AkaSigFreak

I purchased a CPO 2014 E-350 with 22,000 miles back in December of 2016. I had to make them fix all 4 wheels due to curb rash and had a few other issues. Now, my B-Service was due (Free Maintenance). I put 8K miles on it so I'm at 30,000 and they are telling me a need one new tire (Left Rear). They said when the vehicle went through the CPO process, the tire was 1/32 within the allowable tread ware. If it was that close and they were replacing the other tire- why wouldn't they replace this one too? Maybe I'm wrong, but I was always told you should replace both tires at the same time especially on a Rear-Wheel drive Mercedes-Benz. Now they are telling me the tire is $300+ plus an alignment at $149. I asked why I needed the alignment and they said because the tire wore more on the inside. Morons- ALL rear tires on a Rear-Wheel drive Mercedes-Benz wear more on the inside due to the negative camber. I also had an issue about 4-5 months ago where it was determined they had not properly filled the oil level during the CPO process.
I am not complaining about the money, but feel they have failed to CPO as required by Mercedes-Benz and now, I am paying for their mistakes.
It was also determined that they never applied the $1200 Cilajet paint sealant I purchased with the vehicle. I kept telling them it wasn't done but they kept insisting. I told them to provide me proof they had applied it and they quickly offered to "re-apply" it.
Would it be worth my time to address these issues with Mercedes-Benz Customer Relations or do they not get involved with Dealerships?

JALLEN4

All CPO cars are used cars. Most all used cars are sold for less than new cars. Most all used cars are comprised of parts that have been used and therefore are subject to wear and tear. You buy a used car, have it over a year, drive it 8,000 miles and now complain about replacing a tire and doing normal maintenance of an alignment. My old 2012 E350 needed new tires at 30,000 miles all the way around. I guess I missed my chance to complain to Mercedes.

AkaSigFreak

Thank You for stating the obvious but ignoring the true issue. I understand I purchased a "used" car, but I paid a premium to purchase a CPO'd Mercedes-Benz. It's not because I'm cheap-it's because I got tired of paying full price for a vehicle and having it loose half its value in 1-2 years and purchasing a new car with a 4 yr/50,000 warranty. The point of my post was that a tire was not replaced due to 1/32 of an inch but the other tire was replaced. They also failed to fill the engine with oil during the CPO Process and then the dealership did not apply the $1200 Cilajet Exterior and Interior Surface protectant.

thefisch

You could try and address with MBUSA customer service, but a tire wear issue a year after purchase will be a hard sell. Worth a try though. I agree that they should have replaced the pair so the axle has a matching set. But harder to argue a year later.

Personally, I never deal with dealerships on tires, only tire shops. Never found a dealer that had better pricing or service. And I wouldn't give them even more business after the hassle you had with them.

AkaSigFreak

I received a call from the dealership. They agreed that the Cilajet was never applied and stated they were going to apply the treatments now. They were also asking about the tire and stated they don't think the alignment is required and offered the tire for $300 OTD. I checked TireRack and some local tire shops and by the time I pay shipping/installation I'm close to the quoted price. At least if they install the tire- they will bring me a loaner car (not like it will take too long).

mellonc

My CPO rear tires (both) became bald in less than 8000 miles. I looked into it and the CPO process does not require the tires to be new. A bit disappointing. Not sure how other manufacturers treat mid-life tires.

AkaSigFreak

It does not require them to be new but I believe he said they must be at least 5/32 tread. Mine was 6/32 at the time of the CPO and the other was below 5/32 so it was replaced. Considering how rear tires wear on a Mercedes- you'd think they would have replaced both. It is always recommended to replace both tires at the same time.

cetialpha5

Try the $130 off $250 service coupon that's good til 12/31/17. That would bring it back down to 170 which isn't a bad price for a tire.

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/servi...olidaythankyou

As others said, I wouldn't bother going to MB for tires, usually places like Costco or Bjs, or local tire stores have much better pricing and they all price match to Tirerack or whatever online store is cheaper.

As for CPO, lots of threads about dealers cutting corners on it. But I don't think you have too much to complain about. On a RWD drive car, the tires don't even last that long because you can't rotate them, usually the tire warranty is half. CPO just requires half the tread depth to pass. Most tires new are 10/32's so that'd be 6/32's that you got them at. Normally I replace tires when they get down to 4 or 5/32's but my state says they're bald when they hit 2/32's. I can see 8k easily taking it down to the 2 or 3/32's range especially if those tires are only good for 15-20k anyway.

AkaSigFreak

Thanks for the Coupon link. I will give that a try.

LemonSqueezy

Sorry to hear about the issues you're having but regarding the tire issue, its not required to replace tires in pairs, for 2wd or awd. Some Subaru's with awd may require more than 1 tire replaced at once but rarely will that ever be the case in most cars.

and like others said, a cpo is a used car, if items are within spec, they're within spec to pass cpo

AkaSigFreak

OK...So I'm over the tire issue. Not one person has responded to the issue of them failing to put oil back into the engine during the CPO process, or them not applying the $1200 Exterior and Interior treatment I paid for.

thefisch

When I said that I wouldn't give them even more business after the hassle you had with them, I was taking all the things you mentioned into account. To me the oil and treatment were worse than the tire. At least with the tire, they followed their checklist.

JALLEN4

You never stated how much oil they missed putting in. Was it 1/2 quart or two or three quarts? One half would mean nothing and two or three would be concerning. I can assure you, there is not a garage in the country that changes oil that occasionally does not screw up an oil change. It is a good reason to check the oil level after having the oil changed.

tresean1

Maybe because your tire complaint was about 2 paragraphs' worth; and your issue with the oil and sealant, combined, was less than a paragraph? So maybe people gravitated to the issue you apparently/seemingly made a bigger deal about.
What do you want people to say? What type of answer/comment are you looking for?

kajtek1

I read "the tire was within the specifications at the time of purchase" and then "should I complain to headquarters". I leave it with no comments.
Oil fill is not explained as well. when dealer admited not applying the treatment.
The $1200 for any treatment is $1100 too much, so I would take my money back and run.

jahquan3

Tough crowd I see lol.

I'd just ask for my $1,200 back at this point. It is a year later after all.

AkaSigFreak

Final result- They applied the treatment to all exterior surfaces and interior. The car looks like new and shines better. They also agreed that the tire should have been replaced and offered me a replacement for a considerable discount.

thefisch

Sounds like your happy with the result. Glad it worked out.

davidjohnbamber

As Ronald Reagan once allegedly said about Russian Prime Minister Gorbachev: "Trust but verify".

Edward993

OK, so all is now "restored" with the OP's car? Sounds like the dealership may not be at the top of their game, but buying a CPO car still requires one to be vigilant about all the details involved in a used car purchase. In other words, the CPO offers some peace of mind and a few service perks, but does not absolve the prospective buyer from looking at the obvious, as well as requiring proof of claims (like the coating) before signing on the dotted line.

If I may use my experience, for example, in hunting for my wife's 2014 CPO car a bit over a year ago: a lot of 2014s and 2015s were available as CPO cars, but man did they vary wildly as far as condition! One car I even complained about as being notably sub-par for an MB-CPO car ...scratches, carpet stains, misc wear, but even worse was serious stains on the plastic engine cover and the hood that seemed to me like an obvious overheating/boilover situation! Sheesh!!, you'd think that if something like a boilover happened (which would be suspect enough) the techs who fixed it would have cleaned that crap up!!! All to which the manager later that evening even came to apologize that this one "got through" the CPO process.

Bottom line is you still need to look at tires, wiper blades, pull the coolant and oil filler cap, all the normal stuff you'd do were it a used car via pvt party. A CPO car simply offers some assurances, but nothing should be taken for granted, and everything still is negotiable, like insisting I get two key fobs when one car "came with only one" ...yeah, right!

At least in the OP's situation, the dealership made good, if not with a bit of complaint, but they still made good, to which they should be commended for that! But caveat emptor never fails to apply, and the tire kicker still has to take responsibility for scrutinizing any used vehicle, CPO or not, MB or not. Unless, of course, one enjoys trusting complete strangers who are trying to sell you something of considerable value

Edward

kajtek1

Job ethics in US are dropping at Junker's diving speed. (for those not familiar >>> http://militaryhistorynow.com/2015/0...e-ju-87-stuka/)
The sound was incorporated not only in Pink-Floyd music, but also in Bond movie.
I moved to US over 30 years ago from communism and now am having deja-vu.
Not answering phone calls, calling back the customers after several days, deliberately neglecting the job? That is what I remember from communism.
When in US 30 years ago a salesman who would not call back a customer within 15 minutes would be in unemployment line 2 days later.
You draw your own conclusions.

300SE1993

I've seen some CPO cars that were pretty bad. You lucked out that they took care of you after the fact.