Mercedes Benz of San Antonio ordered it by starting a repair order and following the warranty instructions and got it installed the next week. I ended up paying 70% even though I brought it in for inspection when it was at the 50% level. I wish MBUSA had recommended MB of SA instead of the previous dealer who diddled around and didn't have a clue (Mercedes Benz of Boerne TX). Based on this experience I wouldn't let MB of Boerne service my lawn mower, even though they are 20 miles closer.

On the positive side the wood looks great and looks like it should have - like all previous models looked. Mercedes Benz should be ashamed at how they have handled this and denied it for years now. I had a much better expectation of their company. This experience will definitely cause me to pause when it comes time to choose which car I buy next time. I have toured the MB Museum and the factory in Germany and have been a loyal customer. I will let everyone that will listen know what a fine job that MB of San Antonio did once they were brought in, but what a horrible job MBUSA did all the way through the process and how completely inept Mercedes Benz of Boerne is, Chris Forbes in particular. Their customer service as well as MBUSA's should be a complete embarrassment to the corporation - but sadly it isn't or they would actually do something about it.

 

I have a 2013 E350 sport sedan that just hit 100k. The car is paid off and is garage kept. Since I have a take home work vehicle, I average only 3 to 5k miles a year on the Mercedes. I recently had the maintenance along with a cylinder head gasket seal replacement done. After that, I spent about 20 hours doing paint correction, wax, & full detail. I got the car to near perfect condition considering it's age and mileage. The only thing needed was the faded burl walnut wood trim replaced. In mid-May, I took the car to Valley Motors Mercedes Benz dealership in Hunt Valley, MD. I told them that I would like the wood trim replaced. I was told under the warranty, I would have to cover 30% of the cost and was given an estimate of $975.00. I agreed and gave the go ahead for the work. I was told the parts are on back order and should arrive in about 2 weeks. It took about 5 weeks for the parts to arrive. I dropped my car back off on Monday June 24th. I received a message later that day stating that one of the parts was wrong and was re-ordered. On Wednesday I received a message that the part should arrive Friday June 28th. On Tuesday July 2nd, I reached out to my service advisor to get a follow up on the status of my car. He said that the part should on arrive on Friday July 5th. I asked what happened to Friday June 28th? Why has the part taken a week longer? He replied that they are looking into it. On July 5th I received a message stating that the part should arrive Saturday July 6th or Monday July 8th at the latest. Now, today I received a message stating that they are having continued problems with receiving the wrong parts and the correct part should be in this Wednesday July 10th. My patience is coming to an end. I have been waiting since mid-May to get this done and the dealership has had my car going on 3 weeks now because they apparently can source a interior trim piece. Given the fact that they apparently received the wrong part 3 times now. I don't really have any faith that my part will now arrive 2 days after a re-order, when apparently they are on consistent back order and wouldn't be surprised if the part is incorrect again. I am seriously thinking about just getting my car back and ordering the wood trim kit myself. It is nice to know after spending 20 hours on a full detail of the car it now sits out in their lot weeks on end getting rained on and sitting in 100° heat.
Has anybody else had issues with the dealership unable to source the burl walnut wood trim pieces? Can anybody explain how or why their parts source will consistently keep sending the wrong part? I am kinda at a loss on what to do next.

 

Did they say which part they are waiting on? The 17 piece set (if they're doing a full replacement) is one part, unless they'll ordering all of the pieces individually. I've seen several members get the run around from their service advisors on these parts coming in.

 

The dealership finally finished the wood trim retrofit on July 11th & I picked the car today on the 12th. I will say that I am happy & impressed with the final result. Looking at the deep rich look of the new wood trim, I didn't realize just how bad the condition was on the old trim. I wish I had some before & after photos.
Yes, the dealership was ordering the kit by individual pieces. All the wood trim was replaced except for the trim that runs along the bottom of the doors arm rest (not faded & matches well with the new trim.) On July 10th my service advisor contacted me & stated that apparently there was a parts # mix up in the system with the interior trim pieces & the problem has been resolved. My total out of pocket cost was $975.00 & a free Matco telescoping inspection mirror left behind by one of the service techs in my center console.

 

Nice, congrats! It is jarring to see the difference between the new, shiny trim and the old, faded stuff. Really dresses up the interior after it's done.

 

hello...
why are you surprised that MB is now over-charging to replace the defects?
I replaced my 2011 E350 trim in 2021 because I couldn't stand the burned wood.
I spent $1300 for replacement trim at Mercedes Santa Rosa & $500 at my MB Detailer for installation.
My previous 6 MB E's had perfect wood, but the new regime cut standards & corners.

 

Just got my wood trim replaced, for free, and wow does it look amazing. It was over a year long process, though. I got my first letter stating 50% then a second stating 75%. OK, that's fine. I went to the dealer, and after a couple go-rounds trying to explain what this whole situation was, they agreed to replace the trim for $350 out of pocket to me. In July of '23 they ordered the parts. They didn't come in until December of last year. I took the car in, they disassembled the whole interior, and figured out they'd ordered the wrong kit.

OK, reassemble, give the car back to me. They had knocked the lens out of the clock and one black trim piece under the passenger's side air vent was missing. I sat on it for a couple months figuring I'd deal with it when the right wood kit came in. Around April or so I just wanted these broken items fixed as they were very annoying. Took the car back in, they replaced the clock and the air vent, OK, but they broke some of the clips on the trim piece over the glove box and didn't have replacements. I got the car back with this piece of the trim basically hanging off, and drove it like this for a few months. Ping them again, when is my wood coming in? Oh, we can't order it until June. OK, July rolls around, do you have my trim yet? Not yet. It finally came in around mid-August, and I took the car in. They said it'd be two days. They took it all apart, and figured out they didn't have the right "fitting kit" to go with it. GRRRRRRR........ OK, waited another week, get the fitting kit, finish the job once and for all, and they waived any charge because of the inconvenience. Honestly, 100% worth it. What a difference. Attaching a pic.

 

Getting mine done on my '14 E550. They quoted my cost after the 50/50 as $776.

 

If only they would offer this for the other types of wood. My wood is all white, has the same exact defect, but nobody sued them about it I guess... :/

I'm thinking about buying a used set and refinishing it somehow myself until I like it, then swapping it out. Even ****ty used sets are still $$$ though...

Edit: I should clarify, it's not supposed to be white. It's supposed to be ash tree black...

(not my car)

 

Has anybody tried clear coating their new wood with 2k clear coat before installing?

Our local dealers don't seem that great, the Bluetec warranty coverage took a lot of calling on my part to finally get our 2010 ML350 in.

 

If I go down the refinishing route, I will look into what final protective coat to add. You probably need something with really good UV blocking, which seems to be something that JoysonQuin did not do properly when they made these parts in the first place...

 

Just saw this after joining the forum today. I was unaware of the settlement. I have a 2010 E350 with faded wood trim. Is it too late to file a claim for this?

 

I am thinking it would be appropriate to post this here.

I have these three pieces, OE, brand new. I sold my E350 but not to worry I replaced it with another Merc.

$250 obo. + $15.00 shipping