the winter but I am surprised at what I see in these pix. Perhaps my weekly washing helps curtail this issue.

I hope mine never catches that problem.

 

Fresh water and a weekly washing will certainly help postpone this. Eventually rust wins.

 

HRPower, please ensure you let us know the outcome! IMO, whether the technicality of this premature (cosmetic/superficial) rust intrusion warrants coverage or not, @ the end of the day, it would be in M-B's best interest + good business to take care of it trusting that the ol' "word of mouth" adage still indeed applies w/today's demographics; which equals capital gains for ANY company... Good luck and keep us posted!

 

I am amazed by the amount of people who believe that MB should be immune to something that affects 100% of all cars.

Is it perhaps that they are ignorant about how rust works?

 

CEB...Many MB (BMW, Lexus, Audi, RR, Bentley, etc.) owners suffer from delusions of perfection. It is hard to truly enjoy a vehicle, or anything else for that matter, when folks set their expectation level at Perfection. There will be much disappointment. Managing expectations is important in all aspects of life.

 

MB would be reponsible if the paint was bubbling from the rust underneath the paint.
However, if there were stone chips and the "owner" never corrected them then MB is immune and the "owner" is to blame.

Brake calipers are painted heavy steel and brake dust "eats" through the paint like acid. Ever see pitted rims because the owner doesn't remove the brake dust from them?

Simple car care keeps them in great shape with no rust.